After some exasperating delays due to pesky and changeable high-level winds, the twin GRAIL spacecraft launched this morning on their trip to the Moon. Official launch time was 13:08:52.775 UTC on September 10, 2011. Go GRAIL!
Liftoff for GRAIL! Liftoff for the GRAIL mission to the Moon at 13:08UTC on September 10, 2011! From @carlmilner Credit: Carl Milner
About an hour and a half later, both spacecraft successfully separated from their launch vehicle, an event shown live on NASA TV thanks to a RocketCam!
GRAIL A separates from its second stage rocket GRAIL A separated from its second-stage rocket on time at 14:28 UTC on September 9, 2011, in an event shown live on TV through a RocketCam. Credit: NASA / RocketCam / animation by Emily Lakdawalla
Via Twitter I've learned that both spacecraft have deployed their solar panels and are producing power. Now they're on their way for a three-month cruise to the Moon via the Sun-Earth L2 point. The long cruise reduces the amount of fuel they need for lunar orbit insertion, and also allows the spacecraft to outgas before it has to perform its sensitive gravity measurements.
A special congratulations to Principal Investigator Maria Zuber and the whole science team, who can now get to work!
EDIT: Youtube video of both GRAILs separating:
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GRAIL and 2 Impacts Theory
At breakfast this morning, I was explaining to my wife that "Orpheus" hit proto-Earth. The Moon formed and then was hit by yet a third object, making the Moon lopsided density-wise.
Questions:
1. Was the "major object hits Moon" theory known when GRAIL was conceived? I know mascons were known during Apollo and thought to be the result of positive density differences from lava and impacts.
2. Do we know where the major object that hit the Moon formed? Was it formed from the same impact that formed the Moon or somewhere else?
3. Are any of the Earth-grazing asteroids (or anything else) leftovers from either of these two impacts? If so, what would we expect their composition to be like?
Sorry for such detailed questions, but there's no one I know I can ask.
Rob, interesting questions. I have no idea about #1 or #3 but I would say that given that the proposed impact had a very slow relative velocity, it would be almost certain that the impactor was formed as a second moon in the same original impact.
That's what I thought on #2--the references to "low-speed" collision (relatively speaking) indicated that, but I wasn't sure. #1 is pure curiosity. #3 would give us samples of one of those early bodies if some of the debris were still out there.
I heard that students have been able to write a less than 500 word essay on what to rename grail a and grail b so i was wondering what u guys would pick and why!?!
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Questions:
1. Was the "major object hits Moon" theory known when GRAIL was conceived? I know mascons were known during Apollo and thought to be the result of positive density differences from lava and impacts.
2. Do we know where the major object that hit the Moon formed? Was it formed from the same impact that formed the Moon or somewhere else?
3. Are any of the Earth-grazing asteroids (or anything else) leftovers from either of these two impacts? If so, what would we expect their composition to be like?
Sorry for such detailed questions, but there's no one I know I can ask.
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110910.html
Go GRAIL!