Space Topics: Kaguya (SELENE)
The Year in Pictures: 2009
Moon Princess Returns Home
Kaguya returns to the Moon
Credit: JAXA / NHK
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The Kaguya lunar orbiter, named for a Moon princess from a
Japanese folk tale, ended its productive mission as planned on
June 11, 2009 by crashing into the lunar surface near the crater
Gill. All of its instruments were operating during its final orbit
around the Moon, including the high-definition TV camera
funded by the Japanese broadcasting corporation NHK. This
is one of the final views of the Moon from Kaguya, taken at an
altitude of 27,800 meters, looking toward some mountainous
peaks near the Moon’s south pole, close to the crater Boltzmann
(which is just out of frame to the left).
Context for Kaguya's final images
A small segment of a USGS lunar map provides context for the final images of the Moon taken by Kaguya's HD camera as the spacecraft dove toward its final crash.
Credit: NASA / USGS / Phil Stooke
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