JAXA Kaguya end of mission

[BrianJ]

Impact due June 10th, 18:30:00 UTC
http://www.kaguya.jaxa.jp/en/communication/KAGUYA_Lunar_Impact_e.htm

Also, check out the lunar-topography-generated-music "Moonbell" (I love stuff like this
http://wms.selene.jaxa.jp/selene_sok/
(requires Java)

Cheers,
Brian

 

[tblaxland]

Also, check out the lunar-topography-generated-music "Moonbell" (I love stuff like this
http://wms.selene.jaxa.jp/selene_sok/
(requires Java)

Nice. Where do the get the ideas for this stuff from?

Kaguya has been an interesting mission, and now we will have LRO hot on its heels :speakcool:

 

[Notebook]

Someone was watching...

http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMM5RVTGVF_index_0.html

N.

 

[2552]

Just under 4 hours left..

 

[Artlav]

I wonder if it will be visible from Earth in a quarter-Moon resolution telescope?

 

[SiberianTiger]

I wonder if it will be visible from Earth in a quarter-Moon resolution telescope?

The Moon will only rise here after midnight and it's cloudy anyway.

 

[2552]

10 minutes to impact!

---------- Post added at 06:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:15 PM ----------

Impact!

 

[Andy44]

So long Kaguya. One of your stills is my XP wallpaper.

 

[tblaxland]

Images from the AAO (I'm guessing from the AAT scope) reportedly showing the impact flash. It is apparently the bright spot in the second frame above the mountain (see the link for a more detailed description).
http://lpod.wikispaces.com/June+10,+2010+-+KAGUYA+SPECIAL

 

[Matt Decker]

Selene crashes on the Moon. (Been there done that)

The Japanese lunar probe crashed into the Moon on June 11. Click link to see video.


http://gizmodo.com/5299620/japans-satellite-crashes-into-the-moon-sends-back-footage-of-its-demise

 

[Andy44]

Is that actual video? The article says it's a "reconstruction based on flight data". Amazing footage, though. Too bad they it cuts off just before impact. I think I saw an alien ducking for cover!

 

[tblaxland]

Is that actual video? The article says it's a "reconstruction based on flight data". Amazing footage, though. Too bad they it cuts off just before impact. I think I saw an alien ducking for cover!

It looks like an animation based on terrain data (that data was most likely captured by Kaguya, but whether or not it was on previous passes or the final pass I am having trouble verifying - my Japanese is not that good ). There are some photographic images (sequential stills) from the HDTV camera here:
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2009/06/20090619_kaguya_hdtv_e.html

 

[The 2-Belo]

Update: JAXA has released the last photos returned by the Kaguya probe before its impact on June 11.

http://www.livescience.com/php/multimedia/album.php?aid=28852

Now I know the objectives for this particular impact were a bit different from LCROSS, since Kaguya had no probe following it that would fly through its plume and analyze the debris, but Kaguya's death gets 928,475 points for looking awesome. And poignant -- this is the last hurrah of an outstanding mission.

This makes the entire nation of Japan mighty proud of her space program.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

BBC News: "Japanese Kaguya probe saw deep Moon rock".