Last images from Japan's lunar mission
29 Jun 2009
These are the final images sent back from Japan's Kaguya lunar explorer, just before it crashed into the Moon on June 11.
Kaguya was launched on September 14, 2007, and had orbited the Moon for 20 months. But with the end of the mission drawing near, controllers sent the craft on a deliberate death plunge into the lunar surface near the south pole.
The shots were taken at intervals of about one minute apart while Kaguya's altitude steadily decreased its toward the impact position, near a crater named Gill.
Right towards the end, Kaguya moved into the crater's shadowed region, thus it was pitch dark while taking the last image.
More information: JAXA YouTube Channel
Adapted from information issued by JAXA / NHK.
LATEST HEADLINES & TOP STORIES:
> NASA's Moon mission enters lunar orbit
> Lunar "bomb" on course for crash
> Odyssey alters orbit to study Mars
> Mars rover's arm under test
> DOWN TO EARTH: Christmas Island (Kiritimati) seen from space
> Saturn's rings as they've never been seen before
> Saturn's on again, off again waterworld
> Supercomputer tackles solar spottiness
> Fermi's first year in space
> DOWN TO EARTH: World's largest sand island, seen from space
> Mars' odd moon Deimos
> Ancient lakebed spotted on Mars
> Oddball planet orbits a distant star
> NASA launches lunar explorer
> Lunar kamikaze mission on its way
> Mystery of the missing sunspots
> A star with a highly magnetic personality
> Shuttle launch delayed due to fuel leak
> DOWN TO EARTH: World's largest irrigation canal, seen from space
> Meteorites hold clues to Earth's cosmic roots
> Icy life a clue to aliens?
> Cool stars take wild rides around the Galaxy
> DOWN TO EARTH: Swirling clouds seen from space
> MAIN NEWS PAGE…
Search SpaceInfo…
