GRAIL Twins Enter Lunar Orbit — UPDATE
UPDATE: The two spacecraft entered lunar orbit as scheduled.
ORIGINAL STORY: NASA’s twin GRAIL spacecraft will enter lunar orbit today and tomorrow, respectively. The two identical spacecraft — one following the other as they orbit the Moon — will map its gravity field and give scientists a better understanding of the Moon’s interior.
After decades of study, scientists still do not understand the origin of the Moon. A new theory is that the Earth originally had two moons that “bumped” into each other, forming the Moon we have today. The theory responds to observations of the near- and far-sides of the Moon, which are very different from each other. Observations from GRAIL could help determine if the theory is correct.
The two spacecraft are currently dubbed GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B, but will receive new names once they enter orbit. GRAIL-A is due to conduct its lunar orbit insertion burn beginning at 4:21 pm EST today, New Year’s Eve. GRAIL-B will follow suit tomorrow, New Year’s Day, beginning at 5:05 pm EST.
Maria Zuber of MIT is the principal investigator on the GRAIL mission.
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