Winston
Lorenzo von Matterhorn
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Israeli Moon Lander Poised for Lunar Touchdown Thursday
https://www.space.com/israel-moon-lander-lunar-touchdown-final-approach.html
Israel's robotic Beresheet moon lander is nearing its moment of truth: an epic lunar-touchdown attempt scheduled to occur between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. EDT (1900 and 2000 GMT) on Thursday (April 11).
The lander will touch down within Mare Serenitatis, on the northern hemisphere of the moon's near side. The target region is located in the northeastern part of Mare Serenitatis, west of the main Posidonius Crater. This area harbors three possible landing sites: a primary site and two backups.
In addition to a suite of cameras, the mission has integrated a scientific payload consisting of a small Lunar Retroreflector Array (LRA) provided by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said team member Oded Aharonson, of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Beresheet also has a magnetometer, provided by the University of California, Los Angeles, which will explore the region's magnetic anomalies.
The laser altimeter on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will try to shoot laser pulses at Beresheet’s retroreflector and then measure how long it takes the light to bounce back. By using this technique, engineers expect to be able to pinpoint Beresheet’s location within 4 inches (10 centimeters).
The small retroreflector:
https://www.space.com/israel-moon-lander-lunar-touchdown-final-approach.html
Israel's robotic Beresheet moon lander is nearing its moment of truth: an epic lunar-touchdown attempt scheduled to occur between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. EDT (1900 and 2000 GMT) on Thursday (April 11).
The lander will touch down within Mare Serenitatis, on the northern hemisphere of the moon's near side. The target region is located in the northeastern part of Mare Serenitatis, west of the main Posidonius Crater. This area harbors three possible landing sites: a primary site and two backups.
In addition to a suite of cameras, the mission has integrated a scientific payload consisting of a small Lunar Retroreflector Array (LRA) provided by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said team member Oded Aharonson, of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Beresheet also has a magnetometer, provided by the University of California, Los Angeles, which will explore the region's magnetic anomalies.
The laser altimeter on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will try to shoot laser pulses at Beresheet’s retroreflector and then measure how long it takes the light to bounce back. By using this technique, engineers expect to be able to pinpoint Beresheet’s location within 4 inches (10 centimeters).
The small retroreflector: