A box of gadgetry little bigger than a television will be hurled into space this weekend on a mission to explain where the moon came from. After studying rocks brought back by six manned Apollo missions and three unmanned Russian probes in the 1960s and '70s, scientists theorised the moon formed 4.5 billion years ago after a Mars-sized planet collided with Earth. Lighter rocks were thrown into orbit, forming the moon. But Bernard Foing, the European Space Agency's project scientist, said it was still just a theory. "With the Apollo lunar missions we only sampled specific areas, on the near side, near the equator," Dr Foing said. "It's like taking some samples from the Sahara and saying we understand the whole Earth." It will be the job of Western Europe's first moon-orbiting probe to map the chemistry of the entire surface, which it is hoped will reveal how Earth's companion was born. While the Apollo astronauts dashed to the moon in less than four days, Europe's SMART-1 probe - the Small Mission for Advanced Research and Technology - will take a leisurely 16 months. Costing €110 million ($185 million) - the budget mission will also test technology that may revolutionise the exploration of the solar system.To save money, the probe will hitchhike into space on Sunday, Sydney time, from the Kourou space port in South America, riding piggyback with two communication satellites.Previous lunar missions, including Apollo, used powerful but heavy chemical rockets to blast out of Earth's orbit and head for the moon. However, SMART-1 is equipped with a lightweight experimental ion motor that will, according to the European Space Agency, produce no more force than "the weight of a postcard".
View: Full Article | Source: smh.com.au
