They merely have to issue the same commands they issued to "Beagle", which
then successfully slammed into Mars. They are good at that sort of thing,
these Europeans.


"Raving Loonie" wrote in message
ups.com...
Another *brilliant* ESA [space] project ... ( Deep Impact envy,
maybe? )

[BeginQuote .. ]

"Scientists are plotting out a "crash course" in learning what happens
when a European lunar probe slams into the Moon.

The European Space Agency's (ESA) SMART-1 spacecraft--now circling the
Moon--is headed for a planned early September impact with Earth's
celestial neighbor.

The ESA probe would plow into the lunar surface, giving it a glancing
blow as it speeds in at nearly 5,000 miles per hour (2 kilometers per
second).

SMART-1 is Europe's first robotic lunar mission. The name SMART stands
for Small Mission for Advanced Research in Technology

The spacecraft was launched on September 27, 2003. Making use of its
ion-propulsion engine to slowly nudge it outward from Earth, the probe
powered its way into lunar orbit on November 15, 2004.

Outfitted with miniaturized instruments, SMART-1's goal has been to
gauge key chemical elements in the lunar surface, as well as look into
the theory that the Moon was formed following the violent collision of
a smaller planet with Earth long ago.

ESA's lunar probe completes a loop around the Moon every five
hours--but that's about to end later this year.

Rehearsal mode

Engineers and scientists are now targeting SMART-1 for possible impact
on the Moon around September 1-2. The current uncertainty range for the
exact time of impact is 15 hours. ...


[... Endquote]


http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/200603...lamintothemoon
for source