SMART-1 impact update (Forwarded)

ESA News
http://www.esa.int

SMART-1 impact update

3 September 2006

Scientists have received and are analysing the final data gathered by
SMART-1 on 2 September, prior to today's Moon impact. This update presents
several of the images received, as well as additional images and
information from the worldwide ground observation campaign.

The seven AMIE images included in this update article were taken on 2
September by the AMIE camera on board SMART-1 during the last few orbits
prior to Moon impact. They were taken between 15:19 - 17:34 CEST (17:19 -
19:34 UT) and were analysed by camera scientists during the night of 2-3
September.

The images include both oblique and nadir (vertical) views, with the
camera pointing mode having been selected to best exploit the illumination
conditions during the final orbits over the Moon's night side.

In several of the images, the Moon's horizon can clearly been seen;
excellent details of the surface are also visible.

Ground observation campaign

An impressive sequence of impact images was captured by the
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), a 3.6-meter optical/infrared
telescope located atop the summit of Mauna Kea, a 4200-meter volcano on
Hawaii's Big Island (see before, during, after image sequence below).

The CFHT observed the projected impact area between 07:00 - 08:44 CEST
(05:00 06:44 UT), and astronomers were rewarded with a beautiful image of
that indicates a very short impact flash, possibly lasting less than a
second. While still to be confirmed, a preliminary assessment indicates
the impact flash was possibly caused by thermal emission from the impact
itself or by the release of spacecraft volatiles, such as the small amount
of hydrazine fuel remaining on board.

"It was exciting to see the impact flash live from Hawaii, just after
receiving, at ESOC, the last radio signal from SMART-1," said Prof.
Pascale Ehrenfreund, from Leiden University, Impact Ground Campaign
Coordinator.

Many other observatories, including both professional and amateurs sky
watchers, also participated in ground observation activities.

"We look forward to collecting worldwide reports from this impact. We call
upon the community to search for the ejecta blankets and for future lunar
orbiters to search for the SMART-1 crater," says Bernard H. Foing, ESA's
SMART-1 Project Scientist. Their updates will be published on the ESA
portal as they are received in the coming days.

Radio telescope observations

SMART-1 was also observed by a network of five cooperating radio
telescopes over several months leading up to Moon impact. The
observatories' activities are coordinated by the Joint Institute for Very
Long Baseline Interferometry (JIVE), hosted by ASTRON (the Netherlands
Foundation for Research in Astronomy), Dwingeloo, The Netherlands.

The participating observatories are capable of making highly sensitive
observations, characterized by very accurate timing and the ability to
detect very weak radio signals.

Starting in the spring of 2006, the cooperating telescopes observed radio
signals emitted by SMART-1 and reflected from the Moon as part of a
programme to test and validate the very long baseline interferometry
(VLBI) technique. VLBI allows ground-based telescopes to track spacecraft
with very high accuracy, and furthermore has applications in radio
astronomy, including the testing of radio wave propagation in the vicinity
of massive bodies like the Moon and the study of the Moon's surface
physical properties.

In working with SMART-1, the radio telescopes applied the same techniques
used by ground telescopes to track the descent of ESA's Huygens probe to
the surface of Saturn's moon Titan in January 2005. This technique is also
expected to be used in tracking China's Chang'e-series of Moon missions,
to be launched starting in 2007.

Summary:

These and other SMART-1 data will be analysed by the science teams in the
coming days and the ESA Portal plans to publish results as soon as they
are available.

Note to editors:

The five radio telescopes involved in the SMART-1 observations and
coordinated by the Joint Institute for VLBI (Very Long Baseline
Interferometry) in Europe (JIVE), a the Medicina (INAF) 32-metre
antenna in Italy, the Fortaleza (ROEN) 14-metre antenna in Brazil, the
German-Chilean TIGO (BKG) 6-metre antenna in Chile, the Mount Pleasant
Observatory of the University of Australia and the Australia Telescope
Compact Array (CSIRO).

The SMART-1 impact observation campaign involved several amateur and
professional astronomers all around the world. They include: the South
African Large Telescope (SALT), the Calar Alto observatory in Andalucia,
Spain, the ESA Optical Ground Station (OGS) at Tenerife, Spain, the TNG
telescope in La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain, the CEA Cariri observatory
in Brazil, the Argentina National Telescope, the Florida Tech Robotic
telescopes, US telescopes, NASA IRTF, the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope,
the Japanese Subaru Auxiliary telescopes on Hawaii, and many others.

For more information:

Bernard H. Foing, ESA SMART-1 Project Scientist
Email: bernard.foing @ esa.int

Pascale Ehrenfreund, SMART-1 Impact Ground Campaign Coordinator
Leiden University, The Netherlands
Email: pascale @ strw.leidenuniv.nl

Leonid Gurvits, Radio VLBI Coordinator
Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE), Dwingeloo, The Netherlands
Email: lgurvits @ jive.nl

[NOTE: Images supporting this release are available at
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM2N58ZMRE_index_1.html ]

More about ...

* Looking at the Moon
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/index.html

Related news

* ESA's Moon mission ends successfully
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMBY5BVLRE_index_0.html
* Impact landing ends SMART-1 mission to the Moon
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM7A76LARE_index_0.html
* SMART-1 star tracker views the Moon in earthshine
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/SEMMK6BVLRE_0.html
* Intense final hours for SMART-1
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMV386LARE_index_0.html
* Amateur observers prepare to watch SMART-1 impact
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMME86LARE_index_0.html
* SMART-1 maps its own impact site
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/SEM1946LARE_0.html
* Ion engine gets SMART-1 to the Moon
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/SEMLZ36LARE_0.html

SMART-1 impact FAQ

* SMART-1 Impact Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/SEMWSW5LARE_0.html

Related links

* Space-X
http://www.space-x.ch/
* Advanced Moon micro-Imager Experiment (AMIE)
http://www.space-x.ch/Amie.htm
* Joint Institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry (JIVE)
http://www.jive.nl/
* Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT)
http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/