K3PGP Experimenter's Corner

Lunar Prospector Impact !

From: K3PGP - John

Subject: *** BULLETIN *** Lunar Prospector to impact the moon on 7/31/99 !

Date: Thursday, July 29, 1999 2:21 PM

The Lunar Prospector has completed it's mission and is scheduled to impact the moon at 09:51 GMT on 07/31/99.

Uplink 2093.0541Mhz (Very strong via EME !!!)
Downlink 2273.0 Mhz

The next activity is the spin-up, scheduled for 7/29 at 15:32 GMT. This
will be the first step in setting the spacecraft up for the
targeted impact. Impact is now scheduled for 09:51 GMT on 7/31/99 (one
minute earlier than reported last week). It was moved up to optimize timing
with Hubble Space Telescope observations.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ames press release
June 2, 1999: Lunar Prospector Set to Make Science "Splash"

The mission of NASA's Lunar Prospector will end on July 31, 1999, when
ground controllers attempt to direct the spacecraft to impact the surface
of the Moon inside a permanently shadowed crater near the lunar south pole.
http://ccf.arc.nasa.gov/dx/basket/pressrelease/99_36AR.html

Write up on proposal for 'splash down' can be found at URL
http://www.geophys.washington.edu/Space/GRL/articles/26/12/3581goldstein/



These observations are described on the University of Texas's web page:
http://www.ae.utexas.edu/~cfpl/lunar/.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--

LP status reports contain information about where the spacecraft is in its
mission, and how it is doing. A few basic facts tell the mission scientists
enough to know that all is well or something needs further checking.

For a more information, go to the Lunar Prospector web site, URL
http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/

A brief summary of terms may be found at:
http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/status/brief.html

For details on "The Little Arecibo Dish Project" and current photos of the
construction visit any of my websites posted below.

John - K3PGP
http://www.k3pgp.org
-=<EOF>=-