Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) & LADEE

cIclops · 2007-12-13 08:46:02

Twin spacecraft in tandem orbits will measure the lunar gravity field

New NASA Mission to Reveal Moon's Internal Structure and Evolution - 11 Dec 2007

WASHINGTON - At a Monday meeting of the American Geophysical Union, NASA's Associate Administrator for Science Alan Stern announced the selection of a new mission that will peer deep inside the moon to reveal its anatomy and history.
The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, mission is a part of NASA's Discovery Program. It will cost $375 million and is scheduled to launch in 2011. GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail. The mission also will answer longstanding questions about Earth's moon and provide scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed.
"GRAIL's revolutionary capabilities stood out in this Discovery mission competition owing to its unsurpassed combination of high scientific value and low technical and programmatic risk," Stern said. "GRAIL also offers to bring innovative Earth studies techniques to the moon as a precursor to their possible later use at Mars and other planets."
Scientists will use the gravity field information from the two satellites to X-ray the moon from crust to core to reveal the moon's subsurface structures and, indirectly, its thermal history.
The study technique GRAIL will use was pioneered by the joint U.S.-German Earth observing Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, or GRACE, mission launched in 2002. The GRACE satellites measure gravity changes related to the movement of mass within the Earth, such as the melting of ice at the poles and changes in ocean circulation. As with GRACE, both GRAIL spacecraft will be launched on a single launch vehicle.
GRAIL's principal investigator is Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Zuber's team of expert scientists and engineers includes former NASA astronaut Sally Ride, who will lead the mission's public outreach efforts. A camera aboard each spacecraft will allow students and the public to interact with observations from the satellites. Each GRAIL spacecraft will carry the cameras to documents their views from lunar orbits.

RedStreak · 2007-12-14 13:50:22

An excellent idea to try at the moon. Hopefully they can attempt this at Mars and Venus, especially the later since we still aren't sure on Venus' development.

cIclops · 2007-12-15 07:28:06

MIT to lead ambitious lunar mission - 14 Dec 2007

The technology used in the mission is a direct spinoff from the highly successful Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission, which has been mapping Earth's gravitational field since 2002. Using that technology made this a "low risk" mission for NASA because the necessary instruments had already been developed and tested.
As with that mission, GRAIL measurements of the gravitational field will come from very precise monitoring of changes in the distance between the two satellites. The resulting measurements will map the moon's gravitational field up to 1,000 times more accurately than any previous mapping.
The main new technology needed to make GRAIL possible was a way to calibrate the timing of the satellites accurately. The Earth-orbiting GRACE satellites use the GPS satellite navigation system, but there is no such system at the moon. Instead, the team adapted a technique that involves precise monitoring of radio signals originally designed for a different purpose for another planetary mission in development, named Juno.
The same technology could be applied to future missions to map the gravitational fields of other interesting worlds such as Mars, where it could reveal the exchange of carbon dioxide between the polar caps and atmosphere or the movement of flowing subsurface water, Zuber says. "We could learn amazing things" from such follow-up missions, she says. "Since we solved the GPS problem for the moon, we could propose this with little modification for other planets."

cIclops · 2007-12-20 05:05:28

Lockheed Martin spacecraft to be flown

DENVER, December 19th, 2007 -- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) newest mission will analyze the internal structure and gravitational forces of the Earth’s moon. The Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, mission is the latest mission under NASA’s Discovery Program. Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] will design, build and operate the GRAIL spacecraft.
The $375-million GRAIL mission is led by principal investigator Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will manage the mission and will develop the science instrumentation.
“Our team is excited to be going back to the moon with an important science mission that will further NASA’s exploration goals,” said Jim Crocker, vice president of Sensing and Exploration Systems at Lockheed Martin Space Systems. “Even though man has walked on the moon, we still have much to learn and the GRAIL robotic mission will be instrumental to the challenge.”
The lunar mission will use two identical spacecraft orbiting the moon in a low, polar orbit. The spacecraft are based on the flight-proven XSS-11 technology demonstration satellite developed for the Air Force Research Laboratory. They will use Ka-band ranging instruments to send signals between one another, and then relay the data back to Earth to be analyzed. Scientists will examine the minute differences in distance the signals traveled between spacecraft. This will give unprecedented insight into the gravitational changes over the entire moon.
Professor Zuber said, “Our entire science team is delighted to partner with Lockheed Martin, which offers unparalleled industry experience in planetary space exploration. The adaptation of the successful Earth-orbital XSS-11 spacecraft design enables NASA’s Science Mission Directorate to benefit from technology investment external to the planetary program and contributes significantly to GRAIL’s low-risk posture.”
During the three-month science phase of the mission, GRAIL will create a global, high-accuracy, high-resolution lunar gravity map providing new understanding to the history and internal structure of the moon – from crust to core. The mission is expected to launch in 2011.

cIclops · 2008-03-12 03:49:05

Lunar Atmosphere & Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE)

Lunar Science program (PDF 2MB) - 27 Feb 2008

SmallSat Orbiter
Provider: ARC / GSFC
$80M LCC
Core Instruments:
Dust Counter
Neutral Mass
Spectrometer
NRC: Scientific Context for Exploration of the Moon
Measuring the atmosphere before it is perturbed by human activity
The lunar atmosphere may be dominated by dust although its properties are not well known
Launch in 2010 with Grail as secondary payload

cIclops · 2008-04-10 08:03:21

Lunar Dust Exploration Mission - 9 Apr 2008

WASHINGTON -- NASA is preparing to send a small spacecraft to the moon in 2011 to assess the lunar atmosphere and the nature of dust lofted above the surface.
Called the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), the mission will launch before the agency's moon exploration activities accelerate during the next decade. LADEE will gather detailed information about conditions near the surface and environmental influences on lunar dust. A thorough understanding of these influences will help researchers understand how future exploration may shape the lunar environment and how the environment may affect future explorers.
"LADEE represents a low-cost approach to science missions, enabling faster science return and more frequent missions," said Ames Director S. Pete Worden. "These measurements will provide scientific insight into the lunar environment, and give our explorers a clearer understanding of what they'll be up against as they set up the first outpost and begin the process of settling the solar system."
LADEE is a cooperative effort with NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The total cost of the spacecraft is expected to be approximately $80 million.
Ames will manage the mission, build the spacecraft and perform mission operations. Goddard will perform environmental testing and launch vehicle integration. The mission will be established within Marshall's newly created Lunar Science Program Office. Marshall will draw upon experience gained from managing a larger suite of low-cost, small satellite missions through NASA's Discovery and New Frontiers Program.
LADEE will fly to the moon as a secondary payload on the Discovery mission called Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL), which is designed to take ultra-precise gravity field measurements of the moon. Current plans call for the GRAIL and LADEE spacecraft to launch together on a Delta II rocket and separate after they are on a lunar trajectory. LADEE will take approximately four months to travel to the moon, then undergo a month-long checkout phase and begin 100 days of science operations.

cIclops · 2008-05-21 08:02:52

NASA to Launch GRAIL Satellite on United Launch Alliance Delta II in 2011

DENVER, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA has designated the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission to fly aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket. The launch will be provided under terms of a launch service agreement procured previously by NASA for this vehicle. The liftoff will occur from Space Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., in the third quarter of 2011.
Part of NASA's Discovery Program, GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail. The mission will also answer longstanding questions about Earth's moon and provide scientists a better understanding of how the Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed.
"We are pleased this unique mission to study the moon will launch on a Delta II Heavy vehicle," said Michael Gass, ULA president and chief executive officer. "Delta II is an exceptional product that provides the most cost effective assured access to space for medium class payloads. Delta II has served NASA's science community superbly for decades and will continue to serve our nation for many years to come."
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., will manage the GRAIL mission, and Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Denver, Colo., will build the spacecraft. Scientists will use the gravity field information from the two satellites to X-ray the moon from crust to core to reveal the moon's subsurface structures and, indirectly, its thermal history.

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#1 2007-12-13 08:46:02

Re: Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) & LADEE

#2 2007-12-14 13:50:22

Re: Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) & LADEE

#3 2007-12-15 07:28:06

Re: Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) & LADEE

#4 2007-12-20 05:05:28

Re: Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) & LADEE

#5 2008-03-12 03:49:05

Re: Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) & LADEE

#6 2008-04-10 08:03:21

Re: Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) & LADEE

#7 2008-05-21 08:02:52

Re: Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) & LADEE

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