To the Moon!
News story originally written on December 9, 1997
The Lunar Prospector will be launched on January 5, 1998. The spacecraft will orbit the Moon, but won't land.
The Prospector's mission will be an exciting one. The main goal of the Prospector is to make a complete map of the Moon's surface. Scientists are also excited to find out if there is frozen water buried on the Moon. If there is, a human base on the Moon will be much easier to build (humans could use that water instead of transporting it from the Earth to the Moon).
The Prospector's mission is expected to last one year. The craft is over 4 feet tall and is shaped like a big drum! Is the Prospector taller than you?
You might also be interested in:
It was another exciting and frustrating year for the space science program. It seemed that every step forward led to one backwards. Either way, NASA led the way to a great century of discovery. Unfortunately,
...more
The Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on October 29th at 2:19 p.m. EST. The sky was clear and the weather was great. This was the America's 123rd manned space mission. A huge
...more
Scientists found a satellite orbiting the asteroid, Eugenia. This is the second one ever! A special telescope allows scientists to look through Earth's atmosphere. The first satellite found was Dactyl.
...more
The United States wants Russia to put the service module in orbit! The module is part of the International Space Station. It was supposed to be in space over 2 years ago. Russia just sent supplies to the
...more
A coronal mass ejection (CME) happened on the Sun last month. The material that was thrown out from this explosion passed the ACE spacecraft. ACE measured some exciting things as the CME material passed
...more
Trees and plants are a very important part of this Earth. Trees and plants are nature's air conditioning because they help keep our Earth cool. On a summer day, walking bare-foot on the sidewalk burns,
...more
There is something special happening in the night sky. Through mid-May, you will be able to see five planets at the same time! This doesn't happen very often, so you won't want to miss this. Use the links
...more
