NASA Lunar Probe to Study Moon's Atmosphere

NASA has launched a new orbiting lunar probe that will help scientists figure out the atmospheric condition of Earth's only natural satellite as well as figure out what sort of changes occur in the Moon's atmosphere over time.

The probe, officially called Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer or LADEE, is in position around the Moon's equator, and will make many different trips from lunar day to lunar night which will help scientists better gauge how the atmosphere changes for the celestial body. The probe will be able to make the trip around the Moon around every two hours from a height ranging from 8 to 37 miles above the surface of the barren moon. The main mission of LADEE, which will last 100 days, will be to read the Moon's atmosphere and determine if the satellite is kicking lunar dust into the sky. Sarah Noble, LADEE program scientist, explained to the Sacramento Bee how this probe's data has far reaching implications reaching beyond just the Earth's moon:

"A thorough understanding of the characteristics of our lunar neighbor will help researchers understand other small bodies in the solar system, such as asteroids, Mercury, and the moons of outer planets..."

LADEE was originally launched on Sept. 6, and is only now getting just beginning its mission. The scientific data collected from the probe is critical, and Butler Hine, LADEE project manager, explains how difficult it will be for the satellite to remain above the Moon:

Due to the lumpiness of the moon's gravitational field, LADEE's orbit requires significant maintenance activity with maneuvers taking place as often as every three to five days, or as infrequently as once every two weeks...LADEE will perform regular orbital maintenance maneuvers to keep the spacecraft's altitude within a safe range above the surface that maximizes the science return."

Not only is the LADEE probe's mission very important, but the probe itself is also a critical research component for NASA as well. As NASA's mission page for the probe, LADEE represents a potential future method of making man made satellites and other space faring technology:

"The LADEE spacecraft's modular common spacecraft bus, or body, is an innovative way of transitioning away from custom designs and toward multi-use designs and assembly-line production, which could drastically reduce the cost of spacecraft development, just as the Ford Model T did for automobiles. NASA's Ames Research Center designed, developed, built, and tested the spacecraft and manages mission operations."