Why Do Lunar Satellites Eventually Crash Into The Moon?

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United States Scott Manley
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Published on ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EadClM4Y45A


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Spacecraft orbiting the Earth have remained in space since the 1950's and may last for centuries more, but spacecraft orbiting close to the moon can crash within weeks. The reason for this is the lunar gravity field is lumpy, with geological features making the smooth orbits of space probes distort until they hit the surface.

The recent publication on the giant lunar impactor:
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018JE005826

Moonquakes Paper
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-019-0362-2

Footage and images taken from NASA's Apollo, GRAIL and LRO programs.



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Tags:
moon
gravity
nasa
science
rocket
grail
apollo
lro
lroc
beresheet