Science Bulletins: GRAIL Spacecraft Ready to Map the Moon

3,762 views · Published 19 January 2012 · 1:36 · Indexed 23 September 2026

Channel: American Museum of Natural History · 2012 · Education

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NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission has put a pair of nearly identical spacecraft in orbit around the Moon. By using radio waves to measure tiny variations in the Moon's gravitational field, the spacecraft—named Ebb and Flow—will create a high-resolution map that will give scientists a clearer picture of what lies beneath the lunar surface and will provide insight into the evolution of terrestrial planets. The latest Astro Bulletin from the Museum's Science Bulletins program looks at the two spacecraft now circling the Moon, as they prepare to provide scientists with a greater understanding of how the Moon was formed. Visitors to AMNH may view the video in the Hall of the Universe until February 18, 2012. 

Science Bulletins is a production of the National Center for Science Literacy, Education, and Technology (NCSLET), part of the Department of Education at the American Museum of Natural History. Find out more about Science Bulletins at http://www.amnh.org/sciencebulletins/.

Related Links

The Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/grail/home.cfm

GRAIL Mission
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/grail/main/index.html

Google Moon
http://www.google.com/moon/

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