Image provided by NASA on Wednesday shows two sides of the moon.
- NASA kicked off the new year with a pair of probes circling the moon in the latest mission to understand how Earth’s closest neighbour formed.
- The action began on New Year’s Eve when Grail-A swung over the south pole, fired its engine and braked into orbit around the moon. Not to be outdone, its twin Grail-B executed the same manoeuvres on New Year’s Day.
- The arrivals capped a roundabout journey spanning 3 1/2 months and covering 2 1/2 million miles (4.02 million kilometres).
- NASA flew six Apollo missions that landed twelve men on the lunar surface and brought back more than 800 pounds (362.3 kilograms) of rock and soil samples.
- Despite all the attention, the moon remains mysterious. Mission chief scientist Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said researchers know more about Mars, which is farther away from the Earth, than the moon.
- One of the enduring puzzles is its lopsided shape with the far side more hilly than the side that Earth sees. Research published earlier this year suggested that our planet once had two moons that crashed early in the solar system’s history and created the moon that graces the sky today.
- Scientists expect to learn more about how the celestial body formed using Grail’s gravity measurements that will indicate what’s below the surface.
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