GRAIL
E648458
GRAIL was a NASA lunar mission that used twin spacecraft to map the Moon’s gravitational field in unprecedented detail to study its internal structure and evolution.
Observed surface forms (3)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| GRAIL mission | 1 |
| GRAIL-A | 0 |
| GRAIL-B | 0 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
NASA lunar mission
ⓘ
lunar gravity mission ⓘ |
| arrivalAtMoon | 2011-12 ⓘ |
| communicationBand | X-band ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| dataType | high-resolution gravity field measurements ⓘ |
| endOfMissionEvent | controlled impact on the Moon ⓘ |
| fullName | Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| fundingAgency | NASA Science Mission Directorate NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| heritageFrom | Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| impactFeatureName | Sally Ride Crater NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| impactLocation | near the lunar north pole ⓘ |
| institutionOfPI | Massachusetts Institute of Technology NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| launchDate | 2011-09-10 ⓘ |
| launchMass | approximately 307 kilograms per spacecraft ⓘ |
| launchSite | Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 17B NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| launchVehicle | Delta II 7920H-10C NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| managedBy | NASA Marshall Space Flight Center NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| measurementTechnique | microwave ranging between twin spacecraft ⓘ |
| missionClass | Discovery-class mission ⓘ |
| missionEnd | 2012-12-17 ⓘ |
| missionType | lunar gravity mapping mission ⓘ |
| namedFeatureHonors | Sally Ride NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| nickname |
Ebb
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Flow NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| objective |
improve understanding of lunar crust and mantle structure
ⓘ
investigate the Moon’s thermal evolution ⓘ study the Moon’s internal structure ⓘ |
| operatedBy | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| operator | NASA ⓘ |
| orbitAltitude | low lunar orbit ⓘ |
| orbitType | near-circular polar lunar orbit ⓘ |
| primaryObjective | map the Moon’s gravitational field in high detail ⓘ |
| principalInvestigator | Maria T. Zuber NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| program | NASA Discovery Program NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedMission | GRACE NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| result |
constrained models of lunar interior structure
ⓘ
improved understanding of lunar impact basins ⓘ produced the most detailed global lunar gravity map to date ⓘ provided insights into the Moon’s thermal and magmatic history ⓘ revealed crustal thickness variations of the Moon ⓘ |
| scienceInstrument | Lunar Gravity Ranging System NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| sciencePhaseStart | 2012-03 ⓘ |
| spacecraft |
GRAIL-A
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
GRAIL-B NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| spacecraftBus | Lockheed Martin-built spacecraft bus ⓘ |
| status | completed ⓘ |
| target | Moon NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| uses | twin spacecraft ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Mare Cognitum
this entity surface form:
GRAIL mission