Question Details

Will the GRAIL mission find out why the moon is uneven?

Will the GRAIL mission find out why the moon is uneven?

Asked by: Super Userkruijs in Science » Space
Settled on 12/18/2012 19:15 Settled by Super Userkruijs
Winning option:No, delivers no conclusive information Some scientists have argued that Earth may once even have had two moons which later merged - although the Grail data could have sunk this idea.

"We have looked for evidence of the second moon and we have not seen any of the suggested characteristics of the internal structure of the Moon that would be consistent with the idea of a second companion," said Prof Zuber.

"That in itself does not rule out that idea at this point. We and others can look at this in more detail, but nothing jumps out in that regard."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20761903

Predictions

Yes: The reason is the mashup of a second moon
Yes: The reason is the mashup of a second moon
Yes: It's not because of a "moon mashup"
Yes: It's not because of a "moon mashup"
No, delivers no conclusive information
No, delivers no conclusive information

Background

GRAIL consists of twin spacecraft, which will orbit the moon in precise formation for several months during early 2012. As the spacecraft orbit the moon over areas of varying mass, the distances between the spacecraft will change, and measuring these changes will allow scientists to create highly accurate gravitational maps. The instrumentation aboard the GRAIL spacecraft is so precise it can measure the change in distance down to the diameter of a red blood cell. Now, that's space-age precision!

GRAIL may be able to tell us how the moon formed. Many lunar formation theories have been presented, with the latest being that our Earth once had two moons, and our present-day moon formed as a result of a collision between the two. While this "moon mash-up" scenario explains why the far side of the moon is much more rugged and hilly than the Earth-facing side, it may or may not be accurate. GRAIL may finally solve this mystery.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2011/092011/09022011/648052
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GRAIL

Find similar: moon, grail

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   Super Userkruijs

While the mapping portion of the GRAIL mission has ended, researchers are still poring over the collected data. Zuber says the GRAIL team is currently the largest users of supercomputing computation time at NASA, and she hopes GRAIL’s data will continue to uncover more information about the moon’s early history.

http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/03/history-moon-not-visible-surface

   Super Userkruijs

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