A NASA piggyback experiment may have survived the April 11 crash of Israel's Beresheet moon lander, experts said...
Posted on 04/17/2019 6:01:18 AM PDT by jmcenanly
A NASA technology demonstration may still be viable on the lunar surface.
A NASA piggyback experiment may have survived the April 11 crash of Israel's Beresheet moon lander, experts said...
The NASA payload, known as the Lunar Retroreflector Array (LRA), is a technology demonstration composed of eight mirrors made of quartz cube corners that are set into a dome-shaped aluminum frame. These mirrors are intended to serve as markers for other spacecraft, which can use them to orient themselves for precision landings.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Very expensive Disco Ball?
<<Very expensive Disco Ball?<<
Looks like a soccer ball to me. Looking for lunar hooligans?
They deployed something similar during the Apollo missions.
They deployed something similar during the Apollo missions.
The one in this article was designed to be reflective from any angle, so that an orbiting craft could use it for ranging and reference.
“These mirrors are intended to serve as markers for other spacecraft, which can use them to orient themselves for precision landings.”
Sounds a little like cart before horse.
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