NASA ends LADEE moon mission by crashing it on lunar surface

Washington: NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) Moon probe crashed into the lunar surface at 5,800 km per hour — three times the speed of a high-powered rifle bullet — as the spacecraft closed its six-month mission, the US space agency said.

The spacecraft which was launched in September 2013 from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, LADEE began orbiting the moon and gathering scientific data. The moon probe entered its lunar orbit around the moon's equator on 20th November and in March 2014, the craft extended its mission operations following successful 100-day scientific phase.

The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) lacked fuel to maintain a long-term lunar orbit or continue science operations and was intentionally sent into the lunar surface last week.

The spacecraft’s orbit naturally decayed following the mission’s final low-altitude science phase, Nasa said. During impact, engineers believe the LADEE spacecraft, the size of a vending machine, broke apart.

NASA also involed readers / in the final phase of the spacecraft by running a contest - “Take the Plunge” which provided an opportunity for the people to guess the date and time of the LADEE’s impact through internet. numerous predictions were submitted. The winners will be provided  digital congratulatory certificate by NASA.