Japan's Kaguya lunar probe, launched Sept. 14, has begun shooting its first pictures of the moon, and has released a first small satellite that will help make detailed measurements of the lunar gravitational field.
The 110-pound "baby" satellite is one of a pair to be launched before the main probe itself settles into its final orbit. Together the two will be able to observe the magnetic field of the moon's backside in detail for the first time, and create a detailed gravity map using a process called "radio interference."
For now the pictures have a bit of that string-and-gum, low-budget sci-fi beauty to them. But once the main part of Kaguya – nicknamed for a mythical Japanese moon princess – settles into its 62-mile-high orbit, a set of 14 different instruments will take a scheduled year of readings on mineral composition, topography, lunar ionosphere and others, along with high-definition pictures of the surface itself.
It'll be getting crowded up there soon. China, India and the U.S.
each are slated to launch lunar missions this year or next. Pretty soon it'll be time to take a number.
Moon Images Shot by the KAGUYA Onboard Camera [JAXA]
(Images: Moon from the Kaguya satellite. Credit: JAXA)
