Joint UK-US mission to gather moon data being considered
Saturday, 16 Feb 2008 11:31
The mission aims to gather data about the moon's surface
A working group consisting of officials from the UK and US are considering a joint space mission to the moon.
The unmanned project is likely to take place as a collaboration between the British National Space Centre (BNSC) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from the US
The working group looked into two proposals regarding cooperation in space which included the Moonlite mission, a UK-led robotic initiative to the moon, as well as joint efforts to develop instruments and technology to facilitate robotic exploration on the surface of the satellite.
A spokesperson for the BNSC said: "A key area of cooperation under consideration is a mission to understand the Moon’s structure, listen for ‘Moonquakes’ and trial the lunar cell-phone network of the future."
Programme Moonlite will enable the transmission of data about the moon's interior and history back to earth. It will involve the launch of a satellite which will travel to the moon and enter its orbit before releasing penetrators into the satellite's surface.
Information would then be relayed to a nearby satellite which would transmit the research to Earth.
The British space body's chairman Professor Keith Mason said: "This joint report represents a milestone in our co-operation with NASA whilst building upon our longstanding collaboration in such highly successful science missions as Swift, Stereo, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Cassini.
"The proposed missions provide an opportunity to harness the UK’s world-class expertise in small satellite, communication and robotic technologies focused on exploration of the Moon."