Lunar Spacecraft Comes to a Smashing End
From Times Wire Reports
Europe’s first spacecraft to the moon ended its three-year mission today by crashing into the lunar surface in a volcanic plain called the Lake of Excellence, to a round of applause in the mission control room in Germany. Hitting at 1 1/4 miles per second, the impact of the SMART-1 spacecraft was expected to send a cloud of dust and debris miles above the surface. Scientists hoped the cloud would provide clues to the geologic composition of the site.
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