Explosion on Moon today?

[marine1]

IMPACT ALERT: Japan's Kaguya will crash into the Moon on Wednesday, June 10th, around 1830 UT. The timing favors observers in Asia and Australia, who might be able to see a flash of light or a plume of debris rising from the Moon's southeastern limb. The spacecraft masses 2,600 kg and it will slam into the lunar surface at 6,000 km/hr. No one knows, however, how bright the flash might be or whether it will be visible even through large telescopes.

That would be 8:30 pm SA time

 

[RazedInBlack]

Is this purposefully done or a malfunction or something?

 

[Grouter]

I think this might mess with the tides

 

[davemc]

Japan will have made it to the moon!
And, they will probably be able to conclusively prove it.
BRAVO!

 

[pope24]

I wonder if it will shout "BANZAI" as it hurtles towards certain doom...

 

[CellBel]

Hong's Lunar Scrapmetal LTD.

 

[PeterCH]

Hong's Lunar Scrapmetal LTD.

"Hong" implies it's a Chinese vessel.

It think they're just looking to annoy that moon-bunny or p-ss off Sailor Moon.
http://knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Pretty_Soldier_Sailor_Moon/

 

[LazyLion]

I dunno how comfortable I am with people crash landing their junk on the moon. I mean this is a pristine natural resource and now we are going to start filling it with space junk? Why isn't there an international outcry about this? At least when the Americans left their stuff there it was in one piece, kinda like a memorial. But now the Japs are just throwing their wreckage on the moon?

 

[tco21]

I wonder if the space-vultures will be there to tow the wreckage?

 

[PeterCH]

I dunno how comfortable I am with people crash landing their junk on the moon. I mean this is a pristine natural resource and now we are going to start filling it with space junk? Why isn't there an international outcry about this? At least when the Americans left their stuff there it was in one piece, kinda like a memorial. But now the Japs are just throwing their wreckage on the moon?

You don't know that Americans (and the others) leave junk in orbit all the time and it's not in one lump?

 

[Cable_Guy]

fine the slanty eyes

I dunno how comfortable I am with people crash landing their junk on the moon. I mean this is a pristine natural resource and now we are going to start filling it with space junk? Why isn't there an international outcry about this? At least when the Americans left their stuff there it was in one piece, kinda like a memorial. But now the Japs are just throwing their wreckage on the moon?

They should be fined and be made to to collect it back from there. If not all the other nations should just fly over japan and release a ton of their countries crap

 

[PeterCH]

Bans altering the environment of celestial bodies and requires that states must take measures to prevent accidental contamination.
...

As of December 19, 2008, only 13 states; Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, and Uruguay, have ratified it. France, Guatemala, India and Romania have signed but have not ratified it.[2] As it is unratified by any major space-faring powers and unsigned by most of them, it is of no direct relevance to current space activities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_Treaty

So virtually no-one has ratified this treaty, it's a free for all out there.

 

[LazyLion]

You don't know that Americans (and the others) leave junk in orbit all the time and it's not in one lump?

Ja, I know... that is a problem as well. But it is a trade off so we can have GPS and satellite broadcasts At least there it is in space, not on some celestial body.

 

[PeterCH]

Ja, I know... that is a problem as well. But it is a trade off so we can have GPS and satellite broadcasts At least there it is in space, not on some celestial body.

It's not just that, but debris from Skylab, Mir, various launch vehicles to get vehicles like Galileo up and so on. This space junk poses a greater risk for other satellites and craft going up into space and the ISS, than some stuff on the moon. There is just so much junk in orbit, at least on the moon it can't hurt anyone.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Imagine the archealogical value of junk on the moon 100 000 years from now

 

[Crusader]

If I recall correctly this is an intentional impact for scientific reasons. They want to see what minerals etc. is exposed afterwards so it's not a case of dumping space junk on the moon.

 

[PeterCH]

If I recall correctly this is an intentional impact for scientific reasons. They want to see what minerals etc. is exposed afterwards so it's not a case of dumping space junk on the moon.

Why don't they just send one of the Gundams or Moldiver to do it for them?

 

[Jabberwocky]

ohno!, we randed on the amelican frag!

 

[Morgoth]

I don't get this moon junk though, surely hundreds of astroids enter the earth's atmosphere everyday, won't these take a few pieces of crap with them and then burn out?

 

[The_Unbeliever]

I wonder if it will shout "BANZAI" as it hurtles towards certain doom...

Hong's Lunar Scrapmetal LTD.