NASA's twin satellites Ebb and Flow , which are part of the GRAIL mission (Recovery and Inner Gravity Laboratory, according to its acronym in English) and which during the last year have captured images that have allowed us to know the internal structure of the Moon and its composition, they will conclude their mission today when they crash into a mountain at the north pole of the Earth's satellite , near a crater called Goldschmidt.
The mission has been described as a resounding success, and in fact has already provided the highest resolution map of the gravity of a celestial body in history, which among other things will allow a better understanding of how the Earth and other rocky planets formed. "It's going to be hard to say goodbye to them," admits Maria Zuber, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the GRAIL mission team. "Our little robotic twins have been exemplary members of the GRAIL family, and planetary science has advanced like never before thanks to their contributions," he adds.
Despite the proven usefulness of these two instruments, their low fuel level prevents them from operating for longer periods of time. The crash, which will end its story at a speed of 1.7 kilometers per second, will occur this night and cannot be seen or transmitted in images, since the impact zone will be in shadow at that time.
