NASA has found the use of the Moon: the ship graveyard

Permanent satellite of our planet - the moon has a significant impact on the process in the world. Effect of its gravity resolves the level of magnetic field strength, the ebb and flow in different parts of the world ocean. In addition, it is no secret that a certain phase of the moon can affect the health of people. However, it seems, will soon receive a satellite, another function, 

which, however, is not due to objective processes, and solution specialists of the U.S. National Space Agency (NASA). As RIA "Novato", it is assumed that at tomorrow's press conference to be held by NASA, will be announced on the completion of the mission GRAIL, which was devoted to the study of the gravitational field of the moon. It is assumed that the two probe-twins, who took part in the implementation of that mission, complete it, and fall to the surface of the moon. The estimated time of the fall - 17 hours 28 minutes Eastern Time U.S. on December 17 of the year.

However, the process of decline is also a scientific sense, more than just the recycling of space technology. The fact that has already passed a similar experiment, in which the LCROSS spacecraft and upper stage "Centaurs" was deliberately aimed at the moon and broke on it near the south pole of the planet-satellite. The collision rose plume of lunar dust and debris, which allowed scientists who observed the process and make conclusions about the presence of water on the lunar surface, as well as a range of other volatile substances.

Analysts of the magazine " Market Leader "mission GRAIL, which involved two probes" Ebb "and" Flow "(" rush "and" flood "), was launched in March this year, when they went out to the orbit of the moon at an altitude of 55 kilometers. It is noteworthy that the names of the twin probes selected American students at a special bidding. Probes in orbit, moving one after the other with the same speed, with the distance to them was controlled to within a micron, effectively carry out the work, the results of which are characterized by extreme accuracy. Flying over the moon, the probes were fixed all the magnetic anomalies observed on the surface of the satellite, resulting in a precise map was drawn of the gravitational field of the moon. However, to date the fuel probes involved in the mission GRAIL, with total value of 496 million dollars, is over and therefore the question arose about their departure from orbit.

It should be noted that there has been a definite trend, according to which the Moon can be a "graveyard of spaceships." The fact that NASA plans next summer to "bury" the moon is another spacecraft - the telescope "Herschel" on board by the time over liquid helium. While it is difficult to say whether it will fall also have some scientific mission, but it is no secret that the problem stay in space satellites waste is becoming quite noticeable, for repeatedly documented cases of falling debris before running vehicles on the Earth's surface , which represents a threat to human life and the integrity of surface facilities. At the same time, falling satellites, some of which started in the 80-90th years of the last century and stopped work many years ago, no longer have a functioning power plant, therefore, they fall to the ground is out of control. So at the end of last year fell to the ground the German X-ray telescope ROSAT, launched in 1990? Total to date in Earth orbit remains a large number of space objects and fragments of man-made weighing up to 5000 tones. In addition, earlier there were cases of collision of satellites in orbit, in particular, in 2009; the American communications satellite collided with his Russian "colleague" of spent resources. In this regard, the experience on the "disposal" of space objects, which introduces NASA, can be interesting and useful in the future.