Ceilidh

Michael Zey
futurist3000@aol.com

AAP
11/12/04 7:52 AM PT

Instead of using a chemical rocket, SMART-1 fires a stream of electrically charged atoms of Xenon gas. A similar idea was used by the makers of Star Trek as part of the Starship Enterprise's propulsion system. Although the thrust produced is minute, it can be maintained over long periods of time.



A tiny craft powered by Star Trek technology is standing at the "gateway" to the moon -- and a landmark date in the history of European space exploration.

On Monday, SMART-1 will maneuver itself into lunar orbit and become the first European Space Agency spacecraft  to reach the moon.

But the 814-pound craft is far more than just another probe fitted with sensors and cameras.

The chief purpose of SMART-1 -- the acronym stands for Small Missions for Advanced Research and Technology -- is to test cutting-edge technology to pave the way for future trips to the moon, and perhaps even lunar colonies.


Moon Map
Along the way it will not only demonstrate a revolutionary new propulsion system, but make the first comprehensive map of elements on the moon's surface.

SMART-1, launched by an Ariane rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, on September 27 last year, is about the size of a refrigerator with long solar panels spanning 46 foot.

Electricity from the panels is used to power the spacecraft's ion engine. Instead of using a chemical rocket, SMART-1 fires a high-speed stream of electrically charged atoms of Xenon gas.

A similar idea was used by the makers of Star Trek as part of the Starship Enterprise's propulsion system.

Although the thrust produced is minute, only amounting to about a quarter of an ounce, it can be maintained over long periods of time.

The slow acceleration can eventually push SMART-1 to speeds of almost two miles per second and beyond.

At the Gateway
Traveling in a series of widening spirals, the spacecraft picked up extra speed from the Earth's gravity, reaching a maximum of five miles per second.

On Thursday it crossed the crucial "lagrangian point" where the gravitational fields of the Earth and moon balance out.

Professor Bernard Foing, ESA's chief scientist and SMART-1 Project Scientist, said at a briefing in London: "At the moment SMART-1 is only at the gateway. We are not yet there.

"Symbolically it's important, because it's the first time that western Europe has a mission that is more attracted to the moon than the Earth."

SMART-1 is now about 41,540 miles from the moon. On Monday, at a distance of about 31,000 miles, it will start applying the brakes. The ion engine will fire continuously for four days as the spacecraft begins to spiral down towards the moon.  

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