LADEE atmosphere tests.

[Levelord]

According tot his video, LADEE will dip into a really low orbit around the moon to gather samples of it's atmosphere.

I don't think it's possible in KSP, because of the ridiculous mountains that constantly keeps you at least 3000m away. Is the real life lunar surface a bit more flat than our Munar surface?

Because I constantly think this will happen if you fly real low:

[Captain Sierra]

In KSP, you rendezvous with a mountain below about 5km.

Assuming the pass is done over the Lunar plains, it is possible to get within a half kilometer of the surface at orbital speeds but areas that can be done are semi-limited. On the real moon, it is a lot more doable than on the Mun.

[J.Random]

According tot his video, LADEE will dip into a really low orbit around the moon to gather samples of it's atmosphere.

Watch the pre-launch press conference. This "really low" orbit will be some 20 to 60 kilometers over the Moon surface. And they'll have to constantly correct trajectory, burning fuel.

[nhnifong]

There's an eccentric polar orbit around Minmus that flies over one of the ice lakes at 500m and just skim's the edge of the mountains that border it.

[Stahlwerk]

For me, it's great to know, that LADEE may use some of the silver (and maybe gold) wires/foils that were produced in the factory where i worked during summer holidays^^

I helped there producing a order of silver wires and foils for GSFC, so we maybe contributed a very, very, very little part to this mission

P.S: excuse my english, i'm no english native speaker

[CalculusWarrior]

The fun thing about our moon vs KSP is that it has an uneven mass distribution, which causes low flying spacecrafts' orbits to decay quickly. However, as the Apollo missions found, there are a few orbits that are stable, one of which they dropped a lunar subsatellite into. That is the reason LADEE must constantly correct itself while in Low Lunar Orbit. The presence of an exosphere (thin may it be) can't help matters either.

[Tiron]

The presence of an exosphere (thin may it be) can't help matters either.

Part of the definition of an 'Exosphere' is that it's so thin that it ceases to behave like a fluid. The molecules that are present are so spread out they basically don't interact with each other.

The drag in such an environment is effectively negligible: Even Low Earth Orbits that are still within the Thermosphere frequently have decay lifetimes measured in years.

Vanguard 1, the US's second Satellite is still up there, in a 3969x654 KM orbit. The edge of the Exosphere varies between around 500 and 1000km depending on solar activity. Current estimates it'll probably be up there for around another 240 years or so.

At the altitudes LADEE is going to be at, Tidal Forces and Gravitational Variances are going to so outweigh the effects of the Exosphere it's measuring it might as well not be there for maneuvering purposes.

[nhnifong]

Anyone know how they plan to use the post-science-orbit decay period? After they propellant gets critically low, they're going to lower the orbit more and more until they crash it into the Moon. Will this give them any kind of special opportunities to observe the Lunar exosphere?

[TMS]

...other than contributing to a sudden increase in its density?

[Thiel]

Well, they'll get to measure the lower parts directly plus rhey might be able to set up a similar impact experiment like they did with the Ebb and Flow probes earlier this year