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PIA12010: GRAIL's Twin Spacecraft -- Crust to Core (Artist's Concept)
 Target Name:  Moon
 Mission:  GRAIL
 Spacecraft:  GRAIL
 Product Size:  8000 x 7500 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  JPL
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA12010.tif (180 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA12010.jpg (2.615 MB)

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission utilizes the technique of twin spacecraft flying in formation with a known altitude above the lunar surface and known separation distance to investigate the gravity field of the moon in unprecedented detail. The technique utilizes radio links between the two spacecraft as well as radio links to stations on Earth. The mission also will answer longstanding questions about Earth's moon, including a possible inner core, and provide scientists with a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed. GRAIL is a part of NASA's Discovery Program.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL

Image Addition Date:
2009-05-18