LEO (;
English: Lunar Exploration Orbiter) was the name of a proposed
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
mission to the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
, announced by the
German Aerospace Center
The German Aerospace Center (, abbreviated DLR, literally ''German Center for Air- and Space-flight'') is the national center for aerospace, energy and transportation research of Germany, founded in 1969. It is headquartered in Cologne with 3 ...
(DLR) Director Walter Doellinger on March 2, 2007. Because the necessary funding for 2009 was diverted elsewhere, the start of the project was delayed indefinitely.
Precise characteristics of the mission were announced in early 2008, and estimated costs were projected to be ca. €350 million (~$514 million) over five years. The mission would involve a
lunar orbit
In astronomy and spaceflight, a lunar orbit (also known as a selenocentric orbit) is an orbit by an object around Earth's Moon. In general these orbits are not circular. When farthest from the Moon (at apoapsis) a spacecraft is said to be at apo ...
er that
DLR intended to build and launch in 2012 to map the lunar surface. It would be the first German mission to the Moon and the first
European mission to the Moon since
SMART-1
SMART-1 was a European Space Agency satellite that orbited the Moon. It was launched on 27 September 2003 at 23:14 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. "SMART-1" stands for Small Missions for Ad ...
.
Numerous leading German planetologists, among them
Gerhard Neukum,
Ralf Jaumann and Tilman Spohn, have condemned the indefinite postponement and argue for resuming the LEO-project.
Europlanet: ''Erklärung zur Äußerung des Bundesministers für Wirtschaft und Technologie, die vom Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) vorgeschlagene Mondmission Lunarer Explorations-Orbiter (LEO) zurückzustellen''
Design
The main satellite will weigh about 500 kilograms and is accompanied by a small sub-satellite, which weighs about 150 kilograms. The intended orbital altitude is about 50 km.
Planned experiments included measurements of lunar gravitational
In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force be ...
and magnetic field
A magnetic field (sometimes called B-field) is a physical field that describes the magnetic influence on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials. A moving charge in a magnetic field experiences a force perpendicular ...
s. The main satellite would have also carried a microwave radar to probe beneath the lunar surface up to a depth of a few hundred meters. At maximum depth the radar would be able to resolve structures up to two meters.
Science objectives
The duration of the mission around the Moon will be four years, during which the charting of the entire lunar surface would take place. The survey is to be three-dimensional and in colour with one aim being to provide indications of significant geological formations that could later be of interest for drilling.
The probe will also investigate the Moon's magnetic and gravity fields, look for water and analyse the minerals on its surface. It will use the best camera currently available, the best radar
Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
sensors and unique spectrum sensors for measuring the mineral composition.
See also
* German space programme
The German space programme is the set of projects funded by the government of Germany for the exploration and use of outer space. The space programme is run by the German Aerospace Center, who conduct research, plan, and implement the program ...
References
External links
Germany plans unmanned lunar orbit. Reuters 11.07.2007Germany plans unmanned Moon mission
{{Moon spacecraft
Missions to the Moon
Cancelled space probes
Space programme of Germany