PIA12009: GRAIL's Twin Spacecraft fly in Tandem Around the Moon (Artist's Concept)
Target Name: Moon
Mission: Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL)
Spacecraft: GRAIL
Product Size: 6000 samples x 4000 lines
Produced By: JPL
Full-Res TIFF: PIA12009.tif (72 MB)
Full-Res JPEG: PIA12009.jpg (1.186 MB)

Click on the image to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly cropped or 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