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Press cutting: Britain plans first Moon mission
10 January 2007
The UK could soon have its first mission to the Moon - an orbiting spacecraft that would fire instruments into the lunar surface.
The 'penetrators' would yield new information about the rocky interior.
The venture has been considered by Britain's astronomy funding agency, PParc, and has been presented to European partners. …
The consortium proposed two lunar options. …
The first, named Moonlight, would despatch four suitcase-sized darts on to the lunar surface from orbit. …
They would hit the ground at a high velocity (300m/s) and penetrate to a depth of 2m (6ft).
The darts could carry a small suite of instruments, such as seismometers to listen for 'Moonquakes'. …
According to Dr Andrew Coates [UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory], who has contributed to the concept study, the impactors would represent the first time there had been a detailed study of the Moon's sub-surface.
"There have been 12 astronauts on the Moon and more than 40 unmanned probes and yet we know surprisingly little about our nearest neighbour," he said.
"Previous missions have focussed on the side of the Moon that faces the Earth. Our plan with Moonlight is for the first time is to explore the mysterious far side of the Moon as well."
Pallab Ghosh, 'BBC News'