In a “string-of-pearls” configuration, the five satellites carried out their initial mission without any significant anomalies. After a burn of the third stage, the five THEMIS spacecraft-initially joined but soon separated-were deposited into a 290 x 54,270 mile (469 × 87,337-kilometer) orbit around Earth at 16 degrees. The satellites were originally launched to study a type of magnetic phenomena called substorms in Earth’s magnetosphere that tend to intensify auroras near Earth’s poles.Įach of the five satellites carried identical instrumentation. The two Artemis lunar orbit missions were repurposed from the original Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) mission that involved five NASA satellites: THEMIS A, B, C, D and E.
22, 2010: ARTEMIS-P2 Arrives at the L1 Lagrange Point In Depth: ARTEMIS (THEMIS) 25, 2010: ARTEMIS-P1 Arrives at the L2 Lagrange Point 1, 2009: THEMIS-P1 and P2 are Reassigned, Renamed and Redirected to the MoonĪug. ARTEMIS is the first mission to orbit the Moon's Lagrangian points-points on either side of the Moon where the Moon and Earth's gravity balance perfectly.The twin orbiters have contributed to lunar and Earth science and have provided data on the solar wind.Įarth–Moon L1 and L2 Lagrange Points, Lunar OrbitsĬape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.Both spacecraft arrived in lunar orbit in 2011.NASA redirected the two probes to the Moon.
They were originally part of the successful THEMIS mission that orbited Earth and studied the aurora. NASA's ARTEMIS mission (Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon's Interaction with the Sun) is made up of two probes: P1 and P2.
0 kommentar(er)
