The Moon
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Naming convention Craters: famous scientists, scholars, artists and explorers Lacus, Maria, Paludes, Sinus: Latin terms describing weather and other abstract concepts Montes: Terrestrial mountain ranges or nearby craters Valles: Name of nearby features ESA Missions |
SMART-1
ESA's SMART-1 successfully tested miniaturisation technology while exploring the Moon from orbit. It is the only space probe ESA has sent to the Moon to date. The mission concluded in September 2006. It was the first of ESA's missions to test advanced technology needed for future scientific planetary missions.
Physical Properties
| Property | Unit |
Value |
Earth = 1 |
| Equatorial radius | km | 1738.1 | 0.2725 |
| Polar radius | km | 1736.0 | 0.2731 |
| Flattening | 0.0012 | 0.36 | |
| Mass (x1024) | kg | 0.07349 | 0.0123 |
| Volume (x1010) | km3 | 2.1958 | 0.0203 |
| Mean density | kgm-3 | 3350 | 0.607 |
| Surface gravity | ms-2 | 1.62 | 0.165 |
| Escape velocity | kms-1 | 2.38 | 0.213 |
Orbital Parameters
| Property | Unit | Value |
| Perigee (x106) | km | 0.3633 |
| Apogee (x106) | km | 0.4055 |
| Mean distance from Earth (x106) | km | 0.3844 |
| Eccentricity | 0.0549 | |
| Sidereal orbit period | d | 27.322 |
| Full Moon to full Moon | d | 29.53 |
| Sidereal rotation period | d | 27.322 |
| Inclination to ecliptic | ° | 5.145 |
| Inclination to Earth's equator | ° | 18.28 - 28.58 |
| Mean orbital velocity | kms-1 | 1.023 |
| Max. orbital velocity | kms-1 | 1.076 |
| Min. orbital velocity | kms-1 | 0.964 |
| Recession rate from Earth | cm year-1 | 3.8 |
| Axial tilt | ° | 6.68 |
Last Update: 1 September 2019