March 28, 2016 - Mountain on the Moon

Mountain on the Moon Rising two kilometers (6,562 ft) above the surrounding terrain, the central peak of the Moon’s brightly-rayed Tycho crater is truly a mountain and taller than many earthly peaks. It was formed during the creation of the crater itself, when intense heat from the impact melted the Moon’s crust and formed a “backsplash” rise at the very center, which quickly cooled and solidified. This image was acquired by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, orbiting the Moon since 2009. The very first spacecraft to orbit the Moon was the Soviet Luna 10, launched fifty years ago this week. Luna 10 launched aboard a Molniya rocket on March 31, 1966, and arrived at the Moon three days later. It returned data about the Moon’s magnetic field and various radiation conditions for nearly two months.

Image credit: NASA / GSFC / Arizona State Universityv

Weekly Calendar

March 28 - April 3, 2016

Holidays - Sky Events - Space History

Monday 28

Easter Monday (Canada)

Mars 4° south of Moon

1802: Heinrich Olbers discovers asteroid Pallas
1963: Fourth Saturn C-1 rocket (SA-4) launched
2013: Soyuz TMA-08M launched carrying ISS Expedition 35/36 crew

Tuesday 29

Saturn 3° south of Moon

1807: Heinrich Olbers discovers Vesta
1974: Mariner 10 first Mercury flyby
1989: Starfire 1 launched
2006: ISS Expedition 13 crew launched

Wednesday 30

Thursday 31

Last Qtr Moon 11:17 AM ET

1962: NASA approves final design of Gemini spacecraft
1982: Kvant module launched to Mir space station
1997: Pioneer 10 mission officially ends