1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,230 LADEE Mission Control: All stations, this is 2 00:00:02,250 --> 00:00:05,780 LADEE mission on Ops. All criteria for LADEE 3 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:09,390 impact verification have been met. Operating 4 00:00:09,410 --> 00:00:12,000 LADEE was the definition of a team effort and all 5 00:00:12,020 --> 00:00:13,780 of you should be extremely proud of our collective 6 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:16,470 accomplishment. And so with that, Flight, you are 7 00:00:16,490 --> 00:00:19,050 "Go!" to close out LADEE mission operations. 8 00:00:19,070 --> 00:00:21,740 Narrator: With those words, NASA's LADEE mission 9 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:24,440 came to an end as the spacecraft spacecraft executed 10 00:00:24,460 --> 00:00:27,010 a planned de-orbit into the surface of the Moon 11 00:00:27,030 --> 00:00:30,810 at nearly three thousand, six hundred miles per hour. 12 00:00:30,830 --> 00:00:33,270 Butler Hine: We spent all of our fuel going after 13 00:00:33,290 --> 00:00:35,470 the really valuable low-altitude science, 14 00:00:35,490 --> 00:00:38,500 which means you have nothing left, so you can't go back up. 15 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:40,390 And the moon's gravity field is so lumpy that 16 00:00:40,410 --> 00:00:43,060 eventually, you'll wander around to a point where 17 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:45,450 you impact. It's a trade. You go as low as you 18 00:00:45,470 --> 00:00:48,630 can to get the science and then, the price you pay 19 00:00:48,650 --> 00:00:51,060 is eventually you have to impact. 20 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:53,170 Narrator: At every milestone, the LADEE spacecraft 21 00:00:53,190 --> 00:00:55,630 and team performed well and achieved all of their 22 00:00:55,650 --> 00:00:57,570 goals for the mission. 23 00:00:57,590 --> 00:00:59,680 Instrument testing and data collection went 24 00:00:59,700 --> 00:01:02,060 extremely well throughout the mission, 25 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:06,320 originally planned for a total of 160 days. 26 00:01:06,340 --> 00:01:08,690 Efficient management of the spacecraft's fuel 27 00:01:08,710 --> 00:01:10,910 resources allowed the mission to continue 28 00:01:10,930 --> 00:01:14,370 collecting data into April of this year. 29 00:01:14,390 --> 00:01:17,520 After descending to its final orbital altitude, 30 00:01:17,540 --> 00:01:20,760 LADEE completed more than 100 orbits of the Moon 31 00:01:20,780 --> 00:01:23,870 at extremely low altitude, giving the science team 32 00:01:23,890 --> 00:01:26,160 a unique opportunity to collect data above the 33 00:01:26,180 --> 00:01:27,890 lunar surface. 34 00:01:27,910 --> 00:01:30,480 About the size of a large vending machine, LADEE 35 00:01:30,500 --> 00:01:32,570 was designed and built at NASA's Ames Research 36 00:01:32,590 --> 00:01:35,760 Center at Moffett Field, California. 37 00:01:35,780 --> 00:01:39,230 NASA Mission Control: 2...1...zero...ignition... 38 00:01:39,250 --> 00:01:40,800 (Roar of rocket engines) 39 00:01:40,820 --> 00:01:42,470 NASA Mission Control: and liftoff of the 40 00:01:42,490 --> 00:01:44,260 Minotaur Five with LADEE. 41 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:46,830 Narrator: Launched in September 2013 from NASA's 42 00:01:46,850 --> 00:01:49,910 Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, LADEE began 43 00:01:49,930 --> 00:01:52,860 orbiting the moon on October 6 and gathering 44 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:55,650 science data on November 10. 45 00:01:55,670 --> 00:01:57,600 The primary goal of the mission was to collect 46 00:01:57,620 --> 00:02:00,150 data about the thin lunar atmosphere and the 47 00:02:00,170 --> 00:02:02,270 amounts of dust that are in it at multiple 48 00:02:02,290 --> 00:02:04,030 altitudes. 49 00:02:04,050 --> 00:02:05,970 Rick Elphic: At higher altitudes, we saw very few 50 00:02:05,990 --> 00:02:08,430 dust particle impacts. But the lower we went 51 00:02:08,450 --> 00:02:10,790 with LADEE, the more we saw. And it's a very, 52 00:02:10,810 --> 00:02:13,600 very steep rise. So if you're operating 53 00:02:13,620 --> 00:02:15,560 with spacecraft very close to the surface 54 00:02:15,580 --> 00:02:18,480 of the moon, as you would with a robotic lander 55 00:02:18,500 --> 00:02:22,100 or a human lander, you might need to consider 56 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:24,040 the fact that you've got more dust there 57 00:02:24,060 --> 00:02:26,440 in the way, as you come in. 58 00:02:26,460 --> 00:02:28,350 Narrator: While the spacecraft has finished its 59 00:02:28,370 --> 00:02:31,470 job, the LADEE science team is busy working with 60 00:02:31,490 --> 00:02:33,930 their data and hope to announce their discoveries 61 00:02:33,950 --> 00:02:36,870 within the next few months.