Israel to send in February a lunar explorer craft

[Bob]

A private Israeli company wants to have a small spacecraft land on the Moon with a launch this February, 2019. April 11th is the scheduled landing if all works.



SpaceIL is the name of the company.

“Beresheet,” or Genesis, is the name of the experimental vehicle which will focus on ever-changing magnetic fields that have been observed on the moon. Israel’s Weizmann Institute and NASA are the two agencies very interested in the magnetic field phenomena.

A a SpaceX Falcon rocket will launch the vehicle. SpaceX is Elon Musk's company.

SpaceIL has a project partner, the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries.

"Genesis" (Beresheet) contains artifacts on-board too - various pictures of the Israeli public, interpretive drawings by Israeli children and other pieces of national memorabilia, including stories of Holocaust survivors.

SpaceIL was founded in 2011 - its ambitious $95 million project, largely funded by South African-Israeli billionaire Morris Kahn and other donors, will spur a new wave of commercial missions to the moon and jump-start new companies.

Israel would become the fourth country to land a craft on the moon, after the U.S., the Soviet Union and China.

The Moon does not currently have a dipolar magnetic field (as would be generated by a semi-liquid geo-dynamo in its core) and the varying magnetization that is present is almost entirely crustal in origin. However, it is possible that the transient magnetic fields could be generated during large impact events.

Kicked up moon-dust, magnetically and electrically charged has been hypothesised to travel across the surface during periods of light/dark and when the moon moves through the Earth's magnetosphere tail.

ref: https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moonmars...il_080416.html

“Earth’s magnetotail extends well beyond the orbit of the moon and, once a month, the moon orbits through it,” says Tim Stubbs, a University of Maryland scientist working at the Goddard Space Flight Center.

“This can have consequences ranging from lunar ‘dust storms’ to electrostatic discharges.”

The moon spends about six days each month inside Earth's magnetic tail. The sun causes the tail appearance of the Earth's geomagnetic field.

Solar wind can provide charged particles, too; indeed, most of the time, the solar wind is the primary source. But when the moon enters the magnetotail, the solar wind is pushed back and the plasma sheet takes over.

The plasma sheet is about 10 times hotter than the solar wind and that gives it more "punch" when it comes to altering the charge balance of the moon's surface.

“Beresheet,” or Genesis will study this on the surface and report back what it finds.

ref: Space IL - http://www.spaceil.com/general/space...-moon-mission/

[Bob]

Landing Site

SpaceIL's spacecraft will land on a site within Mare Serenitatis, on the northern hemisphere of the Moon. This site has magnetic anomalies.

This will enable the magnetometer device taking measurements as part of the scientific experiment.

SpaceIL considers this launch and study beneficial to stimulate Education.

SpaceIL strives to serve as a source of inspiration for the future generation, and to change the discourse in Israel in order to attract youths and encourage them to choose science, engineering and entrepreneurship, and to recognize the exceptional and exciting opportunities achievable through STEM education.

To this end, SpaceIL has developed educational programs for various age groups, which operate on several levels: exposure, leverage, and in-depth processes.

We aim to expose our programs to a broad and diverse audience; we collaborate with strategic partners in the various sectors in order to leverage the capabilities of all of those taking part; and to develop programs that provide students with the opportunity to experience in-depth processes that stimulate complex thinking, generate interest and arouse curiosity.

SpaceIL has chosen to focus on elementary, and particularly middle-school children, who will soon be required to make a decision concerning their future study.

SpaceIL is working to show every child in Israel the inspiring story of the first Israeli spacecraft.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=VRJ5HsgHhxQ

[Bob]

Pictures, children and stimulation -

For Israel Science Day, SpaceIL VP of Education, Ayelet Weizman, advices some tips to nurture young scientists at home

“Every game in the playground is a fascinating lesson in physics. Dr. Ayelet Weizman, VP of Education at SpaceIL nonprofit, which aims to land the first Israeli spacecraft on the Moon, says that the simplest games can become a source for understanding for scientific principles, ‘In kindergarten age, you can start using the playground for the young space engineer trainings”.

When the kids jump from height to the sandbox, you can measure the variable crater size generated in the sand when jumping from different heights, to illustrate the meteorites impact on the Moon’s surface. You can teach your kid the principles of physics and aeronautics by timing and comparing the fall of objects in different sizes and shapes, or to rotate the swing around itself and then let the kid spin in it (under an adult supervision).

You can examine together what happens to the child who sits on the axis of the carousel, when the other kids turn around and simulate the principle of moving bodies in Space – the child remains in place, like the North Star above the Earth’s axis. The kid is not just rampant, he/she is on the way to become an astronaut”.

THE FUTURE IS UNKNOWN; THE REQUIRED SKILLS ARE CLEAR

"One cannot know with certainty what future the professions will be, but many believe that 80% of them will require knowledge and skills in mathematics and science.

However, at present, we, as a society are not prepared for this increased demand for scientific literacy.

Even today, Israel is facing a serious shortage of engineers. The number of scientists and engineers in the Israel Defense Forces, the academia and the private sector fall short of the number required to uphold the State of Israel’s technological advantage and to preserve its status as ‘the startup nation’.

Consequently, scientific education is more important than ever, as it develops and imparts the tools that are essential for 21st century citizens, and is a crucial step in the preparation for military service, higher education, research and a wide variety of industries.

The science-and technology-literate students will lay the foundation for the future development and growth of the State of Israel.

The choice these students will make, and their success in scientific and technological subject matters, are influence both by formal education in the sciences, and by the perception of STEM among their family, environment and society as a whole."

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=gkI4yww0_P8

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=w3qPzZy0tj8

[Bob]

Mare Serenitatis

Does that name seem at all familiar for the space buffs, or us older folk who can remember the days of the Apollo moon missions?

SpaceIL is sending their "Genesis" explorer craft which will look for "magnetic" anomalies within the "Sea of Serenity" (Mare Serenitatis)..

Apollo 17, the last official moon mission happened in 1972. And it landed in a valley, Taurus-Littrow, located within a mountain range between Mare Serenitatis (Serenity) and Mare Tranquillitatis (Tranquility). It carried the only trained geologist to walk on the lunar surface, lunar module pilot Harrison H. Schmitt.

The Taurus-Littrow study area, for the Apollo 17 landing site was centered at 20.1911°N latitude, 30.7769°E longitude.

This valley on the edge of Mare Serenitatis was explored by astronauts Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt in December 1972 while Command Module Pilot Ron Evans remained in orbit.

These elements were found bound to silicon dioxide:

• Aluminum
• Calcium
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Sodium
• Oxygen
• Phosphorus
• Sulfur
• Titanium
• Yttrium
• Zirconium

The landing site was chosen with the primary objectives of Apollo 17 in mind: to sample lunar highland material older than the impact that formed Mare Imbrium, and investigate the possibility of relatively new volcanic activity in the same area.

Scientific instruments included something called a Transverse Gravity meter, for subsurface mass measurements, designed to provide relative gravity changes throughout the landing site at various locations during the mission's moonwalks.

In the orbiter, within the scientific instrument bay, was something called a "lunar sounder". It beamed electromagnetic impulses toward the lunar surface, which were designed with the objective of obtaining data to assist in developing a geological model of the interior of the Moon to an approximate depth of 1.3 km (0.81 mi).

Lunar soil was tested for conductivity and water content - At different stops during the mission's traverses, electrical signals traveled from the transmitting device, through the ground, and received at the LRV. The electrical properties of the lunar soil could be determined by comparison of the transmitted and received electrical signals. The results of this experiment, which are consistent with lunar rock composition, show that the top 2 km (1.2 mi) of the Moon are extremely dry.

Magnetic field measurements - On Apollo 12, 15, and 16, the Lunar Surface Magnetometer was included, Apollo 17 did not carry one.

The magnetic field of the Moon was measured at four Apollo landing sites (12, 14, 15, 16). Apollo 13 never made a landing due to an on-board disaster.

On Apollo 12, 15, and 16, a "Lunar Surface Magnetometer" was included in the ALSEP experiment package physically placed on the lunar surface.

The measured magnetic field has contributions both from the Moon's intrinsic magnetic field as well as from external sources, primarily the Earth and Sun.

These external sources vary with time as the Moon orbits Earth and moves through its magnetosphere. (the time variation is what the SpaceIL "Genesis vehicle" will measure).

By making measurements over several months, these time-varying fields can be separated from the Moon's steady, intrinsic magnetic field.

On Apollo 14 and 16, a Lunar Portable Magnetometer was carried to measure how the Moon's magnetic field varies in local regions.

For these measurements, the contributions of external field sources were estimated using previously deployed ALSEP magnetometers and measurements by the lunar orbiter Explorer 35.

The results of these experiments indicated significant variations in the strength of the Moon's magnetic field on both local and regional scales.

The field strength varied from a low of 6 gammas at the Apollo 15 site to a high of 313 gammas at the Apollo 16 site.

For comparison, the Earth's magnetic field strength is about 100 times higher than the highest value measured on the Moon.

At the Apollo 14 site, the field strength varied between 43 and 103 gammas at two points separated by just 1.1 kilometers.

At the Apollo 16 site, the field strength varied between 121 and 313 gammas at points separated by a maximum of 7.1 kilometers.

These variations indicate the presence of strong localized sources in the crust for the Moon's magnetic field, a conclusion that is also consistent with observations from lunar orbit.

In contrast, the Earth's magnetic field is generated by flow of fluids in the core and has a global dipole geometry. There is no evidence for such a dipole field on the Moon.

The magnetometer observations can also help constrain the interior structure of the Moon.

From measurements of changes in the magnetic field at the lunar surface and in orbit as the Moon enters or exits the Earth's magnetic field, it is possible to estimate how the Moon's electrical conductivity varies with depth. This technique is known as electromagnetic sounding.

The electrical conductivity varies with both chemical composition and with temperature. It has been used to place limits on the size of the Moon's iron core and on temperatures within the mantle.

The SpaceIL "Genesis" vehicle's primary experiment, monitoring of the varying magnetic fields would be able to verify (again) and correlate with the Apollo missions which monitored magnetic fields over time within this key area.

Names of surface features, and Landing Sites -
(click for full sized image - https://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/m...ngsite_150.jpg )

[Bob]

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=foreov94SiM

Beresheet is now in orbit around the moon.

The SpaceIl and IAI teams will perform several maneuvers this week to reduce the orbits around the moon from an elliptical to a round orbit 200 km (124 miles) above the moon.

Potentially, landing will take place on the 11th April. Unlike the Chinese lander, this vehicle will not grow potatoes on the moon.

The main contributors to the project are Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson, Sammy Sagol, Lynn Schusterman, Sylvan Adams, Stephen Grand and others, in addition to the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Israeli Space Agendy, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and Israeli telecommunications firm Bezeq. Philanthropist and businessman Morris Kahn took the lead in completing the mission by funding $40 million of the project, and in his role as president of SpaceIL

[Star Tsar]

Meet the man behind Space Il...

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=LQZaXfTKQxU

[Star Tsar]

Apparently there is a '30 Million Page' Library aboard!

Read all about it here: http://time.com/5556583/israel-30-million-pages-moon/

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=dpYoHwfUrT8

[Bob]

Landing scheduled for today - LIVE FEED streaming below

target time: Moon Landing expected to start at 3:05 p.m. EST (2005 GMT).

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=t7GUHd554NY

[Bob]

a live view from a camera on the spacecraft about 15 minutes prior to landing - lunar surface in the background

that was the last image (higher altitude image) received before the spacecraft became more junk on the lunar surface having crashed after the main engines failed to perform continually as needed to slow the descent.

See posts below about the interference glitches happening during a key maneuver prior to descent. There was another image transmitted too, see below.

[Bob]

oops... guess we didn't make it.. was the statement



the spacecraft got close to proper landing procedures but this above was the last telemetry received, that the main engine kept cutting off, and the velocity accelerated instead of decelerating leading to a hard crash landing.

it was pretty stable till that point.

first telemetry problem started to happen when the spacecraft turned vertically for landing.

I was pretty sure I heard something that DATA was being received and/or relayed from JPL in California.. (wonder if there was a transmission originating there, and not just receiving pictures).. Wonder if that telemetry glitch had something to do with it.. a command to shut down the engine is all that is needed at a critical time to force a disaster..

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=fbozxEuQbLE

[Philippe]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...ter-today.html

Israel FAILS to land its lunar spacecraft on the moon after the main engine cut off mid-descent and sent Beresheet plummeting toward the surface at high speeds, causing it to break apart

[Bob]

If you don't succeed just throw more money at it, eventually the issues will be solved.

Beresheet 2: Netanyahu backs new Israeli lunar mission after 1st smashed into moon

Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged state support for a new Israeli moon mission, just days after the country’s first ever such project ended in disaster (due to main engine failure).

The Beresheet spacecraft smashed into the moon’s surface on Thursday after a critical engine failure. So far, only three countries have successfully landed on the moon: the Soviet Union, US and China.

It is possible that the spacecraft received interference, OR a deliberate higher powered abort signal causing a glitch in the engine's "keep alive" and running program.

I heard on the tape a message JPL was in some way involved with the data-stream coming from the craft. JPL (Jet propulsion labs in California) is the high tech arm of Cal Tech also in California. JPL is a skunkworks home to special projects for black ops projects as well as a host of other projects that are somewhat in the light.

JPL has received donations from some very questionable sources, some tracking back to high powered real estate interests of all things (black funds get funneled through unusual sources to offer legitimacy)..

JPL is part of the DEEP SPACE (deep state?) NETWORK - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Deep_Space_Network

JPL has high powered systems able to interact with deep space probes sending and receiving signals from the spacecraft. A burst of data, overwhelming the local Israeli signals could very well have happened. A war in space test.. can NASA or the CIA or other interference from high powered transmitters be used to KEEP the command of space firmly in US hands? Possibly. Very much in line with the deeper conspiracy thoughts of why Trump wants a Space Force to be the winners in the battle for space.

The signals could have originated anywhere within the worldwide network of U.S. spacecraft communication facilities, located in the United States (California), Spain (Madrid), and Australia (Canberra).

The network provides a two-way communications link that guides and controls various unmanned interplanetary space probes. What the facilities can do on COMMAND from HQ is this:

• acquire telemetry data from spacecraft.
• transmit commands to spacecraft.
• upload software modifications to spacecraft.
• track spacecraft position and velocity.
• perform Very Long Baseline Interferometry observations.
• measure variations in radio waves for radio science experiments.
• gather science data.
• monitor and control the performance of the network.

JPLs facilities most definitely can reach spacecraft at the moon - During the Apollo missions their facilities permitted tracking and two-way data transfer with either spacecraft during lunar operations. Permit tracking and two-way data transfer with the combined spacecraft during the flight to the Moon.

Mossad and Netanyahu should take a close look at who had access to the telemetry frequencies, the control and command channels to the spacecraft, and pay attention to when the data which was being described as "interfered with", or "glitches". And pay attention to the message which was heard over the live feed from the facility about the mention of JPL.. If Mossad can track that JPL or someone using the facilities "did the deed", it could open up a very clear understanding about the "new space wars"..

That spacecraft should not have failed unless it was told to by a shut down command at a critical time to the engines.

[Bob]

SpaceIL partnered with NASA on some very key features of the spacecraft (probably a serious mistake letting the cobra in with the camels)..

the last image received was this before crash:



SpaceIL’s achievements have indeed been unique. The non-profit entered the Google Lunar X competition, which came with a prize of $20 million, in 2012 and became the first international team in 2015 to sign a contract with aerospace manufacturer SpaceX and have its financial and technical details approved by the contest.

The original competition involved placing a spacecraft on the moon’s surface, traveling 500 meters on the moon, and transmitting high-definition video and images back to Earth. The contest was ultimately canceled but the SpaceIL team continued in its mission.

For the three young engineers, who hatched the idea of putting an Israeli craft on the moon at a bar while still university students, the space quest always had a second mission: to inspire the next generation towards STEM studies.

“To get a spacecraft to the moon requires huge resources, and with our few resources got ‘Beresheet’ nearly to the moon. When we put our minds to it, we succeed. True, sometimes there are disappointments, but they are nothing compared to the achievements of this evening. That is why I am so happy to be here with you tonight as president with so many young people,” Reuven told the children, aged 9-12.

This is an important evening of the State of Israel and for Israeli citizens and children who can see what we can do when we want and try – so long as we work together,” he said.

IAI said in a statement that it was “proud to be part of this amazing journey with SpaceIL that brought us to the moon. We will continue to lead Israel to unbelievable achievements. The Beresheet effect will continue to lead the children of Israel to dream about Beresheet 2.0!”

The spacecraft was carrying a digital time capsule loaded with Hebrew songs, stories, Israel’s Declaration of Independence and national anthem, among other national symbols.

NASA offered these world to Israel and SpaceIL:

“While NASA regrets the end of the TeamSpaceIL mission without a successful lunar landing, we congratulate SpaceIL, Israel Aerospace Industries and the State of Israel on the accomplishment of sending the first privately funded mission into lunar orbit,” tweeted NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.

Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the NASA Science Mission Directorate said on Twitter: “Space is hard, but worth the risks. If we succeeded every time, there would be no reward. It’s when we keep trying that we inspire others and achieve greatness. Thank you for inspiring us TeamSpaceIL. We’re looking forward to future opportunities to explore the moon together.”

Zurbuchen said he will “personally come to Israel later this year to enable that discussion!”

“Explorers around the world know that this is not the end of this story, only the end of one amazing chapter of [Israel’s] history! NASA will continue to explore with international and commercial partners!” he said.

[Bob]

NASA had provided a picture of the crash site for the Israeli spacecraft "Genesis"

The splotch in the image on the right, shows the impact with contrast enhancement - Beresheet came down at a sharp angle, and disintegrated upon impact.

It crashed at a speed of about 1,000 meters per second [2,200 mph] - the images were provided by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

[Star Tsar]

latest from SpaceIL

Posted by Star Tsar (here)
The Jerusalem Post

Spaceil: Beresheet Won't Attempt Moon Landing, Will Seek Another Challenge

Published 25th June 2019



SpaceIL, the team behind the Beresheet spacecraft, will not be reattempting its mission to land on the Moon, the non-profit announced on Tuesday.
Following a lengthy debate, SpaceIL decided that landing on the Moon was "not a sufficiently great challenge."

Read all about it here: https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/By...esheet2-593680

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=oRvCItZHiK0