Lunar orbiter SMART-1 is to crash into the Moon

[Joe]

Lunar orbiter SMART-1 is being controlled to crash into the Moon on Sept. 3 as its mission comes to a close. The spacecraft is to crash into the nearside of the Moon at a speed of about 7,000 km per hour (according to New Scientist). The crash should happen at approximately 0530 GMT as the spacecraft lands on a volcanic plain called the "Lake of Excellence" on the southwest of the Moon's disc, the impact might occur about 5 hours earlier if the low-flying spacecraft happens to hit a mountainside. The probe will gouge out a crater 3 meters to 10 meters wide. And after the crash, astronomers will look for the blanket of ejecta that settles back down to the lunar surface, possibly covering an area of about one square km.