| A view from mission control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as the GRAIL-A spacecraft was captured into lunar orbit on December 31, 2011. The spacecraft fired its main engine for 39 minutes during the lunar orbit insertion (LOI) maneuver. GRAIL-A's mirror twin, GRAIL-B, will do the exact same maneuver on Jan. 1, 2012. Once their orbits are refined, the two spacecraft will fly in formation around the moon. By measuring minute differences in the distances between the twin spacecraft, scientists will study the moon's gravity and its interior. |
