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LADEE

LADEE: Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer Artist Conception

 

At 11:27 p.m. EDT on September 6, 2013, LADEE, NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer, launched on a mission to our Moon. The robotic mission orbited the Moon while it gathered detailed information about the structure and composition of the thin lunar atmosphere; it also sought to discover whether dust is lofted into the lunar sky. A thorough understanding of these characteristics of our nearest celestial neighbor will help researchers understand other bodies in the solar system, such as large asteroids, Mercury, and the moons of outer planets. The mission officially ended on April 17, 2014, when the spacecraft impacted the surface of the Moon, as planned.

 

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Credit: NASA Ames/Dana Berry

Image Number: GSFC_20171208_Archive_e001394

Date: December 8, 2017

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Uploaded on April 17, 2025
Taken on April 17, 2014