Now more than 100 000 kilometres away from Earth, ESA's Moon-bound spacecraft SMART-1 looked back at Earth and returned this planetary perspective of the Middle East and Mediterranean Sea
Taking a slow ride to the Moon, the SMART-1 spacecraft has plenty of time to look back at the planet from where it launched.
This view of the Middle East in the Mediterranean, released yesterday, was taken from about 62,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) away.
The European Space Agency's craft uses solar-electric propulsion from an ion engine to propel itself to the Moon more cheaply than with conventional rockets. But the trip is the slowest ever attempted: SMART-1 launched Sept. 27 and will go into lunar orbit in March 2005. Meantime, it is making ever-wider orbits around Earth.
Officials reported yesterday that the craft is saving fuel and will get to the Moon earlier than expected. The saved fuel will also allow the probe to get closer to the Moon -- perhaps just 186 miles (300 kilometers) -- than expected, providing a better survey of the lunar surface.
-- SPACE.com Staff
Credit: ESA
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