IAC2006: SMART-1's lunar impact 
3 October 2006For the past few years, the SMART-1 probe from the European Space Agency (ESA) has been orbiting our lunar neighbour. The first mission dedicated to the Moon in recent times, the results sent back to Earth will keep scientists busy for many years.
With SMART-1 running out of fuel, mission scientists decided to end the mission rather unusually, obtaining one last result by crashing the probe into the lunar surface. The impact was observed by professionals and amateurs from Earth. This occurred in early September.
The featured speakers of Tuesday afternoon's Late Breaking News were Dr Bernard H. Foing, ESA SMART-1 Project Scientist and Prof. Pascale Ehrenfreund from Leiden University and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Multiple images from the impact of the probe were displayed during the session, showing the cloud of debris that was thrust into space. A great number of the Earth's observatories were focused on the impact in order to capture a wide array of images that would yield many results concerning the elements of the impact cloud.
It is hoped to use a future mission to orbit the Moon and precisely measure the new crater created by the impact.
Knowing SMART-1's mass, speed and angle of impact already, even more can be learned of lunar geology.
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