The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
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Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
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Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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This mosaic consists of images taken by the AMIE camera on board ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft on 30 August 2006, and shows a 400-kilometre-long area located within the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the Moon.
This area has a diameter of 2600 kilometres and extends from the lunar South Pole to the Aitken crater. It is the largest and oldest known impact basin in the Solar System.
The upper mosaic image was taken at 07:52 CEST (05:52 UT) while the spacecraft was flying at 1391 kilometres over the lunar surface, and is centred around 167º East and 33º South. The bottom image was taken at 07:42 CEST (05:42 UT) while the spacecraft was flying at 1028 kilometres, and is centred around 170º East and 46º South. Three images taken by AMIE in the previous orbit are also part of the mosaic (shifted towards the right).
Towards the bottom of the mosaic, the 76-km-diameter Crater Oresme can been seen, while the top shows Mare Ingenii.
The individual images can be downloaded here:
AMIE mosaic 1,
AMIE mosaic 2,
AMIE mosaic 3,
AMIE mosaic 4,
AMIE mosaic 5,
AMIE mosaic 6,
AMIE mosaic 7,
AMIE mosaic 8,
AMIE mosaic 9