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Japan mulls scrapping Moon mission http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?template=Sciencetech&slug=Japan+mulls+scrapping+Moon+mission&id=99471&callid=1
Associated Press
Monday, January 15, 2007 (Tokyo):
Japan's space agency has recommended scrapping its first Moon mission after more than a decade of delays, a spokesperson said on Monday.
The Lunar-A probe was envisioned as planting two seismic sensors on the lunar surface to gather information about the Moon's core and learn more about the origins of the satellite.
But development of the so-called penetrator probes has taken so long that the mission's mother ship, which was built 10 years ago, has fallen into disrepair.
It would require too much money to fix, said Satoko Kanazawa, a spokesperson for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA.
Failed plans
The mission would have been Japan's first to the surface of the Moon, and was originally scheduled for lift off in 1995.
Japan will now scrap the mission but finish development of the penetrator probes and offer the technology to other space programs, including Russia's, Kanazawa said.
JAXA's space development committee recommended canceling the Lunar-A project on Monday, and a final decision will be made later in the month.