Kaguya

~Last September, the Japan National Space Agency launched a lunar probe named "Kaguya" (formally known as SELENE: SELentological ENgineering Explorer) which has been orbiting the Moon for a few months now. Kaguya's purpose is to construct a detailed gravity map of the Moon with the assistance of two smaller satellites released from the main probe. Also aboard Kaguya are ground penetrating radar, a spectrometer to detect lunar minerals, a laser altimeter that is building a precise topographical map of the Moon, and a high-definition video camera. The camera has returned some great high-def movies and images, such as this lunar landscape:

^ This image was taken near the north pole of the Moon. Where's Moon Santa?

Check out this great movie from Kaguya located here (it may take time to load, as the server is in Japan). Amusingly, the text above the video notes that there is "no audio"...gee, I wonder why that might be? You can also see more images and movies taken by Kaguya by clicking here.

For now, Kaguya's mission will continue in preparation for an unmanned Japanese lunar lander scheduled to arrive in 2010. By the way, the name "Kaguya" comes from a Japanese legend about a woman from the Moon, a story which also explains how Mount Fuji became a volcano.