Exploration through Navigation
Charting a Course to the Moon
Final Design by:
Impacting Moon Positioning Adventure Crater Trajectory (IMPACT)
Teacher Ms Dunbar
Sea Girt Elementary School
Sea Girt, NJ

Navigation Plan: Earth to Moon
Team name:    Impacting Moon Positioning Adventure Crater Trajectory (IMPACT)

Spacecraft name:  Ice Breaker

Launch time and date:  12:05 am July 4, 2009

Duration of journey: 96 hours

Expected impact date:  July 8, 2009

Description of route and orbital paths:

We launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida.  Our ship, Ice Breaker, will circle the Earth one time allowing it to gain enough speed to evacuate Earth’s gravitational pull.  As we get closer to the moon, we will slow Ice Breaker down using small rocket spurts.  doing this will allow us to be attracted by the moon’s gravitational pull, and into the moons atmosphere.  Once we are around 16.09 km away, we will use all remaining fuel to blast the Ice Breaker’s projectile head on into the moon.

Navigation Instruments:  Deep Space Networks,  J-Track,  Triangulation using the stars

Methods of guidance, navigation, control and tracking:

Use the most sensitive technology and telecommunication systems at the time.
Use the international network of antennas

Use small rockets for making adjustments in track.