As if scanning the moon's surface for impact blemishes were not enough, NASA now plans to visualize its internal imperfections to solve longstanding mysteries about the moon's insides.
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NASA said this week that it selected the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission from two dozen proposals. GRAIL's twin spacecraft are slated to launch around Sept. 6, 2011 and, after a few weeks of settling into orbit, map the lunar gravity field for 90 days.
Scientists hope to use the data to pick apart its insides from crust to core, much like a medical X-ray that shows the insides of a person.
"We're looking forward to the data," Michael New, GRAIL's lead project scientist, told SPACE.com. "It's really going to open up new understanding of the particular history and internal structure of the moon."
