Skip Navigation
menu close modal

Resources

Parting Moon Shots from NASA's GRAIL Mission

Image Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MIT / SRS
Published: November 18, 2017
Historical Date: December 14, 2012

Video of the Moon taken by the NASA GRAIL mission's MoonKam (Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students) camera aboard the Ebb spacecraft on Dec. 14, 2012. Features forward-facing and rear-facing views taken before the spacecraft intentionally impacted the Moon on Dec. 17, 2012.

Related

In December of 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 became the first people to leave our home planet and travel to another body in space.
More
Video commemorating the 45th anniversary of Apollo 8
Earthrise: The 45th Anniversary
This view of the rising Earth greeted the Apollo 8 astronauts as they came from behind the moon after the lunar orbit insertion burn.
More
This view of the rising Earth greeted the Apollo 8 astronauts as they came from behind the moon after the lunar orbit insertion burn.
Earthrise
Learn how the Moon has evolved over time.
More
An artist’s conception of the early Moon being bombarded by asteroid impacts.
Evolution of the Moon
The rising Earth above the lunar horizon as seen from the Apollo 8 spacecraft.
More
blue Earth against a black sky above the barren lunar surface
The rising Earth as seen by Apollo 8
A view of Lee Lincoln scarp on the Moon.
More
An animated view of Lee Lincoln scarp from above and from near ground level. This visualization is created from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photographs and elevation mapping. The scarp is at the western end of the Taurus-Littrow valley, landing site of Apollo 17, and was explored by the astronauts on their second moonwalk. Music by Killer Tracks: Smoke and Mirrors - Gresby Race Nash.This video is also available on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.
Lee Lincoln Scarp at the Apollo 17 Landing Site
Explainer video on lunar eclipses
More
Graphic that depicts that the Earth casts a shadow on the Moon when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are in line.
Lunar Eclipse Essentials
In the early morning hours of April 15, 2014, the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow, creating a total lunar eclipse.
More
Lunar Eclipse of April 15, 2014, as viewed from the Moon
Lunar Eclipse of April 15, 2014
This animation features actual satellite images of the far side of the moon, illuminated by the sun.
More
This animation features actual satellite images of the far side of the moon, illuminated by the sun.
Moon Crossing From a Million Miles Away
Take a look at the Apollo landing sites as well as the Moon’s South Pole, an area with enormous potential for future exploration.
More
A view of the Moon, with the six Apollo landing sites labeled.
From Apollo Sites to the South Pole
Visualization of the location of all six Apollo landing sites on the Moon, along with the historical Moon phase. 
More
Visualization of the location of the Apollo landing sites on the Moon along with the correct Moon phase and the length of time between each landing.
Apollo Landing Sites with Moon Phases
Video tour of an interactive tool that lets you hold virtual Moon rocks in your hand.
More
Screen shot of a virtual version of a textured, grey rock with white flecks and cracks throughout its volume.
Astromaterials 3D: Moon Rocks
Learn about the research being done as part of the Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis Program.
More
Unboxing Apollo samples at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.Music is \"Acid Test\" by Anders Johan Greger Lewen and \"Secret Hours\" by Magnum Opus of Universal Production Music.
Unboxing Apollo Samples
The three crew members of Apollo 8 were the first humans to leave Earth orbit and the first to travel around the Moon.
More
Trio of men in spacesuits walking down a hall.
Apollo 8: First Humans to Leave Earth Orbit
Discover how NASA is returning humans to the Moon with Artemis.
More
Crews stack the launch vehicle stage adapter on top of the core stage.
How We Are Going to the Moon
Explore how NASA operates the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft around the Moon.
More
A spacecraft with dashed road lines leading from it to the Moon.
Driving a Lunar Spacecraft
A complete slideshow overview of NASA's Apollo lunar exploration program. 
More
Two downloadable PowerPoint presentations.
The Apollo Legacy and NASA's Leap into the Future
Photomosaic of the full moon made of images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). 
More
A photomosaic made of 1231 individual images that, when stitched together, show the full moon, with mixed areas of light and dark.
Moon Mosaic
View highlights from NASA’s Artemis I mission.
More
Side by side photos of a rocket launching and a crowd cheering.
NASA's Artemis I Moon Mission: Launch to Splashdown Highlights
Last image taken by Ranger 8 camera-A from a distance of 4.2 km, 2 seconds before impact on 20 February 1965.
More
Image of the surface of the moon
Ranger 8 Image Taken 2 Seconds Before Impact
Video: Scientists have discovered that water is being released from the Moon during meteor showers.
More
Still frame from a visualization of a surface impact with cloud of dust.
Water Released from Moon
Connecting the history of Apollo 17 to NASA's current Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission through the eyes of astronaut Harrison Jack Schmitt.
More
Astronaut Schmitt and photo of him working on Moon
Jack Schmitt: From Apollo 17 to LRO
A close-up view of a commemorative plaque left on the Moon at the Hadley-Apennine landing site in memory of 14 NASA astronauts and USSR cosmonauts.
More
A close-up view of a commemorative plaque left on the Moon at the Hadley-Apennine landing site.
In Memoriam
Artist's rendering of the LCROSS spacecraft and Centaur separation.
More
Illustration of two spacecraft flying toward the moon
Artist's Rendering of the LCROSS Spacecraft and Centaur Separation
Every Moon phase in 2021.
More
Video showing the geocentric phase, libration, position angle of the axis, and apparent diameter of the Moon throughout the year 2021, at hourly intervals.
Moon Phase and Libration 2021
This NASA video details the first journey of men around the moon.
More
Documentary about Apollo 8
The Flight of Apollo 8

You Might Also Like

Like Earth, the Moon has a day side and a night side, which change as the Moon rotates.
More
Diagram of the Moon's phases
Moon Phases
Between four and seven times a year, Earth, Moon and Sun line up just right to create the cosmic-scale shadow show known as an eclipse.
More
Composite of lunar eclipse phases over night sky
Eclipses
Several theories vie for dominance but most agree on one thing — Earth's Moon was born from destruction.
More
Artist depiction of two planets colliding.
Moon Formation