Japan has launched the largest spacecraft to the Moon since Apollo. Named for a moon princess in Japanese folklore, Kaguya will take five days to reach its obhective.
Once in lunar orbit, the mission is scheduled to last about a year. Kaguya carries 14 scientifuc instruments, plus two microsatellites which will be used to study the lunar interior and gravitational field. Perhaps the most intriguing instrument Kaguya sports is a video camera. The Japanese plan to film Earth rising over the lunar surface, much as Apollo astronauts did in a famous series of still shots.
Japan plans to put an unmanned lander on the Moon in 2010, and to participate in an international program of manned lunar exploration.
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