Front Page UK World Business Sci/Tech Sport Despatches World Summary On Air Talking Point Feedback Text Only Help Site Map			Sunday, January 4, 1998 Published at 23:36 GMT Sci/Tech Facts about Lunar Prospector The craft is only a quarter the weight of a family car (Nasa) Prospector is small. When full of fuel, the spacecraft weighs only 295 kg - about a quarter of the weight of an average car. It carries a payload of five instruments. Prospector progressed rapidly from development to completion and testing phases - the entire process was accomplished in 17 months. Lunar Prospector spins to give it greater stability. It has a cylindrical solar panel wrapped around its body. The Lunar Prospector spacecraft body consists of a 1.37-metre wide and 1.29-metre long drum. Lunar Prospector inside nose cone (Nasa) It has no onboard flight control computer. Three masts isolate the science instrument assemblies from the spacecraft. Each self-deploying mast extends 2.5-metres from the side of the spacecraft. The propellant tanks are located inside the main body.   Back to top | BBC News Home | BBC Homepage ©			[an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]   Internet Links NASA's Lunar Prospector home page Lockheed Martin project home page The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.