Imagine yourself in orbit, your spacecraft flying backward with its small window facing down toward the surface of the moon. You peer out, scouring the ash-colored contours of the cratered landscape for traces of ancient volcanic activity.

NASA's twin spacecraft to study the moon from crust to core are nearing their New Year's Eve and New Year's Day main-engine burns to place the duo in lunar orbit.

PASADENA, Calif., Dec.

NASA will usher in another Moon mission on Thursday when it launches twin probes to measure gravity on Earth's closest cosmic neighbor.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) launched a second lunar exploration probe on Friday, bringing their country's emerging space program one step closer to fulfilling their goal of placing a man on the moon.