Thread: LCROSS - $79 million

From NASA - LCROSS

LCROSS launched with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on June 18, 2009 at 2:32 p.m. PDT. The LCROSS shepherding spacecraft and the Atlas V’s Centaur upper stage rocket executed a fly-by of the moon on June 23, 2009 (LCROSS lunar swingby video stream coverage) and entered into an elongated Earth orbit to position LCROSS for impact on a lunar pole. On final approach, the shepherding spacecraft and Centaur will separate. The Centaur will act as a heavy impactor to create a debris plume that will rise above the lunar surface. Projected impact at the lunar South Pole is currently: Oct 9, 2009 at 4:30 a.m. PDT. Following four minutes behind, the shepherding spacecraft will fly through the debris plume, collecting and relaying data back to Earth before impacting the lunar surface and creating a second debris plume.

So basically NASA shot a rocket to the moon to blow up pieces of the moon

Aren't you glad there is spare change in the US budget for this kind of groundbreaking work?

Will you watch it on TV? Will you watch it through your telescope?

for max

I'll have to settle for TV footage after the fact

Reminds me I need to rebuild the astrophotography setup stored in the garage.

Just a touch more than blowing up moon rocks...


Earth’s closest neighbor is holding a secret. In 1999, hints of that secret were revealed in the form of concentrated hydrogen signatures detected in permanently shadowed craters at the lunar poles by NASA’s Lunar Prospector. These readings may be an indication of lunar water and could have far-reaching implications as humans expand exploration past low-Earth orbit. The Lunar CRater Observing and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission is seeking a definitive answer.

Just like on Earth, water will be a crucial resource on the moon. Transporting water and other goods from Earth to the moon’s surface is expensive. Finding natural resources, such as water ice, on the moon could help expedite lunar exploration. The LCROSS mission will search for water, using information learned from the Clementine and Lunar Prospector missions.

By going to the moon for extended periods of time, a new generation of explorers will learn how to work safely in a harsh environment. A lunar outpost is a stepping stone to future exploration of other bodies in our solar system. The moon also offers many clues about when the planets were formed.

Glen, that is just lunacy

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

Glen, that is just lunacy

Aye Lunaracy !!!!

Yes, interesting times we live in... water on the moon, hypervelocity,
a bigger collider coming up...

Just a few hours away... It will be worth waking up to lug the scope out, as long as the clouds clear up. Here's hoping!

Already happened here down under (time zone). Apparently the early figures indicate the presence of swiss cheese particulates, and what looks like part of a fingernail.

James.

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

Glen, that is just lunacy

careful...... he might moon you