NASA bombs the moon
In search of water ice on the moon NASA launched the spacecraft LCROSS (Lunar CRator Observation and Sensing Satellite) on June 18th, 2009. The aim of this expedition – with around 80 million dollars a rather small-budget experiment – is to determine whether or not water ice exists on the moon.
After travelling for 113 days, LCROSS finally approached the moon on Thursday, October 8th, when it sent off a 2,200 kilogram rocket to hit the moon. Today, on Friday, October 9th, at 13:31 CET the rocket Centaur impacted the lunar surface in the Cabeus crator, a permanently shadowed region near the moon’s south pole, thereby sending up some 350 kilotons of material. Passing through this dust, LCROSS was to collect particles in order to pass data to NASA, before it, too, went down on the moon.
These data are now being analysed by NASA officials, and in a few weeks time they should be able to make a definite assessment about the existence of water ice on the moon. If positive, the dream of a manned lunar station will be one step closer.
After travelling for 113 days, LCROSS finally approached the moon on Thursday, October 8th, when it sent off a 2,200 kilogram rocket to hit the moon. Today, on Friday, October 9th, at 13:31 CET the rocket Centaur impacted the lunar surface in the Cabeus crator, a permanently shadowed region near the moon’s south pole, thereby sending up some 350 kilotons of material. Passing through this dust, LCROSS was to collect particles in order to pass data to NASA, before it, too, went down on the moon.
These data are now being analysed by NASA officials, and in a few weeks time they should be able to make a definite assessment about the existence of water ice on the moon. If positive, the dream of a manned lunar station will be one step closer.