November 13: There is definitely water on
the Moon! Read more.
At a press conference today, researchers revealed preliminary data from
NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, indicating
that water exists in a permanently shadowed lunar crater. The discovery
opens a new chapter in our understanding of the Moon. Read Science@NASA
report.
NASA BRIEFS PRELIMINARY PLUME FINDINGS FROM
MOON MISSION
NASA will hold a news conference Friday, November 13 to talk about early
science results from its successful moon impacting mission, the Lunar Crater
Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS. The satellite gained worldwide
attention when it plunged into a crater near the moon's south pole on Oct.
9. The briefing from NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.,
will begin at 9 a.m. PST. It will be broadcast
live on NASA Television: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
October 16: NASA'S LCROSS Captures
All Phases of Centaur Impact
NASA’s Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) was a smashing
success, returning tantalizing data about the Centaur impact before the spacecraft
itself impacted the surface of the moon. Read
more.
October 10: Diviner Observes LCROSS
Impact
The LRO Diviner instrument obtained infrared observations of the LCROSS impact.
LRO flew by the LCROSS Centaur impact site 90 seconds after impact at a distance
of ~80 km. Read
More.
October 9: NASA Spacecraft Impacts
Lunar Crater in Search for Water Ice
NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, created twin
impacts on the moon's surface early Friday in a search for water ice. Scientists
will analyze data from the spacecraft's instruments to assess whether water ice
is present. Read
more.
October 8: Centaur Separation:
At 6:50 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8 the LCROSS shepherding spacecraft successfully
separated from the Centaur that has been attached to since early June 2009,
when the LCROSS and LRO were stacked at Space Launch Complex 41, a few days
before launch from Cape Canaveral. Read
more.
October 7: Adjusted
impact time:
as a result of the TCM (Trajectory
Correction Maneuver) that occurred yesterday.
--Centaur impact time: 11:31:19 UTC, 7:31:19 EDT, 4:31:19 PDT
--Shepherding spacecraft impact time: 11:35:45 UTC, 7:35:45 EDT, 4:35:45.
See the updated countdown clock at: http://www.nasa.gov/lcross
NASA News Release:
LCROSS Mission Changes Impact Crater Monday, September 28, 2009
Based on new analysis
of available lunar data, the LCROSS mission has shifted the target crater
from Cabeus A to Cabeus (proper). Read more.
If you are local to NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett
Field, CA, you are invited
to join us for part or all of our celebration on October 8, 7:00 pm to October
9, 7:00 am. For schedule, tickets and more information see: http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/impactnight/index.htm
NASA Invites
News Media to Ames for LCROSS Impact Events
NASA's LCROSS mission will culminate with two lunar impacts at approximately
4:30 a.m. PDT on Oct. 9. The mission will search for water ice in the Cabeus
A crater near the moon's south pole. Reporters are invited to observe the
event and participate in pre-impact and post-impact media briefings Oct.
9 at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. The deadline
for U.S. reporters to apply for accreditation is Monday, Oct. 5. International
journalists planning to cover the LCROSS impacts from Ames must apply for
accreditation no later than Friday, Sept. 25. Media representatives applying
for credentials should submit requests to: ames-media-accrediation@mail.nasa.gov
Update:Upon
starting an early morning communications pass on Aug. 22, 2009, the Lunar
Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission operations
team discovered the spacecraft had experienced an anomaly. Read more
on the Spacecraft
Anomaly
LCROSS reached periselene,
its closest approach, at 10:30:33 UT, with the spacecraft passing
1,988 miles (3200 km) from the Moon. The flyby resulted in
a gravity assist from the Moon which put LCROSS into its cruise
Lunar Gravity Assist Lunar Return Orbit (LGALRO).
The swingby
also provided mission scientists with an opportunity for instrument
calibration and the return of images from the far side of the
Moon.
Lunar
CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS)
The Mission Objectives of the Lunar
Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) include confirming
the presence or absence of water ice in a permanently shadowed
crater at the Moon’s South Pole. The identification of
water is very important to the future of human activities on
the Moon. LCROSS will excavate the permanently dark floor of
one of the Moon’s polar craters with two heavy impactors
in 2009 to test the theory that ancient ice lies buried there.
The impact will eject material from the crater’s surface
to create a plume that specialized instruments will be able to
analyze for the presence of water (ice and vapor), hydrocarbons
and hydrated materials.
LCROSS will also provide technologies and modular, reconfigurable subsystems that can be used to support future mission architectures.
Ames
Research Center (ARC) is managing the mission, conducting mission operations, and has developed the payload instruments, while Northrop Grumman designed and built the spacecraft for this innovative mission. Ames mission scientists will spearhead the data analysis.
This is a fast-paced, low-cost, mission that will leverage some
existing NASA systems, Northrop-Grumman spacecraft expertise,
and Ames’ Lunar Prospector
experience.
Scheduled for launch no earlier than June 17, 2009, LCROSS will
travel to the Moon as a co-manifested payload aboard the launch
vehicle for the Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). LRO is designed to map the
lunar surface and characterize landing sites for future missions.
Why
LCROSS?
Just like on Earth, water is a crucial resource on the Moon. It
will not be practical to transport to space the amount of water
needed for human and exploration needs. It is critical to find
natural resources, such as water, on the Moon. The Lunar Crater
Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission will begin
the search for water, leveraging the information we learned from
the Clementine and Lunar
Prospector missions.
By going to the Moon for extended periods of time before other bodies in our solar system, astronauts
will search for resources and learn how to work safely in a harsh
environment—stepping stones to future exploration. The Moon
also offers many clues about the time when the planets were formed.
“Many years ago the great British
explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest,
was asked why did he want to climb it. He said, ’Because
it was there.’
Well, space is there,
and we’re going to climb it, and the Moon and the
planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace
are there.”
President John F. Kennedy
Address at the Rice University on the Space Effort
September 12, 1962
Aug 1, 2009 - Observe the Moon Night at NASA Ames,
part of the International Year of Astronomy's nationwide Summer
Star Party. More Details
LCROSS and LRO launched
on Thursday, June 18 @ 5:32pm Eastern Time. Projected Impact
at the lunar South Pole: Oct 9, 11:30 UT (7:30 EDT, 4:30 PDT)
June 12 - The LRO-LCROSS are stacked and encapsulated
on top of the Atlas Booster. The mission has passed its Flight
Readiness Review and is set for Launch on June 18. Take a look
at images of what was happening at the cape in
preparation for launch.
May 15 - the combined LRO-LCROSS stack is being
encapsulated in the payload fairing.
May 12 - LRO has been stacked onto LCROSS at Astrotech.
April 30 - The Atlas V first stage and the Centaur
upper stage have been stacked in the Vertical Integration Facility
(VIF) at Launch Complex 41.
Flight
Director 
Mission
Watch Lift
off Here!
