nasa spacecraft hits moon search for

NASA spacecraft hits moon - a search for water

NASA today announced that a small spacecraft, to be developed by a

team at NASA Ames, has been selected to travel to the moon to look

for precious water ice at the lunar south pole.

The name of the mission is LCROSS, short for Lunar CRater Observation

and Sensing Satellite. LCROSS is a secondary payload: It will hitch a

ride to the moon onboard the same rocket as the Lunar Reconnaissance

Orbiter (LRO) satellite due to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in

October 2008.

Left: LCROSS approaches the moon...

Daniel Andrews's team proposed LCROSS. He says , "We think we have

assembled a very creative, highly innovative mission." LCROSS will

hunt for water by hitting the moon--twice--throwing up plumes that may

contain signs of H2O.

It works like this: After launch, the LCROSS spacecraft will arrive in

the moon's vicinity independent of Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. On

the way to the moon, the LCROSS spacecraft's two main parts, the

Shepherding Spacecraft (S-S/C) and the Earth Departure Upper Stage

(EDUS), will remain coupled. As the pair approach the moon's south

pole, the upper stage will separate, and then hit a crater in the

south pole area. A plume from the upper stage crash will develop as

the Shepherding Spacecraft heads in toward the moon. The Shepherding

Spacecraft will fly through the plume using its instruments to analyze

the cloud for signs of water and other compounds. Additional space and

Earth-based instruments also will study the 2.2-million-pound

(1000-metric-ton) plume.

Left: ...and hits. Pictured is the first of two impacts delivered by

the split craft.

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and LCROSS are the first of many robotic

missions NASA will conduct between 2008 and 2016 to study, map, and

learn about the lunar surface to prepare for the return of astronauts

to the moon. These early missions will help determine lunar landing