LCROSS

With a scheduled launch date of June 18, 2009, the current plan is to impact the south pole at approximately 4:31 a.m. PDT on Oct. 9, 2009. The spacecraft and Centaur are tentatively targeted to impact the moon's south pole near the Cabeus region.
To prepare for the LCROSS impacts of a permanently shadowed crater, NASA Ames Research Center scientist Diane Wooden is developing targeting protocols for the moderately sized three-meter diameter NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) atop Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. On the night of the LCROSS impacts, Wooden and her colleagues plan to obtain spectroscopy of the LCROSS impact ejecta clouds.
Most large telescopes do not routinely observe the moon. Since the moon is extremely bright and moving very fast, compared to the background stars, special procedures are necessary to point and track accurately. Positioning of the telescope is critical to capturing the LCROSS impact events.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• moon
• lunar
• satellite

[uni4dfx]

Are you kidding me?

There is absolutely NO reason why they shouldn't do this, and it is in fact a great idea.

[drSurubin]

This thing is the size of a small car!This will just make the moon more beautiful because we will get a new crater.And stop callling it "The Moon".It should be referred to by its proper name,"Luna"

[sassebratkat]

why the crap would you people be impressed with something so horrid

do you not have a life??????????????????????????­??

[Knapster4444]

wtf was this about, to be honest i saw a probe of some sort get shot up and then crash on the moon, EXPLAIN!

[bloodanddirt]

@ReasonSharp valid point. nicely put.

[ReasonSharp]

@bloodanddirt Oh, but we do possess the intellect. The problem is that by today's prevalent creeds, many people choose to hate the intellect, and hence things like this. Damn Kant!

[ReasonSharp]

@RajBoshMahal Somehow I don't think NASA made those sounds.

[RajBoshMahal]

Someone should tell Nasa you can't hear sound in space

[bloodanddirt]

how i wish that people still possessed intellect and respected things like this. damn our species.

[bloodanddirt]

@PillowcaseHead

if the purpose of our existence is only to help the poor, than we will one day all parish with little to nothing to ever be proud of.

[nocturnezero]

Save us because of the pollution of water on Earth, not to mention developing countries with no access to pure water.

[TheSexyAngel10]

what would that do for us?