NASA's Lunar Impact Mission Honored by National Space Society

NASA has made technological breakthroughs in its efforts to reach for the stars and explore our solar system – these achievements were recently recognized by the National Space Society (NSS), which selected NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission as the 2010 recipient of the Space Pioneer Award in the Science and Engineering category.

The award was presented at the International Space Development Conference in Chicago. The five-day symposium is a gathering of leading space experts from around the globe. The LCROSS mission was selected for its science observations, especially confirming the presence of water ice and other volatiles within a permanently shadowed region of Cabeus crater near the lunar south pole; being cost-effective fast-paced and being an example of a successful risk-tolerant space mission.

"We expect that the results of LCROSS will have a significant impact on the future course of both the scientific and manned exploration programs," said John K. Strickland, Jr., chairman of the NSS Awards Committee. "The Pioneer award is very appropriate for recognizing lunar-related efforts, since it is, in fact, a silvery pewter moon globe mounted on a base and brass support with brass plaque."

John Marmie, deputy project manager of the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite Mission with the 2010 National Space Society Space Pioneer Award, which he accepted on behalf of the LCROSS mission team. Photo credit: NASA Ames

The annual Space Pioneer awards recognize individuals and teams whose accomplishments have helped to open the space frontier. The awards are divided into 13 categories with the intent of recognizing those who have made significant contributions in different fields of endeavor to "develop a space faring civilization that will establish communities beyond the Earth." Because NSS selects three Space Pioneer award recipients each year, not every category is awarded. The Indian Space Research Organization received the previous Space Pioneer award in Science and Engineering in 2009 in recognition of its successful Lunar Probe Chandrayaan-1 mission, which, with the help of NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper onboard instrument, detected water molecules on the lunar surface.

"I feel privileged to have represented the LCROSS team and partners," said John Marmie, LCROSS deputy project manager who accepted the award on behalf of the team. "Many people came up to me afterwards to express how impressed they were with what our team accomplished."

The National Space Society (NSS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of a space-faring civilization. The NSS was founded in 1987 with the merger of the National Space Institute, founded in 1974, and L5 Society, founded in 1975.

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/features/2010/lcross_award.html

New Moon Rock Is Fit for a King

People don't discover a new type of moon rock every day, so consider the odds of finding one rich in a mineral that England's King Henry V wore on his battle helmet. And then imagine spotting, right on the Man in the Moon's nose, huge and previously unknown deposits of another mineral from the same family. Using data from NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) on India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, a team of researchers recently did just that.

Huge and previously unknown deposits of chromite spinel, found front and center on the near side of the moon, are making researchers think again about the moon's geology. Credit: NASA/Kennedy

The new rock is a unique mixture of plain-old plagioclase -- plentiful in the Earth's crust and the moon's highlands -- and pink spinel, an especially beautiful arrangement of magnesium, aluminum and oxygen that, in its purest forms, is prized as a gemstone here on Earth. The rock was discovered on the far side of the moon by Carlé Pieters, a planetary scientist at Brown University, Providence, R.I. and the principal investigator for the M3 science team. Shortly after, massive deposits of a different type of spinel were identified on the near side by other M3 team members, led by Jessica Sunshine at the University of Maryland-College Park.

Because spinel hasn't figured strongly in discussions about the geology of the moon so far, the findings took the team by surprise. "This was definitely a 'Wow!' moment," says Noah Petro, a planetary geologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., who works closely with Sunshine. Additional team members come from several other institutions, including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., which managed the M3 mission.

In the dark mantle deposits of the Sinus Aestuum (left), deposits of chromite spinel light up like beacons (right), but the nearby Rima Bode has no spinel. The researchers got this view by dividing the amount of reflected light at a wavelength of 2 µm by the amount at 1 µm. This ratio was calculated for every pixel in the image. Images Credit: Jessica Sunshine, University of Maryland

"I don't think anybody who studies the moon would have expected to see this so prominently at the surface," Petro adds.

The Great Impostor

Spinel the gem comes in a rainbow of colors, but the diva is the red stone, so similar to ruby in color and hardness that it earned the nickname the "great impostor." The Black Prince's Ruby -- a fiery 170-carat stone owned by Edward of Woodstock (the Black Prince) in the 14th century, worn on King Henry V's battle helmet and later incorporated into the Imperial State Crown of England -- is actually a spinel. So is the 361-carat Timur Ruby, also in the British crown jewels. Even after the two stones could be reliably distinguished, spinel was sought by royalty worldwide. The crown jewels of Iran, for example, feature a collection of these gems.

Despite this regal lineage, the researchers weren't looking for spinel on the moon. They were focused on mapping the minerals olivine and pyroxene, which were already known to co-exist with plagioclase on the moon. For this, the team relied on the M3 remote scanner, which imaged the surface in strips 40 kilometers (almost 25 miles) wide and measured the amount of reflected light at nearly a hundred wavelengths of light. The composition of the rock can be deduced from distinctive changes in this signal at various wavelengths. As expected, the researchers located olivine and pyroxene deposits. In addition, two areas about 1 kilometer by 1 kilometer (a little more than 1/2 mile by 1/2 mile) each, stood out on the rim of the Moscoviense Basin on the moon's far side. The signature in those spots was unmistakable: spinel.

"My first reaction was, it's not possible. It's crazy!" says Sunshine, remembering when Pieters first described what she saw. Little bits of spinel have been found in moon rocks before. And if this had been a small amount of spinel mixed with olivine and pyroxene, nobody would have been surprised; that has been seen elsewhere. But when the image strips were pieced together to show the whole face of the moon, the researchers could see that the spinel was completely separate from the olivine and pyroxene.

"We've never seen the magnesium–aluminum spinel without olivine and pyroxene," explains Larry Taylor, an M3 team member from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. "This means we're talking about a new composition of magma . . . [and] a whole new range of processes for mineral concentrations on the moon that we haven't appreciated until now."

Spinel the gem comes in a rainbow of colors, such as these crystals in a white marble/calcite matrix. Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

The discovery "shows the power of remote sensing," Petro adds. "The global view of the M3 imaging spectrometer makes it possible to find small features of interest and, at the same time, to see how unique they are in context of the entire moon."

Why the deposits would appear only in the Moscoviense Basin remains a bit of a geological mystery, says Petro, but the team thinks the catastrophic impact that formed the basin might have brought up spinel material from deep within the crust.

Hidden in Plain Sight

Intrigued by the spinel on the far side, the researchers looked for it on the near side of the moon. And, boy, did they find it.

Led by Sunshine, the team identified chromite spinel scattered throughout an enormous section of the Sinus Aestuum, a big plain that many people recognize as the nose of the Man in the Moon. Unlike spinel the gemstone, chromite spinel is a dark mineral made from iron, chromium and oxygen; both are from the same family of minerals, the members of which share a common structure but can have very different chemical makeups.

"What I find really amazing is the near-side spinel deposits are huge -- tens of thousands of square kilometers -- and they are sitting smack-dab in the center of the near side," says Sunshine. "All of us [on Earth] have literally been staring at these our whole lives, and we didn't know they were there."

Earlier studies of the moon didn't locate this chromite spinel because the instruments didn't reach the critical wavelength of 2 micrometers (µm), where a key part of the spinel signature is apparent. Also, researchers had assumed that Sinus Aestuum had the same composition as the nearby Rima Bode, which has been studied closely and has no trace of spinel.

Though the scientists are still working out a detailed explanation of their findings, they are convinced that the spinel formed on the moon, says Sunshine. The near-side deposit is simply too large to have formed elsewhere in the solar system and been delivered to the moon.

The team also thinks the chromite spinel is volcanic and has been exhumed from far below the surface, says Petro. The spinel might have been covered by later volcanic eruptions and then exposed a little at a time by eons of cratering. "Maybe it represents a very early stage of lunar volcanism," says Sunshine. "It's hard to know the answers right now. We're still in the question phase."

But the surprising findings do lead the team to one conclusion: “Despite everything we have learned," says Petro, "the moon still has a lot of surprises for us.”

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/moonmars/features/moonrock-king.html

Soviet Union Lunar Sample Return Missions

The Soviet Union successfully executed three robotic sample return missions as part of the Cold War competition with the United States. The first mission, Luna 16, returned a small sample (101 grams) from Mare Fecunditatis in September of 1970, a time between the US Apollo 12 and 14 manned landings. A year and half later (February 1972) Luna 20 returned 55 grams of soil from the Apollonius highlands region.

On Feb. 21, 1972, Luna 20 soft landed in the rugged highlands between Mare Fecunditatis and Mare Crisium. The next day a sample return capsule blasted off carrying 55 grams of lunar soil. The Luna 20 descent stage still sits silently on the Moon, clearly visible in LROC NAC image M119482862RE. Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

Luna 16 and 20 were very similar in design and sampling method. A drill at the end of the sampling arm collected soil from a few tens of cm below the surface. The arm then placed the sample into the return capsule on top of the vehicle. The distinctive shadow seen in the LROC image of Luna 20 is most likely that of the sampling arm. The Luna 20 sample contained minerals similar to those sampled by the US Apollo 16 astronauts two months later from the Cayley plains (8°58"S, 15°30"E).

Luna 16 robotic sample return spacecraft. Image courtesy National Space Science Data Center.

Enlargement of Luna 20 descent stage. Note the shadow of the sampling arm. Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

In October of 1974 Luna 23 set down on Mare Crisium, however technical difficulties prevented it from successfully acquiring a sample. Undeterred, the Soviets tried again in August of 1976, this time with much better luck. Luna 24 was designed to auger over 2 meters into the lunar soil thus collecting a better section and a larger sample, 170 grams. The positions of Luna 23 and 24 were not well constrained and are reported as within several hundred meters of each other. From the new NAC images we can accurately measure the distance between the two landers to be about 2400 meters. However the absolute position of the landers is only know to about 500 meters accuracy. As the LRO mission ephemeris improves, the Luna absolute positions should be known to better than 100 meters. Scroll around in a mosaic of two NAC high Sun images (M111185087L,R) and find Luna 23 and Luna 24. Look for a few very bright pixels near Luna 24; they may be small pieces of material blown off the descent stage as the ascent staged blasted off towards Earth.

Luna 24 sitting on the edge of a 60 meter diameter crater, NAC image M119449091RE. Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

The successful Soviet Luna sample return missions returned small, but important, samples from three locations on the Moon. In this new era of lunar exploration several countries plan to soft land on the Moon in the near future, the first soft-landed spacecraft since Luna 24. India and Russia plan to launch a lander and rover called Chandrayaan 2 in 2013. The Chinese Chang'e lunar exploration program also plans a soft landing in 2013.

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/multimedia/lroimages/lroc-20100316-luna.html

NASA Radar Finds Ice Deposits at Moon's North Pole

Additional evidence of water activity on moon

Using data from a NASA radar that flew aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, scientists have detected ice deposits near the moon's north pole. NASA's Mini-SAR instrument, a lightweight, synthetic aperture radar, found more than 40 small craters with water ice. The craters range in size from 1 to 9 miles (2 to15 km) in diameter. Although the total amount of ice depends on its thickness in each crater, it's estimated there could be at least 1.3 trillion pounds (600 million metric tons) of water ice.

The Mini-SAR has imaged many of the permanently shadowed regions that exist at both poles of the Moons. These dark areas are extremely cold and it has been hypothesized that volatile material, including water ice, could be present in quantity here. The main science object of the Mini-SAR experiment is to map and characterize any deposits that exist.

Mini-SAR is a lightweight (less than 10 kg) imaging radar. It uses the polarization properties of reflected radio waves to characterize surface properties. Mini-SAR sends pulses of radar that are left-circular polarized. Typical planetary surfaces reverse the polarization during the reflection of radio waves, so that normal echoes from Mini-SAR are right circular polarized. The ratio of received power in the same sense transmitted (left circular) to the opposite sense (right circular) is called the circular polarization ratio (CPR). Most of the Moon has low CPR, meaning that the reversal of polarization is the norm, but some targets have high CPR. These include very rough, fresh surfaces (such as a young, fresh crater) and ice, which is transparent to radio energy and multiply scatters the pulses, leading to an enhancement in same sense reflections and hence, high CPR. CPR is not uniquely diagnostic of either roughness or ice; the science team must take into account the environment of the occurrences of high CPR signal to interpret its cause.

Craters at the north pole of the Moon. *Fresh Craters. *Anomalous Craters.

Numerous craters near the poles of the Moon have interiors that are in permanent sun shadow. These areas are very cold and water ice is stable there essentially indefinitely. Fresh craters show high degrees of surface roughness (high CPR) both inside and outside the crater rim, caused by sharp rocks and block fields that are distributed over the entire crater area. However, Mini-SAR has found craters near the north pole that have high CPR inside, but not outside their rims. This relation suggests that the high CPR is not caused by roughness, but by some material that is restricted within the interiors of these craters. We interpret this relation as consistent with water ice present in these craters. The ice must be relatively pure and at least a couple of meters thick to give this signature.

The estimated amount of water ice potentially present is comparable to the quantity estimated solely from the previous mission of Lunar Prospector’s neutron data (several hundred million metric tons.) The variation in the estimates between Mini-SAR and the Lunar Prospector’s neutron spectrometer is due to the fact that it only measures to depths of about one-half meter, so it would underestimate the total quantity of water ice present. At least some of the polar ice is mixed with lunar soil and thus, invisible to our radar.


"The emerging picture from the multiple measurements and resulting data of the instruments on lunar missions indicates that water creation, migration, deposition and retention are occurring on the moon," said Paul Spudis, principal investigator of the Mini-SAR experiment at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. "The new discoveries show the moon is an even more interesting and attractive scientific, exploration and operational destination than people had previously thought."

"After analyzing the data, our science team determined a strong indication of water ice, a finding which will give future missions a new target to further explore and exploit," said Jason Crusan, program executive for the Mini-RF Program for NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate in Washington.

The Mini-SAR's findings are being published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The results are consistent with recent findings of other NASA instruments and add to the growing scientific understanding of the multiple forms of water found on the moon. The agency's Moon Mineralogy Mapper discovered water molecules in the moon's polar regions, while water vapor was detected by NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS.

Mini-SAR and Moon Mineralogy Mapper are two of 11 instruments on the Indian Space Research Organization's Chandrayaan-1. The Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., performed the final integration and testing on Mini-SAR. It was developed and built by the Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, Calif., and several other commercial and government contributors.

For more information about Chandrayaan-1, visit:

http://www.isro.org/Chandrayaan

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/Mini-RF/multimedia/feature_ice_like_deposits.html

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LCROSS Viewer's Guide

Just imagine. A spaceship plunges out of the night sky, hits the ground and explodes. A plume of debris billows back into the heavens, leading your eye to a second ship in hot pursuit. Four minutes later, that one hits the ground, too. It's raining spaceships!

Put on your hard hat and get ready for action, because on Friday, Oct. 9, what you just imagined is really going to happen--and you can have a front row seat.

The impact site is crater Cabeus near the moon's south pole. NASA is guiding the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS for short) and its Centaur booster rocket into the crater's floor for a spectacular double-impact designed to unearth signs of lunar water.

A computer visualization of LCROSS hitting the Moon on Oct. 9th. Credit: NASA

There are two ways to watch the show.

First, turn on NASA TV. The space agency will broadcast the action live from the Moon, with coverage beginning Friday morning at 3:15 am PDT (10:15 UT). The first hour or so, pre-impact, will offer expert commentary, status reports from mission control, camera views from the spacecraft, and telemetry-based animations.

The actual impacts commence at 7:30 am EDT (11:30 UT). The Centaur rocket will strike first, transforming 2200 kg of mass and 10 billion joules of kinetic energy into a blinding flash of heat and light. Researchers expect the impact to throw up a plume of debris as high as 10 km.

Close behind, the LCROSS mothership will photograph the collision for NASA TV and then fly right through the debris plume. Onboard spectrometers will analyze the sunlit plume for signs of water (H2O), water fragments (OH), salts, clays, hydrated minerals and assorted organic molecules.

"If there's water there, or anything else interesting, we'll find it," says Tony Colaprete, the mission's principal investigator.

Next comes the mothership's own plunge. Four minutes after the Centaur "lands," the 700 kg LCROSS satellite will strike nearby, sending another, smaller debris plume over the rim of Cabeus.

The Hubble Space Telescope, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and hundreds of telescopes great and small on Earth will scrutinize the two plumes, looking for signs of water and the unexpected.

And that brings us to the second way to see the show: Grab your telescope.

"We expect the debris plumes to be visible through mid-sized backyard telescopes--10 inches and larger," says Brian Day of NASA/Ames. Day is an amateur astronomer and the Education and Public Outreach Lead for LCROSS. "The initial explosions will probably be hidden behind crater walls, but the plumes will rise high enough above the crater's rim to be seen from Earth."

The Pacific Ocean and western parts of North America are favored with darkness and a good view of the moon at the time of impact. Hawaii is the best place to be, with Pacific coast states of the USA a close second. Any place west of the Mississippi River, however, is a potential observing site.

When the plumes emerge from Cabeus, they will be illuminated by sunshine streaming over the polar terrain. The crater itself will be in the dark, however, permanently shadowed by its own walls. "That's good," says Day. "The crater's shadows will provide a dark backdrop for viewing the sunlit plumes."

In an earlier stage of mission planning, scientists hoped to strike a crater closer to the Moon's limb so that the plumes would billow out against the dark night sky, providing maximum contrast for observers on Earth. However, recent data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Japan's Kaguya spacecraft and India's Chandrayaan-1 probe altered those plans.

"We've just learned that Cabeus may contain relatively-rich deposits of hydrogen and/or frozen water," says Colaprete. "Cabeus is not as close to the lunar limb as we would have liked, but it seems to offer us the best chance of hitting H2O."

The LCROSS team hopes many people—amateurs and professionals alike—will observe and photograph the plumes. "The more eyes the better," says Day. "Remember, we've never done this before. We're not 100% sure what will happen, and big surprises are possible."

Veteran amateur astronomer Kurt Fisher has prepared a 13 MB slideshow to help fellow amateurs locate and witness the plumes: download it . There is also an online LCROSS observer's group where novices can read introductory articles and chat with other observers.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for citizen scientists to join NASA in the process of discovery," says Day, who urges observers to submit their images to the LCROSS Citizen Science Site. "It's a great adventure, and anyone can participate."

Imagine that.

Dr. Tony Phillips
Science@NASA

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/LCROSS_Viewers_Guide.html

NASA's LCROSS Mission Changes Impact Crater

NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission (LCROSS) based on new analysis of available lunar data, has shifted the target crater from Cabeus A to Cabeus (proper).

The decision was based on continued evaluation of all available data and consultation/input from members of the LCROSS Science Team and the scientific community, including impact experts, ground and space based observers, and observations from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Prospector (LP), Chandrayaan-1 and JAXA's Kaguya spacecraft. This decision was prompted by the current best understanding of hydrogen concentrations in the Cabeus region, including cross-correlation between the latest LRO results and LP data sets.

The general consensus of lunar experts led by the LCROSS science team is that Cabeus shows, with the greatest level of certainty, the highest hydrogen concentrations at the south pole. Further consideration of the most current terrain models provided by JAXA's Kaguya spacecraft and the LRO Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) was important in the decision process.The models show a small valley in an otherwise tall Cabeus perimeter ridge, which will allow for sunlight to illuminate the ejecta cloud on Oct. 9, and much sooner than previously estimated for Cabeus. While the ejecta does have to fly to higher elevations to be observed by Earth assets, a shadow cast by a large hill along the Cabeus ridge, provides an excellent, high-contrast, back drop for ejecta and vapor measurements.

The LCROSS team concluded that Cabeus provided the best chance for meeting its mission goals. The team critically assessed and successfully advocated for the change with the Lunar Precursor Robotic Program (LPRP) office. The change in impact crater was factored into LCROSS' most recent Trajectory Correction Maneuver, TCM7.

During the last days of the mission, the LCROSS team will continue to refine the exact point of impact within Cabeus crater to avoid rough spots, and to maximize solar illumination of the debris plume and Earth observations.

Jonas Dino
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/features/2009/LCROSS_new_crater.html

NASA's LCROSS Mission Changes Impact Crater

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission (LCROSS) based on new analysis of available lunar data, has shifted the target crater from Cabeus A to Cabeus (proper).

The decision was based on continued evaluation of all available data and consultation/input from members of the LCROSS Science Team and the scientific community, including impact experts, ground and space based observers, and observations from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Prospector (LP), Chandrayaan-1 and JAXA's Kaguya spacecraft. This decision was prompted by the current best understanding of hydrogen concentrations in the Cabeus region, including cross-correlation between the latest LRO results and LP data sets.

The general consensus of lunar experts led by the LCROSS science team is that Cabeus shows, with the greatest level of certainty, the highest hydrogen concentrations at the south pole. Further consideration of the most current terrain models provided by JAXA's Kaguya spacecraft and the LRO Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) was important in the decision process.The models show a small valley in an otherwise tall Cabeus perimeter ridge, which will allow for sunlight to illuminate the ejecta cloud on Oct. 9, and much sooner than previously estimated for Cabeus. While the ejecta does have to fly to higher elevations to be observed by Earth assets, a shadow cast by a large hill along the Cabeus ridge, provides an excellent, high-contrast, back drop for ejecta and vapor measurements.

The LCROSS team concluded that Cabeus provided the best chance for meeting its mission goals. The team critically assessed and successfully advocated for the change with the Lunar Precursor Robotic Program (LPRP) office. The change in impact crater was factored into LCROSS' most recent Trajectory Correction Maneuver, TCM7.

During the last days of the mission, the LCROSS team will continue to refine the exact point of impact within Cabeus crater to avoid rough spots, and to maximize solar illumination of the debris plume and Earth observations.

The Near Infrared (0.9-1.7 mm) Camera #2 image of Earth as part of a LCROSS payload calibration activity on Sept. 18, 2009. At the time of this image, the LCROSS spacecraft was nominally 348,000 miles (559,400 km) from Earth. The inset shows the Earth face as seen by the LCROSS spacecraft. The Earth’s north pole is indicated by the arrow. The image on right shows water vapor as seen by GOES at a similar time as the LCROSS observation. The red letters indicate potential weather features common in both images. Credit: NASA Ames

Shown here is the slightly greater than quarter-Earth, sized ~1.5 deg along its diameter, in four colors. The false color (where red is warm, blue is cold) mid-infrared images reveal warmer summer mid-Atlantic temperatures about the equator and Northern Hemisphere. The images also reveal the whole Earth’s disk. South America is to the left. Africa is to the right. Antarctica is at the bottom. All instruments performed well during the calibration. Credit: NASA Ames

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/index.html

Lunar South Pole -- Out of the Shadows

During the LRO Commissioning Phase, the high-resolution Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) captured this 1-m pixel scale (angular resolution) two-image mosaic of the lunar south pole, which is located on the rim of the 19-km diameter Shackleton crater. At meter scales features such as boulders and ridges can be mapped, paving the way for future explorers. Right now we know little of the poles and much is to be learned from the data now being returned from LRO. The rim of Shackleton crater is a prime candidate for future human exploration due to its proximity to permanently shadowed regions and nearby peaks that are illuminated for much of the year. The permanent shadow may harbor cold-trapped volatiles deposited as comets and asteroids impacted the Moon over the past billion years or more. Highly illuminated peaks provide opportunities for solar power during most of the year for future human habitation.

Over the past year the Japanese Kaguya and Indian Chandrayaan spacecraft gave us our first high-resolution look at the lunar south pole and Shackleton crater and revealed an exceptionally deep and rugged interior for its size. Usually craters fill in with time as their walls slump and material from afar is thrown in by distant impacts. Since Shackleton crater is so deep and rough inside scientists might infer it is relatively young. However, much of the rim of Shackleton appears rounded and is peppered with smaller craters – indications of a relatively ancient age. Right now it is not clear if Shackleton crater is old or young. Many more LROC Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) images of this area will be obtained over the coming months as the south pole emerges from the shadows of winter and a more complete picture will appear.

The full NAC mosaic reveals a shelf on the southeast flank of the crater that is more than two kilometers across and perfectly suitable for a future landing. The extreme Sun angle gives the surface an exaggerated rough appearance, but if you look closely at this scale any area that is between the small craters might make a good landing site. The NAC can see details with ten times greater resolution than previous datasets allowing lunar geologists to map features at a human scale. Where should explorers land, and where should they visit once on the surface? Where can they find resources, and where can they sample a diversity of geologic materials? Over the coming months the whole area will be characterized in detail by all of the LRO instruments, and scientists will have the data to investigate these questions and more.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera was built by Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, California, and is operated from the LROC Science Operations Center, part of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.

Related Link:

› For more images and information

For more information visit nasa.gov

NASA And ISRO Satellites Perform In Tandem To Search For Ice On The Moon

WASHINGTON – On Aug. 20, 2009 NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will attempt a novel joint experiment that could yield more information on whether ice exists in a permanently shadowed crater near the north pole of the moon. Currently the ISRO’s Chandrayaan-1 and NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft are orbiting the moon. While LRO is in its commissioning phase the two spacecraft pass close enough to each other when they are over the lunar north pole to attempt a unique experiment. Both spacecraft are equipped with a NASA Miniature Radio Frequency (RF) instrument that functions as a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), known as Mini-SAR on Chandrayaan-1 and Mini-RF on LRO. The experiment uses both radars to point at Erlanger Crater at the same time.

Normally the Mini-RF Instrument sends radio pulses to the moon and precisely records the radio echoes that bounce straight back from the surface, along with their timing and frequency. From these data scientists can build images of the moon that not only show areas they otherwise couldn’t see, such as the permanently-shadowed areas near the lunar poles, but also contain information on the physical nature of the surface.

NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University - Image of the crater Erlanger (87 N, 28.6 E; 10 km diameter), the target crater for our Bi-Static observations. Mini-SAR images suggest unusual scattering properties of the crater interior compared with its exterior. LROC Narrow Angle Camera image.

For the Bi-Static experiment the Mini-SAR on Chandrayaan-1 performs its normal SAR imaging (transmitting and receiving) while the Mini-RF is set to receive only. The two instruments look at the same location from different angles. Comparing the signal that bounces straight back to Chandrayaan with the signal that bounces at a slight angle to LRO provides unique information about the surface.

Stewart Nozette, Mini-RF principal investigator from the Universities Space Research Association’s Lunar and Planetary Institute, said, “An extraordinary effort was made by the whole NASA team working with ISRO to make this happen”

While this coordination sounds easy, this experiment is extremely challenging because both spacecraft are traveling at about 1.6 km per second and will be looking at an area on the ground about 18 km across. Due to the extreme speeds and the small point of interest, NASA and ISRO need to obtain and share information about the location and pointing of both spacecraft. The Bi-Static experiment requires extensive tracking by ground stations of NASA’s Deep Space Network, the Applied Physics Laboratory, and ISRO.

Arecibo Radiotelescope Puerto Rico - Low resolution Earth-based radar image of the North Pole of the Moon, showing the position of the crater Erlanger (arrow). Radar image (70 cm wavelength).

Even with the considerable planning and coordination between the U.S. and India the two instrument beams may not overlap, or may miss the desired location. Even without hitting the exact location Scientists may still be able to use the Bi-Static information to further knowledge already received from both instruments.

“The international coordination and cooperation between the two agencies for this experiment is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate future cooperation between NASA and ISRO, “says Jason Crusan, program executive for the Mini-RF program, from NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C.

“In the last few years we have seen a renaissance in international interest and cooperation in the study of the moon” says Gordon Johnson, program executive for the LRO, from NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. “As LRO completes its commissioning phase, we look forward to LRO’s contribution to this international effort.”

LRO was launched June 18, 2009. Its objectives are to scout for safe landing sites, locate potential resources, characterize the radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. built and manages the mission for NASA’S Exploration Systems Mission Directorate in Washington. LRO is a NASA mission with international participation from the Institute for Space Research in Moscow. Russia provides the neutron detector aboard the spacecraft.

ISRO/NASA/JHUAPL/LPI - Mosaic of Mini-SAR image strips of the north polar area, showing the crater Erlanger, just south of the crater Peary. North Pole is in the direction of left top, out of frame. Mini-SAR radar image, Chandrayaan-1 mission.

Instrument principal investigators Stewart Nozette (LRO) and Paul Spudis (Chandrayaan-1) are from the Universities Space Research Association’s Lunar and Planetary Institute. NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, manages the Mini-RF program. NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, manages the LRO.

In addition to Mini-SAR the Chandryaan-1 spacecraft, which was launched in October 2008 from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre, also carries NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper for assessing the moon’s mineral resources.

For more information on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/lro and nasa.gov