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

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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SDO to Spike Vital Space Weather Data

Solar storms can wreak havoc on power grids, communications systems and delicate satellites. Currently, there's no way to predict severe space weather, but that could change with the heaps of information NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, will send back to Earth after its 2010 launch.

"The biggest challenge of this mission was the data rate," said Liz Citrin, SDO project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "SDO will blast back 1.5 terabytes of information every day . . . that's equivalent to a half-million song downloads. It's unprecedented."

Citrin said there was no way to record that much data on board the spacecraft. Instead, the SDO team designed a mammoth 18-meter radio antenna, as well as a back-up, at White Sands Space Harbor in Las Cruces, N.M., to receive it all. Then, the data will be sent out to scientists at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Lockheed Martin's Solar Astrophysics Lab in Colorado.

Image above: At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., SDO, with its solar arrays deployed, is ready to receive signal commands to test the release mechanism sequence for the arrays. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center also is expecting to receive quick-look data the moment SDO is operational.

Another pretty cool technology developed by the SDO team to handle the data rate was the use of the Ka band, which recently was put to use for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, mission.

SDO has three major instruments on board that will send data back for at least five years, hopefully 10.

Both the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, or HMI, and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly, or AIA, will allow scientists to see the entire disc of the sun in very high resolution -- 4,096 by 4,096 mm CCDs. In comparison, a standard digital camera uses a 7.176 by 5.329 mm CCD sensor.

AIA also will image the outer layer of the sun's atmosphere, while the Extreme ultraviolet Variability Experiment, or EVE, measures its ultraviolet spectrum every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day.

Image above: At the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., workers push the pallet supporting SDO, enclosed in the Atlas V payload fairing, toward a transporter. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

HMI will map the helioseismic and magnetic fields of the sun to understand its interior and magnetic activity.

"Space weather forecasting is in its infancy. . . just like hurricane forecasting was years ago. We built up experience in collecting data, designed models, tested those models, and now look what we can do," said Citrin. "SDO and all of NASA's Living with a Star Program missions will lead to better prediction of space weather."

SDO will travel to its geosynchronous transfer orbit aboard an Atlas V rocket, a trip that's been much anticipated. The mission was supposed to launch in August 2008, but the spacecraft team needed a few more months of test time.

"Atlas manifest challenges resulted in the current launch date in 2010. The mission team has been very patient and we're all happy to be launching now," said Rex Engelhardt, SDO mission manager.

NASA's Launch Services Program, or LSP, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, began processing SDO for launch in July 2009.

Engelhardt said from the first day the team had to consider the spacecraft's high-contamination sensitivity.

Image above: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V with NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite rolls out to the Space Launch Complex 41 launch pad. Photo credit: Courtesy of United Launch Alliance

Inside the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., technicians set up a laminar flow enclosure -- a four-wall clean enclose that blows air in one side and sucks it out the other -- keeping the spacecraft free of dust, particles, dirt and debris.

Another unique aspect of this mission is the rocket itself. Unlike other rockets assembled at the launch pad, Atlas rockets are put together in the Vertical Integration Facility on Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

"Everything is protected until rollout, which right now is scheduled for Feb. 9," said Engelhardt. "If we needed to roll back, we perform a few disconnects and roll it back. The pad is just a slab of concrete, so after launch there's no tower to refurbish."

Things are looking good for Engelhardt and his LSP team members, who are ready to kick this year off from their home base. Last year they processed and launched eight missions, three from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

"This is guaranteed to be the best launch of the year," Engelhardt said. "And it's scheduled for around 10:30 in the morning, so there's no reason to miss it."

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/news/sdo_data.html

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LCROSS Impact Data Indicates Water on Moon

The argument that the moon is a dry, desolate place no longer holds water.

Secrets the moon has been holding, for perhaps billions of years, are now being revealed to the delight of scientists and space enthusiasts alike.

NASA today opened a new chapter in our understanding of the moon. Preliminary data from the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, indicates that the mission successfully uncovered water during the Oct. 9, 2009 impacts into the permanently shadowed region of Cabeus cater near the moon’s south pole.

The impact created by the LCROSS Centaur upper stage rocket created a two-part plume of material from the bottom of the crater. The first part was a high angle plume of vapor and fine dust and the second a lower angle ejecta curtain of heavier material. This material has not seen sunlight in billions of years.

The visible camera image showing the ejecta plume at about 20 seconds after impact. Credit: NASA

"We're unlocking the mysteries of our nearest neighbor and by extension the solar system. It turns out the moon harbors many secrets, and LCROSS has added a new layer to our understanding," said Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Scientists have long speculated about the source of vast quantities of hydrogen that have been observed at the lunar poles. The LCROSS findings are shedding new light on the question of water, which could be more widespread and in greater quantity than previously suspected.

Permanently shadowed regions could hold a key to the history and evolution of the solar system, much as an ice core sample taken on Earth reveals ancient data. In addition, water, and other compounds represent potential resources that could sustain future lunar exploration.

Since the impacts, the LCROSS science team has been working almost nonstop analyzing the huge amount of data the spacecraft collected. The team concentrated on data from the satellite's spectrometers, which provide the most definitive information about the presence of water. A spectrometer examines light emitted or absorbed by materials that helps identify their composition.

Data from the down-looking near-infrared spectrometer. The red curve shows how the spectra would look for a "grey" or "colorless" warm (230 C) dust cloud. The yellow areas indicate the water absorption bands. Credit: NASA

"We are ecstatic," said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "Multiple lines of evidence show water was present in both the high angle vapor plume and the ejecta curtain created by the LCROSS Centaur impact. The concentration and distribution of water and other substances requires further analysis, but it is safe to say Cabeus holds water."

The team took the known near infrared spectral signatures of water and other materials and compared them to the spectra collected by the LCROSS near infrared spectrometer of the impact.

"We were only able to match the spectra from LCROSS data when we inserted the spectra for water," said Colaprete. "No other reasonable combination of other compounds that we tried matched the observations. The possibility of contamination from the Centaur also was ruled out."

Additional confirmation came from an emission in the ultraviolet spectrum that was attributed to hydroxyl, one product from the break-up of water by sunlight. When atoms and molecules are excited, they release energy at specific wavelengths that are detected by the spectrometers. A similar process is used in neon signs. When electrified, a specific gas will produce a distinct color. The ultraviolet visible spectrometer detected hydroxyl signatures just after impact that are consistent with a water vapor cloud in sunlight.

The visible camera image showing the ejecta plume at about 20 seconds after impact.Credit: NASA

Data from the other LCROSS instruments are being analyzed for additional clues about the state and distribution of the material at the impact site. The LCROSS science team along with colleagues are poring over the data to understand the entire impact event, from flash to crater, with the final goal being the understanding of the distribution of materials, and in particular volatiles, within the soil at the impact site.

"The full understanding of the LCROSS data may take some time. The data is that rich," said Colaprete. "Along with the water in Cabeus, there are hints of other intriguing substances. The permanently shadowed regions of the moon are truly cold traps, collecting and preserving material over billions of years."

LCROSS was launched June 18, 2009 as a companion mission to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After separating from LRO, the LCROSS spacecraft held onto the spent Centaur upper stage rocket of the launch vehicle, executed a lunar swingby and entered into a series of long looping orbits around the Earth.

After traveling approximately 113 days and nearly 5.6 million miles (9 million km), the Centaur and LCROSS separated on final approach to the moon. Traveling as fast as a speeding bullet, the Centaur impacted the lunar surface shortly after 4:31 a.m. PDT Oct. 9 with LCROSS watching with its onboard instruments. Approximately four minutes of data was collected before the LCROSS itself impacted the lunar surface.

Working closely with scientists from LRO and other observatories that viewed the impact, the LCROSS team is working to understand the full scope of the LCROSS data. LRO continues to make passes over the impact site to give the LCROSS team additional insight into the mechanics of the impact and its resulting craters.

What other secrets will the moon reveal? The analysis continues!

Jonas Dino
NASA Ames Research Center

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/hico_raids.html

NASA'S LCROSS Captures All Phases of Centaur Impact

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. – 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.

Last week, plunging headlong into Cabeus crater, the nine LCROSS instruments successfully captured each phase of the impact sequence: the impact flash, the ejecta plume, and the creation of the Centaur crater.

"We are blown away by the data returned," said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS principal investigator and project scientist. "The team is working hard on the analysis and the data appear to be of very high quality.”

Shown is the result of three co-added, stretched LCROSS Visible Light Camera images taken shortly after impact (with 15 seconds following impact). The extent of the plume at 15 sec is approximately 6-8 km in diameter. Credit: NASA

Within the ultraviolet/visible and near infra-red spectrometer and camera data was a faint, but distinct, debris plume created by the Centaur's impact.

"There is a clear indication of a plume of vapor and fine debris," said Colaprete. “Within the range of model predictions we made, the ejecta brightness appears to be at the low end of our predictions and this may be a clue to the properties of the material the Centaur impacted.”

The magnitude, form, and visibility of the debris plume add additional information about the concentrations and state of the material at the impact site.

The LCROSS spacecraft also captured the Centaur impact flash in both mid-infrared (MIR) thermal cameras over a couple of seconds. The temperature of the flash provides valuable information about the composition of the material at the impact site. LCROSS also captured emissions and absorption spectra across the flash using an ultraviolet/visible spectrometer. Different materials release or absorb energy at specific wavelengths that are measurable by the spectrometers.

With the spacecraft returning data until virtually the last second, the thermal and near-infrared cameras returned excellent images of the Centaur impact crater at a resolution of less than 6.5 feet (2 m). The images indicate that the crater was about 92 feet (28 m) wide.

Zoomed in image of the impact plume. The extent of the plume at 15 sec is approximately 6-8 km in diameter. Credit: NASA

"The images of the floor of Cabeus are exciting," said Colaprete. "Being able to image the Centaur crater helps us reconstruct the impact process, which in turn helps us understand the observations of the flash and ejecta plume."

In the coming weeks, the LCROSS team and other observation assets will continue to analyze and verify data collected from the LCROSS impacts. Any new information will undergo the normal scientific review process and will be released as soon as it is available.

To view the latest images from the LCROSS impacts, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/LCROSS_impact_images.html

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

NASA Spacecraft Impacts Lunar Crater in Search for Water Ice

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- 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.

The satellite traveled 5.6 million miles during an historic 113-day mission that ended in the Cabeus crater, a permanently shadowed region near the moon's south pole. The spacecraft was launched June 18 as a companion mission to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"The LCROSS science instruments worked exceedingly well and returned a wealth of data that will greatly improve our understanding of our closest celestial neighbor," said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS principal investigator and project scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "The team is excited to dive into data."

In preparation for impact, LCROSS and its spent Centaur upper stage rocket separated about 54,000 miles above the surface of the moon on Thursday at approximately 6:50 p.m. PDT.

Moving at a speed of more than 1.5 miles per second, the Centaur hit the lunar surface shortly after 4:31 a.m. Oct. 9, creating an impact that instruments aboard LCROSS observed for approximately four minutes. LCROSS then impacted the surface at approximately 4:36 a.m.

"This is a great day for science and exploration," said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The LCROSS data should prove to be an impressive addition to the tremendous leaps in knowledge about the moon that have been achieved in recent weeks. I want to congratulate the LCROSS team for their tremendous achievement in development of this low cost spacecraft and for their perseverance through a number of difficult technical and operational challenges."‪

Other observatories reported capturing both impacts. The data will be shared with the LCROSS science team for analysis. The LCROSS team expects it to take several weeks of analysis before it can make a definitive assessment of the presence or absence of water ice.

"I am very proud of the success of this LCROSS mission team," said Daniel Andrews, LCROSS project manager at Ames. "Whenever this team would hit a roadblock, it conceived a clever work-around allowing us to push forward with a successful mission."

The images and video collected by the amateur astronomer community and the public also will be used to enhance our knowledge about the moon.

"One of the early goals of the mission was to get as many people to look at the LCROSS impacts in as many ways possible, and we succeeded," said Jennifer Heldmann, Ames' coordinator of the LCROSS observation campaign. "The amount of corroborated information that can be pulled out of this one event is fascinating."

"It has been an incredible journey since LCROSS was selected in April 2006," said Andrews. "The LCROSS Project faced a very ambitious schedule and an uncommonly small budget for a mission of this size. LCROSS could be a model for how small robotic missions are executed. This is truly big science on a small budget."

For more information about the LCROSS mission, including images and video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/lcross

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. Diviner was commanded to observe the impact site on eight successive orbits, and obtained a series of thermal maps before and after the impact at approximately two hour intervals at an angle of approximately 48 degrees off nadir. In this viewing geometry, the spatial footprint of each Diviner detector was roughly 300 by 700 meters.

Figure 1 shows the locations of the Diviner LCROSS impact swaths overlain on a grayscale daytime thermal map of the Moon’s south polar region. Diviner data were used to help select the final LCROSS impact site inside Cabeus Crater, which sampled an extremely cold region in permanent shadow that can serve as an effective cold trap for water ice and other frozen volatiles. Credit NASA/GSFC/UCLA

Figure 2 shows preliminary, uncalibrated Diviner thermal maps of the impact site acquired two hours before the impact, and 90 seconds after the impact. The thermal signature of the impact was clearly detected in all four Diviner thermal mapping channels. Since the LCROSS impact feature is predicted to be significantly smaller than a Diviner footprint, its detection is consistent with the notion that the LCROSS impact resulted in significant local heating of the lunar surface. Credit NASA/GSFC/UCLA

LRO Website.

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

NASA Invites Reporters to Events for LCROSS Lunar Impact

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. – NASA is inviting journalists to events this week in Washington and California to observe the twin impacts of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and its rocket's upper stage as they impact the moon. The goal of the mission is to search for water ice on the moon.

The satellite and upper stage both are scheduled to hit a permanently shadowed crater of the moon, four minutes apart, at approximately 4:30 a.m. and 4:34 a.m. PDT on Friday, Oct. 9. NASA Television coverage begins at 3:15 a.m. PDT

NASA will hold a pre-impact media teleconference on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 11:30 a.m. PDT from NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. NASA will provide a mission update and discuss what to expect as the Centaur upper stage rocket and the LCROSS spacecraft impact Cabeus crater, near the lunar south pole. Briefing participants on Oct. 8 are:

• Daniel Andrews, LCROSS project manager, Ames
• Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator, Ames
• Jennifer Heldmann, coordinator for the LCROSS observation campaign, Ames

Live audio of the teleconference will be streamed online at:

http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

Ames also will hold a post-impact news conference at 7 a.m. PDT on Oct. 9 in the Ames main auditorium in Building N201. The news conference will be broadcast on NASA TV and the agency's Web site. Briefing participants on Oct. 9 are:

• Daniel Dumbacher, deputy associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington
• Pete Worden, Ames center director
• Daniel Andrews, LC ROSS project manager, Ames
• Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator, Ames
• Jennifer Heldmann, coordinator for the LCROSS observation campaign, Ames
• Paul Tompkins, LCROSS flight director, Ames

To participate in the Oct. 8 teleconference and the Oct. 9 post-impact news conference, contact Jonas Dino at 650-604-5612 or jonas.dino@nasa.gov or Rachel Prucey at 650-604-0643 or rachel.l.prucey@nasa.gov.

Also on Oct. 9, reporters are invited to the Newseum in Washington to view the LCROSS impacts. The Newseum is located at 555 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. Journalists should arrive by 7 a.m. EDT. There will not be an opportunity for questions at the Newseum event, but reporters may participate by telephone in the 7 a.m. PDT news conference that will take place at Ames.

Reporters interested in attending the Newseum event in Washington should RSVP to Grey Hautaluoma at grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov or Ashley Edwards at ashley.edwards-1@nasa.gov.

The NASA Exploration Center at Ames will serve as the press site for the LCROSS impacts. The press site opens to journalists at 5:30 p.m. PDT on Thursday, Oct. 8, and will remain open until 9 a.m. PDT on Friday, Oct. 9. All accredited journalists must sign in at the Exploration Center to receive badges and vehicle passes needed to gain access to the Ames main auditorium for the post-impact news conference.

For more latest information about LCROSS, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/lcross


For information and a map of additional LCROSS Impact Viewing Events, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/impact/event_index.html


For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/

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

Centaur is No Longer the Bridesmaid

Centaur was the unnamed companion to the Atlas V rocket when it launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on June 18, 2009. Their mission: lift NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) into its lunar orbit. Piggybacking a ride on the Centaur was also the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) that will impact the moon in October. But something is different about this mission for Centaur: instead of quietly parking itself in a long-duration orbit of the earth, Centaur accompanied the two spacecraft on their journey toward the moon. What is more, Centaur will be the center of attention for a few glorious minutes this October.

On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's skid strip in Florida, the crane is being removed from the Centaur stage of the Atlas V rocket after placing the Centaur on the flatbed truck. The Centaur will be transported to the Astrotech facility in Titusville, Fla. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

The main LCROSS mission objective is to confirm the presence or absence of water ice in a permanently shadowed crater near a lunar polar region. Mission scientists have determined that the best way to do this is to send one or more objects into the surface of the moon to generate a large plume that can be studied to determine the presence of water ice. LCROSS is a small spacecraft, and besides not being able to make a major impact, its primary role is to observe a larger impact. That creates the opportunity for Centaur to take center stage.

LCROSS, still attached to its Centaur upper stage rocket, executed a fly-by of the moon on June 23, 2009 and entered into an elongated Earth orbit to position LCROSS for impact on a lunar pole. On final approach, the shepherding spacecraft and Centaur will separate. The Centaur will act as a heavy impactor to create a debris plume that will rise above the lunar surface. Projected impact at the lunar South Pole is currently: Oct 9, 2009 at 7:30 a.m. EDT. The Centaur will excavate a crater approximately 20 meters wide and almost 3 meters deep. More than 250 metric tons of lunar dust will be lofted above the surface of the moon.

Following four minutes behind, the shepherding spacecraft will fly through the debris plume, collecting and relaying data back to Earth before impacting the lunar surface and creating a second debris plume.

On Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 41, the crane lifts the Centaur upper stage into the Vertical Integration Facility for installation onto the Atlas V first stage, already in the tower. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller.

For almost 30 years, the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, was responsible for the technical and cost and schedule management of the Centaur rocket. This program had an extraordinary operational success record. It was developed as an upper stage launch vehicle to be used with a first stage booster rocket, the Atlas rocket. Centaur's first mission objective was to send the unmanned Surveyor spacecraft to the Moon. Centaur has been used to boost satellites into orbit and propel probes into space. Mariner, Pioneer, Viking and Voyager spacecraft all got a boost from Centaur and provided invaluable data on these planets. Centaur also helped to revolutionize communication and expand the frontiers of space. In all, Glenn used Centaur for more than 100 unmanned launches. Centaur has quietly continued as the upper stage of the Atlas family of rockets from United Launch Alliance and the retired Titan IV from Lockheed Martin.

For each of its previous missions, Centaur quietly did its job and retreated out of the limelight. This time, Centaur is going out in style!

Go Centaur!

David DeFelice NASA Glenn Research Center

Note: NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., is overseeing the development of the LCROSS mission with its spacecraft and integration partner, Northrop Grumman, Redondo Beach, Calif.

Read more about Centaur's history.

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

LRO Begins Detailed Mapping of Moon's South Pole

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has successfully completed its testing and calibration phase and entered its mapping orbit of the moon. The spacecraft already has made significant progress toward creating the most detailed atlas of the moon's south pole to date.

Artist's concept of LRO. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA showcased new images from LRO's seven instruments and provided updates about the topography of the moon's south pole during a news conference on September 17.

› NASA press release
› View briefing materials

Five Things to Know about LRO

• LRO is leading NASA’s way back to the moon.
• The primary objective of LRO is to conduct investigations that prepare for future lunar exploration. Specifically LRO will scout for safe and compelling landing sites, locate potential resources (with special attention to the possibility of water ice) and characterize the effects of prolonged exposure to the lunar radiation environment. In addition to its exploration mission, LRO will also return rich scientific data that will help us to better understand the moon’s topography and composition.
• Seven scientific instruments outfit LRO. These instruments will return lunar imagery, topography, temperature measurements and more.
• Launched along with LRO was the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), a partner mission that will search for water ice on the moon.
• In response to LRO's "Send Your Name to the Moon" initiative, the spacecraft carries a microchip with nearly 1.6 million names submitted by the public. Click here to view a photo of the microchip containing the names as engineers prepare to install it on the spacecraft.

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

NASA Selects Target Crater for Lunar Impact of LCROSS Spacecraft

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA has identified the spot where it will search for water on the moon. Reporters are invited to attend the announcement of the target location where the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and its spent Centaur rocket will hit in October. The briefing will take place at 10 a.m. PDT, Friday, Sept. 11, in the main auditorium, Building N201, of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. The event will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's Web site.

The selected crater is an optimal target for evaluating if water ice exists at the lunar south pole. Briefing participants are Daniel Andrews, LCROSS project manager, Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS principal investigator, and Jennifer Heldmann, lead for the LCROSS observation campaign.

Andrews will provide an update about the health of the spacecraft and mission activities. Colaprete will announce the target crater and explain the criteria and selection process. Heldmann will discuss the LCROSS observation campaign in which an international cadre of professional and amateur astronomers will view the impacts at 4:30 a.m. on Oct. 9.++

To reach Ames, take U.S. Highway 101 to the Moffett Field/NASA Parkway exit and drive east on Moffett Field Boulevard toward the main gate. News media will be escorted from the visitor badge office parking lot to the main auditorium at 9:45 a.m. Journalists seeking telephone access should contact Jonas Dino at 650-604-5612 or jonas.dino@nasa.gov.

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the LCROSS mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/lcross

Observing the LCROSS Impacts

Thank you for your interest in the LCROSS mission and the lunar impacts scheduled for 4:30 a.m. PDT on October 9, 2009. The LCROSS team is working with science centers and planetariums across the country to help plan impact events where members of the public will have one of the best opportunities to view the LCROSS impacts. Stay tuned for a list of participating facilities or call your local science center or planetarium and inquire if they are planning an LCROSS impact event. The impacts also will be broadcast on NASA TV and http://www.nasa.gov.

Credit: NASA Ames Research Center
The image above shows the phase of the moon, as seen from the Earth, on impact night.

NOTE: Viewing the impacts for the casual observer will be very complicated. Information about the impacts is based on the input of top lunar and impact scientists and evaluations of hundreds of physical and computer simulations. The LCROSS science team is continually evaluating what might be visible at impact and will update this page when new information. Amateur astronomers are encourages to join the LCROSS observation campaign.

The final target crater will be announced at a news conference at NASA's Ames Research Center on Sept. 10, 2009.

Latest Impact Information (Subject to Change)

Impact Timing: The LCROSS impacts are scheduled for 4:30 a.m. PDT or 7:30 a.m. EDT (11:30 UTC) on October 9, 2009. Mission scientists estimate that the Centaur impact debris plume should be in view several seconds after Centaur impact and will peak in brightness at 30 to 100 seconds after impact.

Time Zone -----  Lighting Conditions for Viewing

Eastern -----   Daybreak will prevent viewing of the LCROSS impact debris plumes



Central -----  Best viewing is West of the Mississippi River. East of the

                           Mississippi River will be experiencing pre-dawn lighting

                           conditions that may prevent viewing of the LCROSS impacts


Mountain -----  Excellent lighting conditions for viewing the LCROSS impacts



Pacific  ------ Excellent lighting conditions for viewing the LCROSS impacts



Alaska ------ Excellent lighting conditions for viewing the LCROSS impacts



Hawaii ------ Excellent lighting conditions for viewing the LCROSS impacts

Minimum Equipment Requirements: Mission scientists estimate that the Centaur impact will be visible using a telescope with a diameter of 10-12 inches or larger. Telescopes with smaller diameters or lesser capability may not be powerful enough to see the LCROSS impacts. Mission scienctists don't expect the impacts will be visible with the naked eye or binoculars.

Credit: NASA/Ames Research Center
The image above shows the terrestrial landmasses that will be facing the moon at the projected time of impact.

Credit: NASA/Ames Research Center
The image above shows the morning terminator, indicating what areas of the Earth will be facing the moon and which areas will be in daylight and in darkness.
Map of planned professional observatories participating in the LCROSS Observation Campaign.


For more information visit nasa.gov