Gallery: NASA ready to shoot the moon
by Andy Smith | October 8, 2009 7:55am PDT | Image 1 of 26
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LCROSS
On Friday morning October 9 at 4:31:19 a.m. PDT, NASA plans to have two spacecraft crash into the lunar surface to dig up some moon dust and search for water.
As it races toward the moon, the Lunar CRater Observing and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) will launch the still-attached upper stage of the Atlas V Centaur rocket to strike the moon first and create a plume of debris that LCROSS will analyze for about four minutes before it gets cratered and creates its own plume. The greatest hope is that scientists will discover water as they search the debris from both impacts.
The crash is not expected to be seen from Earth by the naked eye or binoculars, but is expected to be visible with Earth- and space-based telescopes 10-to-12 inches and larger.
Credit: NASA
Talkback Most Recent of 16 Talkback(s)
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so what
Fortunately the next manned moon flight has been canceled. It was worthwhile to go to the moon in order to find out that it is not worth going to the moon. Myself a scientist I found that one should never give politicians, the military or scientific organization blank checks. My strong guess is that they don't find water on the surface of the moon but even if they did find molecular traces, at what cost in the face of steeply rising unemployment and poverty here in the US, and what would be the practical value of it.
horst@...7th Oct 2009 -
If you claim to be a scientist
You're not showing it. Rather than whining about the money spent on government projects, write up a grant proposal showing how you'd like to make the world a better place, and take it to some foundations where it might be seen!
What I'm describing gets done every single day in this country and others. And it doesn't get done by armchair quarterbacks (or armchair "scientists") who claim they can do it better, stronger and faster than this or that agency or person.
IMHO
www.dfwsupergeek.com
unclefixer@...7th Oct 2009 -
so what
There are scientists... and there are Explorers
You sound like a scientist, if its not exactly the way it says it is in the book then it doesn't make sense therefore it does not exist.
I'll put my trust in the Explorers!
kfortner518th Oct 2009 -
RE: LCROSS (Gallery: NASA ready to shoot the moon)
Who gave permission to Nasa for striking this bombs?
Are they gonna bring water from the moon to earth?
Jose Ortega
ppprint7th Oct 2009 -
ayy, Jose...
You habla engliss...??? duhhhh
Yeah mon, ...they gonna bring water back in the lawnmower they launch....
Friggin idiot.... your name says it all.
Scitnor7th Oct 2009 -
RE: LCROSS (Gallery: NASA ready to shoot the moon)
you know they aren't looking for regular water, but HEAVY water (heavy Hydrogen) for use as an energy source. they're hoping to find a good enough concentration to make it worthwhile. i hope they do.
kroyhoy@...7th Oct 2009 -
You mean Helium3
If they can make strides in fusion research, then by all means, get to the moon and bring back all the helium 3 we need for testing. It would be a big step for humankind.
crazydanr@...7th Oct 2009 -
Wrong time maybe....
As much as I think finding water or other life supporting particles is important for moving humans on to destroy other planets, I just think the timing was off. Maybe if we were not in a recession and medicaid wasn't talking about going bankrupt, people weren't starving and out of work or wishing they could afford school or diapers for that matter, maybe if people were not not robbing just to feed their families but to just be a crook like in the good old days, and etc. then maybe it would be a little bit cooler to spend that much desperately needed funding on deciding whether or not the moon the has special elements or components for life where no one lives.
ELNICH8th Oct 2009 -
Moon water is priceless
If humans are going to extract Helium 3 or other elements from the moon, they need a large quantity of water. It's estimated that it costs about $100,000 (space ship, equipment, rocket fuel, etc.) to send a pound of cargo to the moon. Since a gallon of water weighs 8.35 pounds that's $835,000 per gallon.
andy.smith@...8th Oct 2009 -
RE: Our goverment wasing our money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think the money 970 million dollars should have spent on earth, maybe to help homeless families finance affordable housing. Maybe they want them to live on the moon?
davidemerson1@...8th Oct 2009 -
global finance crisis thinking...
perhaps the same logic that created the waste--also might care to explain why ANY asteroid/captured space-body would have an atmosphere around it??
falk-larsen9th Oct 2009 -
RE: LCROSS (Gallery: NASA ready to shoot the moon)
You guys responding sure sound like a bunch of narrow-minded and short-sighted people. Before you condemn everything, spend a moment at this website:
http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html
Many technology products that you and others are enjoying, including the computer that is allowing you to post your comments, are here as a result of these spinoffs.
hansa@...8th Oct 2009 -
RE: LCROSS (Gallery: NASA ready to shoot the moon)
We are long overdue in getting this done.
If you are one to believe that we are the only ones in the Universe then we are long overdue in pursuing space exploration. Planet Earth can only hold so many of us and only for a limited time. We belong out there!kfortner518th Oct 2009 -
RE: LCROSS (Gallery: NASA ready to shoot the moon)
dude wtf what if theres some kinda aliens on the moon and you disturb them and they come and eat everybody??!!
RyanPatrickHealy9259th Oct 2009 -
RE: LCROSS (Gallery: NASA ready to shoot the moon)
will that change the orbit of the moon and cause disaster to earth in the long run.
AlexSocial9th Oct 2009
Talkback - Tell Us What You Think
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