NASA bombs the moon

[efq]

Nasa scientists have "bombed" the south pole of the Moon with two spacecraft in an attempt to kick up a six-mile high dust cloud that may contain water.

A satellite crashed into a lunar crater at around 5,600 miles per hour, followed four minutes later by another spacecraft equipped with cameras to record the impact.
Grainy thermal images carried on Nasa's television station showed colder blue sites and warmer red sites on the moon's surface, but there was no apparent light flash as the rockets made impact.
The space agency had expected the blasts to kick up a visible plume of lunar dirt to an altitude of about six miles and produce a flash of about 30 seconds.
Scientists are now examining the preliminary data from the collision.
"We don't anticipate anything about presence or absence of water immediately. It's going to take us some time," cautioned project scientist Anthony Colaprete.
British researchers helped Nasa pick the spot for the attempt, which was broadcast live on the American space agency's website.
The Cabeus south polar region was identified by the University of Durham team as a site with high concentrations of hydrogen - a key component of water.
It is believed water ice could lie at the bottom of dark craters at the Moon's poles, where temperatures are lower than minus 170C.
The spacecraft consisted of a LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) and its 2.2 tonne empty Centaur launch rocket.
They had been attached since blasting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida in June.
During the collision mission, the probe and rocket separated, then the larger rocket smashed into a narrow, shaded crater.
As the debris is propelled into sunlight, scientists on Earth will study its composition with ground-based telescopes.
Dr Vincent Eke, from the Institute for Computational Cosmology at the University of Durham, said: "Water ice could be stable for billions of years on the Moon provided that it is cold enough.
"If ice is present in the permanently shaded lunar craters of the Moon then it could potentially provide a water source for the eventual establishment of a manned base on the Moon.
"Such a base could be used as a platform for exploration into the further reaches of our Solar System."

Hmm Ok... wasn't really a early warning of this happening though, unless I missed out on it.

Hope they found something.

[Alkaz]

Mmm interestting. Cant really see a manned base on the moon though.

[GommeInc]

Interesting, but isn't it a well known fact that the surface of the moon is incredibly dusty? Expecting flashes and so forth to shine through 6 miles of dust seems like wishful thinkng, especially when the rocket/camera parts could well of just gone through the dustry surface until friction caused it to stop.

The base sounds interesting though, but would the however many thousands of miles between us and the moon really make much of a difference?

[Lost]

Interesting yes, possible? Not with a rocket, they'll need a lot more than that...

[5,5]

Yeah they were looking for proof of water so they could justify that the moon can support man.
Dumb move imo. $74 million i think i heard? :S


Posts merged by Bolt660 (Trialist Forum Moderator). Accidental double post due to forum lag.

[Cannonman.R.C]

LOL! what a mission

[-:Undertaker:-]

The way the United States is going (including her allies) it won't be the United States building the first moon base, it'll be the Peoples Republic of China. I do support space exploration and it is vital because wars in the very near future will be fought in space, through cutting networks/power and through even bringing a whole military system down by destroying a satelittle.

The only way to defend in space is to be as advanced as the other side.

[efq]

Anyone about the fact that meteorites etc hit the moon... what if you go build something and then have it smashed to peices by it lol?

[LuketheDuke]

the theory behind it is interesting but what il say is that its kinda my moon as much as it is NASA's! maybe ive been busy but a little more heads up the public would be nice.

[Ardemax]

they didn't bomb it
it was more of a kamakaze mission, if you ask me

i like the idea, could be a scientific breakthrough (literally)