William Atkins
Wednesday, 07 October 2009 20:54
Science -
Space
Page 1 of 2
On Friday, October 9, 2009, the LCROSS spacecraft and its booster rocket will be crashed into the Moon about four minutes apart. With a medium-sized telescope and a clear night sky overhead, you will be able to see the event. If you would rather stay inside, then watch it on NASA TV.
The October 5, 2009 NASA media brief
LCROSS Viewer’s Guide says,
“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!”
And,
“Put on your hard hat and get ready for action, because on Friday, Oct. 9th, what you just imagined is really going to happen--and you can have a front row seat.”
An image of LCROSS impacting the Moon is found at:
LCROSS Hits Moon.
[Image of Earth's Moon, courtesy of Softpicks.net.]
Watch the event on
NASA TV, where coverage begins at 3:15 Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), or 1015 Universal Time (UT).
NASA states,
“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.”
Or, if you have a 10-inch or larger telescope, you’ll be able to see the lunar event from your backyard.
NASA states that the initial explosion will be hidden from view by the walls of the crater, but as the debris plume rises into the atmosphere, you will be able to see it clearly.
Page two describes where in the United States to see the best views of the event, if you are outside looking up into the night sky.
