William Atkins
Saturday, 17 October 2009 19:34
Science -
Space
Page 3 of 3
Mission managers on the mission of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), the mother ship to LCROSS, indicated that its spacecraft imaged the crash site.
Although it did not detect water in the plume, it did find signs of mercury and iron.
However, NASA scientists are saying that the data so far returned from the double-impact of the Moon by LCROSS and Centaur has been significant.
The
LA Times report that the
“Scientists are ‘blown away by the data returned.”
For additional information on the LCROSS/Centaur impacts on the Moon, go to the
NASA LCROSS website for coverage on the mission.
The lead story on the NASA LCROSS website "NASA'S LCROSS Captures All Phases of Centaur Impact" begins by stating,
"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."