Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) is scheduled to collide with the lunar surface today. The mission is exciting in its nature as it would confirm the presence of ice-water on the surface of the moon. The satellite would collide with the lunar surface, near the lunar South Pole as the place remains in perpetual dark and scientists had suspected the presence of ice water there.
LCROSS is designed in such a way that as the upper stage would collide with the surface it would create a deep crater in the surface and would result in a huge cloud of debris to raise. After the four minutes of the impact the Shepherding Spacecraft would be deployed. As it would cross this cloud of debris, it would send the data about the constituents back to Earth and would collide with the surface resulting in the second cloud.
The debris cloud would remain in the lunar atmosphere and would be visible from Earth using normal telescopes.
The mission was sent in 18th June, 2009. LCROSS is the part of LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter). Both mark the NASA’s return to moon campaign which marks the NASA’s first mission to moon after ten years.
LCROSS is very important in the sense that if the water is found on the moon, it would be possible for humans to inhabit moon one day. The water would not only be used for drinking and agriculture, it can be used to produce oxygen on lunar surface.
Nasa LCROSS
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