CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS)
Follow Media Telecon:
LCROSS and LRO Science Science Results of Lunar
Date: Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010
Time: 11 a.m. PDT / 2 p.m. EDT
See press release on Results
December 15: Director's Blog: What Happened on Impact Night?
Posted by Paul Tompkins
|November 13: There is definitely water on the Moon! Read
At a press conference today, researchers revealed preliminary data from NASA's
Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, indicating that water
exists in a permanently shadowed lunar crater. The discovery opens a new chapter
in our understanding of the Moon. Read
Science@NASA report. See Press
Briefing on YouTube.
October 29, 2009: Mission Update -- SETI Seminar Series, dated
Special panel on LCROSS with Tony
of NASA Ames Research Center)
October 27: Update and images of processed resuts!
Early processed results
from the LCROSS shepherding spacecraft's instruments are summarized
at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/LCROSS_impact.html and http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/LCROSS_impact_images.html.
The science team is now preparing to present more at the Lunar Exploration
Analysis Group (LEAG) meeting to be held in Houston, TX, Nov 15-19,
2009 and submit results for peer review.
October 26: Successful Partnerships
Enable a Successful LCROSS Mission
The success of the LCROSS mission is a testament to the hard work and
dedication of the men and women of the LCROSS team. The team consists
of a core group of scientists, engineers, managers and support personnel
at NASA Ames Research Center, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, the
Lunar Precursor Robotic Program (LPRP), Explorations Systems Mission
Directorate (ESMD) and national and international partners. Read
October 16: NASA'S LCROSS Captures All Phases of Centaur Impact
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. Read
October 10: Diviner Observes LCROSS Impact
The LRO Diviner instrument obtained infrared observations
of the LCROSS impact. LRO flew by the LCROSS Centaur impact site 90
seconds after impact at a distance of ~80 km. Read
October 9: NASA Spacecraft Impacts Lunar Crater in Search
for Water Ice
NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, created twin
impacts on the moon's surface early Friday in a search for water ice. Scientists
will analyze data from the spacecraft's instruments to assess whether water ice
is present. Read
October 8: Centaur Separation:
At 6:50 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8 the LCROSS shepherding spacecraft successfully
separated from the Centaur that has been attached to since early June 2009,
when the LCROSS and LRO were stacked at Space Launch Complex 41, a few days
before launch from Cape Canaveral. Read
October 7: Adjusted impact time:
As a result of the TCM (Trajectory Correction Maneuver) that occurred yesterday.
--Centaur impact time: 11:31:19 UTC, 7:31:19 EDT, 4:31:19 PDT
--Shepherding spacecraft impact time: 11:35:45 UTC, 7:35:45 EDT,
See the updated countdown clock at: http://www.nasa.gov/lcross
NASA Ames LCROSS Impact Party
If you are local to NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, you
are invited to join us for part or all of our celebration on October
8, 7:00 pm to October 9, 7:00 am. For schedule, tickets and more information
Impact Night Viewing Sites
Find a public event,
near you on LCROSS Impact Night (October 8-9).
sites to date.
October 8 and/or 9: Are you having
an Impact Night event?
The tools @ http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/impactkit/ can
Please notify us @ firstname.lastname@example.org if
you are putting on an event so we can help disseminate the information
to the public.
New Impact Page Available: to
provide the casual backyard observer useful information for observing
the LCROSS impact event, see: http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/observation/amateur.htm
Wednesday, October 7: Imiloa
Astronomy Center of Hawaii 7:00 pm
Free Talk -Back to the Moon- by Space Journalist, Author,
and Historian Andy Chaikin will give a talk about going back to the
Moon. See http://www.imiloahawaii.org/events.php
October 4 - 6: Aerospace in Hawaii Week
For more information: http://aerospacehawaii.info/?tag=moon
Friday, October 2: Griffiths Obseratory /
All Space Considered 7:30-9:15 p.m.
Meet Andy Chaikin: Award-winning science journalist and space historian
who has authored books and articles about space
exploration and astronomy for more than 25 years. Mr. Chaikin is best
known as the author of A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo
Astronauts, widely regarded as the definitive account of the moon missions.
Mr. Chaikin will be discussing LCROSS, including its crash
to the lunar surface, scheduled for October 9th, 2009. See: http://www.griffithobs.org/exhibits/all_space.html
30: Frontiers of Flight
Museum 7:00pm in the Hamilton Family Auditorium
The Frontiers of Flight Museum presents space journalist and author
Andrew Chaikin speaking on the combined Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
(LRO) and Lunar CRater and Observation Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission. See
http://www.flightmuseum.com/ and http://www.flightmuseum.com/docs/fofm_chaikin.pdf
NASA News Release:
LCROSS Mission Changes Impact Crater
Monday, September 28, 2009 -- Based on new analysis of available
lunar data, the LCROSS mission has shifted the target crater from Cabeus
A to Cabeus (proper). Read
Sunday, September 27: The Exploratorium 2-4
Take a trip to our nearest neighbor in space with renowned science
journalist and space historian Andrew Chaikin. Relive the achievements
of Apollo lunar astronauts and learn about the ambitious LCROSS mission,
which will send a rocket crashing into the moon’s permanently
shadowed regions to kick up huge plumes of debris in the hopes of uncovering
deposits of ice. In addition, Exploratorium educators will give an
entertaining and interactive overview of moon science.
Saturday, September 26: Chabot
Space & Science Center: 3:00-4:30 pm PDT
Author, speaker, and space journalist Andrew Chaikin joins Chabot visitors
for a night of moon conversation and exploration. Using the detailed
program Google Moon, which he helped to develop, Chaikin takes the
visitor on a guided tour of the moon’s surface. Chaikin will
also discuss the recent LCROSS mission and his extensive knowledge
of the Apollo missions.
23: Jen Heldmann is giving
a talk on the Moon & LCROSS on September 23 for the LPI MyMoon
23: Luna Philosophie Presents -- 6-8 pm PDT
Dr. Kim Ennico will speak on Hitch-hiking
to the Moon: LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite)
Model, a novel space mission and approach. See archive @
Date: September 22, 2009
New Update from Flight Director, Paul Tompkins! -- see: http://wiki.nasa.gov/cm/blog/lcrossfdblog/posts/post_1253594067301.html
Monday, September 21:
NASA Headquarters: 10
Tiffany Nail explains how to use Planetarium DVD
September 18, 2009:
NASA Invites Media to Ames for LCROSS Impact Events
NASA's LCROSS mission will culminate with two lunar impacts
at approximately 4:30 a.m. PDT on Oct. 9. The mission will search for water ice
in the Cabeus A crater near the moon's south pole. Reporters are invited to observe
the event and participate in pre-impact and post-impact media briefings Oct.
9 at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. The deadline for U.S.
reporters to apply for accreditation is Monday, Oct. 5. International journalists
planning to cover the LCROSS impacts from Ames must apply for accreditation no
later than Friday, Sept. 25. Media representatives applying for credentials should
submit requests to: email@example.com
Are you having
an Impact Night event October 8 and/or 9?
The tools @ http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/impactkit/ can
Please notify us @ firstname.lastname@example.org if
you are putting on an event so we can help disseminate the information to the
public. Additional Resources are available at: http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/resources/
If you are local to NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA,
you are invited to join us for part or all of our celebration on October 8, 7:00
pm to October 9, 7:00 am. For schedule, tickets and more information see: http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/impactnight/index.htm
Saturday, September 12 @ Millbrae,CA: AANC
Annual Meeting (Registration
Astronomer Brian Day will present an illustrated talk on the LCROSS
mission and its goals.
Observations of the Moon by amateur astronomers
will help refine new protocols for observing the Moon and increase
our knowledge of the Moon. During the months leading up to the LCROSS
launch, amateur astronomers are encouraged to image the north and
south poles of the moon in preparation of impact. Find out more at
Google Group page.
September 11: Crater selection!
At this morning's press conference at NASA-Ames Research Center, the LCROSS team
formally announced the impact crater on the moon: Cabeus-A. You can see all
the details @ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/LCROSS_crater.html and
Additionally, we formally dedicated the LCROSS mission to the memory of Walter
Cronkite, a longtime advocate and storyteller of the US space program. One of
his more memorable moments was the Apollo-11 landing on the moon on July 20,
1969. He died 40 years and a day after the launch of Apollo-11 (July 17, 2009).
September 10: NEW!
Page to provide the casual backyard
observer useful information for observing the LCROSS impact event
September 8, 2009:
Target crater selected for Lunar Impact of LCROSS Spacecraft
identified the spot where it will search for water on the moon.
The selected crater is an optimal target for evaluating if water ice
exists at the lunar south pole. Briefing participants are Daniel Andrews,
LCROSS project manager, Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS principal investigator,
and Jennifer Heldmann, lead for the LCROSS observation campaign. Following
the news briefing Friday, more will be reported here.
September 8, 2009 @ 8pm EDT, Princeton Univ, NJ:
Ken Kremer will describe how
NASA re-ignited the US 'Return to the Moon' in June 2009 with the launch
of two new science spacecraft, the Lunar Reconnaissance
Orbiter (LRO) and the Lunar
Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS). Dr.
Kremer will take the audience for an up-close and personal tour of
the robotic duo and takes us inside the "Clean Room" for
the last look before blast-off with top NASA scientists and learn about
the science goals. More details at: http://www.princetonastronomy.org/
August 24, 2009:
Upon starting an early morning communications pass on Aug. 22, 2009,
the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission operations
team discovered the spacecraft had experienced an anomaly. Two other
August 2009: Jen Heldmann gave a talk to the LPI Faculty group, which
are community college and university faculty across the country. The
video is now posted @ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/facultyInstitutes/FinesseResources.shtml
(or the direct link is here: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/facultyInstitutes/heldmann/heldmann.html)
Observe the Moon Night at NASA Ames, part of
the International Year of Astronomy's nationwide Summer Star Party. More
July 27, 2009
Those of you local to NASA Ames Research Center in California have the
opportunity of helping us to plan an event surrounding the LCROSS IMPACT.
Give your opinion by responding
to a brief survey.
July 2, 2009
For latest updates on LCROSS progress see: http://www.nasa.gov/LCROSS/
June 25, 2009: Elk
Grove Citizen Online: Teaching Rocket Science to Fourth Graders
Monday, June 29, 05:23 UT
LCROSS captured by Paul Mortfield, Backyard Astronomer
Sierra Remote Observatories
Click on still image to see LCROSS animation
of LCROSS in flight.
On Tuesday, June 23, LCROSS
executed a swingby of the Moon.
LCROSS reached periselene, its closest approach, at 10:30:33 UT, with the spacecraft
passing 1,988 miles (3200 km) from the Moon.
The flyby resulted in a gravity
assist from the Moon which put LCROSS into its cruise Lunar Gravity
Assist Lunar Return Orbit (LGALRO). The swingby also provided
mission scientists with an opportunity for instrument calibration
and the return of images from the far side of the Moon. See
video and additional photos.
LCROSS and LRO launched on Thursday, June 18 @ 5:32pm
Eastern Time. Projected Impact at the lunar South Pole: Oct 9, 11:30
UT (7:30 EDT, 4:30 PDT) -- See News Release.
Andy Chaikin on the Online NewsHour with Jim
Lehrer entitled: NASA's
Latest Lunar Mission
in Flash or Download the slide show's audio in MP3 format
June 18, 2009
NASA Scientists Bring Light to Moon's Permanently Dark Craters
From NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA-- A new lunar topography map
with the highest resolution of the moon's rugged south polar region provides
new information on some of our natural satellite's darkest inhabitants -- permanently
shadowed craters. Read More.
LCROSS and LRO now have a June 17, 2009 launch date. The four-day
launch window leads to an impact at the lunar South Pole in the range
of October 7-11, 2009. During the week of launch, there
were LCROSS displays and talks continually available at the Kennedy
Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
Plan ahead: July 19, 2009
Join us at NASA Ames Research Center for MoonFest, an afternoon of family
fun all about the Moon.
Sunday, July 19, 2009 @ 12 - 6 p.m. Hosted by LCROSS (Lunar Crater
Observation Sensing Satellite) and NASA Lunar Science Institute. More
June 17, 2009
Launch Event at NASA
Ames Research Center at the Exploratilon Center to watch the launch on a big screen and ask questions about the LCROSS
June 16, 2009
Join us for a Launch Minus One (June 16) webcast where we’ll
introduce you to some of these crucial participants and will provide
you with information on how you too may become involved. Tuesday, June
16 @ 11:00 am EDT (8 am PDT, and 1500 GMT) Live from the Kennedy
Space Center over the Internet.
June 13, 2009
In Florida for the launch? Join us on Saturday, June 13 @ 8:00 pm in
the Brevard Community College, Astronomer and LCROSS E/PO Lead Brian
Day will be presenting information for about the LCROSS mission at
the Planetarium & Observatory.
June 12 through Launch
KSC Visitor Complex Offerings:
Public Talks @ KSC Visitor Center
L-4, 1:00 pm, Heldmann/Day ** STS-127 launch day **
L-3, 1:00 pm, Day/Heldmann
L-2, 2:00 pm, Colaprete/Heldmann
L-1, 12:00 pm, Andrews/Marmie
Staffed interactive LCROSS/LRO Exhibit, L-5 through L
IMAX Trailer featuring LCROSS, L-5 to L, plays before every show
ViewSpace Kiosk, L-5 to L
The LRO-LCROSS are stacked and encapsulated on top of the Atlas
Booster. The mission has passed its Flight Readiness Review and is
set for Launch on June 18. Take a look at images of what was happening
at the cape in preparation for launch.
June 12, 2009
STATUS REPORT: ELV-061209
The Flight Readiness Review for LRO/LCROSS was held on June 10, and at its conclusion,
there were no issues or concerns which would preclude a launch next week on June
17. On June 11, a mission dress rehearsal was conducted. This was a high-fidelity
exercise for the launch team and affirmed their readiness for the countdown.
June 5, 2009
NASA SETS LUNAR SPACECRAFT LAUNCH COVERAGE EVENTS
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and Lunar
Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, spacecraft are set to launch
together to the moon aboard an Atlas V rocket on June 17. Three launch opportunities
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., are at 3:51 p.m., 4:01 p.m. and
4:11 p.m. EDT.
NASA Television's coverage of the launch will begin at 1 p.m.
If the launch is postponed 24 hours, the launch times on June 18 are
5:12 p.m., 5:22 p.m. and 5:32 p.m.
June 5, 2009
EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT
At Launch Complex 41 on June 1, the integrated systems test, an electrical test
between the LRO/LCROSS spacecraft and the Atlas V launch vehicle, was completed
successfully. On June 2, an integrated launch vehicle/spacecraft telemetry test
was conducted successfully to verify that the LRO/LCROSS state of health parameters
within this data stream can be fully monitored. On June 3, launch vehicle ordnance
operations were performed. Read
June 2, 2009
LCROSS Lunar Impactor Mission
The LCROSS teams are continuing their prep
work for next week's closeouts at the Pad on Tuesday. In the meantime,
more readiness reviews await. Launch in 15 days (June 17).
June 1, 2009
LCROSS story airing this Mon morning, June 1, reairing
at 8:33AM PDT on KQED 88.5 FM. Also streamed live & archived
May 21, 2009
NASA Details Plans for Lunar Exploration Robotic Missions
On Thursday, the NASA outlined the upcoming missions of the Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and the Lunar Crater Observation and
Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS. The spacecraft will launch together June
17 aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in
May 20, 2009
NASA Opens Media Accreditation for Moon Missions
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter,
or LRO, and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite,
or LCROSS, missions to the moon are preparing for launch.
The missions are targeted to launch from Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station in Florida aboard an Atlas V rocket no earlier
than June 17, 2009, at 6:51 p.m. PDT. Read
May 19, 2009
Take a look at images of what is happening at the cape in preparation
May 19, 2009
NASA Ames to Show Lunar Satellite Missions News Briefing
News media are invited to participate
in a televised news briefing with panelists in Washington D.C. at
1 p.m. PDT on Thursday, May 21, about two upcoming lunar missions
scheduled to launch in June that mark the beginning of a journey
to better understand the moon. Read
May 15 - the combined LRO-LCROSS stack is being encapsulated in the
May 12 - LRO has been stacked onto LCROSS at Astrotech.
April 30, 2009
The Atlas V first stage and the Centaur upper stage
have been stacked in the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Launch
March 17, 2009
NASA Moon Mission Brings Divergent Passions Together
Growing up in the rural Appalachian
foothills of the Ohio Valley, John Marmie developed a passion for
music. When he combined that passion with his enthusiasm for space
exploration, he was inspired to write an original song, 'Water on
the Moon. Read
more and listen to the song!
For more sources of news and up-to-date information see:
NASA Mission Page http://www.nasa.gov/lcross
LCROSS Facebook Pages: http://www.facebook.com/pages/LCROSS-Lunar-Impactor-Mission/154478180006
LCROSS Twitter Page: http://twitter.com/LCROSS_NASA
LCROSS Flight Director's Blog http://wiki.nasa.gov/cm/blog/lcrossfdblog
LCROSS Overview Presentation by Anthony Colaprete, Principal Investigator
For archives of previous posts
Visit the NASA Mission Site @ http://www.nasa.gov/lcross