Comments on: LCROSS Passes Pre-Flight Tests Before Kamikaze Mission to Find Water on Moon

By: How to Get Six Pack Fast

How to Get Six Pack Fast — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:07:31 +0000

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By: Ken

Ken — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:23:26 +0000

Rellis: "How odd that "scientific exploration" seems to have been reduced (in this case) to the equivalent
of taking a hammer to something to see what's inside. First a comet and now our Moon. Has to be a better way than inflicting all these human-made craters on the old girl."

…. How do you think exploration and mining works on Earth? All the metal around you that you use everyday came from mines that were likely discovered by some prospector hammering on some rock somewhere.

The moon is a big place. It can take it.

By: dollhopf

dollhopf — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 07:30:25 +0000

According to lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/mission.html the "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter" itself carries

(a) the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment (DLRE): "giving detailed information about surface and subsurface temperatures (identifying … potential ice deposits"

(b) the Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP): "search for surface ice and frost in the polar regions"

(c) the Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND): "can be used to search for evidence of water ice on the Moon's surface"

(d) the Mini-RF technology demonstration: "to search for subsurface water ice deposits"

In Astronomy Cast "Missions to Mars, Part 2" at timestamp 00:07:45, Fraser and Pamela start talking about the finding of water everywhere on Mars from orbit with a gamma ray spectrometer (GRS) onboard of the "Mars Odyssey".

These instruments are maybe capable to find ice by nondestructive methods.

By: James

James — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:26:43 +0000

Vanamonde, you're right! Instead, it litters the moon! Just as good.

By: Vanamonde

Vanamonde — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:30:33 +0000

A suicide mission? Or one that does not leave junk in orbit for years and years and years.

By: Rellis

Rellis — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:24:14 +0000

How odd that "scientific exploration" seems to have been reduced (in this case) to the equivalent
of taking a hammer to something to see what's inside. First a comet and now our Moon. Has to be a better way than inflicting all these human-made craters on the old girl.

By: dollhopf

dollhopf — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 06:06:20 +0000

Nexus said "If water turns out to be scarce on the moon, will we end up regretting vaporizing some of it?"

No worry, we then refill that reservoir by bombarding it with rockets containing water ice.

By: Nexus

Nexus — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:21:06 +0000

If water turns out to be scarce on the moon, will we end up regretting vaporizing some of it?

By: Sci-Fi Si

Sci-Fi Si — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:25:44 +0000

Love the article. Thanx

By: Ian O'Neill

Ian O'Neill — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:15:02 +0000

Hi R2K, I'm not too sure how they are going to deal with that – I can only assume they will fill the tank with just enough fuel until it runs out and let the fly-by do the rest. I'm sure that they will cater for any contaminants from the vehicle…

Cheers, Ian

By: R2K

R2K — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:42:38 +0000

Odd… The Centaur upper stage uses H2 + O2, no? Isnt it possible that some residue (say several KG of each) could ruin the experiment?