after a decade-long hiatus in its exploration: the Atlas V rocket carrying the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) successfully lifted off today at 5:32 pm EDT.
In October this year, LCROSS will intentionally impact the surface of the Moon while spectrometers on the orbiting LRO (and Earth-based telescopes) examine the ejected debris looking for the presence of water ice or hydrated minerals. This event should be observable by amateur astronomers. I'll be looking, for sure.
Isn't science cool?
Thursday, June 18, 2009
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