LCROSS

News: NASA might have a follow-up mission of LCROSS.

Facts:

About LCROSS:

• Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) was a robotic spacecraft operated by NASA. It was launched in 2009 along with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).
• LCROSS had an attached Centaur booster rocket which into the crater Cabeus near the south pole of the Moon.
• Key achievement: Plume and the ejecta curtain created by the LCROSS Centaur impact LCROSS Centaur impact showed evidence of water.

Additional Information:

LRO:

About Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Mission:

• Launched in 2009, it is a NASA robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon in an eccentric polar mapping orbit.
• The mission seeks to help identify sites close to potential resources with high scientific value, favourable terrain and the environment necessary for safe future robotic and human lunar missions.
• Key achievements of LRO:
  • Made a 3-D map of the Moon’s surface at 100-meter resolution and 98.2% coverage
  • In polar shadowed regions of moon, found the coldest spots measured (below 30 K) in the solar system.
  • Discovered significant subsurface hydrogen deposits in regions cold enough for water ice to survive.
  • First radar measurements of the lunar far side.
  • Mapped in detail the temperatures, UV reflectance, and near-surface hydrogen abundance of the moon’s polar cold traps
  • Created the first cosmic ray albedo proton map of the Moon
  • Made high-resolution images of robotic and human exploration sites