LCROSS: Nasa’s new moon mission

The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission is an attempt by Nasa to find water on the moon
  
  


LCROSS NASA mission: Lunar Crator Observation and Sensing Satellite or LCROSS
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter or LRO (top) and LCROSS (below) at Astrotech near Kennedy Space Centre Photograph: Bruce Weaver/AFP/Getty Images
LCROSS NASA mission: Lunar Orbiter Lifts Off At Cape Canaveral
The LRO mounted on an Atlas V rocket, lifts off on 18 June 2009 from Cape Canaveral. The $504m (£313m) mission is Nasa's first in a planned return to moon. Finding water will make a lunar outpost far cheaper to set up Photograph: Getty Images
LCROSS NASA mission: LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) mission
An artist's impression of LCROSS with its solar panels, attached to Centaur, the missile that will plunge to the moon's surface Photograph: Nasa
LCROSS NASA mission: LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) mission
Centaur performs a 'blowdown' to vent any remaining fuel or water to help prevent contamination of the impact site Photograph: Nasa
LCROSS NASA mission: LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) mission
Centaur separates from LCROSS ... Photograph: Nasa
LCROSS NASA mission: LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) mission
... and begins to descent toward the impact site near the moon's south pole Photograph: Nasa
LCROSS NASA mission: LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) mission
LCROSS follows Centaur Photograph: Nasa
LCROSS NASA mission: LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) mission
The spacecraft collects data on the Centaur impact flash and resulting debris plume and relays it back to LCROSS Mission Control. Four minutes later, LCROSS hits the lunar surface creating a second debris plume Photograph: Nasa
 

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