[AstroNet] lunar impact NEXT FRIDAY - sorry!

[Kevin Govender]

apologies - it's NEXT friday 9th October!
kg


Kevin Govender wrote:
>
> Hi all
>
> In a few hours there will be a historic event taking place on the 
> moon! (Note that South African Time is UTC+2 hours)
> See below...
>
>  
>
> On Friday the 9th October at 1130-UTC,  the  LCROSS lunar main 
> spacecraft  will  "hit"  the moon's surface near it's south-pole with 
> a  "projectile"  to analyze the moon's crust composition by flying 
> through the generated impact plume!    After the analyzed data is send 
> back to earth,  the spacecraft will hit the moon as a second impact.
>
>  
>
> The following link will connect you to the three WEBB-broadcasted 
> SLOOH telescopes (In Canary-islands, Australia and Chili)  to watch 
> the impact.   Also visit this URL to learn about the SLOOH project,  
> which normally costs $6 per month to use,  but will be free for 
> viewing this specific impact:
>
> http://www.slooh.com/LCROSS/nasa_moon_event/lunar_crater_observation_sensing_satellite.php?gclid=CNXf-tXamZ0CFQGZ2Aod63mE2A
>
>  
>
>
> Extract from the website:
>
>
> SLOOH Space Camera is happy to announce we will be providing free LIVE 
> Telescope Feeds of NASA's LCROSS Lunar Impacts on October 9, 2009
>
> Earth's closest neighbor is holding a secret. In 1999, hints of that 
> secret were revealed in the form of concentrated hydrogen signatures 
> detected in permanently shadowed craters at the lunar poles by NASA's 
> Lunar Prospector. These readings may be an indication of lunar water 
> and could have far-reaching implications as humans expand exploration 
> past low-Earth orbit. The Lunar CRater Observing and Sensing Satellite 
> (LCROSS) mission is seeking a definitive answer.
>
> In April 2006, NASA selected the LCROSS proposal for a low-cost, 
> fast-track companion mission to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter 
> (LRO). The main LCROSS mission objective is to confirm the presence or 
> absence of water ice in a permanently shadowed crater near a lunar 
> polar region.
>
> Image Courtesy of NASA
> LCROSS conists of a shepherding spacecraft and the Centaur upper stage 
> of the Atlas 5 launch rocket. The shepherding spacecraft will allow 
> NASA's scientists to precisely aim the Centaur spacecraft at an area 
> of the Moon expected to contain water. On final approach, the 
> shepherding spacecraft and Centaur will separate. The Centaur will act 
> as a heavy impactor to create a debris plume that will rise above the 
> lunar surface. Projected impact at the lunar South Pole is currently: 
> Oct 9, 2009 at 1130 UTC (0730 Eastern, 0430 Pacific). Following four 
> minutes behind, the shepherding spacecraft will fly through the debris 
> plume, collecting and relaying data back to Earth before impacting the 
> lunar surface and creating a second debris plume.
>
> The debris plumes are expected to be visible from Earth and 
> space-based telescopes 10-to-12 inches and larger. SLOOH will be 
> showing free live feeds (weather permitting) from two locations, New 
> Hampshire and Arizona.
>
> The LCROSS science payload consists of two near-infrared 
> spectrometers, a visible light spectrometer, two mid-infrared cameras, 
> two near-infrared cameras, a visible camera and a visible radiometer. 
> The LCROSS instruments were selected to provide mission scientists 
> with multiple complimentary views of the debris plume created by the 
> Centaur impact.
>
> As the ejecta rises above the target crater's rim and is exposed to 
> sunlight, any water-ice, hydrocarbons or organics will vaporize and 
> break down into their basic components. These components primarily 
> will be monitored by the visible and infrared spectrometers. The 
> near-infrared and mid-infrared cameras will determine the total amount 
> and distribution of water in the debris plume. The spacecraft's 
> visible camera will track the impact location and the behavior of the 
> debris plume while the visible radiometer will measure the flash 
> created by the Centaur impact.
>
>
> -- 
>
> Kevin Govender
> Manager: SALT Collateral Benefits Programme / SA Chair for IYA2009
> South African Astronomical Observatory, a facility of the NRF
> Office: +27 21 460 9350
> Mobile: +27 82 487 8466
> Fax: +27 21 447 3639
> Email: kg at saao.ac.za / Skype: kevindran / Twitter: govender
> Websites: www.saao.ac.za / www.salt.ac.za / www.astronomy2009.org.za / www.developingastronomy.org
> Postal: P.O. Box 9, Observatory, Cape Town, 7935, South Africa
> Street: SAAO, Observatory Road, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa
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>   

-- 

Kevin Govender
Chair: Developing Astronomy Globally Cornerstone
Manager: SALT Collateral Benefits Programme / SA Chair for IYA2009
South African Astronomical Observatory, a facility of the NRF
Office: +27 21 460 9350
Mobile: +27 82 487 8466
Fax: +27 21 447 3639
Email: kg at saao.ac.za / Skype: kevindran / Twitter: govender
Websites: www.saao.ac.za / www.salt.ac.za / www.astronomy2009.org.za / www.developingastronomy.org
Postal: P.O. Box 9, Observatory, Cape Town, 7935, South Africa
Street: SAAO, Observatory Road, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa

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