UPDATE: See video from the LCROSS lunar impact here.
UPDATE 2: Is LCROSS part of a greater conspiracy regarding alien life forms? Find out more here.
NASA’s next mission should cause quite a buzz. The space agency is going to fly a rocket into the moon, which should trigger a gigantic explosion.
The mission’s purpose is to discover whether or not frozen water exists in the craters near the south pole of the moon. If water does exist there, it could have important ramifications for future human voyages to the moon, as this would be a potential source for oxygen and hydrogen.
The LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) will hurl its Centaur rocket, which helped it escape Earth’s orbit, into the moon at tremendous speeds, displacing tons of debris from one of moon’s craters. LCROSS’ instruments will then inspect the debris for signs of water before slamming into the moon itself.
The LCROSS launched about an hour ago, at 11:30pm ET on Thursday June 18.
So how can you follow this four-month mission? Let us count the ways.
First, the launch was on NASA TV. You can also follow LCROSS on Facebook and Twitter. Finally, for pictures related to the mission, check out NASA’s Twitpic account.
If all goes according to plan, LCROSS should hit the moon in about 111 days. NASA promises that the moon won’t be damaged. We’ll see.
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