NASA watches Duel Lunar Impacts Today

A rocket's upper stage and a NASA spacecraft made craters of their own upon the Moon this morning as the space agency begins a strong search for signs of water on the Lunar surface.

The LCROSS satellite and it's launch booster Centaur slammed into the south pole of the Moon today just four minutes apart beginning with the Centaur at 7:31 am EDT. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) then crashed into the Cabeus crater at 7:35:35 am.

The NASA image above was take by LCROSS two minutes before it's own demise of the Cabeus crater.

NASA has begun a new era in the exploration of the Moon as humankind works toward it's return with a new set of footprints after 2020.

The LRO was 50 KM over head of the impact regions in lunar orbit taking images. Meanwhile, the Edwin Hubble Space Telescope was also trained on the impacts as it orbited earth 350 miles above earth.

NASA's Lunar Satellite Provides LIVE Lunar TV

The Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite gave it's scientists their first data and LIVE television of the earth's moon from near lunar orbit this morning as the spacecraft and her sister craft, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, arrived to begin detailed lunar observations.

LCROSS, towing a spent centaur upper stage from its Atlas V launch last week, began turning on it's cameras and instuments.

At 8:28 am EDT, LCROSS began targeting "a worn iron-rich crater with mare basalt flows mixed with rugged highlands-type material - it's second target, Goddard C crater complex located at Lat 15.6, Lon 84.3E".

Beginning at 8:40 am, the LCROSS science team at NASA's Ames Research Center moved on to their third and final target, the Giordano Bruno - a 350 million year-old crater at "center of a system of bright rays, located at Lat 35.9N, 102.8E", stated the LCROSS science team.

LCROSS then turned its attention to looking at the moon's limb to align it's self.

NASA's LRO enters Lunar Orbit This Morning

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter entered our moon's orbit this morning, beginning a year long period of imaging the lunar surface for possible manned landing sites as America returns to the moon in 2020.

At 6:27 am EDT today, LRO entered lunar orbit. Over the next few days, according to NASA's Ames Research Center, the spacecraft will begin powering up its instruments and imager and begin to lower its orbit slightly to begin mapping operations.

Meanwhile, several thousand miles behind is the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite or LCROSS. Both LRO & LCROSS were launched together aboard an Atlas V last Thursday from Cape Canaveral. LCROSS is towing the Atlas' spent centaur upper stage to the moon and will crash it into a dark crater near the moon's south pole. The plume of lunar dirt kicked up by the centaur's impact will allow LCROSS to fly through it to chemically measure for any water or ice make up in the soil.

We are awaiting possible LIVE television from LCROSS at about 8:20 am EDT.

SLN VIDEO: Atlas V LRO-LCROSS Launch Today

Atlas V Launches at 5:32 pm EDT today. NASA-TV

America Returns to the Moon

A pair of NASA satellites are heading toward earth's moon in hopes making better detailed maps and continuing the investigation into the search for water on the Lunar surface.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V departed Launch Complex 41 here at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 5:32 pm EDT, today. Launch came at the end of a twenty minute launch window due to the threat of bad weather across central Florida.

The two satellites called LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) and LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observation & Sensing Satellite) will begin a multi month mission. LRO will map in high resolution the Lunar surface as NASA works to select a landing sight for a possible 2020 manned landing.

Meanwhile, LCROSS will haul the Atlas' centaur upper stage to Lunar orbit. For four months, LCROSS will swing around the moon before releasing centaur and allowing it to crash into a dark crater at the south pole. When the lunar dust is kicked up from the impact, LCROSS will swing through looking at the chemical make up the soil.

At 6:16 pm, the LRO seperated from the centaur upper stage and flew away from the LCROSS/centaur duo. NASA's Ames Research Center has also taken control of the mission, with the LRO expected to first arrive early on Tuesday morning.

NASA to Launch Lunar Satellites Today

NASA will launch a pair of satellites toward earth's moon late today in hopes making better maps and investigating the search for water on the Lunar surface.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V will depart Launch Complex 41 here at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 5:22 pm EDT today. Two more one minute launch windows follow at 5:22 and 5:32 pm also.

Weather is only 60% forecast GO for today due to late day thunderstorm build up.

The two satellites called LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) and LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observation & Sensing Satellite) will begin a multi month mission. LRO will map in high resolution the Lunar surface as NASA works to select a landing sight for a possible 2020 manned landing.

Meanwhile, LCROSS will haul the Atlas' centaur upper stage to Lunar orbit. For four months, LCROSS will swing around the moon before releasing centaur and allowing it to crash into a dark crater at the south pole. When the lunar dust is kicked up from the impact, LCROSS will swing through looking at the chemical make up the soil.

NASA will be looking for signs of moisture in the lunar dust which had been sitting quietly in a dark crater for millions of years.

About five minutes after centaur crashes, LCROSS will also make it's impact of the mission as it crashes into the lunar surface this October.

The two impacts will have NASA turn the newly refurbished Edwin Hubble Space Telescope and several earth based telescopes aimed at the lunar south pole to record the plume.

NASA's Ames Research Center will over see the mission, including the instrumentation.

NASA to Announce Launch Plans Today

NASA today will announce the readiness to launch space shuttle
Endeavour on Wednesday or stand down to allow a pair of NASA
satellites to launch to the moon the same day here at Cape Canaveral.

An afternoon statement from the space agency will outline if Endeavour
can fly or not following the repair of a gaseous hydrogen (GH2) leak
which cropped up at midnight on Saturday morning forcing a launch
scrub. A leaky seal in a vent valve at the connection point of a vent
line which runs from the shuttle's external fuel tank to the launch
pad and then down and out where the GH2 is burned off to avoid any
build up which would be serious when the main engines ignite six
seconds prior to lift off.

A Wednesday launch time would see Endeavour's soild rocket boosters
ignite at 5:40:50 am EDT, pushing the entire shuttle stack skyward for
a Friday docking with the international space station.

If NASA determines that Endeavour is not ready to fly following the
repairs, then a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA's
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission would fly at 3:51 pm on Wednesday
instead.

Space Shuttle Mission Management chairman LeRoy Cain said late Sunday,
"If shuttle goes first on the (June) 17th, then the most opportunities
we can give LRO is two, and that would be on the 19th and 20th."

The LRO mission carries a secondary satellite, LCROSS, and is the
first flight under NASA's return to the moon program. The agency will
use the lunar duo to map the surface, and search for the best landing
site for a future human landing on the moon around 2020.