Thursday, October 21, 2010

NASA Missions Uncover The Moon's Buried Treasures

In the news for those that are still looking up.
What was it was said about missions to Mars, follow the water.
Hmmm, could we say the same for the Moon, follow the water.

Now will someone look for an ice cave or investigate some of those holes in the Moon.
http://www.universetoday.com/73659/lro-takes-closer-look-at-moon-caves/
- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/oct/HQ_10-271_LCROSS_LRO.html
NASA Missions Uncover The Moon's Buried Treasures


RELEASE: 10-271
Oct. 21, 2010

Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1979
michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov

WASHINGTON -- Nearly a year after announcing the discovery of water molecules on the moon, scientists Thursday revealed new data uncovered by NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO.

The missions found evidence that the lunar soil within shadowy craters is rich in useful materials, and the moon is chemically active and has a water cycle. Scientists also confirmed the water was in the form of mostly pure ice crystals in some places. The results are featured in six papers published in the Oct. 22 issue of Science.

"NASA has convincingly confirmed the presence of water ice and characterized its patchy distribution in permanently shadowed regions of the moon," said Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This major undertaking is the one of many steps NASA has taken to better understand our solar system, its resources, and its origin, evolution, and future."

The twin impacts of LCROSS and a companion rocket stage in the moon's Cabeus crater on Oct. 9, 2009, lifted a plume of material that might not have seen direct sunlight for billions of years. As the plume traveled nearly 10 miles above the rim of Cabeus, instruments aboard LCROSS and LRO made observations of the crater and debris and vapor clouds. After the impacts, grains of mostly pure water ice were lofted into the sunlight in the vacuum of space.

"Seeing mostly pure water ice grains in the plume means water ice was somehow delivered to the moon in the past, or chemical processes have been causing ice to accumulate in large quantities," said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "Also, the diversity and abundance of certain materials called volatiles in the plume, suggest a variety of sources, like comets and asteroids, and an active water cycle within the lunar shadows."

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As posted at. Science NASA.
- LRK -

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http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/21oct_lcross2/
Lunar Impact Uncovered More Than Just Moon Water
Oct. 21, 2010:  Nearly a year after announcing the discovery of water molecules on the moon, scientists have revealed new data uncovered by NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO—and it's more than just water.
The missions found evidence that lunar soil within shadowy craters is rich in useful materials. Moreover, the moon appears to be chemically active and has a full-fledged water cycle. Scientists also confirmed that 'moon water' was in the form of mostly pure ice crystals in some places.
These results are featured in six papers published in the Oct. 22 issue of Science.
The twin impacts of LCROSS and a companion rocket stage in the moon's Cabeus crater on Oct. 9, 2009, lifted a plume of material that might not have seen direct sunlight for billions of years. As the plume traveled nearly 10 miles above the crater’s rim, instruments aboard LCROSS and LRO made observations of the crater and debris and vapor clouds. After the impacts, grains of mostly pure water ice were lofted into the sunlight in the vacuum of space.
"Seeing mostly pure water ice grains in the plume means water ice was somehow delivered to the moon in the past, or chemical processes have been causing ice to accumulate in large quantities," said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center.
In addition to water, the plume contained "volatiles." These are compounds that freeze in the cold lunar craters and vaporize easily when warmed by the sun. The suite of LCROSS and LRO instruments determined as much as 20 percent of the material kicked up by the LCROSS impact was volatiles, including methane, ammonia, hydrogen gas, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
[See image at link - LRK -]
Experiment . The map contains several intensely cold impact craters that could trap water ice and other icy compounds commonly observed in comets. The approximate maximum temperatures at which these compounds would be frozen in place for more than a billion years are noted at right.
 [larger image    http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2010/10/21/southpole.jpg ]

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For more information about LCROSS, a complete list of the papers and their authors, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/lcross

For more information about the LRO mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/lro

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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/multimedia/index.html
LCROSS Multimedia

LCROSS Mission team - 27 images..

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LRO mission link.
- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/main/index.html
LRO: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter The LRO mission objectives are to find safe landing sites, locate potential resources, characterize the radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology.
NASA Hosts Media Telecon Featuring Results of Moon Mission Impact

NASAl hosted a media teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 21, to discuss additional findings from NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, missions.

The results will be featured in six papers published in the Oct. 22 issue of the journal Science.
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LRO Mission at Goddard Space Flight Center
http://lro.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Lunar Impact May Impact Lunar Science For Years To Come
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-345

Moon Crater Map Reveals Early Solar System History
Read More http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/09/moon-map/?pid=237&viewall=true#ixzz132TuQaqi

I shot an arrow into the air, it landed, I know not where.
I launched a rocket to the Moon, for profit, and soon.
http://www.asi.org/adb/02/07/lunacity-hotel.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_Project
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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