NASA to bomb Moon to check water level
New York, October 9, 2009
A probe controlled by American
space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will hit the
Moon surface on Friday throwing up a massive plume into space in a quest for
water on the Moon.
After Indian lunar mission Chandrayaan-I found water particles on the Moon,
NASA looks determined to find out more traces of it, considered vital for
colonisation of this natural satellite of the Earth.
In just a few hours from now scientists at NASA are set to bomb the Moon for
water. They will hurl a Lunar Crater Observation & Sensing Satellite
(LCROSS) at the Moon.;)
| The two parts of the LCROSS spacecraft will
crash into a permanently dark crater on the surface of the Moon at a speed of
9,000 km per hour.
First the large empty rocket will hit the lunar surface at more than seven
times the speed of sound. The incredible impact is expected to throw up 3.5
lakh kg of lunar dirt out of the crater causing a 6 mile high, 35 tonne lunar
debris cloud.
NASA hopes that the lunar debris will confirm the presence of enough water
necessary to supply future visits by astronauts.
Railing just behind will be the LCROSS satellite which will beam back to the
Earth live pictures of the impact and the huge debris cloud.
Amateur astronomers in parts of the world are eagerly waiting to watch the
impact and the lunar cloud through telescopes. NASA scientists are hoping that
during the huge crash hidden ice in the crater might get freed.
LCROSS will fly through the debris cloud scouring for ice. Four minutes
later, LCROSS too will take a fatal plunge, triggering another dust storm.
Within an hour of the impact, scientists will know whether water is hiding
there or not. If the probe yields positive results, the day is not far when
there might indeed be a colony on the Moon.
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