12 replies to this topic

[Slidell]

Scientists hope to make a splash by "bombing" the Moon with two spacecraft.

The plan is to slam the projectiles into a dark crater at the lunar south pole, kicking up a six-mile high dust cloud that may contain water.

British researchers helped Nasa pick the spot for the drama, which will be broadcast live on the American space agency's website.

The Cabeus south polar region was identified by the University of Durham team as a site with high concentrations of hydrogen - a key component of water.

It is believed water ice could lie at the bottom of dark craters at the Moon's poles, where temperatures are lower than minus 170C.

The crashing spacecraft consist of an orbiter, LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite), which is now mapping the lunar surface, and its 2.2 tonne empty Centaur launch rocket. Both are currently on collision course with the Moon and still attached together.

In the early hours, British time, the probe and rocket will separate. Then at 12.31pm the larger rocket will smash into the crater at 5,600 mph, blasting out 350 tonnes of debris in a 6.2 mile high plume.

Following close behind, the LCROSS satellite beaming live pictures back to Earth will fly through the material and four minutes later plunge into the crater itself. LCROSS will trigger its own dust cloud a third of the size of the first one.

As the debris is propelled into sunlight, scientists on Earth will study its composition with ground-based telescopes.

Amateur astronomers in dark parts of the world will be able to view the spectacle through their own instruments. But daylight will make this impossible in the UK.

Live coverage of LCROSS Impact Event starts at 3:15 a.m. PDT or 6:15 a.m. EDT on NASA TV http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

[Lockon]

I wonder what there gonna do about the bits that fall to the earth?

[Dark Slipstream]

I bet they didn't even think of that. lol

[Dataanti]

its not a bomb its just a rocket no explosion, they picked a very specific creator to hit were it is always a shadow because its the only place were the is no sun light, if sunlight hit water on the moon it would evaporate and destroy the water molecules because there is no o zone layer to damping the suns effect, they also choose this creator because years ago a russian satellite detected hydrogen in there witch is key to making water. you would not need to bomb it to kick up dust, barely and gravity there, just gotta crash into it

[Lockon]

I bet they didn't even think of that. lol

To be honest I think this stuff is leading up to the end of the world due to "Curiosity"

[Dataanti]

i agree once they find water on the moon country's will fight over who controls it

[Lockon]

i agree once they find water on the moon country's will fight over who controls it

the water wouldnt be drinkable any way

Edit:
And if the blow a whole chunk off it the ocean will change aswell and we might not have a settleite anymore then aliens come with there zapie guns

Edited by Lockon Stratos, 09 October 2009 - 01:26 PM.

[StevenSVE♥]

I wonder what there gonna do about the bits that fall to the earth?

the rocks in the result of the rocket would be small chunks and they are enough to evaporate in the atmosphere burn before it could actually hit the surface, so no need to worry

[Lockon]

the rocks in the result of the rocket would be small chunks and they are enough to evaporate in the atmosphere burn before it could actually hit the surface, so no need to worry

I know that but are atmosphere is so shitty

[Slidell]

I wonder what there gonna do about the bits that fall to the earth?

If they did they wouldn't be big enough to do any damage or get through the atmosphere.

Plus they already did it so nothing happened,and it wasn't like a huge explosion,they just hit it with something it wasn't a "Bomb".

Athrun if our atmosphere was bad enough for those to go threw we'd allready have been hit many times today,about 100 meteors burn up in the atmosphere every day.

vid
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVYKjR1sJY4"]http://www.youtube.c...h?v=VVYKjR1sJY4[/url]

Edited by Slidell, 09 October 2009 - 06:59 PM.

[.Slack♠]

i hope they grow pot on the moon.... I wonder if they having taking into consideration that if the impact is large enough it could mess with the orbit and do things like change the tides.

[Slidell]

i hope they grow pot on the moon.... I wonder if they having taking into consideration that if the impact is large enough it could mess with the orbit and do things like change the tides.

Read my post it already happened and they're NASA engineers they're not idiots,and they just hit it with the LCROSS to make dust go up.

Also they can't there's almost no atmosphere.

Edited by Slidell, 09 October 2009 - 08:03 PM.

[gruntmods]

Read my post it already happened and they're NASA engineers they're not idiots,and they just hit it with the LCROSS to make dust go up.

Also they can't there's almost no atmosphere.

grow space pot