Am I the only one to have missed that there is a major event happening in space on Friday 9th October at about midday? NASA is crashing a space craft into a crater at the pole of the moon. Four minutes later they are flying another vehicle through the plume of dust and debris that this event will throw into space. They hope to find evidence of water in the crater. Because it is permanently dark at the poles of the moon it is thought that ice might exist there as remains from the many comet impacts that the moon has suffered over the last billion years or so.
As the ejecta rises above the target crater’s rim and is exposed to sunlight, any water-ice, hydrocarbons or organics will vaporize and break down into their basic components. These components primarily will be monitored by the visible and infrared spectrometers. The near-infrared and mid-infrared cameras will determine the total amount and distribution of water in the debris plume. The spacecraft’s visible camera will track the impact location and the behaviour of the debris plume while the visible radiometer will measure the flash created by the Centaur impact.
From NASA’s LCROSS page.
The LCROSS splits in two, one part crashes into the lunar surface whilst the other part scans the debris.
Why is water important?
Well they aren’t expecting to find life but if there is a supply of water (ice) on the moon then it might be possible to have a permanent manned presence on the moon. Water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen to be used as fuel for generating electricity or maybe even as a refuelling depot for exploring deeper into space.
Because of its low gravity (1.6 N/kg), the moon would be a great launch pad for heading deeper into space. A manned mission to Mars could be launched from the surface of the moon if a rocket could be refuelled there. At the moment, nearly all of the weight of a rocket is fuel just to lift it off the surface of the Earth (9.8 N/kg). Once in space there is only enough fuel for a few gentle manoeuvres. A fully loaded vehicle could reach Mars in about six months with a crew and wheeled vehicles for exploring the surface.
Assuming that there is a supply of ice then Mars would be a much more hospitable place to have a permanent base because its gravity (3.7 N/kg) is closer to that of Earth. It may also be richer in useful natural resources like metals and other elements. Man has never been further into space than the Moon (240 thousand miles) so travelling to Mars (35 million miles) will be a big step forward.
Let’s hope NASA has done its sums correctly – it should be quite a sight.
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