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Scientists hope that the estimated 3,800 mph impact will exhume water vapor and rocky debris that may be detectable for several hours, although data analysis could take days or even weeks if the signal is faint. Coordinated observing teams will use NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite, complemented by ground-based instruments, including the McDonald Observatory in Texas and the Keck telescope in Hawaii, to seek signs of the water vapor or its byproducts. While the probability of successful detection is estimated to be less than 10 percent, it will be a fittingly creative finish to a low-cost Discovery Program mission that has exceeded all expectations after more than 6,800 lunar orbits in 18 months. "Regardless of the outcome of this final bold experiment, Lunar Prospector has yielded a gold mine of science data," said Dr. Henry McDonald, director of NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, which has managed the mission. "We now have invaluable global maps of the moon's gravitational and magnetic fields, and the distribution of its key elements, giving us a much better understanding of the origin, evolution and composition of our rocky neighbor."  Above: A group of undergraduate
students working within the Impact Physics Group, headed by Dr.
Stephan Bless, at the Institute for Advanced Technology of The
University of Texas at Austin has undertaken the ambitious project
of predicting the "splash" that will be made by the
impact of the Lunar Prospector on the lunar surface. Cylinders
with the approximate shape and density as the satellite body
are fired into a simulated "lunar soil" target at the
expected impact angle (about 6.5 degrees). The impact and the
resultant debris plume are photographed with a high speed camera.
acquired during a shot of a plastic projectile into sand at 1.7km/s.
The debris plumes (projectile remains) may be clearly distinguished
from the sand kicked up. Preliminary estimates of the sand velocity
indicate that some material will likely have sufficient vertical
speed to rise perhaps 30km above the rim of the crater. [more
information]
In exceeding its design life, the $63 million Prospector mission
has exhausted the bulk of its fuel and battery power. Although
the drum-shaped probe will have a mass of only 354 pounds (161
kilograms) at the end, its impact energy will be equivalent to
crashing a two-ton car at more than 1,100 miles per hour. |
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Lunar Prospector in Eclipse -- The July 28, 1999 partial lunar eclipse poses a last-minute threat to Lunar Prospector. , July 28, 1999, NASA Science News Bracing for Impact -- Astronomers prepare to observe the crash of Lunar Prospector on July 31, 1999. Includes observing hints for amateurs, July 21, 1999, NASA Science News Destined for a Watery Grave -- NASA scientists have decided to send Lunar Prospector crashing into the Moon's south pole in search of water, June 4, 1999, NASA Science News Zeroing in on Lunar Ice -- Astronomers explore the Lunar Prospector crash site using radar, June 4, 1999, NASA Space Science News Lunar Prospector set to make science "splash" -- NASA/Ames press release NASA Press Release (3 September 1998) -- announcing enhanced estimate of quantity of water on the Moon NASA Press Release (5 March 1998) -- announcing the detection of ice on the Moon Lunar Prospector Home Page -- from NASA/Ames Ice on the Moon -- informative article about lunar water -- where it is and how to find it. Lunar Prospects -- Astronomy Picture of the Day, Sep. 18, 1998 Impact Moon -- Astronomy Picture of the Day, Mar. 26, 1999 The Nine Planets: the Moon -- from SEDS |
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