Slamming the Moon

[Orleander]

why don't they do this to Mars instead of the moon?

NASA plans to smash spacecraft into the moon

Scientists are priming two spacecraft to slam into the moon's South Pole to see if the lunar double whammy reveals hidden water ice.

The Earth-on-moon violence may raise eyebrows, but NASA's history shows that such missions can yield extremely useful scientific observations.

"I think that people are apprehensive about it because it seems violent or crude, but it's very economical," said Tony Colaprete, the principal investigator for the mission at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.

NASA's previous Lunar Prospector mission detected large amounts of hydrogen at the moon's poles before crashing itself into a crater at the lunar South Pole. Now the much larger Lunar Crater and Observation Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission, set for a February 2009 moon crash, will take aim and discover whether some of that hydrogen is locked away in the form of frozen water.

LCROSS will piggyback on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission for an Oct. 28 launch atop an Atlas 5 rocket equipped with a Centaur upper stage. While the launch will ferry LRO to the moon in about four days, LCROSS is in for a three-month journey to reach its proper moon-smashing position. Once within range, the Centaur upper stage doubles as the main 4,400 pound (2,000 kg) impactor spacecraft for LCROSS.

The smaller Shepherding Spacecraft will guide Centaur towards its target crater, before dropping back to watch — and later fly through — the plume of moon dust and debris kicked up by Centaur's impact. The shepherding vehicle is packed with a light photometer, a visible light camera and four infrared cameras to study the Centaur's lunar plume before it turns itself into a second impactor and strikes a different crater about four minutes later....

[cosmictraveler]

But we all know the moon is made of cheese!

[decantemix]

Missile Base...

[Letticia]

why don't they do this to Mars instead of the moon?

NASA plans to smash spacecraft into the moon

Scientists are priming two spacecraft to slam into the moon's South Pole to see if the lunar double whammy reveals hidden water ice.

There's the answer to your question. Setting off an explosive plume is useful if you want to detemine volatile components of a planet/moon/whatever. That's why it was already done to a comet, and why it is useful on the Moon -- specifically at South Pole, where water ice is suspected but not proven. Not particularly useful on Mars.

Now that I think of it, can not be done on Mars at all -- or on any body with an atmosphere. The plume will not reach orbit where it could be examined. Have to do it the hard way, with a lander and a drill.

[decantemix]

Budget from Hell, BTW. On to the NEXT-Level.

You seem a disturbed little science. Problematic. Perhaps you should, uh, power your nose.
Are you racing, looking for that Trophie. Called it...

[Orleander]

but why the moon? Why care if there is ice water?

[cosmictraveler]

but why the moon? Why care if there is ice water?

Can put those ice cubes in our sodie pop!

[Orleander]

quite the smart ass today ain't ya!? Or it is just the moon that makes you giddy?

[cosmictraveler]

quite the smart ass today ain't ya!? Or it is just the moon that makes you giddy?

I see that your not a sodie pop type of mood, how about some brandy then, on the rocks?

[eburacum45]

but why the moon? Why care if there is ice water?

The Moon is the key to the Solar System.
It has reserves of oxygen, iron, aluminium, titanium, silicon; from these materials the spacecraft which explore and settle the entire system can be built.

What the Moon is short of is carbon and hydrogen; if some ice is found on the surface, this will supply at least some of the hydrogen which the Moon lacks.

[cosmictraveler]

from these materials the spacecraft which explore and settle the entire system can be built.

But there's no oxygen or water on the moon so how can humans survive there and build things without those two elements?

[Orleander]

I still don't understand. "settle the entire system will be built" ??

[Enmos]

Moon base. If there is water ice they will be able to survive on the moon for extended periods.
Also, water can be used to produce rocket fuel and building materials such as concrete.

[Orleander]

why do we need a moon base?

[cosmictraveler]

why do we need a moon base?

Make more moon pies!

http://www.moonpie.com/

[Enmos]

why do we need a moon base?

Why ?

Because it has no atmosphere..

[cosmictraveler]

Why ?

Because it has no atmosphere..

Neither does space itself. That's why we made the ISS space station.

[Enmos]

Neither does space itself. That's why we made the ISS space station.

True. I think the whole matter of preparing interplanetary or even interstellar journeys will be somewhat easier in solid ground though.. And I think it would be cheaper, since the base itself could be largely build out of materials found on the moon and if water is available on the moon that would greatly reduce cost of launches from earth (they don't have to take shit loads of water with them every time).

[Orleander]

Why ?

Because it has no atmosphere..

what??? We need a moon base because it has no atmosphere? How does that make sense?

[Enmos]

what??? We need a moon base because it has no atmosphere? How does that make sense?

See above.