Official News page 7

REAL LIFE NEWS: LUNAR PROBE SENDS BACK FIRST IMAGES

by Hazed

The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) which lifted off 10 days ago has beamed back images from the far side of the moon.

LCROSS is currently positioning itself for its final performance in October, when it will crash into the surface of the moon, creating a plume of debris that will be analyzed for water ice and water vapor, as well as hydrocarbons and other materials. The pictures were taken during a fly-by of the moon's backside so the spacecraft's cameras and spectrometers could be calibrated. It approached to around 2,000 miles from the surface and then moved away again, taking up an elongated polar Earth orbit. It won't get close to the moon again until impact day.

To see video footage of the lunar flyby, go here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/lunarswingby/index.html.

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