• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • NEWS:
  • SatNews
  • SatMagazine
  • MilSatMagazine
  • SmallSat News
  • |     EVENTS:
  • SmallSat Symposium
  • Satellite Innovation
  • MilSat Symposium
  • SmallSat Europe

SatNews

Satellite Industry Intelligence Since 1983

Subscribe
  • LATEST
  • SatNews Events
  • Magazines
  • Calendar
  • Subscribe
  • Missions & Constellations
    • Exploration & Science Missions
    • In-Orbit Servicing & Orbital Operations
    • LEO Constellations
    • Mission Autonomy & Onboard Systems
    • Mission Deployments & Manifests
    • Navigation & PNT
    • SmallSat
    • Spacecraft & Payload Technology
    View All in Missions & Constellations →
    Starlink in the Crosshairs: How Nations are Utilizing the Constellation for War and National SecurityStarlink in the Crosshairs: How Nations are Utilizing the Constellation for War and National Security
    Europe has ships. SmallSat Europe said it doesn’t have ports.Europe has ships. SmallSat Europe said it doesn’t have ports.
    “Dual-use” is the funding word. It’s also the label operators want off.“Dual-use” is the funding word. It’s also the label operators want off.
    Sovereignty got an answer on Day 3. Two answers, actually, and a commercial veto.Sovereignty got an answer on Day 3. Two answers, actually, and a commercial veto.
  • Business
    • Contracts & Commercial Deals
    • Earnings & Financial Reporting
    • Events & Conferences
    • Funding & Venture Capital
    • Market Forecasts
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Personnel Moves & Appointments
    View All in Business & Finance →
    Major opportunities for 2 GHz over EuropeMajor opportunities for 2 GHz over Europe
    Viasat Selects Atos to Modernize Its Global Digital Workplace OperationsViasat Selects Atos to Modernize Its Global Digital Workplace Operations
    NewSpace Systems Announces European Expansion with New Netherlands SubsidiaryNewSpace Systems Announces European Expansion with New Netherlands Subsidiary
    Two satellites a month, comfortably. Now the supplier tier underneath has to match.Two satellites a month, comfortably. Now the supplier tier underneath has to match.
  • Defense
    • Counterspace & ASAT
    • Defense Budgets & Procurement
    • ISR & Reconnaissance
    • MILSATCOM
    • Missile Warning & Defense
    • National Security Programs
    • Space Domain Awareness
    View All in Military & Defense →
    The pixel war is over. The integration war is what comes next.The pixel war is over. The integration war is what comes next.
    AI just reached production in European space. The trust problem is what comes next.AI just reached production in European space. The trust problem is what comes next.
    The threat is operational. European doctrine hasn’t caught up.The threat is operational. European doctrine hasn’t caught up.
    Procurement is the choke point. Everything else on Day 1 is downstream of that.Procurement is the choke point. Everything else on Day 1 is downstream of that.
  • Gov
    • Export Controls & Compliance
    • International Space Agreements
    • National Space Policy
    • Space Law & Treaties
    • Space Sustainability & Debris Policy
    • Space Traffic Management / Debris Removal
    View All in Government & Regulation →
    Dependency killed the old debate. Sovereignty is the new one, and Europe hasn’t agreed what it means.Dependency killed the old debate. Sovereignty is the new one, and Europe hasn’t agreed what it means.
    Canadian Space Agency Shifts to Agile Procurement and Resets WildFireSat MissionCanadian Space Agency Shifts to Agile Procurement and Resets WildFireSat Mission
    BAE Systems Supplies Sensor Hardware for Space Force Next-Gen Polar SatelliteBAE Systems Supplies Sensor Hardware for Space Force Next-Gen Polar Satellite
    Pentagon Enforces Commercial Satellite Blackout Over Middle East War ZonePentagon Enforces Commercial Satellite Blackout Over Middle East War Zone
  • Launch
    • Launch Providers
    • Launch Schedule & Calendars
    • Launch Sites & Infrastructure
    • Rocket Technology & Vehicles
    View All in Launch →
    Blue Origin Suffers Major Setback as New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Static Fire TestBlue Origin Suffers Major Setback as New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Static Fire Test
    Pioneering High-Pressure Cold Spray Transforms Manufacturing of Complex Copper Rocket NozzlesPioneering High-Pressure Cold Spray Transforms Manufacturing of Complex Copper Rocket Nozzles
    SEOPS Unveils Waymaker Rideshare Program for Low Earth OrbitSEOPS Unveils Waymaker Rideshare Program for Low Earth Orbit
    SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Daniele Dallari, PLD SpaceSmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Daniele Dallari, PLD Space
  • Software
    • Autonomous Ground Operations
    • Data Processing & AI/ML
    • Digital Twins & Modeling
    • Ground Segment & Teleports
    • Mission Planning & Simulation
    • Space Systems Software Engineering
    • Spectrum & Licensing
    View All in Software Automation & Ground Systems →
    The orbital data center thesis just became an economics question.The orbital data center thesis just became an economics question.
    Archangel Lightworks Completes Successful Trials for Miniature Deployable Optical Ground StationArchangel Lightworks Completes Successful Trials for Miniature Deployable Optical Ground Station
    LEO Constellations and Ground Infrastructure Scaling Position Optical Satcom for Multi-Billion-Dollar SurgeLEO Constellations and Ground Infrastructure Scaling Position Optical Satcom for Multi-Billion-Dollar Surge
    Lightpath Expands Dense Northeast Fiber Infrastructure Across 2,400 Macro Cell TowersLightpath Expands Dense Northeast Fiber Infrastructure Across 2,400 Macro Cell Towers
  • Services & Apps
    • Climate & Environmental Monitoring
    • Disaster Response & Security Mapping
    • Earth Observation & Imaging
    • Maritime & Aviation Satcom
    • Satellite Communications
    View All in Services & Applications →
    OmniAccess Launches Unified Multi-Orbit Maritime Connectivity ServiceOmniAccess Launches Unified Multi-Orbit Maritime Connectivity Service
    Viasat’s Next-Gen Cockpit Service Reaches Milestone as Airlines Modernize Communications to Save FuelViasat’s Next-Gen Cockpit Service Reaches Milestone as Airlines Modernize Communications to Save Fuel
    Hybrid Viewing Models Solidify as Streaming Integrates into Premium Sports DistributionHybrid Viewing Models Solidify as Streaming Integrates into Premium Sports Distribution
    Poland Just Made Sovereign SAR the European DefaultPoland Just Made Sovereign SAR the European Default

LCROSS + Four Teams Are Sensing Plume Participation

February 2, 2009

NASA has selected four teams to observe the impact of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS, with the lunar surface during the mission’s search for water ice on the moon.

NASA's Infrared telescope The LCROSS mission is a small companion mission to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in spring 2009. Instruments aboard the satellite are designed to search for evidence of water ice on the moon as the spacecraft collides with a permanently shadowed crater near one of the moon’s poles. The resulting debris plumes are expected to be visible from Earth with telescopes 10-to-12 inches in diameter or larger. These selected observation teams will provide additional data and analysis about permanently shadowed craters to help researchers determine if water exists on the moon and in what form. The LCROSS mission and the Universities Space Research Association, or USRA, of Columbia, Maryland, established specific selection criteria. USRA administered the rigorous selection process. The selected proposals are:
  • Accessing LCROSS Ejecta: Water Vapor and Particle Size and Composition from Keck, Gemini, and the IRFT Telescopes; principle investigator Eliot Young, Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado
  • LCROSS Lunar Plume Observations with the Apache Point Observatory; principle investigator Nancy Chanover, New Mexico State University in Las Cruces
  • Multi-spectral Imaging of the LCROSS Impact; principle investigator Marc Buie, Southwest Research Institute
  • Searching for Polar Water Ice During the LCROSS Impact Using the MMT Observatory; principle investigator Faith Vilas, University of Arizona in Tucson
On the night of the impacts, the LCROSS science team will be in constant contact with professional astronomers to provide live targeting information. This information is crucial to ensuring the astronomers point their large telescopes correctly to capture the exact moment of the impacts and the resulting debris plumes. NASA’s Ames Research Center developed the LCROSS science payload. Ames also is managing the project and conducting mission and science operations. NASA’s Lunar Precursor Robotic Program at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville managed the cooperative agreement with USRA. The Universities Space Research Association, established in 1969 by the National Academy of Sciences, is a private, nonprofit consortium of 102 universities offering advanced degrees in space- and aeronautics-related disciplines.

(NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility. Credit: NASA)

Filed Under: Exploration & Science Missions

Primary Sidebar

Coverage

  • Missions & Constellations
  • Business & Finance
  • Military & Defense
  • Launch
  • Software Automation & Ground Systems
  • Government & Regulation
  • Services & Applications

Most Read Stories

  • SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Merek Chertkow, The Radiation Team
  • AST SpaceMobile Pivots to SpaceX for Mid-June Launch of Three BlueBird Satellites
  • SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Frank M. Salzgeber, Nadir Space Venture
  • SpaceX Debuts Starship V3: Redefining Heavy-Lift Launch Capability
  • U.S. Space Force Awards $3.2 Billion for Space-Based Interceptor Layer

Secondary Sidebar

https://satnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/SITAEL_Sky-053126_1.jpg

Footer

 

Satnews is a leading provider of satellite news, events, publications, research and other satellite industry information in both commercial and military enterprises worldwide.

Stories By Category

  • Business & Finance
  • Government & Regulation
  • Launch
  • Military & Defense
  • Missions & Constellations
  • Services & Applications
  • Software Automation & Ground Systems
  • Spectrum & Licensing
  • Startups & NewSpace Business

About Us

  • Leadership & Editorial Team
  • SatNews History
  • Free Satnews Subscription
  • SatNews Events
  • Magazines

Navigation

  • Latest Stories
  • Magazines
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Cookie & Privacy Policy for Satnews

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
x
Sign up Now (For Free)
Access daily or weekly satellite news updates covering all aspects of the commercial and military satellite industry.
Invalid email address
Notify Me Regarding ( At least one ):
We value your privacy and will not sell or share your email or other information with any other company. You may also unsubscribe at anytime.

Click Here to see our full privacy policy.
Thanks for subscribing!