Mission Update
Text Size
More Images from the Preliminary Impact Results
11.13.09
Il satellite Lcross è stato lanciato il 18 giugno 2009, insieme al Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Dopo aver orbitato per 113 giorni e quasi 9 milioni di chilometri, il satellite ha sparato il razzo Centaur contro la superficie lunare. Il satellite ha raccolto quattro minuti di dati sugli effetti dell'impatto prima di schiantarsi esso stesso sulla Luna. (FZ 14.11.09)
 | Left: The visible camera image showing the
ejecta plume at about 20 seconds after impact. The field of view of the
spectrometers are indicated by the red circle.
Credit: NASA Click image for full resolution. |
 | Left: The view of the floor of Cabeus as
seen through the LCROSS near-infrared camera. The fresh crater made by
the Centaur impact is indicated.
Credit: NASA Click image for full resolution. |
 | Left: A zoom-in of the fresh Centaur impact as seen in the LCROSS near-infrared camera.
Credit: NASA Click image for full resolution. |
 | Left: All LCROSS instruments worked during
descent with each one returning data at critical times. Shown here are
the near-infrared downward viewing spectrometer and ultraviolet
/visible spectrometer.
Credit: NASA Click image for full resolution. |
 | Left: Data from the down-looking
near-infrared spectrometer. The vertical hashing on each data point
(black dots) are error bars. The troughs and dips are the result of
various compounds absorbing NIR light. These data are the average of
spectra taken between 20 to 60 seconds after impact.
Credit: NASA Click image for full resolution. |
 | Left: Data from the down-looking
near-infrared spectrometer. The red curve shows how the spectra would
look for a "grey" or "colorless" warm (230 C) dust cloud. The smooth
curve shows no compounds being absorbed.
Credit: NASA Click image for full resolution. |
 | Left: Data from the down-looking
near-infrared spectrometer with a model that contains more compounds. A
continued effort going forward will be to uniquely identify the various
compounds responsible for the spectral features. Credit: NASA Click image for full resolution. Immagine locale |
 | Left: The ratio of pre- to post-impact
ultraviolet/visible light data. Each line shows a individual ratio of
scans starting with earlier times (pre-impact) at the bottom, and later
times, moving up. The general increase over time is the result of
sunlight reflecting off dust grains in the ejecta cloud. The sharp
vertical features which appear shortly after impact, indicated in the
shaded blue area, are the emission lines associated with OH. The eight,
or strength, of these lines are related to the amount of OH, and hence
water, present in sunlight.
Credit: NASA Click image for full resolution. |
 | Left: The OH emission lines strength
plotted as a function of time. Before impact the line is flat (no OH).
After impact the line strength grows and remains above the pre-impact
baseline for several minutes.
Credit: NASA Click image for full resolution. |