 |
Lunar Ice Debate's Two NASA Probes
Is there frozen water on the lunar surface? Scientists have debated this question for years. NASA is planning to launch two probes this week to try and find out.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the LCROSS impactor are intended to discover if any ice is present in places like deep craters at the moon's poles. These craters have received no direct sunlight for at least 2 billion years.
LCROSS will crash two probes into the moon, hoping to produce evidence of hydrogen locked away in the moon's North Pole. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will map the moon from orbit and work with other ground and space-based assets to scan the LCROSS impacts.
Science fiction fans have been rooting for the possibility of ice right along with scientists. In Robert Heinlein's 1966 novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, ice mining is a perfectly respectable trade.
"That's okay, still ice in the Rock and a miner expects to sound for it. But Authority pays same price for ice now as thirty years ago. And that's not okay..."
Still, finding water ice on the moon is far preferable to shipping it from Earth. Anthony Colaprete, principal investigator on NASA's LCROSS, short for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, estimates the cost of shipping a gallon of water merely to Low Earth Orbit at about $100,000.
One shy little fellow with the bloodshot eyes of an old-time drillman stood up. "I'm an ice miner," he said. "Learned my trade doing time for Warden like most of you. I've been on my own thirty years and done okay... I should say I did do okay... because today you have to listen farther out or deeper down to find ice."
Read more details about the lunar ice missions at Space.com. Also, fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey will enjoy watching this animation of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and LCROSS combined mission.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 6/17/2009)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 1 )
Related News Stories - (" Space Tech ")
Finding A Habitable Planet
The perfect book for those of us who would like to go 'looking for our own piece of real estate.' As RAH once said.
NASA's Reconfigurable Space Suit
110 years after the basic idea is described, NASA is still working out the design. Now, they're reconfigurable and plug-n-play.
WeCU Mind-Reading Scanners For Airports
Which does more of a number on your privacy - a full body scanner that leaves nothing to the imagination, or a mind-reading machine?
'Space Diver' To Leap From 121K Feet
120,000 feet is not quite as high as sf movies depict, but when done in reality, will be quite high enough.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
Put MercuryHouseOne Anywhere
Perhaps looking out through the spray of Victoria Falls.
Computational Wood: Grow Circuits In Living Trees
Just tap into the information tree.
SIRI Virtual Assistant Like Pohl's Joymaker
Man Forrester! Your joymaker is ready.
Liquid Glass Universal Spray-On Protectant
Also used to protect galactic way stations.
WIND Wearable Robot Controller
Robot wirelessly sense, robot do.
Gesture Cube Touch-Free Input
Just think of the gestures you'll use!
IMPASS Robot 'Smart Wheel' Video
I love it when good robot research comes together.
Predator, Prey Robots Evolve
Humanity must make a choice about robot evolution.
Mind-Control Lights At Vancouver Olympics
Bringing The Game to the Olympic Games.
PALRO Companion Robot
Who's your favorite companion robot?
Wasabi Smoke Alarm Now Available
It's an odalarm!
Spyder Olympic GS Suit With d3o
An impact suit made with a shear thickening material.
First Transistor That Mimics Brain Synapse
The Nexus Six phone will need a Nexus-6 brain.
Legged Squad Support System Monster BigDog Robot
A robotic pack mule for soldiers.
Implantable Energy-Harvesting Rubber Sheets
Take a deep breath, and power up that cell phone!
Bose Ride System Smooths Your Ride
Ride the spaceways - uh, roads - in comfort.
