Hitch-hiking to the

Moon: LCROSS
Model, a novel space
mission and
approach
A view from the bench by
Dr. Kimberly Ennico
NASA Ames Research Center
Kimberly.Ennico@nasa.gov
 2009 marks the 400th anniversary of
astronomy using a telescope

1609 1609

Composite map derived from Thomas Harriot's Galilei, Galileo. Sidereus nuncius (1610)
Moon Drawings from 1609 and 1610. Moon as it appeared to Galileo on Dec. 3, 1609,
Galileo Project, http://galileo.rice.edu/ in Padua, Italy.
http://www.pacifier.com/~tpope/Moon_Page.htm
Part I: Mission Overview
Part II: “LCROSS Approach”
Part III: Participatory Exploration
Part I: Mission Overview
 LCROSS Background
Lunar Poles Hydrogen Abundance

Feldman, W.C. et al. Science 281, 1496-1500 (1998)

Map courtesy of D. Lawrence, Los Alamos National Laboratory.
LCROSS will provide the most unambiguous data
set to date as to the nature of lunar hydrogen
 LCROSS Background (cont.)

! Caution: low statistics

LP (1998) LEND (2009) LEND (2009)
(40km) (smoothed to 90km) (smoothed to 30km)

Feldman, et al. (1998) http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/south_pole.html

LCROSS will provide the most

unambiguous data set to date as
to the nature of lunar hydrogen
 The LCROSS Experiment
Topography & Permanent Shadowed Regions

Margot, J.L. et al. Science 284,1658-1660 (1999)

LCROSS will perform the first

“in-situ” study of a PSR
The LCROSS Experiment

Ejecta Curtain

Peter Schultz
 The Impact -- How Does it Compare?

400
LCROSS
SMART-1 LCROSS
350
Ejecta Mass (Metric Tones)

LP
300 LCROSS S-S/C

250

200 LCROSS S-S/C

150

100
SMART-1 (hill side impact)
Kaguya
50

0
0 20 40 60 80
Impact Angle (degrees)
SMART-1 (grazing impact) LP
 Lunar Impacts happen all the time...

Ref: Montañés-Rodríguez, Pallé, & Goode, AJ, 134, 1145-1149 (2007)

NASA Marshall Lunar Impact Monitoring Program http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/lunar/
 The LCROSS Mission Concept
1. Launched stacked with LRO 2. After Lunar swing-by, enter a 4
June 18, 2009 month cruise around Earth

3. October 9, 4. S-S/C observes

2009, target the impact, ejecta
Centaur Upper cloud and
Stage and resulting crater,
position S-S/C making
to fly 4 minutes measurements
behind until impacting
itself
 Impact:
Fri Oct 9, 2009
11:31:30 UTC*
4:31:30* am PDT

Today, Sep 23, DOY 266, Mission Day 97. 15 days to Impact!
 Semi-Finalists

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/candidate_craters_story.html
 Cabeus A/Cabeus*
Lunar Prospector Data/Pixon Recovery
LRO’s LEND Early South Pole Data Set
(Sept 2009)

Purple/Blue -- highest water equivalent hydrogen Purple/Blue -- largest neutron depletions

Superimposed on Clementine topography Contours are areas of permanent shadow

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/LCROSS_crater.html
 Topography

LRO’s LOLA Altimetry: red: high, blue: low

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/south_pole.html
NMSU/MSFC Tortugas Observatory 24” 0.9-1.7um InGaAs Camera / Aug 11 07:25UTC
Part II: “LCROSS Approach”
Creativity Loves Constraints
 Secondary Payload Approach

LCROSS literally
has hitched a ride to
the moon!

LCROSS was required to meet a 28 month, ATP to launch, schedule, and

to have minimal impact to LRO development and launch.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/multimedia/gallery/
 Secondary Payload Approach

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/multimedia/gallery/
 Innovative Approach
Re-use of upper-
Centaur stage as the
2300kg impactor

Turn the ESPA ring into

the actual spacecraft
mechanical structure

Spare Tracking
Data Relay
System satellite
propellant tank Petal-like panels fold up and
down during I&T,eased access
COTS
COTS-to-Flight Rapid Test Program
 Leveraging Technology

Shares the same build-to-print Propulsion System uses all

avionics suite as LRO commercially available parts

Star Tracker & IRU & ACS FSW similar to

LRO’s arrangement
NG Flight Software
Heritage, using 10 year
old code, just updated

http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/spacecraft.htm
 Risk Management/Peer Reviews

NPR 7123.1
Fairing Separation Reveals LCROSS
Spacecraft
Mission Day 5
 Mission Day 44

Full Earth at
360,000km
 Mission Day 60

Crescent Earth at 520,000km. Crescent Moon at 881,000 km.

 Mission Day 92

NIR1 (1.4-1.7um) NIR2 (0.9-1.7um) MIR1 (6.0-10um) MIR2 (6.0-13.5um)

Quarter-Earth at STK Boresight Map

560,000 km
Oct 8th 6:50pm PDT
Oct 9th 3:40am-4:30am PDT
Oct 9th 3:40am-4:30am PDT
Part III: Participatory Exploration
Partners in Science
Where’s LCROSS?
Sky-map created using xephem-3.7.3 over Mountain View, CA
Chose 05:00 UTC =10:00pm PDT previous day
 Where’s LCROSS?

LCROSS was ~464,000km (lunar distance) from Earth.

Seen as a 15th mag object.
 Where’s LCROSS?

http://www.lewislearning.org/
 Coordinating Observations

A Coordinated Professional Observation Campaign using Earth, Earth-Orbit

and LRO has been part of the mission from the start.
Coordinating Observations
 Coordinating Observations

Backyard astronomer observations are coordinated through the

LCROSS Google Group
http://groups.google.com/group/lcross_observation?hl=en
 Coordinating Observations

Repository for images from amateur astronomers

http://apps.nasa.gov/lcross/
Where will you be October 9th
430am?
 I’ll be in the Science Operations Center (SOC)
at NASA Ames

This was the scene of Lunar Swingby, June 23, ~2:30am.

 October 9th, 430am PDT?

Earth as viewed from Lunar South Pole. Area Moon Phase, Waning Gibbous,
of visibility at time of impact is west of red line. illuminated fraction 68%
Graphic Source: Project Pluto GUIDE 8.0
 LCROSS Viewing Public Events

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/impact/event_index.html
Also NASA TV will have live feed 3:30-5:00 am PDT Oct 9th
 Come watch us!

LCROSS will be a smashing success !

http://www.nasa.gov/lcross
 Thank you! Here’s more links!

Mission Site: http://www.nasa.gov/lcross

Project Site: http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov
Observing Tips:
http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/observation/amateur.htm
http://apps.nasa.gov/lcross/about/
Google Group:
http://groups.google.com/group/lcross_observation/
NASA TV site real-time mission info during impact:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LCROSS_NASA
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ Search on: LCROSS
Lunar Impactor Mission