LCROSS Observation Campaign
NASAs Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite Project (LCROSS) is designed to verify the presence or absence of water ice on the Moon. The mission is directly aligned with Sub-goal 3C of NASAs Strategic Plan Advancing Scientific Knowledge of the Solar System, Searching for Evidence of Life, and Preparing for Human Exploration. From the standpoint of science, measurements that definitively show either the presence or absence of water ice will provide scientific knowledge of the Solar System and ongoing processes. From the standpoint of Human Exploration, water ice in quantity on the Moon would open the design space for missions to the Moon and beyond by bringing in the potential for in-situ resource utilization for meeting water requirements, oxygen generation, and the production of rocket fuel. Further, LCROSS results will directly address two of the National Research Council Decadal Surveys Twelve Key Scientific Questions that Underpin the Overall Exploration Strategy. These are What is the history of volatile compounds, especially water, across the Solar System? and What global mechanisms affect the evolution of volatiles on planetary bodies?
