The Buzz: Bombing the Moon

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Early Friday morning, NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, collided with the Moon at a speed of 5,600 miles per hour, in hopes that debris stirred up by the impact would provide valuable data about how much water might be hidden in craters near the lunar poles. While the plume of debris did not rise high enough to be visible to hopeful observers watching through telescopes, NASA scientists were able to collect a wealth of non-visual data. When the analysis of the data is complete, it could help them to determine whether enough water is present to sustain lunar bases, or whether resources would be better directed elsewhere. The impact left a 65-foot wide and 13-foot deep hole on the Moon's already cratered surface.

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