Liveblogging the Lunar Impact

The big machines are going to whack into the moon in a few minutes.

They just said "Ten minutes to impact. Fight, are you go?" (go) "Payload, are you go?" (go) "Command, are you go?" (go) "Somebodyelse I can't remember are you go?" (go).

We are seeing images being beamed back from the moon.

There is a problem with the transmission rate of the data which will force them to make a last minute adjustment of the resolution of some of the images the space craft will be sending back.

A critical instrument has been checked out and it seems to work: This is an instrument that will observe the flash of impact.

The mission is dedicated to Wlater Cronkite, by the way.

FIVE MINUTES to centaur impact, they are showing this ever enlargenting image with a little white arrow onit where the impact is hgoing to happen. This isinterlaced wiht a FC IR image (I think). And, ther is an image of the cenatur craft shot from the LCROSS out ahead of it. And an image of the two dots moving closer and closer to the moon, which looks like an image from earth but it could be from some satellite.

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Getting closer, closer, closer ... They'll be able to put these refreshed GIF's (which is what they look like now) into a pretty nice youtube video.

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TWO MINUTES

Wait, wait, is that a little vilage of moon people I see there?

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Sixty seconds out ... Flash sequence starts. They are changing the NRI to OPR9 ... Is that MRI or NRI????? OH crap, November November?... Whas that NRI? To OPR0??

Whatever whatever!!!!

IMACT IMPACT...

We don't see anything yet. I don't see anything het. We are getting closer to the crater
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They are making very last second adjustments to sampling rates for the photos. I still don't see anything and the craft is getting closer and closer to its own impact.

I see no plume. Isn't there supposed to be a pllume?

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Wow, I don't think it worked. We are about to hit themoon and there is no plume. Noting looks different...

Oh holy crap, the signal just disappeared and everyone is freaking out!

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True panic as the visulal is lost and they are having trouble communicating.

Only IR signal availbe and it is not too good.

Imact is about to happen, iI see the surface.

They are getting a thermal signature.

I think it's hit, LOS (impact) the second aircraft hit the moon,.

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This is a bit different than other missions because there is not that ambiguity about whether or not they can keep the intrumetns working a little longer, collect a littele more data, etc...All the instruments are mushed!

The mission analysits all look really worried I think something did screw up big time at the end. They are already starting to develop their excuses...

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They are replaying the mission and discussing it but the scientists have all gone silent to do their jobs. There will be no new information for a couple of hours probably.