Home > Features > Web extras
Web extras
NASA's next Moon mission
To get more bang for our buck, the space agency launches two missions at once.

Ten years ago, NASA's Lunar Prospector detected hydrogen in permanently shadowed craters at the Moon's poles. These readings intrigued scientists who wondered if water-ice existed there. So, in April 2006, NASA scheduled the Lunar CRater Observing and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission to find the answer. NASA selected LCROSS because of its relatively low cost and because it could ride along with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).

Subscriber Only Content
You are not currently logged in. To view this page you must be a subscriber to Astronomy magazine.
Already a subscriber?
Not a subscriber?
Current Issue
Subscribe today and get 12 issues of Astronomy magazine plus these great online subscriber-only benefits:
  • An Interactive Atlas of the Stars
  • Star Dome PLUS
  • Multimedia Gallery
  • The sky this month
  • And much more!
E-mail Address: Password:
Remember me?

Forgot your password » | Login help »

Not a member? Register » | Why join? »

Newsletter Signup

Receive news, sky-event information, observing tips, and more from Astronomy's free weekly e-mail newsletter.

Privacy Policy

Cosmology's Greatest Discoveries
The Milky Way Inside & Out