Probe Will Be Crashed Into Moon’s Surface in Search for Water

NASA’s Lunar Prospector, which has been surveying the surface of the moon since its launch in January 1998, will be crashed into the south pole of the moon early Saturday in an effort to determine whether there is a significant quantity of water at the pole.

Some radar images have suggested the presence of subsurface water, which will be essential for the eventual colonization of the moon, but other data have been equivocal.

If successful, the crash could send up as much as 40 pounds of water in a plume that could be detected by Earth telescopes, as well as the Hubble Space Telescope. Spectrographic analysis will reveal whether water is present in the debris. Further information is available at https://lunar.arc.nasa.gov.

--Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II