NASA to Announce Selection of Target Crater for Lunar Impact ofLCROSS Spacecraft

Sept. 8, 2009

Grey Hautaluoma/Ashley Edwards
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0668/1756
,

Jonas Dino
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
650-604-5612


MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-171

NASA SELECTS TARGET CRATER FOR LUNAR IMPACT OF LCROSS SPACECRAFT

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA has identified the spot where it will
search for water on the moon. Reporters are invited to attend the
announcement of the target location where the Lunar Crater
Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and its spent Centaur
rocket will hit in October. The briefing will take place at 10 a.m.
PDT, Friday, Sept. 11, in the main auditorium, Building N201, of
NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. The event will
be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's Web site.

The selected crater is an optimal target for evaluating if water ice
exists at the lunar south pole. Briefing participants are Daniel
Andrews, LCROSS project manager, Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS principal
investigator, and Jennifer Heldmann, lead for the LCROSS observation
campaign.

Andrews will provide an update about the health of the spacecraft and
mission activities. Colaprete will announce the target crater and
explain the criteria and selection process. Heldmann will discuss the
LCROSS observation campaign in which an international cadre of
professional and amateur astronomers will view the impacts at 4:30
a.m. on Oct. 9.

To reach Ames, take U.S. Highway 101 to the Moffett Field/NASA
Parkway
exit and drive east on Moffett Field Boulevard toward the main gate.
News media will be escorted from the visitor badge office parking lot
to the main auditorium at 9:45 a.m. Journalists seeking telephone
access should contact Jonas Dino at 650-604-5612 or
.

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the LCROSS mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/lcross


-end-