NASA Kennedy’s Coverage of LCROSS Lunar Impact

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., will provide an interview opportunity and a potentially unique view of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, and Centaur rocket’s impact on the moon Oct. 9.

On Friday, Oct. 9, at approximately 7:30 a.m., the LCROSS spacecraft and Centaur rocket will impact the moon’s southern pole. The collision is designed to send up a plume of debris that may include water ice that will be monitored by various telescopes, including NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

Immediately following the scheduled 10 a.m., Post-Impact News Conference from Ames Research Center, Calif., media are invited to talk with engineers from NASA’s Launch Services Program and United Launch Alliance about the liftoff of the LCROSS mission from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., in June.

The interview opportunity is with Mic Woltman, Vehicle Systems engineer with the Launch Services Program, and Kelles Veneri, East Coast Payload Operations lead engineer with United Launch Alliance.

For the impact itself at 7:30 a.m., three tracking cameras used by Kennedy Space Center to observe space shuttle launches – one infrared and two high-definition – also will be focused on the moon to try to record the plume.

Since it will be after sunrise at Kennedy at the time of impact and depending on atmospheric conditions, there is no guarantee Kennedy’s trackers will be able to record the event, and none of NASA’s scientific research is being based on the effort.

Kennedy’s tracking camera shots will not be sent out on NASA Television live, but will be available live at Kennedy’s news center and then on NASA TV’s Video File feed starting at 12 p.m.

International media accreditation for these events is closed. U.S. reporters without permanent Kennedy credentials must apply for accreditation online by 3 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7 at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

Badges must be picked up before 4 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Kennedy Space Center Badging Office on State Road 405.

For NASA TV Video File downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the LCROSS mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/lcross