NASA's LCROSS probe beamed this view of the moon's Mendeleev region, an ancient impact basin with relatively uniform floor deposits on the far side, during afirst flyby on June, 23, 2009. The probe's position at the time of the image is also shown. The probe will ultimately crash into the lunar surface to hunt for water ice on Oct. 9, 2009. Credit: NASA
A new NASA probe beamed down live images of the moon early Tuesday to reveal a stark surface littered with craters, as it flew toward a planned crash at the lunar south pole later this year. The $79 million Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, launched toward the moon on June 18 and began sending images today at 8:20 a.m. EDT (1220 GMT). LCROSS and an attached empty Centaur rocket stage swooped down near the lunar south pole and continued north along the far side of the moon. The spacecraft is getting into position to crash down on the surface on Oct. 9.
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