Call for Lunar Images Supporting NASA's LCROSS Mission

Hi Old Town Astronomers - I thought you all would find this interesting! Jane NASA Astronomer Diane Wooden is about to begin an observing session using the IRTF at Mauna Kea in support of next year's LCROSS lunar impactor mission. The phase and libration this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (October 8-10) could be a good match for those of one of our favored impact scenarios next year. This will provide an opportunity for detailed planning and observations of potential target lunar terrain. Diane would like to supplement her observations with images of the lunar south polar region acquired with a range of amateur telescopes over the same evenings. Diane's observations will be in the IR, and amateur white-light observations could provide valuable additional data for these lighting conditions. Faustini crater, one of the potential impact sites will be on the limb on the night of Oct 10 UT (Oct 9 PDT). Comparison of IRTF and amateur observations now will also help determine how amateur observations can best be used during the impact and provide valuable information to participating amateurs in planning their imaging procedures for next year. Images from telescopes of all sizes are welcome. If you are able to participate and acquire images during these selected evenings, please send the following information to me at Brian.H.Day(a)nasa.gov: Name of observer Email address of observer Aperture of telescope Focal length of telescope Type of camera used Camera detector dimensions Exposure information Time and date of exposure Location from which exposure was taken Please do not send your actual image file along with this information! Once I receive the above information from you, I will contact you and work out a way to receive your file in a way that will not overwhelm our mail server here. A map of the extreme south polar region of the Moon can be found at: http://www.lpod.org/?m=20070512 Note that Faustini is labeled as R3 on these maps (next to the crater Amundsen). The crater Cabaeus is also of interest as a possible impact site. Three additional images identifying south polar features are included in this message. NASA's LCROSS mission is scheduled to fly in 2009. It is co-manifested with LRO; both missions will launch together aboard an Atlas V out of Cape Canaveral, Fla. LCROSS will use the Centaur upper stage of the launch vehicle as a kinetic impactor directed at 2.5 km/s into one of the permanently-shadowed craters at the Moon's pole. The LCROSS spacecraft will fly directly through the resulting plume of debris, analyzing it for signs of water ice that may have accumulated within the crater. The debris plume will also be studied by space-based assets (such as LRO, and HST), ground-based observatories, and amateur telescopes. Researchers believe that the LCROSS impact plume may well be observable in amateur telescopes, and that amateurs may be able to take on a valuable role in this exciting mission. Please share this information with your colleagues. I am looking forward to working with you as members of the amateur community become key participants in the LCROSS mission. --------- Any opinions expressed in this message are strictly my own and do not necessarily reflect those of NASA, its contracting agencies, or any other life form in the Universe. Please note my new email address Brian H. Day AETT Technical Lead LCROSS E/PO Lead Planners Collaborative Mailstop 226-4 NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000 (650) 604-2605 Brian.H.Day(a)nasa.gov -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA 34.2048N 118.1732W, 637.0 feet http://www.whiteoaks.com Old Town Astronomers: http://www.otastro.org