# Presentation: 713836

## LCROSS Site Selection Workshop

**Introduction to Workshop and Overview of Process**
**Dr. Jennifer L. Heldmann**
**NASA Ames Research Center / SETI Institute**

## Purpose and Scope

- The primary objective of the LCROSS mission is to help advance the Vision for Space Exploration by investigating the presence of water on the Moon.

- LCROSS:
- 1) is a co-manifested payload launching with LRO in October 2008.
- 2) will use the impact of its upper stage launch vehicle to enable a monitoring spacecraft following closely behind to study the composition of lunar regolith in a permanently shadowed region.
- 3) will produce an ejecta cloud to be imaged and studied in detail spectroscopically in order to directly measure the concentration of water and to characterize other physical and compositional properties of permanently shadowed lunar regolith.

## Target Selection

**LCROSS Targeting Criteria:**
- The LCROSS targeting requirement [which flows down from the Level 2 requirement (owned by LPRP*)] to impact Shackleton, is +/- 10 km, but we anticipate a capability of +/- 5 km given the current lunar geodetic map.
- * LPRP = **Lunar Precursor and Robotic Program**, 	       NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.

## Target Selection

**LCROSS Targeting Criteria:**
- The LCROSS targeting requirement [which flows down from the Level 2 requirement (owned by LPRP)] to impact Shackleton, is +/- 10 km, but we anticipate a capability of +/- 5 km given the current lunar geodetic map.
- The impact shall occur:
- • poleward of 70° latitude at either lunar pole.
- • in a region of permanent shadow
- • in a region on the lunar nearside such that the impact plume is observable to ground-based observatories and Earth-orbiting assets

## Process

- • All members of the scientific community have been invited to present their recommendations for potential LCROSS impact sites.
- • Workshop agenda finalized by Science Organizing Committee:
- _SOC_:
- Dr. Jennifer L. Heldmann (NASA ARC, LCROSS Science Team,
- 	Obs. Campaign Coordinator)
- Dr. Tony Colaprete (NASA ARC, LCROSS PI)
- Dr. Geoffrey Briggs (NASA ARC, LCROSS Deputy PI)
- Dr. Don Korycansky (UC Santa Cruz, LCROSS Science Team)
- Dr. Peter Schultz (Brown Univ., LCROSS Science Team)
- • Each proposed site will be discussed in an open forum (ample opportunity during today’s Workshop for discussion).

## Process

- _LCROSS Site Selection Committee_
- Dr. Peter Schultz (Brown University, LCROSS Project)
- Dr. Ben Bussey (APL, LPRP)
- Dr. Richard Elphic (Los Alamos Nat’l Lab, LP Neutron Expert)
- Dr. David Paige (UCLA, LRO Instrument PI)
- Dr. Jeffrey Moore (NASA ARC, Lunar Science)
- Dr. Christopher McKay (NASA ARC, Constellation Office)

## Process

- • Site Selection Committee (based on inputs from this Workshop) will provide an assessment of the best place(s) to impact.
- 	Site Selection Committee provides list of site(s)
- 	and rationale for each site to the LCROSS Project.
- 	Recommendations are due November 22, 2006.

## Process

- • Site Selection Committee (based on inputs from this Workshop) will provide an assessment of the best place(s) to impact.
- 	Site Selection Committee provides list of site(s)
- 	and rationale for each site to the LCROSS Project.
- 	Recommendations are due November 22, 2006.
- • Then the Project will determine the impact to the Project for the recommended site(s).
- The Project then provides NASA Headquarters and LPRP the candidate site(s) along with the impact to the Project for each site.
- • NASA HQ and LPRP make the final site selection decision.

## Process

- • Baseline impact site (listed in LCROSS Requirements document) is Shackleton Crater.

## Process

- The Site Selection Committee will remain intact to provide further recommendations (if applicable) based on the acquisition of additional lunar data prior to the LCROSS impact.

## Meeting Logistics

- • All presentations in Conference Center Ballroom.
- • Wireless login and password:  See paper inserted behind your nametag.
- • Food and drink on back table in Ballroom - please help yourself!
- • Lunch will be off-site (recommend Castro Street, downtown Mountain View).
- • Afternoon presenters:  Please bring me your presentations sometime during the lunch break and we will load onto our laptop.
- • Meeting ends promptly at 5:00 p.m.

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