The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) will impact the moon's South Pole to search for water ice beneath its permanently-shadowed craters.  NASA's next mission to the moon won't involve astronauts or merely orbit its surface.  Prior to a human return to the moon, a mission is now underway to build a satellite that will impact the moon's South Pole to search for water ice beneath its permanently-shadowed craters.  If water ice could be found in sufficient quantities, the reserves could be converted to oxygen, drinkable water or even rocket fuel, making a lunar base for returning astronauts possible.

Working with NASA Ames Research Center, Northrop Grumman Space Technology is building and integrating the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. 

LCROSS consists of two components:  The upper stage 4,400-pound rocket booster and a smaller shepherding spacecraft.  On approach to the moon, the shepherding spacecraft will position the upper stage for a precise impact, then separate and perform a braking maneuver to observe at close range the upper stage's impact into the moon.  The blow, anticipated to gouge a crater 16 feet deep and one-third the size of a football field, will send a 1,000-metric ion plume as high as 35 to 40 miles.  Cameras and sensors will monitor LCROSS' debris plume.  The shepherding spacecraft will then fly through it, observing and characterizing the plume to assess for the presence of water ice or vapor.

Minutes after the first impact, the shepherding spacecraft will crash into the moon as well, creating a second opportunity at a different site to study the lunar soil through the sensors of other orbiting and ground-based telescopes.