Bibcode
Barker, E. S.; Allende Prieto, C.; Farnham, T. L.; Goldstein, D. B.; Nerem, R. S.; Austin, J. V.; Shim, J. Y.; Storrs, A. B.; Stern, S. A.; Binder, A. B.; Bida, T.; Morgan, T.; Larson, S. M.; Sprague, A. L.; Hunten, D. M.; Hill, R. E.; Kozlowski, R. W. H.; Ludwig, B.; Rubinson, S.; Baumgardner, J.; Mendillo, M.; Wilson, J.; Wroten, J.; Verani, S.; Benn, C. R.; Garcia Lopez, R. J.; Gates, E.; Talent, D. L.; Alday, A.; Pozar, A.; Witte, D.; Africano, B.; Villanneva, B.; Anderson, R.; Kervin, P.; Rossano, G. S.; Walker, R. W.; Hoss, S.; Anderson, C. M.; Offutt, W.; Lunar Prospector Team
Bibliographical reference
American Astronomical Society, DPS Meeting #31, late abstracts, #59.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 31, p. 1583
Advertised on:
12
1999
Citations
2
Refereed citations
2
Description
On July 31, 1999 the Lunar Prospector (LP) spacecraft was commanded to
deorbit and thus impact into the floor of a permanently shadowed crater
at -88.7S, 42E (Goldstein, et al. 1999, GRL 26, pp1653-1656 and paper
38.06 at this conference). Coordinated observational program
(spectroscopy and imaging) were carried out at HST, SWAS, Keck,
McDonald, WIRO, Mt.Lemmon, Mt. Bigelow, McMath-Pierce, WIYN, Lick, IRTF,
JCMT, AMOS, AEOS, WHT, OVRO, Palomar, WBO. The LP navigation team is
confident the impact occurred as predicted, but observational teams did
not detect any evidence of the impact. No debris or dust plumes were
detected in the visible or IR. No water vapor, OH, C2 or HCN
molecular emissions were detected. Scattered light from the bright lunar
limb limited the accuracy and detectability of several investigations.
Upper limits for the production of OH will be presented. Four different
observing groups saw no change in the Na abundance. We are grateful to
observatory directors for target of opportunity time, to observatory
staffs for critical observing support, and for funding support from the
Planetary Astronomy program (NASA HQ), NASA grant NAG5-8704, the
Research Corp. and GO-08539.01-97A from STScI.