Live From the Moon: NASA Probe Beams Home New Lunar Views This
story was updated at 4:50 p.m. ET. 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. "The successful
completion of the LCROSS swingby proves the science instruments
are functioning as expected. It is a testament to the hard work
and dedication of the entire team," said Dan Andrews, LCROSS
project manager at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field,
Calif. "We are elated at the results from the maneuver and
eagerly antici