+ Search Quest Lunar Prospector Mission The Lunar Prospector
mission was a tremendous success. Following a nearly flawless
launch, a four-day journey to the Moon, and entry into lunar
orbit, the tiny spin-stabilized spacecraft successfully sent
valuable data back to Earth. Carrying five scientific
instruments, Lunar Prospector was designed to map the Moon’s
surface composition and possible deposits of polar ice, measure
magnetic and gravity fields, and study lunar outgassing events.
On March 5th, 1998, Lunar Prospector captured the public’s
imagination by announcing the discovery of a signal for water
ice at both of the lunar poles. The neutron spectrometer
instrument onboard Lunar Prospector detected hydrogen, which is
assumed to be in the form of water. The data indicated that a
large quantity of water ice, possibly as much as 300 million
metric tons, was mixed into the regolith at each pole. This was
the first direct evidence of the presence of water ice at the
Moon's frigid poles. The mission ended on Jul