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| Lift off for Nasa's lunar probes | Lift off for Nasa's lunar probes |
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| Nasa has successfully launched two spacecraft to the Moon on missions that will pave the way for a return to the lunar surface by US astronauts. | Nasa has successfully launched two spacecraft to the Moon on missions that will pave the way for a return to the lunar surface by US astronauts. |
| LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) and a crater observation mission blasted off from Florida on an Atlas V rocket. | LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) and a crater observation mission blasted off from Florida on an Atlas V rocket. |
| Data gathered by LRO will help mission planners select future landing sites and scout locations for lunar outposts. | Data gathered by LRO will help mission planners select future landing sites and scout locations for lunar outposts. |
| The second mission will send a rocket crashing into the Moon to scour the debris plume for evidence of water ice. | The second mission will send a rocket crashing into the Moon to scour the debris plume for evidence of water ice. |
| The Atlas main launcher, carrying both payloads, roared up from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 2232 BST (1732 local time) - the third and last of three launch opportunities on Thursday. | The Atlas main launcher, carrying both payloads, roared up from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 2232 BST (1732 local time) - the third and last of three launch opportunities on Thursday. |
| Thunderstorms around the launch site prevented a launch of the rocket at the original time of 2212 BST (1712 local time). | Thunderstorms around the launch site prevented a launch of the rocket at the original time of 2212 BST (1712 local time). |
| LRO will enter a low polar orbit around the Moon at an altitude of around 50km (31 miles) - the closest any spacecraft has continually orbited Earth's natural satellite. | LRO will enter a low polar orbit around the Moon at an altitude of around 50km (31 miles) - the closest any spacecraft has continually orbited Earth's natural satellite. |
| It will spend at least one year orbiting the Moon, collecting detailed information about the lunar environment. | It will spend at least one year orbiting the Moon, collecting detailed information about the lunar environment. |
| Comprehensive view | |
| "Together with the international armada of missions that have been flown and are still in orbit, (this mission) will really bring the Moon to a new plateau of understanding," Professor James Head, from Brown University in Rhode Island, US, told BBC News. | "Together with the international armada of missions that have been flown and are still in orbit, (this mission) will really bring the Moon to a new plateau of understanding," Professor James Head, from Brown University in Rhode Island, US, told BBC News. |
| Professor Head is a co-investigator on the spacecraft's laser altimeter experiment. | Professor Head is a co-investigator on the spacecraft's laser altimeter experiment. |
| The spacecraft will map the surface in unprecedented detail and will enhance our understanding of the Moon's topography, mineral composition, temperature ranges and lighting conditions. | |
| The mission will also seek to characterise the Moon's radiation environment, helping mission planners assess the risks posed to astronauts. | |
| "The more we learn about the Moon, the better scientific questions we can pose, and the better locations we can find for future lunar landings for robotic and human explorers," said David Paige, principal investigator for LRO's Diviner science instrument from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). | |
| Data collected by LRO could help in the selection of future landing sites | Data collected by LRO could help in the selection of future landing sites |
| The second mission, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), aims to answer whether there is water on the Moon - either in the form of ice or hydrated minerals. It consists of two elements: a shepherding spacecraft and a Centaur upper stage rocket. | The second mission, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), aims to answer whether there is water on the Moon - either in the form of ice or hydrated minerals. It consists of two elements: a shepherding spacecraft and a Centaur upper stage rocket. |
| After being guided to a permanently shadowed crater at the Moon's south pole by its shepherding spacecraft, the Centaur rocket separates. | After being guided to a permanently shadowed crater at the Moon's south pole by its shepherding spacecraft, the Centaur rocket separates. |
| Hitting the Moon at more than 9,000 km/h (5,600 mph), the 2,200kg Centaur will kick up a huge plume of debris which could rise some 50km (30 miles) above the surface. | Hitting the Moon at more than 9,000 km/h (5,600 mph), the 2,200kg Centaur will kick up a huge plume of debris which could rise some 50km (30 miles) above the surface. |
| It is expected to loft some 250 metric tonnes of material above the lunar surface. | It is expected to loft some 250 metric tonnes of material above the lunar surface. |
| Four minutes after impact, the shepherding spacecraft follows a very similar path to the rocket, descending through the plume. | Four minutes after impact, the shepherding spacecraft follows a very similar path to the rocket, descending through the plume. |
| It will use its instruments to analyse the material, searching for water ice and vapour, hydrocarbons and hydrated materials. | It will use its instruments to analyse the material, searching for water ice and vapour, hydrocarbons and hydrated materials. |
| The spacecraft will collect data continuously until it too slams into the lunar surface, creating a second plume. | The spacecraft will collect data continuously until it too slams into the lunar surface, creating a second plume. |
| The impacts will be watched closely by astronomers using ground-based telescopes. | The impacts will be watched closely by astronomers using ground-based telescopes. |
| Any natural reserves of water will figure prominently in planning for future manned lunar bases. It can be split into hydrogen for rocket fuel and oxygen for breathing and makes an excellent shield against radiation. | Any natural reserves of water will figure prominently in planning for future manned lunar bases. It can be split into hydrogen for rocket fuel and oxygen for breathing and makes an excellent shield against radiation. |
| The US space agency hopes to send astronauts back to the Moon by 2020 for the first manned visit since 1972. | The US space agency hopes to send astronauts back to the Moon by 2020 for the first manned visit since 1972. |
| However, the Obama administration has ordered a sweeping independent review of Nasa's manned spaceflight strategy, which could potentially set the agency on a different course. | However, the Obama administration has ordered a sweeping independent review of Nasa's manned spaceflight strategy, which could potentially set the agency on a different course. |
| The first public hearing of the Review of US Human Space Flight Plans Committee was held at the Carnegie Institute in Washington DC on Wednesday. |