Although the newsgroup is in close-down mode, I wanted to leave one
more question for the LCROSS team. Are there any early results from
the follow-up ground-based OH lunar exosphere monitoring? Are
elevated levels of OH being detected above the dark limb near the
site? Good job. Best wishes. Thanks for an entertaining and
educational experiment. - Kurt
I've been a lurker - but, this question strikes to the heart of what HST had hoped to observe.
We saw no OH- nor CO Cameron bands ... nothing. The STIS pre-impact data (this was our calibration orbit) and the post-impact data show no obvious exosphere. The data requires further analysis, but nothing was obvious.
Another follow-up STIS observation executed today (and, I'd expect the same result).
-----Original Message-----
From: "canopu...@yahoo.com" <canopu...@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:58:31 To: LCROSS_Observation<lcross_observation@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [LCROSS_OBS: 1250] Questions for the LCROSS Scientists
Although the newsgroup is in close-down mode, I wanted to leave one
more question for the LCROSS team. Are there any early results from
the follow-up ground-based OH lunar exosphere monitoring? Are
elevated levels of OH being detected above the dark limb near the
site? Good job. Best wishes. Thanks for an entertaining and
educational experiment. - Kurt
Thanks for the preliminary results update, Rob. So, no indication of
a developing OH exosphere from Hubble. For other lurkers, I
understand Rob is associated with the Hubble Space Telescope’s
Education and Public Outreach Office. Clear Skies - Kurt
> I've been a lurker - but, this question strikes to the heart of what HST had hoped to observe.
> We saw no OH- nor CO Cameron bands ... nothing. The STIS pre-impact data (this was our calibration orbit) and the post-impact data show no obvious exosphere. The data requires further analysis, but nothing was obvious.
> Another follow-up STIS observation executed today (and, I'd expect the same result).
> Rob Landis
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "canopu...@yahoo.com" <canopu...@yahoo.com>
> Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:58:31
> To: LCROSS_Observation<lcross_observation@googlegroups.com>
> Subject: [LCROSS_OBS: 1250] Questions for the LCROSS Scientists
> Although the newsgroup is in close-down mode, I wanted to leave one
> more question for the LCROSS team. Are there any early results from
> the follow-up ground-based OH lunar exosphere monitoring? Are
> elevated levels of OH being detected above the dark limb near the
> site? Good job. Best wishes. Thanks for an entertaining and
> educational experiment. - Kurt- Hide quoted text -
re: "Although the newsgroup is in close-down mode" why does this have to
close down, just when the analysis is beginning? seems like a good place to
connect with what's happening...
On Sat, Oct 10, 2009 at 5:58 PM, canopu...@yahoo.com <canopu...@yahoo.com>wrote:
> Although the newsgroup is in close-down mode, I wanted to leave one
> more question for the LCROSS team. Are there any early results from
> the follow-up ground-based OH lunar exosphere monitoring? Are
> elevated levels of OH being detected above the dark limb near the
> site? Good job. Best wishes. Thanks for an entertaining and
> educational experiment. - Kurt
Actually, in the interest of full(er) disclosure - I was at STScI from 1992-97. Worked in the technical end (helping astronomers who had been awarded time on HST with their programs) and did a short stint in the public outreach group.
Skipping to the present, I now work for NASA (Ames Research Ctr) and on extended TDY to JSC in the Lunar Surface Systems Project. A small group of us got DD time on HST for the impact event.
The HST data is (or shortly will be) in the public archive. For reference, this was HST program 11806. There might be some hint of something in yesterday's STIS data -- but I tend to doubt it. Alex Storrs is science point-of-contact for the HST work.
While I'm disappointed we didn't see something more spectacular - this is how science works. I also think some of this was overhyped. (For P/SL-9, we deliberately under-'hyped' it as we didn't know what we might see...but, were prepared for event. As everyone here knows - SL-9 was incredibly exciting as events unfolded at Jupiter.)
Hope this helps give context as to what HST observed. Data is not at all photogenic as we went after the science - in search of OH in the exosphere.
Rob Landis
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
-----Original Message-----
From: canopus56 <canopu...@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:00:22 To: LCROSS_Observation<lcross_observation@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [LCROSS_OBS: 1253] Re: Questions for the LCROSS Scientists
Thanks for the preliminary results update, Rob. So, no indication of
a developing OH exosphere from Hubble. For other lurkers, I
understand Rob is associated with the Hubble Space Telescope’s
Education and Public Outreach Office. Clear Skies - Kurt
On Oct 10, 7:56 pm, rob.r.lan...@gmail.com wrote:
> I've been a lurker - but, this question strikes to the heart of what HST had hoped to observe.
> We saw no OH- nor CO Cameron bands ... nothing. The STIS pre-impact data (this was our calibration orbit) and the post-impact data show no obvious exosphere. The data requires further analysis, but nothing was obvious.
> Another follow-up STIS observation executed today (and, I'd expect the same result).
> Rob Landis
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "canopu...@yahoo.com" <canopu...@yahoo.com>
> Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:58:31
> To: LCROSS_Observation<lcross_observation@googlegroups.com>
> Subject: [LCROSS_OBS: 1250] Questions for the LCROSS Scientists
> Although the newsgroup is in close-down mode, I wanted to leave one
> more question for the LCROSS team. Are there any early results from
> the follow-up ground-based OH lunar exosphere monitoring? Are
> elevated levels of OH being detected above the dark limb near the
> site? Good job. Best wishes. Thanks for an entertaining and
> educational experiment. - Kurt- Hide quoted text -
Thanks for the link to Palomar... I noticed a slight shift in the
perspective during the Palomar video, which I presume is the moon's libation
(slide the video's frame timeline quickly from left to right and you can see
the moon rotate).
I'm just wondering if anyone else sees a stereo effect with this? I've
spent so much time staring at this section of the moon recently, its hard to
know what's what any more.
On Sun, Oct 11, 2009 at 10:03 AM, <rob.r.lan...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Actually, in the interest of full(er) disclosure - I was at STScI from
> 1992-97. Worked in the technical end (helping astronomers who had been
> awarded time on HST with their programs) and did a short stint in the public
> outreach group.
> Skipping to the present, I now work for NASA (Ames Research Ctr) and on
> extended TDY to JSC in the Lunar Surface Systems Project. A small group of
> us got DD time on HST for the impact event.
> The HST data is (or shortly will be) in the public archive. For reference,
> this was HST program 11806. There might be some hint of something in
> yesterday's STIS data -- but I tend to doubt it. Alex Storrs is science
> point-of-contact for the HST work.
> While I'm disappointed we didn't see something more spectacular - this is
> how science works. I also think some of this was overhyped. (For P/SL-9,
> we deliberately under-'hyped' it as we didn't know what we might see...but,
> were prepared for event. As everyone here knows - SL-9 was incredibly
> exciting as events unfolded at Jupiter.)
> Hope this helps give context as to what HST observed. Data is not at all
> photogenic as we went after the science - in search of OH in the exosphere.
> Rob Landis
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
> -----Original Message-----
> From: canopus56 <canopu...@yahoo.com>
> Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:00:22
> To: LCROSS_Observation<lcross_observation@googlegroups.com>
> Subject: [LCROSS_OBS: 1253] Re: Questions for the LCROSS Scientists
> Thanks for the preliminary results update, Rob. So, no indication of
> a developing OH exosphere from Hubble. For other lurkers, I
> understand Rob is associated with the Hubble Space Telescope’s
> Education and Public Outreach Office. Clear Skies - Kurt
> On Oct 10, 7:56 pm, rob.r.lan...@gmail.com wrote:
> > I've been a lurker - but, this question strikes to the heart of what HST
> had hoped to observe.
> > We saw no OH- nor CO Cameron bands ... nothing. The STIS pre-impact data
> (this was our calibration orbit) and the post-impact data show no obvious
> exosphere. The data requires further analysis, but nothing was obvious.
> > Another follow-up STIS observation executed today (and, I'd expect the
> same result).
> > Rob Landis
> > Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: "canopu...@yahoo.com" <canopu...@yahoo.com>
> > Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:58:31
> > To: LCROSS_Observation<lcross_observation@googlegroups.com>
> > Subject: [LCROSS_OBS: 1250] Questions for the LCROSS Scientists
> > Although the newsgroup is in close-down mode, I wanted to leave one
> > more question for the LCROSS team. Are there any early results from
> > the follow-up ground-based OH lunar exosphere monitoring? Are
> > elevated levels of OH being detected above the dark limb near the
> > site? Good job. Best wishes. Thanks for an entertaining and
> > educational experiment. - Kurt- Hide quoted text -
On Oct 10, 6:58 pm, "canopu...@yahoo.com" <canopu...@yahoo.com> wrote:
<snip>
One last parting question for the LCROSS scientists before I sign off
-
I would like to roughly estimate the height of the actual plume using
three graphs displayed at the LCROSS post-impact press conference.
What is are the equivalent time units in seconds for the Data Handling
Unit (DHU) timestamp displayed in three graphs at the LCROSS post-
impact press conference of 10-9-2009?
At minute-seconds 10:42, 11:43 and 11:52 of the press conference
video, three radiance graphs are displayed.
From the graphs, it appears the plume was first detected by
shepherding spacecraft at 0.0003 to 0.0005 DHU time units before
impact.
Assuming the actual impact occured at the pre - event published values
of 2.5 km /s and an angle of about 65 degrees, if the absolute value
of DHU timestamp units is known, then the height of the plume can be
estimated. In t seconds the LCROSS shepherding satellite would
travel t secs, a distance (d) of t secs x 2500 meters / sec. With
respect to a normal surface, that distance represents the hypotenuse
of a right - triangle, the height of which is sin (65 degrees) x d.
If the absolute time units of the DHU timestamp can be determined in
second units, then an estimate of the height of the LCROSS plume in
meters could be made using -
h meters = Sin[ 65 Degree] * 2500 meters/sec * t secs
On Oct 12, 6:26 pm, canopus56 <canopu...@yahoo.com> wrote:
<snip>
To correct
> From the graphs, it appears the plume was first detected by
> shepherding spacecraft at 0.0003 to 0.0005 DHU time units before
> impact.
Should read
From the graphs, it appears the plume was first detected by
shepherding spacecraft at 0.0003 x 10^6 to 0.0005 x 10^6
DHU time units before impact, i.e. - 30 to 50 DHU time units
before impact.
