At the risk of bordering on uber-geek we'd like to applaud the good people at NASA for keeping up with the times. Of course, you'd expect that from rocket scientists, but they're really getting into the swing of things with their latest effort.
The project itself is pretty interesting: LCROSS (or Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) will be hoisted into space aboard the powerfully-named Centaur rocket today with the purpose of triggering explosions within craters on the moon to determine if water is embedded within. Interesting in two ways: (a) rockets are cool (b) blowing things up is cool, provided nobody gets hurt.
What really caught our eye though, is that we, the non-rocket-propulsion-inclined, can follow the satellite's every move through social media. Like a good satellite, LCROSS lets us pick the best way to keep up on the latest, including NASA TV, Facebook, and Twitter.
LCROSS should meet up with the moon in about 111 days, although we think if they kick in the flux capacitor it might be quicker than that. In the meantime, you can follow along and pretend you're Ed Harris in The Right Stuff. It's also quite cheaper than riding in Richard Branson's space rig.
Over all, a great way to utilize interactive media to get people interested in something they might not otherwise know or care about. May the force be with them.
Comments from the LCROSS Facebook page
UPDATE: Here are some recent status updates from the LCROSS Facebook page, each followed by multiple, multiple positive comments. Very cool.
LCROSS Lunar Impactor Mission
So my BFF LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) has successfully separated - we're both on our way to the Moon. See you there, LRO! 40 minutes ago
LCROSS Lunar Impactor Mission
Here I go -- liftoff from Cape Canaveral! LRO and LCROSS on our way to the MOON!!! Launch was on June 18, 2009 at 5:32 p.m. ET. Awesome! 42 minutes ago
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