Moon crash produces much data, little drama Scientists analyze readings sent back from impact for signs of water ice

Scientists said NASA's moon-smashing mission produced enough data on Friday to address questions about lunar water ice — but the crash didn't come close to meeting public expectations as a cosmic fireworks show.

"Today we kicked up some moondust, and all indications are we are going to have some really interesting results," said Pete Worden, director of NASA's Ames Research Center in California. Ames served as the mission control center for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission, or LCROSS.

The aim of the $79 million mission was to send two spacecraft — a spent rocket stage and an instrument-equipped "shepherding spacecraft" — down into a crater near the moon's south pole at about 5,600 mph (9,000 kilometers per hour) and see if the impacts threw up water ice. Recent research has confirmed the view that water ice is prevalent on the lunar surface, and scientists believe permanently shadowed craters are the best places to find such ice.

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