Moon mission integrates thermal imaging camera in search for water

AUGUST 13, 2009--Cambridge-based thermal imaging company Thermoteknix is traveling to the moon with NASA's LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) mission, which recently launched to search for the presence of water.

LCROSS is travelling to the moon as the payload aboard the launch vehicle for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). As part of this payload, NASA has selected the Thermoteknix MIRICLE TB2-30 ultraruggedized thermal imaging camera to monitor temperature variations in the blasts within the crater and the resulting plume. The MIRICLE radiometric aerospace qualified system is calibrated for temperature measurement in the harshest of environments under extreme vibration conditions.

LCROSS's objective is to blast two large impactors into a permanently shadowed crater at one of the lunar poles to create a plume of material that can be analyzed for the presence of water on the moon. The impact will cause an explosion of material from the crater's surface to create a plume that specialized instruments, including the Thermoteknix camera, will be able to analyze for the presence of water (ice and vapor), hydrocarbons, and hydrated materials. It is thought that the impacts may be so large that they will be visible from earth.

To see BBC coverage of the LCROSS mission, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk.

For more information, visit www.thermoteknix.com.