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Originally posted by ArMaP
reply to post by mblahnikluver
I also think that this method is not the best, but not because of any possible inhabitants, just because they are going to destroy something that cannot be replaced.
Imagine that this spot, for example, is the only one to have evidences on the surface of how the Moon was created, by destroying it they will loose the possibility of knowing what was there.
It's not odd for those that think that there aren't any inhabitants.
Originally posted by Unity_99
The remark about not because of possible inhabitants is odd.
Originally posted by IX-777
The information regarding the 5 miles crater was reported in different news, I am not sure if this estimate is correct or not as I am far from any expert in explosives.
I do hower imagine that the blast must be rather powerful considering it has to blow the debries out in space for the satellite to collect, even though the Moon has much less gravity than Earth.
The upper stage of the launch vehicle (about the weight of a large SUV) will impact into either the North or South Pole of the Moon at over 9,000 km/h (5,600 mph).
...
The impact will excavate a crater about 1/3 of a football field wide and about the depth of the deep end of a swimming pool.
...
The amount of material (dust and probably ice) ejected could fill ten school buses, or ten Space Shuttle cargo bays. The plume will reach nearly 50 km high (over 30 miles)!
The Shepherding Spacecraft and Centaur rocket are launched together with another spacecraft called the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). All three are connected to each other for launch, but then the LRO separates one hour after launch. The Shepherding Spacecraft guides the Centaur rocket through multiple Earth orbits, each taking about 38 days. The rocket then separates from the Shepherding Spacecraft and impacts the Moon at more than twice the speed of a bullet, causing an impact that results in a big plume or cloud of lunar debris, and possibly water. While this is happening the Shepherding Spacecraft, which has scientific instruments on-board including cameras, is taking pictures of the rocket’s descent and impact into the moon. Four minutes later, the Shepherding Spacecraft follows almost the exact same path as the rocket, descending down through the big plume and analyzing it with special instruments. The analysis is specifically looking for water (ice and vapor), hydrocarbons and hydrated materials. The Shepherding Spacecraft is collecting data continuously and transmitting it back to Earth before its own demise. This crash will be so big that we on Earth may be able to view the resulting plume of material it ejects with a good amateur telescope.