By Paul Rincon Science reporter, BBC News
Nasa has crashed two unmanned spacecraft into the Moon in a bid to detect the presence of water-ice.
A 2,200kg rocket stage was first to collide, hurling debris high above the lunar surface.
A second spacecraft packed with science instruments analysed the contents of this dusty cloud before it also crashed into the Moon.
The identification of water-ice in the impact plume would be a major discovery, scientists say.
Not least because a supply of water on the Moon would be a vital resource for future human exploration.
The rocket stage hit the Moon's south pole at 1231 BST (0731 EDT), travelling at roughly twice the speed of a bullet.
That impact was expected to throw an estimated 350 tonnes of debris to altitudes of 10km (6.2 miles) or more.
The "shepherding spacecraft", designed to look for signs of water in the plume, followed it down, striking the surface at 1235 BST (0735 EDT).
Paul.Rincon-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk
A 2,200kg rocket stage was first to collide, hurling debris high above the lunar surface.
A second spacecraft packed with science instruments analysed the contents of this dusty cloud before it also crashed into the Moon.
The identification of water-ice in the impact plume would be a major discovery, scientists say.
Not least because a supply of water on the Moon would be a vital resource for future human exploration.
The rocket stage hit the Moon's south pole at 1231 BST (0731 EDT), travelling at roughly twice the speed of a bullet.
That impact was expected to throw an estimated 350 tonnes of debris to altitudes of 10km (6.2 miles) or more.
The "shepherding spacecraft", designed to look for signs of water in the plume, followed it down, striking the surface at 1235 BST (0735 EDT).
Paul.Rincon-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk
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