Two NASA space probes near moon

Updated 3 hours, 15 minutes ago

Story Highlights

• Two space probes to begin collecting data from the moon Tuesday
• One probe will send back lilve video on the Internet
• Orbiter will collect data to be used to plan a lunar outpost

Dan Andrews, LCROSS manager, left, and Craig Tooley, LRO manager stand in front of the spacecraft.

(CNN) -- Two NASA spacecraft closed in on the moon Tuesday morning -- one to send streaming video to Earth as it swings past the moon, the other to map the lunar surface from orbit, the space agency said.

The two probes were to begin collecting data after nearing the moon's orbit about 5:30 a.m. ET.

By about 8:20 a.m. E.T., the space agency will begin streaming footage on the Internet.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Spacecraft, lifted off June 18 atop the same Atlas V rocket.

Drawing depicts the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which will look for potential landing sites on moon.

The mission is the first in NASA's plan to return to the moon, then travel to Mars and beyond, the space agency said.

During the mission, the agency will collect all sorts of data, including day-night temperature maps, NASA said. There is particular emphasis on the polar areas of the moon, where sunlight is more plentiful and where water might exist.

The data that the orbiter collects and sends to Earth will be used in planning an eventual lunar outpost, the agency said. The orbiter also will look for potential landing sites for astronauts.

From CNN.com; see the source article here.

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