1998.1.7 After the termination of lunar plan for 25 years, NASA launched LUNAR PROSPECT

25 years after the termination of lunar exploration, NASA employed Athena-2 to launch LUNAR PROSPECT spacecraft and hopes to detect the existence of water and analyze the composition of minerals and the gases on the moon during orbiting.

LUNAR PROSPECT spacecraft had the length of 1.22 meters and the mass of 295kg. It was equipped with five scientific detectors to be used for low orbits of the moon to explore magnetic and gravitation field. Two years later, if it works properly, then it will be lowered to the orbit of 50km or even 10km for information with better resolution.

Shoemakers's ashes are on LUNAR PROSPECT to commemorate his teaching on geology to astronauts. He had dreamed to collect lunar rockets on the moon for a long time.