THE LUNAR-PROSPECTOR-DISCOVERY-MISSION - A NEW APPROACH TO PLANETARY SCIENCE

Lunar Prospector, the first competitively selected mission in NASA's D iscovery Program, will conduct a one year orbital survey of the Moon's composition and structure. To be launched in late 1997, the suite of five instruments will detect water ice to a sensitivity of 50 ppm (hyd rogen), measure key elemental constituents, detect gas release events and accurately map the Moon's gravitational and magnetic fields. At a total real year cost of $63M, including launch vehicle and operations, and a development period of less than two years, the mission also dem onstrates a new, rapid, cost-effective approach to planetary science i nvestigations. As a joint effort of NASA's Ames Research Center and Lo ck-heed Martin, Sunnyvale, Lunar Prospector is a model of government-i ndustry cooperation.