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Deep Impact spectra of the Moon

Deep Impact spectra of the Moon
Deep Impact spectra of the Moon In preparation for its mission to comet Hartley 2, the Deep Impact spacecraft has pointed its instruments at the Moon for calibration purposes on several occasions. In December of 2007, it viewed the equatorial regions of the Moon, and saw a faint, small absorption feature due to water. Later, in June 2009, it pointed at the northern polar regions of the Moon and saw much broader water absorption features. The shaded regions of the spectra are the absorption feature due to the presence of water and/or hydroxyl in the upper couple of millimeters of lunar soil. NASA / JPL-Caltech / UMD