LCROSS Program Manager Available for Interviews During Impact Viewing Event at Denver Museum of Nature & Science

WHAT: Experts from the United Launch Alliance and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science will be available to answer questions about the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission as it happens live Friday morning.

WHEN: Friday, October 9
4:00 a.m. to 7 a.m., LCROSS impact is at 5:31 a.m.

WHERE: Denver Museum of Nature & Science 
2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO 80205

WHO: Join special guests from the United Launch Alliance, space scientists from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, as well as several Museum staffers and volunteers, for an exciting morning as we watch the LCROSS spacecraft impact the South Pole of the Moon at several thousand miles an hour.

For more about the mission, visit: http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/mission.htm.

Experts available for interviews on Friday morning include:

Mr. Vernon Thorp, NASA Program Manager, United Launch Alliance
Thorpe worked on the LCROSS mission firsthand, leading the team that determined how to integrate the LCROSS spacecraft onto the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that carried the spacecraft to the moon.

Dr. Steve Lee, Curator of Planetary Science, Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Dr. David Grinspoon, Curator of Astrobiology, Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Dr. Lee and Dr. Grinspoon will be available to speak about the science behind the LCROSS mission, its search for evidence of water on the moon, and how the LCROSS mission could impact future space exploration.

About the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain Region's leading resource for informal science education. A variety of engaging exhibits, discussions and activities help Museum visitors celebrate and understand the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205.  To learn more about the Museum, check www.dmns.org, or call 303-370-6000.

Many of the Museum's educational programs and exhibits are made possible in part by generous funding from the citizens of the seven-county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District.