LCROSS: Nasa's new moon mission

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter or LRO (top) and LCROSS (below) at Astrotech near Kennedy Space Centre Photograph: Bruce Weaver/AFP/Getty Images

The LRO mounted on an Atlas V rocket, lifts off on 18 June 2009 from Cape Canaveral. The $504m (£313m) mission is Nasa's first in a planned return to moon. Finding water will make a lunar outpost far cheaper to set up Photograph: Getty Images

An artist's impression of LCROSS with its solar panels, attached to Centaur, the missile that will plunge to the moon's surface Photograph: Nasa

Centaur performs a 'blowdown' to vent any remaining fuel or water to help prevent contamination of the impact site Photograph: Nasa

Centaur separates from LCROSS ... Photograph: Nasa

... and begins to descent toward the impact site near the moon's south pole Photograph: Nasa

LCROSS follows Centaur Photograph: Nasa

The spacecraft collects data on the Centaur impact flash and resulting debris plume and relays it back to LCROSS Mission Control. Four minutes later, LCROSS hits the lunar surface creating a second debris plume Photograph: Nasa