NASA to launch 2 spacecraft to the moon

The moon will drift into NASA's cross hairs again Wednesday as the space agency prepares to launch two new spacecraft to search for the best places for humans to land when they return as early as 2020. One of the two will crash its rocket booster into a polar crater, then fly through the debris plume to scan for water ice. The second, conceived and built in Maryland, will orbit the moon for at least a year. Its goal is to find safe landing sites with the water and sunshine needed to help sustain a permanent manned base. More

(Source: Baltimore Sun - Jun 15)