To add insult to injury, I came on here to post a piece of my mind. To further my dismay, the current poll was a question about if you were going to view the Lacross satellite smashing into the Lunar surface. I would have been tickled pink to put down "Yes, I am looking forward to it", but, as seems to be the trend with (anything) space oriented, I will be already at my place of work. It seems that for "East Coasters" like myself, we will either:

A) miss the show due to daylight.

B) be getting ready for work, driving to work or already be at work.

It's kind of funny that so many times NASA urges everyone to get involved because the amateur reports are "supposedly" very helpful with their reports. Why then, would they schedule something of this nature at such an odd time?  Wouldn't they have had more people being able to observe & submit reports if it was at an earlier time? Do they not think that people actually have jobs/careers??? I mean, I know the recession is bad, but, most people still have jobs.

Why couldn't the time be either later at night or a few hours earlier than when currently scheduled?

It's similar to the Pennsylavania Fishing Comission always having Opening Day on the 2nd Saturday of every April. Well, sometimes, Easter falls on the following day. Yet rain or shine Opening Day stays the same. How much revenue they must lose becuase of people not wanting (or not being able) to have a weekend excursion cut down to a single day. The campgrounds are DEAD when Opening Day is followed by Easter. The vast majority of people will not go for a day trip.

I seem to recall Deep Impact also being at a time least favorable to the East Coast. Now I know that conditions favor Star Village and other places out west but, is there not a time that something like this could be viewed by "ALL" (I mean, this is NASA, and last I knew they were in the United States). Why would they not choose a time when thousands of amateurs all over the U.S.A. could view it? Why does it have to be at a time that favors only 1/2 the people who would eagerley want to get involved?

Just a rant.

 Don't let it bother you.  They're doing it only 'cuz New York is on the East Coast.

Starwolf

I would have to get up early then! 

Starwolf:

Now I know that conditions favor Star Village and other places out west but,

I would venture to say that you have pretty much nailed it right there.  Western obseratories and the biggies in Hawaii were probably targeted to be the primary beneficiaries of this event.

And don't get too forlorn.  The weather system coming through the Midwest will wash away many's hope of witnessing this as well.

WannaB:

I would venture to say that you have pretty much nailed it right there.  Western obseratories and the biggies in Hawaii were probably targeted to be the primary beneficiaries of this event.

WannaB has it right this one was planned for the large observatories in Hawaii.

Remember Starwolf we have it pretty good on the East Coast. Live programs in primetime on the east coast presents issues for those who live on the west coast and there are other many other items that we benefit from.

The time was chosen so that the major observatories in the western US, Chile, and Hawaii would be able to document the event. 

http://darkerview.com/darkview/index.php?/archives/1252-LCROSS-Impact-Details.html

Dave Mitsky

DaveMitsky:

The time was chosen so that the major observatories in the western US, Chile, and Hawaii would be able to document the event. 

Rightfully so. I don't mind missing out on this ground-breaking event with a telescope that may or may not be able to document the impact, so that those that can, can do so. As the article states, "Keck, Gemini North, CFHT, Subaru and the IRTF, essentially all of the optical telescopes equipped to observe the impact."

 Ego??!

 Why, we're the humblest, most unassuming, self-sacrificing... nicest and politest... people in all of America... AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT... or else.  We even talk the goodest Ennlish.

<whew>

Boy, am I glad I didn't use a vacation day to stay at home and host a Lunar Impact Party

Seriously though, it seems another setback for lunar exploration. NASA can say what they want to, but I guarantee if they did find water on the moon it would have stepped up the ambitiousness of getting us there in the next 10 years.

Maybe we just hit an isolated dry spot. Who knows? But I'll bet alot of motivation has just been deflated.

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/ra9_p012.html

I remember these Ranger missions and thought how cool they were as they snapped away before becoming the proverbial bug on the windshield. 

Starwolf:

Maybe we just hit an isolated dry spot. Who knows? But I'll bet alot of motivation has just been deflated.

I don't think it will hurt motivation much.  There is always something to look forward to in the great free sky show over our heads, whether it be a comet, nova, or meteor shower it will be worth seeing on either coast.  Remember Comet Holmes?  I am far more happy to have beeb a witness to that than missing out on a brief falsh on the Moon.

L

 Starwolf,

Sadly, I think the $50,000,000,000.00 (or whatever) price tag will be the thing that hits the motivation to return to the moon, not the lack of a dust plume or ice.