Site offers NASA moon data as soon as scientists see it Date: 98-07-05 00:28:27 EDT Site offers NASA moon data as soon as scientists see it By: Bill Pietrucha Newsbytes 07-04-1998 The domain name debate may have to begin considering adding ".pla" for planet to Internet addresses now that NASA's Lunar Prospector is beaming back continuous, real-time science data from the Moon. But until the Internet Society and other groups decide to tackle interplanetary Web sites, students and the general public will have to stay firma on terra and retrieve the data from the Prospector's Earth-bound Web site: "http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/" Lunar Prospector Homepage http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov The lunar data stream, which has been visited more than 75 million times already, is the first time science data and spacecraft telemetry information on the Internet is being sent back in real-time from a space mission orbiting another planetary body</B>, Deputy Lunar Prospector Mission Manager Sylvia Cox said. "For most past missions, data belonged to the principal investigator for up to a year or two before being released," Cox, from NASA's Ames Research Centre, said. "Now, with Prospector and many other new missions, we are releasing data at the same time the scientists see it." Cox said that the Website audience is viewing actual data coming from the Moon-orbiting spacecraft, along with NASA documentaries, short video clips, and hundreds of thousands of archived Moon pictures from all previous lunar missions. The Lunar Prospector is orbiting 63 miles above the lunar surface on a year-long mission that began last January. The compact spacecraft is mapping the surface composition, internal structure and volatile activity of the Moon, as well as its magnetic and gravity fields. Roger Smith, the Lunar Prospector Webmaster at Ames, said that to view the data, a Web user should select the "DATAVIZ" button on the Web site and then click on "Science Data." After following directions, users can see spacecraft data in computer "windows" that remain visible even while other windows are open. By clicking on the "Location/Position" link, users can see archived pictures that represent the Moon's surface immediately below the space vehicle. The Internet audience can also see graphical satellite instrument readings indicating spacecraft health, including antenna, battery, thruster and fuel-tank readouts. The site can handle more than 100 million computer "hits" daily.