Planetary Science

LCROSS

57 tracked publications and 2,913 citations from 2010–2026. Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite. Launched 2009. Life-cycle cost: $139M in 2025 dollars. Active Mission Window November 1, 2009 to November 1, 2011: 14 publications, 3.5 top-10% credit.

Impactor · h-index 23 · 5 papers with 100+ citations · prime mission ended 2009

Lifetime

Scope Papers published from the first full month after science operations begin through 2 years after the mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. Methods Papers published from the first full month after science operations begin through 2 years after the prime mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. Methods Every tracked publication to date, with every citation to date. Methods

Key measures

Active Mission Window · papers November 1, 2009 to November 1, 2011
Tracked publicationsTracked publications: peer-reviewed research papers we found for the mission. The list may not be complete. Methods14
CitationsCitations received by the tracked publications in the selected scope. The two windowed scopes count each paper’s citations only within its citation window. Methods427
Mean citations per publicationMean citations: total citations divided by tracked publications in the selected scope. One blockbuster paper can lift it. Methods31
Median citations per publicationMedian citations: the middle paper’s citation count in the selected scope; half the papers have more, half fewer. A single blockbuster sways it less than the mean. Methods14
Uncited publicationsUncited publications: papers with no citations in the selected scope. Methods0 (0%)
Top-10% creditTop 10%: among the 10% most-cited papers from this division’s missions, ranked against papers published around the same time. A paper naming several missions is split evenly among the missions in this division that claim it, so counts can be fractional. Methods3.5 · 0.32% of division
Top-1% creditTop 1%: among the 1% most-cited papers from this division’s missions within the selected window. Not adjusted for publication year. A paper naming several missions is split evenly among the missions in this division that claim it, so counts can be fractional. Methods1 · 0.92% of division
Lifetime indices · every tracked publication to date, in any scope
h-indexh-index: the largest h such that h papers have at least h citations each. It only grows with time, so older missions score higher. Methods23
g-indexg-index: the largest g for which the g most-cited papers together hold at least g² citations. Like the h-index, but it lets the most-cited papers count for more. Methods53
m-index, as of October 4, 2026m-index: a mission’s h-index divided by the years since its first peer-reviewed paper. It falls every 1 January even when nothing else changes, so it belongs to the date shown; it also discounts the long operating life that larger missions paid for. Methods1.4
toritori (total research impact, from ADS): for every paper citing one of the mission’s papers, 1 divided by the citing paper’s reference count times the cited paper’s author count, summed, with self-citations removed. It favors citations from papers with short reference lists and from outside the mission’s own authors. Computed over the tracked citation graph, which can be slightly incomplete. Methods12
riqriq (research impact quotient): 1,000 times the square root of tori, divided by the years since the mission’s first paper. A rate, not a total, so it does not keep growing with age the way the h-index and tori do. Methods205

Tracked publications

  1. Detection of Water in the LCROSS Ejecta Plume

    Colaprete, Anthony, 2010, Sci

    725 citations

  2. Diviner Lunar Radiometer Observations of Cold Traps in the Moon’s South Polar Region

    Paige, David A., 2010, Sci

    468 citations

  3. Hydrogen Mapping of the Lunar South Pole Using the LRO Neutron Detector Experiment LEND

    Mitrofanov, I. G., 2010, Sci

    308 citations

  4. The LCROSS Cratering Experiment

    Schultz, Peter H., 2010, Sci

    181 citations

  5. LRO-LAMP Observations of the LCROSS Impact Plume

    Gladstone, G. Randall, 2010, Sci

    152 citations

  6. Lunar Water: A Brief Review

    Anand, Mahesh, 2010, EM&P

    86 citations

  7. Diviner Lunar Radiometer Observations of the LCROSS Impact

    Hayne, Paul O., 2010, Sci

    72 citations

  8. Detection of Ocean Glint and Ozone Absorption Using LCROSS Earth Observations

    Robinson, Tyler D., 2014, ApJ

    67 citations

  9. Two-dimensional distribution of volatiles in the lunar regolith from space weathering simulations

    Hurley, Dana M., 2012, GeoRL

    63 citations

  10. New upper limits on numerous atmospheric species in the native lunar atmosphere

    Cook, Jason C., 2013, Icar

    62 citations

  11. Commercial lunar propellant architecture: A collaborative study of lunar propellant production

    Kornuta, David, 2019, Reach

    61 citations

  12. The nature of lunar volatiles as revealed by Mini-RF observations of the LCROSS impact site

    Neish, C. D., 2011, JGRE

    53 citations

  13. Remote laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for lunar exploration

    Lasue, J., 2012, JGRE

    51 citations

  14. Resource potential of lunar permanently shadowed regions

    Brown, H. M., 2022, Icar

    42 citations

  15. New results and questions of lunar exploration from SELENE, Chang'E-1, Chandrayaan-1 and LRO/LCROSS

    Jin, Shuanggen, 2013, AdSpR

    39 citations

  16. An Overview of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS)

    Colaprete, Anthony, 2012, SSRv

    35 citations

  17. Carbon Dioxide Cold Traps on the Moon

    Schorghofer, Norbert, 2021, GeoRL

    30 citations

  18. Scouring the surface: Ejecta dynamics and the LCROSS impact event

    Hermalyn, Brendan, 2012, Icar

    29 citations

  19. Proton flux and radiation dose from galactic cosmic rays in the lunar regolith and implications for organic synthesis at the poles of the Moon and Mercury

    Crites, S. T., 2013, Icar

    28 citations

  20. Exogenic origin for the volatiles sampled by the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite impact

    Mandt, K. E., 2022, NatCo

    27 citations

How we found these papers

We searched NASA’s Astrophysics Data System (ADS) for peer-reviewed articles naming LCROSS in the title, abstract or keywords; standard filters drop articles that are not peer-reviewed and magazine pieces. SciX is ADS’s current interface.

((=abs:"Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite" OR (abs:"LCROSS" AND (abs:"Moon" OR abs:"lunar" OR abs:"impact" OR abs:"crater")))) AND property:refereed AND doctype:article AND pubdate:[2009-11 TO 2040-01] AND NOT bibstem:("A&R" OR "AIASJ" OR "AeAm" OR "AirSp" OR "AsNow" OR "AsUAI" OR "AvWST" OR "C&E" OR "C&T" OR "CAPJ" OR "E&S" OR "ENews" OR "IrAJ" OR "JCos" OR "JRASC" OR "LAstr" OR "MNSSA" OR "Met" OR "NewSc" OR "Orion" OR "PhT" OR "PhTea" OR "PhuZ" OR "PhyOJ" OR "PhyW" OR "PlR" OR "SciAm" OR "SpFl" OR "ZemVs")

Open in SciX

Removed after review (4)

  1. Foreword. The Lunar Crater Observation Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) Editorial foreword to a journal special issue; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  2. 2006AdSpR..37...34N Describes an alpha-ray detector for Japan's SELENE orbiter; does not mention LCROSS. Decision 🤖
  3. Lunar Net—a proposal in response to an ESA M3 call in 2010 for a medium sized mission Owner-directed exclusion: Lunar Net is a proposal and design overview for a different mission, not a Lunar Prospector science paper. Decision 👨
  4. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO): Observations for Lunar Exploration and Science Overview of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission; LCROSS is mentioned only as its launch companion. Decision 🤖