NASA plans to crash(ぶつける) a space probe into the moon in 2009. The crash, which will be visible from Earth through a telescope, will hurl(強く投げつける) a plume(煙・雲の柱) of debris into space. The ship that released the probe will fly through the plume, looking for ice. Water is necessary for supporting future human outposts(居留地) on the moon; if ice is found, it could be melted and used to make rocket fuel or oxygen. This will be one of several robotic projects before astronauts head for the moon in 2018.