Picture this: two NASA LCROSS spaceships, one the size of a bus and the other a car, estimated at $50 million each, crashing into the surface of the moon at 5,600 miles per hour. To put that into perspective, that’s roughly twice the speed of a bullet. For all the jokes doing the rounds, the mission — launched in July — does bring back data to further on-going research on the presence of water ice on the moon.

Much hype has gathered around the live images of dust clouds as the second spaceship relayed live feedback of the mission. NASA’s goal was to better understand the geological make-up of the moon and the composition of its surface. Mike Wargo, NASA’s chief lunar scientist, called it “exploration and science working together”, making the mission a first of its kind. Just last month, scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation found evidence of water on the moon, fuelling further interest and speculation. LCROSS was to bring back samples from the bottom of the craters, which allow for novel discoveries. Further the mission would also inform scientists of temperatures along the moon’s surface, and the effect of radiation from the sun on the atmosphere.

The 113-day voyage has brought back a wealth of data and NASA scientists report that the “instruments worked exceedingly well.” This has not stopped cynics from embarking on the usual why-is-it-necessary tirade as well as on complaints that NASA “bombed” the moon, prompting some to call for discussion of international treaties protecting it. Rather than contributing to the debate such unfortunate statements are counterproductive. The mission failed to display the fireworks we conjured up in our minds; but in reality the information it brings back should more than suffice.