Atlas launches lunar missions
Posted: Fri, Jun 19, 2009, 7:46 AM ET (1146 GMT)
An Atlas 5 rocket successfully launched a pair of NASA missions to study the Moon, the first US lunar missions in a decade. The Atlas 5 401 lifted off at 5:32 pm EDT (2132 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) spacecraft. The launch was delayed 20 minutes because of weather at the Cape. LRO will arrive at the Moon four days after launch and enter a 50-kilometer polar orbit around it. The spacecraft carries cameras and other instruments to return images, spectral data, and other information about the lunar surface and environment. LCROSS, which remained attached to the rocket's Centaur upper stage, will take a slower trip to the Moon, gradually widening its orbit until it is on an impact trajectory with the Moon in early October. LCROSS will separate from the Centaur and observe its impact on the Moon before it itself collides with it.
An Atlas 5 rocket successfully launched a pair of NASA missions to study the Moon, the first US lunar missions in a decade. The Atlas 5 401 lifted off at 5:32 pm EDT (2132 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) spacecraft. The launch was delayed 20 minutes because of weather at the Cape. LRO will arrive at the Moon four days after launch and enter a 50-kilometer polar orbit around it. The spacecraft carries cameras and other instruments to return images, spectral data, and other information about the lunar surface and environment. LCROSS, which remained attached to the rocket's Centaur upper stage, will take a slower trip to the Moon, gradually widening its orbit until it is on an impact trajectory with the Moon in early October. LCROSS will separate from the Centaur and observe its impact on the Moon before it itself collides with it.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Vast signs contract with SpaceX for ISS private astronaut missions
Posted: Sat, Dec 21 11:59 AM ET (1659 GMT) Avio signs ESA contracts for Vega upgrades and Earth science satellite launch
Posted: Sat, Dec 21 11:57 AM ET (1657 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, December 26
Buy SpaceX Stock With Ease, But Beware The Risks
Forbes.com — 7:35 am ET (1235 GMT) ESA Enlists Portuguese Navy Submarine to Prepare for Deep Space
European Spaceflight — 7:22 am ET (1222 GMT) Has CNES Opened the Door for a European Space Station?
European Spaceflight — 7:21 am ET (1221 GMT) Scientists await signal from spacecraft after historic close encounter with the sun
NPR — 7:19 am ET (1219 GMT) Summer read: Cosmic Catastrophes
Cosmos Magazine — 7:18 am ET (1218 GMT) |
