1 / 15

LRO/LCROSS Launch Preview

LRO/LCROSS Launch Preview. How Where When. How?. We will use the Atlas V Launch Vehicle Latest version in the Atlas family of boosters Early Atlas boosters were used for manned Mercury missions 1962-63 Atlas V has become a mainstay of U.S. satellite launches

bern
Download Presentation

LRO/LCROSS Launch Preview

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. LRO/LCROSS Launch Preview How Where When

  2. How? • We will use the Atlas V Launch Vehicle • Latest version in the Atlas family of boosters • Early Atlas boosters were used for manned Mercury missions 1962-63 • Atlas V has become a mainstay of U.S. satellite launches • NASA has used Atlas V to launch MRO to Mars in 2004 and New Horizons to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt in 2006

  3. Where? • We will launch from Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral • Helios probes to the Sun • Viking probes to Mars • Voyager planetary flyby and deep space probes • Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter • New Horizons spacecraft to Pluto and Kuiper Belt

  4. Atlas V first stage arrived by cargo aircraft

  5. Vertical Integration Facility

  6. What’s going to happen? First stage delivered to VIF

  7. First stage lifted into VIF

  8. First stage lifted into VIF

  9. Centaur stacked on first stage

  10. LRO and LCROSS will be stacked onto Centaur

  11. Mobile Launch Platform will transport spacecraft from VIF to pad

  12. When? • LRO/LCROSS scheduled for June launch • Currently looking at an early October impact for LCROSS • Impact is currently targeting South Pole of the Moon

  13. LCROSS Trajectory: The Long and Winding Road • Flyby transitions to Lunar Gravity Assist Lunar Return Orbits (LGALRO) • Multiple LGALRO orbits about Earth (~38 day period) • Long transit also provides time to vent any remaining fuel from Centaur

  14. Student Telemetry Program • GAVRT – Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope run by Lewis Center for Educational Research • 34m DSS-12 &DSS-13 dishes • Used by thousands of K-12 students around the world • Students will monitorspacecraft health andstatus during flight

  15. Student and Public Observation Campaign • We believe amateur telescopes may be able to witness the impact plume and are encouraging amateurs and students to share their results.

More Related