Atlas V Rocket Returns NASA to the Moon
Launched: Thursday, June 18, 2009
Time: 5:32 p.m. ET.
NASA returns to the moon this summer in search of new information that will help pave the way for future manned missions to the moon. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) are targeted to launch together aboard a powerful unmanned Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Special launch day activities will take place at the Visitor Complex throughout the week of launch, beginning Saturday, June 13 through Wednesday, June 17. Activities include daily presentations in the Astronaut Encounter Theater given by key NASA personnel involved in the LRO/LCROSS robotic missions. Daily launch briefings will also be available for guests.
NASA plans on acquiring valuable resources and data about Earth’s closest neighbor with the launch of a dual spacecraft. The LRO spacecraft will orbit the moon and help identify safe landing sites for future human explorers, locate potential resources and test new technology. LCROSS will seek an answer as to whether water ice is present in a permanently shadowed crater at the moon’s South Pole.
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