* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Blobrana · L

A custom-engineered spectrometer from Ocean Optics is part of the scientific payload on NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission, which was successfully launched June 18 from the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, FL.
Dubbed "Alice" by its builders, the device is designed to help study the makeup of lunar craters with the goal of locating water below the moon's surface.

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On June 29th, neighbours of Paul Mortfield in Ontario, Canada, heard "cheers of excitement" coming from the astronomer's house. What caused the commotion?

"I had just observed NASA's LCROSS spacecraft," explains Mortfield. Using no more than a backyard telescope, he caught it zipping past spiral galaxy IC3808
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Blobrana · L

NASA's LRO Spacecraft Sends First Lunar Images to Earth
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has transmitted its first images since reaching lunar orbit June 23.

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NASA probe beams home new lunar views

NASA

NASA's LCROSS probe beamed back a picture of the moon's Mendeleev region, an ancient impact basin with relatively uniform floor deposits on the far side, during a first flyby on Tuesday (at left). The probe's position at the time of the image is also shown (at right).

Blobrana · L

Ground control to University of Reading
With the 40th anniversary of Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landing on the moon on 20 July 2009, the University of Reading are putting their scientists in the spotlight - or should that be moonlight?

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After a four and a half day journey from the Earth, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has successfully entered orbit around the moon. Engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Md., confirmed the spacecraft's lunar orbit insertion at 6:27 a.m. EDT Tuesday.
During transit to the moon, engineers performed a mid-course correction to get the spacecraft in the proper position to reach its lunar destination. Since the moon is always moving, the spacecraft shot for a target point ahead of the moon. When close to the moon, LRO used its rocket motor to slow down until the gravity of the moon caught the spacecraft in lunar orbit.

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Blobrana · L

Today at 09:47 UTC the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) control engineers executed the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) engine burn lasting about 40 minutes which adjusted the spacecrafts trajectory to be captured by the lunar gravity and enter a 200 by 3,000 km orbit around the Moon.

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Watch the LCROSS Lunar Swingby live on NASA TV
NASA will provide a live coverage of the event via NASA TV. The lunar swingby video stream coverage will begin approximately at 12:20 UTC. The instruments aboard LCROSS will transmit data back to Earth for about one hour

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Blobrana · L

LRO launch as seen from the Banana Creek Viewing area

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