Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Launch, Launch through Orbit Discussion |
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Launch, Launch through Orbit Discussion |
Jun 12 2009, 09:05 PM
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#1
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1018 Joined: 29-November 05 From: Seattle, WA, USA Member No.: 590 |
Since the LRO passed its Mission Rehersal today and is on track to launch on Wednesday next week, it seems like a good time to start a thread about the launch.
http://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/launch.html From the link above, there will be a pre-launch webcast on Tuesday morning. The launch is scheduled for 3:51 PM EDT (12:51 PDT) which is 1951 GMT Wednesday June 17. [Corrected -- thanks Gsnorgathon!] When it actually starts sending back pictures, someone should probably start a separate thread, but I think it makes sense to have the launch discussion separate from both the Development and the Cool Pictures threads. --Greg |
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Guest_Sunspot_* |
Jun 18 2009, 10:25 PM
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#2
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Guests |
It seems so weird to read that LRO will reach its destination Tuesday morning,, we usually have many months or even years to wait for that.
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Jun 19 2009, 12:53 AM
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#3
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3419 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Minneapolis, MN, USA Member No.: 15 |
It seems so weird to read that LRO will reach its destination Tuesday morning,, we usually have many months or even years to wait for that. Naw... I can remember watching Ranger IX's launch, and then watching the pictures from its video cameras come streaming in "live from the Moon" three days later. And, of course, I'm used to this kind of timing from all those Apollo flights. I suppose that when you are limited to relatively small boosters and need to get as much mass out to the Moon as you can for the least number of ergs expended, it makes sense to run orbits out farther and farther and to arrive at the Moon months after launch. (That does have its own costs, of course, not least of which is the repeated passage of your probe through the most energetic portions of Earth's Van Allen belts.) But if you have a heavy-lift booster, it can make sense to just get out there as fast as you reasonably can. I also imagine that LCROSS needs a fairly fast approach to create the big, looping orbits it needs to achieve its desired impact geometry. All told, I imagine this mission simply requires the faster, more direct translunar trajectory. I'm glad she's off, though, and I'm glad we'll be seeing high-res images of old familiar places (plus new, exciting places) very soon. At least partially as an accident of my birthdate, I've become quite fascinated with lunar geology -- I'm really looking forward to some of the really kewl things we're about to see! -the other Doug -------------------- “The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.” -Mark Twain
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