[meteorite-list] NASA Moon Mission In Final Preparations For September Launch (GRAIL)

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:40:27 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <201108252140.p7PLeRHY002484_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

Aug. 25, 2011

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown at nasa.gov

DC Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
agle at jpl.nasa.gov

Caroline McCall
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
617-253-1682
cmcall5 at mit.edu


RELEASE: 11-275

NASA MOON MISSION IN FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR SEPTEMBER LAUNCH

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Gravity Recovery And Interior
Laboratory (GRAIL), mission to study the moon is in final launch
preparations for a scheduled Sept. 8 launch onboard a Delta II rocket
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

GRAIL's twin spacecraft are tasked for a nine-month mission to explore
Earth's nearest neighbor in unprecedented detail. They will determine
the structure of the lunar interior from crust to core and advance
our understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.

"Yesterday's final encapsulation of the spacecraft is an important
mission milestone," said David Lehman, GRAIL project manager for
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Our two
spacecraft are now sitting comfortably inside the payload fairing
which will protect them during ascent. Next time the GRAIL twins will
see the light of day they will be about 95 miles up and
accelerating."

The spacecraft twins, GRAIL A and B, will fly a circuitous route to
lunar orbit taking 3.5 months and covering approximately 2.6 million
miles (4.2 million kilometers) for GRAIL-A, and 2.7 million miles
(4.3 million kilometers) for GRAIL-B.

In lunar orbit, the spacecraft will transmit radio signals precisely
defining the distance between them. Regional gravitational
differences on the moon are expected to expand and contract that
distance. GRAIL scientists will use these accurate measurements to
define the moon's gravity field. The data will allow mission
scientists to understand what goes on below the surface of our
natural satellite.

"GRAIL will unlock lunar mysteries and help us understand how the
moon, Earth and other rocky planets evolved as well," said Maria
Zuber, GRAIL principal investigator from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology in Cambridge.

GRAIL's launch period opens Sept. 8 and extends through Oct. 19. On
each day, there are two separate launch opportunities separated by
approximately 39 minutes. On Sept. 8, the first launch opportunity is
8:37 a.m. EDT; the second is 9:16 a.m.

JPL manages the GRAIL mission. It is part of the Discovery Program
managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver, built the spacecraft. Launch
management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch
Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

For extensive pre-launch and launch day coverage of the GRAIL
spacecraft, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

A prelaunch webcast for the mission will be streamed at noon on
Wednesday, Sept. 7. Live countdown coverage through NASA's Launch
Blog begins at 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 8. Coverage features live updates
as countdown milestones occur and streaming video clips highlighting
launch preparations and liftoff.

To view the webcast and the blog or to learn more about the GRAIL
mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/grail

and

http://grail.nasa.gov

To view live interviews with lunar scientists from noon to 5 p.m. on
Sept. 8 and 9, visit:

http://www.livestream.com/grail
        
-end-
Received on Thu 25 Aug 2011 05:40:27 PM PDT


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