18-06-09 NASA Set for Return to the Moon with LRO/LCROSS

With Wednesday’s early morning launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour scrubbed just before 2am. EDT,the Eastern Range has undertaken a tremendous effort to reconfigure for Thursday’s scheduled launch of an Atlas V rocket carrying NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and sister payload Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) from complex 41 at Cape Canaveral.Atlas V:The veteran Atlas V rocket - making its 19th lunar flight - that will loft the LRO/LCROSS dual payload to the moon will fly in the 401 configuration with a four-meter fairing,no solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage.Given the precise nature of the LRO/LCROSS missions,the launch window is four days in duration - lasting from June 17 to June 20.For its opening launch attempt on June 18,the Atlas team will have three opportunities to launch the pair of lunar satellites on their mission.The first attempt comes at 5:12pm EDT,with subsequent attempts available at 5:22pm and 5:32pm.For launch day,the 45th Weather Squadron of the Air Force is predicting a 40 percent chance of violating weather constraints - with the main concerns being anvil clouds,cumulus clouds,and rain within 10nm of the launch pad/flight path.The weather forecast,at this time,remains essentially unchanged in the event of a 24-hour or 48-hour scrub turnaround.In the event of a launch on June 19,the three launch times are:6:41pm,6:51pm,and 7:01pm.Similarly,if launch should occur on June 20,the launch times are:8:08 pm,8:18 pm.and 8:28 pm.If,for some reason,the Atlas team is not able to achieve launch by June 20,the next four day launch window starts June 30.LRO:The primary satellite for this mission is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).LRO,which sits on top of the LCROSS experiment for launch,will be released from its LCROSS companion after it is placed on its lunar-transfer trajectory to enter lunar orbit approximately four days after launch from Cape Canaveral.LRO is expected to have a two month commissioning period prior to beginning its one year primary science mission