With moon probe bug fixed, LADEE on track for lunar date - CNN

With moon probe bug fixed, LADEE on track for lunar date

By Alan Duke, CNN

Updated 1743 GMT (0143 HKT) September 8, 2013

NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) observatory launches aboard the Minotaur V rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Friday, September 6, in Virginia.
Photos: Photos: NASA launches moon orbiter
Photos: NASA launches moon orbiter – NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) observatory launches aboard the Minotaur V rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Friday, September 6, in Virginia.
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LADEE is a robotic mission that will orbit the moon, where it will provide unprecedented information about the environment around the moon and give scientists a better understanding of other planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond.
Photos: Photos: NASA launches moon orbiter
Photos: NASA launches moon orbiter – LADEE is a robotic mission that will orbit the moon, where it will provide unprecedented information about the environment around the moon and give scientists a better understanding of other planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond.
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David W. Thompson, chairman and CEO of Orbital Sciences, left, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Mrs. Jaqueline Bolden watch the launch on September 6.
Photos: Photos: NASA launches moon orbiter
Photos: NASA launches moon orbiter – David W. Thompson, chairman and CEO of Orbital Sciences, left, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Mrs. Jaqueline Bolden watch the launch on September 6.
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A rocket carrying a NASA moon orbiter sits on the launch pad in Wallops Island, Virginia, on September 6. The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) is designed to "orbit the moon to gather detailed information about the lunar atmosphere, conditions near the surface and environmental influences on lunar dust," NASA said.
Photos: Photos: NASA launches moon orbiter
NASA launches moon orbiter – A rocket carrying a NASA moon orbiter sits on the launch pad in Wallops Island, Virginia, on September 6. The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) is designed to "orbit the moon to gather detailed information about the lunar atmosphere, conditions near the surface and environmental influences on lunar dust," NASA said.
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During final preparations for launch, engineers mount the spacecraft onto a spin table and rotate it at high speeds to make sure it's perfectly balanced for flight.
Photos: Photos: NASA launches moon orbiter
NASA launches moon orbiter – During final preparations for launch, engineers mount the spacecraft onto a spin table and rotate it at high speeds to make sure it's perfectly balanced for flight.
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The moon orbiter sits in the nose-cone at the top of the Minotaur V rocket, a ballistic missile converted into a space launch vehicle.
Photos: Photos: NASA launches moon orbiter
NASA launches moon orbiter – The moon orbiter sits in the nose-cone at the top of the Minotaur V rocket, a ballistic missile converted into a space launch vehicle.
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NASA engineers at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia load the spacecraft into the rocket's nose-cone. LADEE is the first spacecraft designed, developed, built and tested at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.
Photos: Photos: NASA launches moon orbiter
NASA launches moon orbiter – NASA engineers at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia load the spacecraft into the rocket's nose-cone. LADEE is the first spacecraft designed, developed, built and tested at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.
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Engineers prepare to put the rocket into place.
Photos: Photos: NASA launches moon orbiter
NASA launches moon orbiter – Engineers prepare to put the rocket into place.
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Story highlights

  • LADEE suffered a "reaction wheel issue" soon after it was launched Friday
  • The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer is "healthy" and issue resolved, NASA says
  • The probe is set to orbit the moon starting October 6
  • It will study the lunar atmosphere and environmental influences on lunar dust
NASA engineers fixed a glitch that threatened to derail a space probe on its way to the moon, the space agency said.
The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer suffered a "reaction wheel issue" soon after it was launched on top of a 90-foot rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, on Friday, NASA said.
"The reaction wheel issue noted soon after launch was resolved a few hours later," said S. Pete Worden, director of NASA's Ames Research Center. "The LADEE spacecraft is healthy and communicating with mission operators."
LADEE is designed to "orbit the moon to gather detailed information about the lunar atmosphere, conditions near the surface and environmental influences on lunar dust," NASA said.
"A thorough understanding of these characteristics will address long-standing unknowns, and help scientists understand other planetary bodies as well," NASA said.
The probe is expected to reach the moon on October 6. After orbiting for six months, it will plunge to the lunar surface to end its mission.
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