Space Travel News  
PHYSICS NEWS
NASA's Two Lunar-Bound Spacecraft, Vacuum-Packed

illustration only
by Staff Writers
Pasadena CA (JPL) May 20, 2011
NASA's two Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (Grail) spacecraft have completed all assembly and testing prior to shipment to Florida.

As seen in the photo, taken April 29, technicians installed lifting brackets prior to hoisting the 200-kilogram (440- pound) Grail-A spacecraft out of a vacuum chamber at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.

Along with its twin Grail-B, the Grail-A spacecraft underwent an 11-day-long test that simulated many of the flight activities they will perform during the mission, all while being exposed to the vacuum and extreme hot and cold that simulate space.

The Grail mission is scheduled for launch late this summer. The Grail-A and Grail-B spacecraft will fly in tandem orbits around Earth's moon for several months to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail.

The mission will also answer longstanding questions about the moon and provide scientists with a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed.



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
GRAIL at NASA
The Physics of Time and Space



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


PHYSICS NEWS
NASA probe shows Einstein theory was correct
Washington (AFP) May 4, 2011
Huge objects in the universe distort space and time with the force of their gravity, scientists said Wednesday after a NASA probe confirmed two key parts of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. "Einstein survives," chuckled Francis Everitt, Stanford University physicist and principal investigator for Gravity Probe B (GP-B), one of the US space agency's longest running projects. ... read more







PHYSICS NEWS
Russia sends two Soyuz carrier rockets to French Guiana

ILS Proton Successfully Launches Telstar 14R And Estrela do Sul 2 for Telesat

ISRO begins sounding rocket launches on regular basis

Satellites for Asia and India are orbited on Arianespace's third Ariane 5 mission of 2011

PHYSICS NEWS
Mars Rover Driving Leaves Distinctive Tracks

Endeavour Crater Just Three Miles Away For Opportunity Mars Rover

Opportunity Cracks The 18-Mile Mark

Mars Science Laboratory Aeroshell Delivered To Launch Site

PHYSICS NEWS
A Wrinkly Old Reveal Clues To Its Past

MoonBots Challenges Teams to Conduct Lunar Missions with LEGO Robots

Earth's Nearest Neighbor Within Reach

Space Adventures proposes modified Soyuz TMA for Lunar tourists

PHYSICS NEWS
'Dwarf planet' is covered in crystal ice

Carbon monoxide detected around Pluto

The PI's Perspective: Pinch Me!

Later, Uranus: New Horizons Passes Another Planetary Milestone

PHYSICS NEWS
Free-Floating Planets May be More Common Than Stars

Bennett team discovers new class of extrasolar planets

Climate scientists reveal new candidate for first habitable exoplanet

New SETI survey focuses on Kepler's top Earth-like planets

PHYSICS NEWS
India Lines Up Three PSLV Launches This Year

J-2X Test Series Proves Part Integrity

ISRO to Set Up Sub-Systems Integration Facility

UMaine Students Test Wireless Sensors on Rocket

PHYSICS NEWS
Top Chinese scientists honored with naming of minor planets

China sees smooth preparation for launch of unmanned module

China to attempt first space rendezvous

Countdown begins for Chineses space station program

PHYSICS NEWS
Researchers gain new insights into Comet Hartley 2

NASA selects SwRI mass spectrometer for technology development

Researchers Gain New Insights Into Comet Hartley 2

At the Heart of Hartley-2, a New Breed of Comet?


The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement