|
May 11, 2009
LRO is now stacked on LCROSS and ready for encapsulation. On May 5, we completed fueling of the LRO spacecraft. The Orbiter now weighs almost a ton more than it did the week before! On May 7, we completed an aliveness test, and we bagged the Orbiter on May 8 in preparation for today's stacking.
Here's the fueling operation in progress. The fueling team wore Self-Contained Atmospheric Protective Ensemble (SCAPE) suits for protection from the toxic hydrazine fuel. You can see the source tank on the right. All non-essential personnel, including photographers, were outside the clean room.
Here is the Orbiter just before the bagging which preceded the stacking operation. All of the instrument covers are removed. You can see that the two Narrow Angle Cameras (NAC) point in slightly different directions to create a wider field of view. Above the NAC's is the LOLA instrument, with the laser and telescope apertures visible. LAMP's black aperture is to the left of the NAC's. The Wide-Angle Camera (WAC) is above the left corner of LOLA, with its black aperture shade barely visible to the right and left. Diviner's aperture is pointed inward, in the safe position. LEND and CRaTER are fully blanketed, since the radiation they are measuring easily penetrates blankets. The Mini-RF antenna is covered in RF-transparent blankets.
Here is LCROSS waiting for the stacking of LRO. An access structure surrounds LCROSS.
Here is LRO being lowered down onto LCROSS. You can see the technicians standing on the access structure around LCROSS. LRO is bagged to protect the instruments from contamination.
May 15, 2009
Today is a busy day. This morning, LRO held a media-day event, with beautiful views of the Orbiter stacked on LCROSS and ready for fairing installation. All of our red-tag items are removed. This is our last look at LRO. Meanwhile, on the launch pad, the LRO rocket is undergoing a "wet dress rehearsal". The launch vehicle team is loading fuel and oxidizer into the tanks to verify proper operation of the system.
Here is LRO stacked on LCROSS and ready for fairing installation. All covers are removed except the LCROSS star tracker red cover. This shows the instrument module side of LRO, with the white radiators of the instruments visible.
Here is the Atlas V rocket half way between the Vertical Integration Facility on the left and the pad on the right. The spherical tank to the right of the rocket holds 465,000 gallons of liquid oxygen.
Here the Atlas is at the pad. The four towers support wires for lightning protection.
Here is the vehicle which pushes the rocket out to the pad.
The upper stage of the rocket will remain attached to LCROSS until just before impact with the moon. The absence of the payload is quite obvious.
 Solar Arrays | Launch Pad 
| 
