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Straight Shot to the Moon
Credit: NASA/Kenny Allen
A Delta 2 Heavy rocket propels NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission into the clouds over Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft launched at 9:08:52 a.m. EDT on Sept. 10, 2011.
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Grail Launches with Tower on the Left
Credit: NASA/Kenny Allen
At ignition, flames and smoke from the engines begin liftoff of the Delta 2 Heavy rocket taking NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission to the moon from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. At left stands the pad's mobile service tower. The spacecraft launched at 9:08:52 a.m. EDT on Sept. 10, 2011.
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Grail Launches Shrouded in Smoke
Credit: NASA/Tony Gray & Tim Powers
Rising through a shroud of fire and smoke after liftoff, NASA’s twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission launches atop a Delta 2 Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on its way to the moon. Liftoff was at 9:08:52 a.m. EDT on Sept. 10, 2011.
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Ignition
Credit: NASA/ Tony Gray & Tim Powers
At ignition, flames and smoke from the engines begin liftoff of the Delta 2 Heavy rocket carrying NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the moon. The spacecraft launched at 9:08:52 a.m. EDT on Sept. 10, 2011.
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Tweetup Participants Watch Grail Launch
Credit: NASA/Frankie Martin
At KARS Park 1 on Merritt Island in Florida, a group of Tweetup participants watch as a Delta 2 Heavy rocket lifts off on Sept. 10, 2011, carrying NASA’s GRAIL mission to the moon. The tweeters shared their experiences with followers through the social networking site Twitter.
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Members of the Media Watch Grail's Smoke Trail
Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Media representatives at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida photograph the launch of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL). Liftoff was at 9:08:52 a.m. EDT on Sept. 10, 2011.
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NASA's Grail Rises on Moon Shot
Credit: NASA/Darrell McCall
Rising from fire and smoke, NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) probes launch atop a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 Heavy rocket. Leaving from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the spacecraft launched at 9:08:52 EDT on Sept.10, 2011.
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Delta 2 Sails With Twin Grail Moon Probes
Credit: Thom Baur, United Launch Alliance
A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket carrying the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft for NASA lifted off from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-17B at 9:08 a.m. EDT on Sept. 10, 2011. This launch was the 9th ULA flight in 2011 and 49th Delta 2 mission for NASA. It was the last currently-planned flight from this launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
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Grail Probes Bound for the Moon
Credit: NASA/Darrell McCall
Fire and smoke light up a blue sky as a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 Heavy rocket propels NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission into space. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida was at 9:08:52 EDT Sept.10, 2011
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Grail-A Moon Probe in Space
Credit: NASA TV
This view of NASA's Grail-A spacecraft (top) shows the moon gravity probe just before it separated from its Delta 2 rocket high above Earth after a successful launch on Sept. 10, 2011. Grail-A is one of two twin spacecraft to study the moon's gravity in unprecedented detail.
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Grail Launches with Service Tower Visible
Credit: NASA/Tom Farrar & Tony Gray
A Delta 2 Heavy rocket carrying NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission lifts off from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. At the right stands the pad's mobile service tower. The spacecraft launched at 9:08:52 a.m. EDT on Sept. 10, 2011.
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Grail-A Moon Probe & a Blue Earth
Credit: NASA TV
This amazing view shows NASA's Grail-A probe with the blue Earth as a backdrop after the moon gravity probe separated from its Delta 2 rocket. This view was taken by a camera on the Delta 2 rocket shortly after the Grail mission launch from Florida on Sept. 10, 2011.
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NASA Grail Moon Probes Soar on Delta 2
Credit: NASA TV
An unmanned Delta 2 rocket soars toward space carrying NASA's twin Grail moon gravity probes in a successful launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Sept. 10, 2011. The launch was delayed two days.
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Grail Moon Probes' Launch: Arc Into Clouds
Credit: NASA/Fletcher Hildreth
The United Launch Alliance Delta 2 Heavy rocket propels NASA’s twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission into the clouds in a graceful arc over Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff was at 9:08:52 EDT Sept. 10, 2011.
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Grail's Rocket Launch: The Arrow
Credit: NASA/Fletcher Hildreth
Like an arrow across the sky, a Delta 2 rocket hurtles spaceward to launch NASA's twin Grail moon probes into space. The rocket lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 9:08 a.m. EDT on Sept. 10, 2011.
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Next Stop, Moon
Credit: NASA TV
NASA's Grail mission blasts off atop an unmanned Delta 2 rocket at 9:08 a.m. ET on Sept. 10, 2011 in a succesful launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
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Grail Rocket's SRBs Separate
Credit: NASA TV
This NASA video camera still shows the solid rocket boosters separating from the Delta 2 rocket carrying NASA's twin Grail moon probes during a successful 9:08 a.m. ET launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
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Grail's Delta 2 Rocket Streak
Credit: NASA TV
The unmanned Delta 2 rocket carrying NASA's twin Grail moon probes streaks through the Florida sky after a smooth launch. The rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 9:08 a.m. ET on Sept. 10, 2011.
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Grail Rocket's Light Show
Credit: NASA TV
The air-lit motors on the Delta 2 rocket carrying NASA's Grail moon probes into space create a dazzling light effect in this NASA camera view. Grail launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Sept. 10, 2011 at 9:08 a.m. ET.
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Inside NASA's Grail Mission Launch Control
Credit: NASA TV
This view from a NASA camera offers a glimpse inside the launch control center for NASA's Grail moon gravity probe launch on Sept. 10, 2011. The twin Grail probes launched on an unmanned Delta 2 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
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NASA's Grail Moon Probes and Rocket at Night
Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
At Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., the mobile service tower is aglitter as it rolls away from the United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket that will launch NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory mission. The rocket was slated to launch Sept. 8, but was delayed by two days.
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How NASA's GRAIL Probes Will Map the Moon's Gravity (Infographic)
Credit: Karl Tate, SPACE.com
Infographic shows how GRAIL mission maps the moon's gravity field
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Grail Mission's Delta 2 Rocket Poised for New Launch Try
Credit: NASA TV
This still from a NASA broadcast shows the Delta 2 rocket carrying NASA's twin Grail moon gravity probes on Sept. 10, just one hour away from a morning launch attempt - the second liftoff try for the mission.
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Grail Attempts to Launch
Credit: NASA TV
NASA's twin Grail spacecraft inside the Delta 2 rocket stand ready to launch on September 8, 2011, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on their mission to study the moon..
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Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) Spacecraft
The twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft are mirror images of one another. The probes will orbit the moon and take detailed measurements of the lunar gravity field.
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Grail About to Launch
Credit: NASA TV
The Delta 2 heavy rocket carrying the twin GRAIL spacecraft stands on the launch pad just about to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 8, 2011.
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Grail Moon Orbiter Illustration
Credit: Lockheed Martin
Artist's concept of the two Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft orbiting the moon. NASA launched the twin probes in September 2011 to study the moon's gravitational field in unprecedented detail.
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Sunrise Over Grail's Delta 2 Rocket
Credit: NASA TV
Dawn breaks over Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as an unmanned Delta 2 rocket stands poised to launch NASA's twin Grail lunar gravity probes toward the moon on Sept. 8, 2011.
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GRAIL's Logo
Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, spacecraft logo is emblazoned on the first stage of a United Launch Alliance Delta II launch vehicle, now secured in the gantry at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 17B.
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Delta 2 Rocket Packed With NASA's Grail Twins
Credit: NASA TV
A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket stands poised to launch NASA's Grail moon gravity probes from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Sept. 8, 2011. The $496 million Grail mission will map the moon's gravity in unprecedented detail.
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Grail Mission's Delta 2 Rocket Poised for Blast Off
Credit: Thom Baur, United Launch Alliance.
A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 stands ready for launch at Space Launch Complex-17B with NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft. Launch is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 8 at 8:37:06 a.m. EDT.
