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Minotaur V Rocket On Launch Pad with LADEE
Credit: NASA TV
NASA's LADEE moon dust probe and its Minotaur V rocket stand poised for launch atop Pad 0B at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va., ahead of a planned Sept. 6, 2013 launch. [
Watch the Launch LIVE HERE]
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NASA Moon Pies at LADEE Launch
Credit: Miriam Kramer/SPACE.com
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NASA LADEE Probe Ready to Launch
Credit: NASA TV
NASA's LADEE moon dust probe and its Minotaur V rocket stand poised for launch atop Pad 0B at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va., ahead of a planned Sept. 6, 2013 launch.
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Miriam Kramer and Minotaur V Rocket Carrying LADEE Mission
Credit: Andrea Peterson/SPACE.com
SPACE.com staff writer Miriam Kramer looks on at the Minotaur V rocket that will propel NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer mission. [
Read the Full Story Behind the Photo]
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Full-Size Model of NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer
Credit: Miriam Kramer/SPACE.com
A 1:1 scale model of NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer spacecraft on display at the space agency's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va. Image released on Sept. 6, 2013. [
Read the Full Story Behind the Photo]
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Visibility Map for LADEE Launch
Credit: NASA's Wallops Flight Facility (via Facebook)
This NASA map shows the regions of visibility for the LADEE moon probe launch from Wallops Island, Va., on Sept. 6, 2013 at 11:27 p.m. EDT (0327 GMT).
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Inside NASA's Moon Atmosphere Probe (Infographic)
Credit: by Karl Tate, Infographics Artist
The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer will uncover details of the moon's thin atmosphere. [See
full infographic.]
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LADEE Above Lunar Sunset Artist's Concept
Credit: NASA Ames / Dana Berry
Artist’s concept of NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft in orbit above the moon as dust scatters light during the lunar sunset.
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How NASA's Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration Works (Infographic)
Credit: R. Toro/SPACE.com
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LADEE Moon Probe's Laser Communications Experiment
Credit: NASA
An artist's conception of NASA's moon-bound LADEE spacecraft using lasers to communicate with Earth. [
Read the Full Story]
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Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration on LADEE
Credit: NASA
NASA's Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) components are seen integrated onto the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft. [
Read the Full Story]
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LADEE Fires Thrusters Artist's Concept
Credit: NASA Ames/Dana Berry
An artist's concept of NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft firing its maneuvering thrusters in order to maintain a safe altitude as it orbits the moon.
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LADEE Ready for Launch
Credit: NASA
NASA is making final preparations to launch the lunar LADEE probe at 11:27 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 6, from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va. Image released Sept. 5, 2013.
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Wide-Angle View of Minotaur V Rocket
Credit: NASA Wallops/Jackie Adkins
A wide-angle view of an inert Minotaur V launch vehicle is erected on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's pad 0B at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia during a pathfinder exercise for NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) Mission.
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LADEE Spacecraft on Top of Minotaur V Launch Vehicle
Credit: NASA Wallops/Terry Zaperach
The LADEE spacecraft in the nose-cone at the top of the full Minotaur V launch vehicle stack. LADEE is the first spacecraft designed, developed, built, integrated and tested at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.
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LADEE Spacecraft Prepared for Encapsulation
Credit: NASA Wallops/Terry Zaperach
Engineers at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia prepare to encapsulate the LADEE spacecraft into the fairing of the Minotaur V launch vehicle nose-cone.
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LADEE Spacecraft Encapsulated in Minotaur V Launch Vehicle Nose-Cone
Credit: NASA Wallops/Terry Zaperach
Engineers at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia encapsulate NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft into the fairing of the Minotaur V launch vehicle nose-cone.
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LADEE Spacecraft and Full Minotaur V Launch Vehicle Stack
Credit: NASA Ames/Zion Young
NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft sits in the nose-cone at the top of the full Minotaur V launch vehicle stack.
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NASA LADEE Moon Mission Art
Credit: NASA
An artist's illustration of NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer mission (LADEE).
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LADEE Moon Mission Prepared on Launch Pad
Credit: NASA Photo/Patrick Black
Preparations are underway for the LADEE launch on September 6, 2013, from NASA'S Wallops Flight Facility, VA.
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LADEE Above the Lunar Surface Artist's Concept
Credit: NASA Ames / Dana Berry
An artist's concept of NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft seen orbiting near the surface of the moon.
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Humorous Road Signs at Wallops Flight Facility
Credit: NASA's Wallops Flight Facility (via Facebook)
NASA'S Wallops Flight Facility posted this image on Facebook, August 8, 2013. They wrote: "Awesome new sign on Wallops Island. Two missions in September: to the moon with LADEE from Launch Pad 0B and to the International Space Station with Antares from Launch Pad 0A."
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New NASA Spacecraft to Probe Moon Dust
Credit: NASA
Future explorers of the Moon must deal with a variety of lunar environmental issues, including surface electrification of dust. Another factor is the ever-present, sharp, abrasive, glassy dust of the lunar soil.
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LADEE Spacecraft
Credit: NASA/Ames
A computer-generated model of the LADEE spacecraft.
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LADEE Readies for Orbital Maneuvering Thruster Burn Artist's Concept
Credit: NASA Ames/Dana Berry
An artist's concept of NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft orbiting the moon and preparing to fire its maneuvering thrusters to maintain a safe orbital altitude. Image released August 15, 2013.
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LADEE and the Moon Artist's Concept
Credit: NASA Ames/Dana Berry
This is an artist's depiction of NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) observatory in space with the moon in the distance. Image released July 23, 2013.
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LADEE Awaits Spin Balance Testing
Credit: NASA
The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft awaits spin balance testing, conducted to ensure stability during flight, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia July 10. LADEE is a robotic mission that will orbit the moon to gather detailed information about the lunar atmosphere, conditions near the surface and environmental influences on lunar dust. The Ames Research Center-led mission is scheduled to launch from Wallops Sept. 6, 2013, marking the first deep space mission to launch from Wallops as well as the first-ever Minotaur V launch. Image released July 18, 2013.
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LADEE Thermal Vacuum Preparation
Credit: NASA Ames/Dana Berry
Technicians at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., install a heater cage around NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) observatory sitting in the base of the thermal-vacuum chamber, in order to simulate the hot and cold extremes the observatory will experience during the mission.
