Photos: NASA's LADEE Moon Dust Mission In Pictures

Miriam Kramer and Minotaur V Rocket Carrying LADEE Mission

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]

Full-Size Model of NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer

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]

Visibility Map for LADEE Launch

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).

Inside NASA's Moon Atmosphere Probe (Infographic)

by Karl Tate, Infographics Artist

The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer will uncover details of the moon's thin atmosphere. [See full infographic.]

LADEE Moon Probe's Laser Communications Experiment

NASA

An artist's conception of NASA's moon-bound LADEE spacecraft using lasers to communicate with Earth. [Read the Full Story]

Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration on LADEE

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]

LADEE Fires Thrusters Artist's Concept

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.

LADEE Ready for Launch

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.

Wide-Angle View of Minotaur V Rocket

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.

LADEE Spacecraft on Top of Minotaur V Launch Vehicle

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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Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.