A new probe heads for the moon. In the early hours of Saturday, NASA launched the space probe to orbit LADEE near its surface to study the composition of its atmosphere and determine if the so-called lunar dust is concentrated there can be an obstacle for future astronauts travel. The probe LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) took off at 23.27 from Flight Center NASA Wallops, Virginia (5.27 pm on Saturday in Spain) and traveled aboard a Minotaur V rocket U.S. Army manufactured by the private company Orbital Sciences Corp. The ship will collect and analyze samples of lunar dust particles found in the atmosphere. It is abrasive and sticky, so scientists want to find out to what extent can damage equipment or be dangerous to humans. Among other responses, also hope to find out if this electrically charged dust sunlight was causing an optical effect that several Apollo astronauts described as a glow on the lunar horizon. tenuous atmosphere Mission is expected to have a duration of 160 days. It will take a month to reach the orbit of the Moon and then go 30 days checking the operation of their instruments, as a sophisticated new laser communication system that NASA wants to use in future missions as might be the trip to Mars
Posted on: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 11:20:12 +0000