East Coasters! Tonight (Friday), you can see NASA launch the "LADEE" into space!

[krispos42]

Last edited Fri Sep 6, 2013, 09:11 AM - Edit history (3)

Goals: The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) is designed to study the Moon's thin exosphere and the lunar dust environment. An "exosphere" is an atmosphere that is so thin and tenuous that molecules don't collide with each other. Studying the Moon's exosphere will help scientists understand other planetary bodies with exospheres too, like Mercury and some of Jupiter's bigger moons. The orbiter will determine the density, composition and temporal and spatial variability of the Moon's exosphere to help us understand where the species in the exosphere come from and the role of the solar wind, lunar surface and interior, and meteoric infall as sources. The mission will also examine the density and temporal and spatial variability of dust particles that may get lofted into the atmosphere.

The mission also will test several new technologies, including a modular spacecraft bus that may reduce the cost of future deep space missions and demonstrate two-way high rate laser communication for the first time from the Moon.

http://moon.nasa.gov//missionsFeed.cfm?Sort=Target&Target=Moon&MCode=LADEE

NASA Prepares for First Virginia Coast Launch to the Moon

In an attempt to answer prevailing questions about our moon, NASA is making final preparations to launch a probe at 11:27 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 6, from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island, Va. The small car-sized Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) is a robotic mission, managed by NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., that will orbit the moon to gather detailed information about the structure and composition of the thin lunar atmosphere and determine whether dust is being lofted into the lunar sky. A thorough understanding of these characteristics of our nearest celestial neighbor will help researchers understand other bodies in the solar system, such as large asteroids, Mercury, and the moons of outer planets.

The support gantry for the U.S. Air Force-provided Minotaur V rocket that will launch LADEE was rolled back on Sept. 4.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/home/index.html

Launch is about 11:30 pm EDT, Friday, from Wallops Island, Virginia! NASA has a "visibility map"... here's the small one.




And here's the big one... If you open the link up in a new window (or tab), it's pretty damn big. The top of the +120 seconds circle is in just south of Burlington, Vermont, the bottom of the circle is by Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the western edge of the circle is by Charleston, West Virginia





Satellite imagery shows fairly clear skies...



(hit your browser's "refresh" button to see the latest image)



This could be very cool...

[Benton D Struckcheon]

1. Hmm.

So, what would that look like up in NJ, in the T+120 zone? I suppose it would be a small object with a tail in the southern part of the sky?

[krispos42]

4. Should be a bright light moving upwards and eastwards

I think universetoday.com has a viewing guide.

[rickford66]

2. Isn't tonight Thursday?

NASA says Friday, Sept 6 is the launch.

[krispos42]

3. Shit, that's right...

*sigh*

Unemployed. Today the kid had off from school (Rosh Hoshanna).

I've lost my sense of time. Felt like a Friday.

I'll fix the headline.

Thanks. otherwise I'd be at the beach cussing.

[Atman]

5. Thanks!

I grew up in Cocoa Beach, and saw all the Apollo moon launches from my back yard. Was in the press area for the first two Shuttle launches. I haven't seen one in a year or so when we were back home, but it was cloudy and disappeared quickly. This obviously won't be as spectacular as seeing one up close, but the very idea of seeing a launch way up here in CT is very cool!

[krispos42]

6. I saw it! I saw it! From Saint Mary's by the Sea!

It was awesome!

[rickford66]

7. right on time

I saw it at 11:29 in upstart NY.