Managers Mull Options After Moon Mission Malfunction

[Wilms]

Managers mull options after moon mission malfunction

BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW

August 25, 2009

Officials are hurriedly looking for ways to save fuel on NASA's $79 million lunar impactor mission after a crisis Saturday caused the spacecraft to burn more than half of its remaining propellant.

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LCROSS is tugging a 41-foot-long Centaur rocket stage on a circuitous route through space. Scientists are preparing for a fleeting series of observations as the spent booster is released for a suicidal plunge into the moon on Oct. 9.

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"We can finish this mission, but it makes our sensitivity to something happening quite high," Andrews said.

The anomaly occurred out of view of ground stations, so LCROSS engineers were not aware of the problem until an antenna acquired the spacecraft later Saturday morning.

"When we acquired the signal, we discovered that the thrusters had been very busy and that the propellant in the tank was reduced quite a bit," Andrews said.

After regaining contact with LCROSS, controllers traced the fault to the Inertial Reference Unit, a sensor that measures the craft's attitude. Software on the satellite detected the issue and automatically switched attitude determination to the star tracker system as designed.

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http://www.spaceflightnow.com/lcross/090825fuel/

[Teaser]

1. somebody wanted to use some "M"s

.

[DeSwiss]

2. Mmmm???

[moggie]

3. Meh

Maybe marvellous moon magicians masterfully magnetised metalic mechanisms, marooning man-made meteoric menace?

Serves those moon-rapists right!

[trotsky]

4. lmao

The moon rapists. Gotta be one of the most f'ed up bits of woo I think I've ever seen. Thanks for the reminder. :rofl:

[DeSwiss]

6. LMAO!!!

:rofl:

[qazplm]

5. Sequel to V for Vendetta

M for Mission