NASA Prepares for Launch of Spacecraft Designed to Explore Moon's Atmosphere

NASA is currently engaged in final preparations for the launch of a small, car-sized probe designed to gain a better picture of the structure and composition of Moon's thin atmosphere.

In doing so, NASA officials report, the robotic mission -- named Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Explorer (LADEE) -- will not only shed light on characteristics of the Moon, but other space bodies as well, such as large asteroids, Mercury and moons belonging to outer planets.

"The moon's tenuous atmosphere may be more common in the solar system than we thought," said John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator for science in Washington.

Additionally, Grunsfeld explained that a better understanding of the Moon's atmosphere could also aid in developing a clearer understanding of the solar system's evolution.

Approximately one month after its Sept. 6 launch, LADEE will start on its 40-day commissioning phase, after which it will begin a 100-day science phase dedicated to collecting data, including samples of any atmospheric lunar dust particles and measurements of variations in the chemical composition of the Moon's atmopshere.

Built using an Ames-developed Modular Common Spacecraft Bus architecture, it is comprised of a lightweight carbon composite and boasts a mass of 550 pounds -- an amount that increases to nearly 850 pounds when fully fueled.

"This mission will put the common bus design to the test," Ames Director S. Pete Worden said. "This same common bus can be used on future missions to explore other destinations, including voyages to orbit and land on the moon, low-Earth orbit, and near-Earth objects."

The design, officials say, places NASA one step closer to reusable spacecraft born from assembly line production, rather than the current model of individual custom designs for each one.

"The LADEE mission demonstrates how it is possible to build a first class spacecraft at a reduced cost while using a more efficient manufacturing and assembly process," Butler Hine, LADEE project manager at Ames, said.