Next stop: Moon
Orbiter undergoing tests

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, known as the LRO, will spend a year mapping the surface of the moon. But before it gets there, it needs to pass NASA’s stringent tests. Employees at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center are building the new orbiter and testing its components to be sure the LRO is ready for the harsh environment of space. After a component or entire subsystem is qualified, it is integrated into the spacecraft. The core suite of avionics for the orbiter is assembled and undergoing system tests. Data from the orbiter will help NASA select safe landing sites for astronauts, identify lunar resources and study how the moon's environment will affect humans. "This is a major milestone for the mission," said Craig Tooley, LRO project manager. "Our team has been working nearly around the clock to get us to this point. Reaching this milestone keeps us on the path to sending LRO to the moon later this year." Various components of the avionics and mechanical subsystem are in the process of going through their qualification program. Six instruments and one technology demonstration aboard the spacecraft will provide important data to enable a safe and productive human return to the moon. The six instruments are scheduled to arrive at Goddard in the coming months for integration. The spacecraft will ship to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., in August in preparation for launch. The orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite will launch aboard an Atlas V rocket in late 2008. The trip to the moon will take approximately four days. The LRO initially will enter an elliptical orbit. Once moved into its final orbit, a circular polar orbit approximately 31 miles above the moon, the spacecraft's instruments will map the lunar surface.

Bob Thompson wires heaters and thermostats on the +y side of the instrument module. The flight instrument module (IM) has most of its heaters and thermostats installed. This equipment will ensure that our instruments do not get too cold when they are off, and it will also keep them at a proper temperature when they are operating. Photo courtesy NASA

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