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NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is safely on its way to the moon.
The spacecraft separated from an Atlas V Centaur stage at 6:17 p.m., prompting applause from mission managers.
LRO will take four days to reach lunar orbit.
It will take about two months to test all of its instruments and make sure they're in working order.
Then it will drop to a circilar polar orbit just about 30 miles above the lunar surface.
The $511-million mission will map the moon in detail for a year, then continue a science mission.
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