Two robotic lunar explorers are moon-bound tonight after a cloud-piercing Atlas V rocket launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.Mounted atop the 19-story United Launch Alliance rocket, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation Sensing Satellite blasted off from Launch Complex 41 at 5:32 p.m. -- the last of three instantaneous windows available tonight.
Seasonal summer thunderstorms sweeping through the east-central Florida area forced ULA and NASA to pass up launch opportunities at 5:12 p.m. and 5:22 p.m. But the storms moved out of the area around the Air Force launch base in time to press ahead with launch.
White-hot light flashed at the bottom of the rocket as its Russian-made RD-180 engine ignited a split-second after 5:32 p.m., propelling the Atlas V off its seaside pad.The only liquid oxygen-kerosene-fueled engine with an oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle flying in the United States, the RD-180 delivered nearly one million pounds of thrust at liftoff -- or more than two NASA space shuttle main engines.
The Atlas V cleared its umbilical tower and then punched its way through a relatively low cloud deck as it arced out over the Atlantic Ocean and sped toward orbit.
You can click to enlarge and save the top United Launch Alliance image, which was taken by a remote camera operated by photographer Pat Corkery. You can also click the enlarged image to get an even bigger, more detailed view.
The second photo was taken by award-winning Florida Today photographer Michael R. Brown. And check out the following series of eight NASA TV screen grabs:
1 comment:
What's up with using a Russian rocket? This is the USA dangit!!
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