Universe Today
Liftoff! A patient launch control team waited out stormy weather on Thursday, and finally were able to give a green light for the last launch opportunity of the day for the Atlas rocket carrying the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS). The duo lifted off at 21:42 pm GMT (5:32 pm EDT), climbing through some impressive looking clouds and quickly heading to space. For more information about the missions,
see our LRO/LCROSS preview article.
View the video of the launch, above, and using the wonders of NASA TV on the web and my image clipping tool here are more pictures from the launch:
Here are a few pre-launch images:
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[caption id="attachment_32877" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Credit: NASA TV"]
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Shortly after liftoff with the launch complex visible below: [caption id="attachment_32878" align="aligncenter" width="312" caption="Credit: NASA TV"]
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View from the spacecraft heading up through the clouds.
[caption id="attachment_32879" align="aligncenter" width="315" caption="Credit: NASA TV"]
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The curvature of Earth and the blackness of space visible from this image taken by cameras on the spacecraft.
[caption id="attachment_32880" align="aligncenter" width="315" caption="Credit: NASA TV"]
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As of this writing, all systems are in good shape.