May 23, 2011

George H Diller Kennedy Space Center, Fla 321-867-2468 george h diller@nasa gov

DC Agle Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif 818-393-9011 agle@jpl nasa gov

Dwayne Brown NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1726 dwayne c brown@nasa gov

RELEASE: 20-11

NASA'S TWIN CRAFT ARRIVE IN FLORIDA FOR MOON MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla -- NASA's twin lunar probes have arrived in Florida to begin final preparations for a launch in late summer The two Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory spacecraft (GRAIL) were shipped from Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, to the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla , Friday, May 20 NASA's dynamic duo will orbit the moon to determine the structure of the lunar interior from crust to core and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon

"NASA's lunar twins have arrived at Cape Canaveral," said Maria Zuber, GRAIL's principal investigator, based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge "We're only a few full moons away from a mission that will reveal clues not only into the history of the moon and Earth, but will provide important data for future lunar exploration "

The GRAIL twins, known as GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B, were removed from their shipping containers Monday, May 23 Later this week, they will begin functional testing to verify their state of health after their ride on an Air Force transport jet from Colorado Over the next four months at the Astrotech facility, the spacecraft will undergo final testing, fueling and packaging in the shroud that will protect them as the Delta II launch vehicle lifts them into space The spacecraft will then be transported to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for installation atop the rocket that will carry them toward the moon

GRAIL will be carried into space aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket lifting off from Launch Complex-19 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida The launch period opens Sept 8, 2011, and extends through Oct 19 For a Sept 8 liftoff, the launch window opens at 8:37 a m EDT (5:37 a m PDT) and remains open through 9:16 a m EDT (6:16 a m PDT)

GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B will fly in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail The mission will also answer longstanding questions about Earth's moon, and provide scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif , manages the GRAIL mission The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, is home to the mission's principal investigator, Maria Zuber The GRAIL mission is part of the Discovery Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena

More information about GRAIL is available online at:

http://solarsystem nasa gov/grail

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to: ksc-subscribe@newsletters nasa gov To remove your address from the list, send a message to: ksc-unsubscribe@newsletters nasa gov

The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription:

You are subscribed to the following list: [list_name]

using the following email: example@example.com

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:

https://aus-city com/cgi-bin/dada/mail cgi/u/STS_ISS_STATUS/example/example com/

If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism

You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen:

<[program_url]/list/[list]>

If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:

<mailto:[list_owner_email]>

The following physical address is associated with this mailing list:

[physical_address]