Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The GRAIL spacecraft are about to be encapsulated by the payload fairing (the two white half-cones in the background) of the Delta II rocket on August 24, 2011.
NASA / Jim Grossmann

GRAIL IS ONE STEP CLOSER TO LAUNCH... The twin GRAIL spacecraft were recently enclosed by the payload fairing of the Delta II rocket that will launch them to the Moon about 2 weeks from now. The payload fairing enclosure was originally scheduled to take place tomorrow, but the looming threat of Hurricane Irene forced technicians at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to move the encapsulation up by a day. Liftoff is still scheduled for the morning of September 8.

Before-and-after images of the GRAIL spacecraft being encapsulated by the Delta II rocket's payload fairing on August 24, 2011.
NASA / Jim Grossmann
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