NASA Shakes, Bakes, and Rattles Lunar Spaceship

coondoggie writes to tell us that NASA has apparently successfully concluded putting the new Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter through its paces. Using vibration and rotation tests NASA scientists were able to determine the center of gravity and were also able to observe the structural integrity during the vibration tests used to simulate launch aboard an Atlas rocket. "It is expected that the LRO will by the end of the year make its way to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for final launch preparations. The orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, a mission to smack into the moon in search of water ice, are scheduled to launch atop an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida sometime between Feb. 27, 2009 and the end of March 2009."

Comments

FRYING damnit, what about FRYING?!?!

[StefanJ]

Seriously. We need to test the hell out of this thing:

* Test monster-proofness of hatches and bulkheads.
* Ensure that air filters can handle sapient moon-dust clouds.

Oh . . . this is just a damn unmanned orbiter?

OK. Please forget this post. I'll use it again when they test the Orion lunar craft.

Yes, but

[rarel]

Will it blend?

Will they use Judas Priest to test it?

[h.ross.perot]

"But that's just the beginning, the orbiter will soon undergo four days of acoustics testing during which the spacecraft is placed near massive, multistory, wall-sized speakers that simulate the noise-induced vibrations of launch" Sweet... sign me up, brother.. it'll bring the bong..