Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Successfully Completes Critical Design Review

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) successfully completed its Critical Design Review (CDR) on Thursday, November 9, 2006.

The review was held to present the complete system design developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and to make sure that technical issues have been properly addressed. Additionally, it ensured that the design maturity justifies the start of manufacturing mission hardware and software. As a result of this major assessment, NASA's independent review board provided a green light for proceeding into the fabrication and integration phase of the project.

The first in a series of robotic missions to the moon, the lunar orbiter is scheduled for launch in October 2008. It will carry six science instruments and a technology demonstration. The mission goal is to expand the coverage and accuracy of lunar maps and environmental data, enabling selection of landing sites for future robotic and human lunar missions.

"LRO will lead the way for NASA to reduce many of the major physical uncertainties in the basic definition of the moon itself, especially filling in gaps in our understanding of lunar topography, temperature, and resources including potential hydrogen and water, and in the information about the lunar poles," said Tony Lavoie, NASA's Lunar Precursor and Robotic Program Manager. "A solid performance as a result of this CDR review allows us to have high confidence that the LRO team at Goddard will make it to the launch pad on time for this crucial launch." LRO is part of NASA's Lunar Precursor and Robotic Program, located at the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.

The LRO Critical Design Review began November 6, 2006 at NASA Goddard in Greenbelt, Md., where LRO will be built. The independent review board, comprised of reviewers from NASA and several external organizations, heard presentations on all aspects of LRO design. Presentations included the spacecraft construction and systems integration, the science operations center, testing, and safety requirements.

Critical Design Reviews are one-time programmatic events that bridge the design and manufacturing stages of a project. A successful review means that the design is validated and will meet its requirements, is backed up with solid analysis and documentation, and has been proven to be safe. LRO's CDR completion grants Goddard permission to begin manufacturing hardware.

Source: NASA

Related stories:

Who's Orbiting the Moon?
The space around Earth is a busy place, as teeming with traffic as a roundabout. More than 500 active satellites are bustling about up there right now. Some are transmitting radio, television, and telephone signals; others are gathering information about Earth's atmosphere and weather; still others are helping people navigate down here; and the rest are conducting space research.
NASA Unveils New Antenna Network in White Sands, N.M.
Engineers from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., showcased the new 18-meter Ka Band Antenna Network, the first such system in agency history, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico on November 8.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Passes Preliminary Design Review
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter team said Friday it has completed its preliminary design review as part of the mission confirmation process.
NASA Engineers Complete Engine Test Series For Ares I Rocket
(PhysOrg.com) -- Engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., have completed a series of tests on a key component of the J-2X engine. The J-2X powers the upper stage of the Ares I rocket, which will launch human explorers to the International Space Station and to the moon.
NASA Successfully Tests Parachute for Ares Rocket
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA and industry engineers have successfully completed the first drop test of a drogue parachute for the Ares I rocket. The drogue parachute is designed to slow the rapid descent of the spent first-stage motor, cast off by the Ares I rocket during its climb to space.
New Project To Develop GPS-Like System For Moon
The same Ohio State University researcher who is helping rovers navigate on Mars is leading a new effort to help humans navigate on the moon.
Introducing the Spacesuit of the Future
NASA has awarded a contract to Oceaneering International Inc. of Houston, for the design, development and production of a new spacesuit system. The spacesuit will protect astronauts during Constellation Program voyages to the International Space Station and, by 2020, the surface of the moon.
LIDAR imaging detector could build 'super road maps' of planets and moons
Technology that could someday “MapQuest” Mars and other bodies in the solar system is under development at Rochester Institute of Technology’s Rochester Imaging Detector Laboratory (RIDL), in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory.

News discussion:

Space & Earth science news