P&W Helps Gives NASA a Lift to the Moon Crash
And this is our thanks!?
Friday, Oct 9, 2009 | Updated 7:00 AM EST
Margo McIntyre
Oh, Moon. You don't know what's about to hit you.
As NASA prepares to crash two spacecraft into the moon Friday, they'll be destroying the hard work of folks at a unit of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne that helped get them there.
A liquid-oxygen-kerosene fueled engine powered the launch of an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral in mid-June. Another liquid hydrogen-fueled, liquid oxygen engine was used to "position it on a trajectory toward the Moon," PWR reports .
Once they crash, they'll shoot debris plumes well into the air. NASA will analyze that for water ice.
You can watch a public viewing of the landing Friday morning in Bridgeport at the Discovery Museum and Planetarium or right here on NBC Connecticut.
So, yeah. PWR helped give NASA a lift to the moon, and their thanks (in addition to the purchase) is landing the devices face down on the Moon. Figures.
Posted Thursday, Oct 8, 2009 - 5:54 PM EST
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