NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Image above: Technicians at Northrop Grumman gently maneuver the LCROSS spacecraft into the thermal vacuum chamber. Click image to enlarge. Credit: NASA, courtesy of Northrop Grumman. On June 5, 2008, the LCROSS spacecraft completed thermal vacuum testing, a major milestone for flight certification. Technicians subjected the spacecraft to a vacuum and 13.5 days of heating and cooling cycles during which temperatures reached as high as 230 degrees Fahrenheit and as low as minus 40 degrees. Since the beginning of the year, LCROSS spacecraft has also passed acoustic vibration tests simulated launch conditions and 'mate match' tests to check the connection points to the Atlas V rocket's Centaur upper stage and the adapter ring for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, known as LRO. The tests were conducted at the Northrop Grumman facility in Redondo Beach, Calif.

Engineering teams are now conducting final checkouts of the spacecraft before it is processed for shipment to NASA's Kennedy Space Center for launch processing.

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