Originally published on September 6, 2013 <br /><br />NASA is set to launch a probe today called the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) able to collect lunar dust.<br /><br />The purpose of the probe is to study the fly-away lunar dust and the envelope of gases that surrounds the moon.<br /><br />The LADEE spacecraft will blast off from the brand new Minotaur V rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia.<br /><br />It will be able to capture and analyze dust particles as well as use a neutral mass spectrometer to measure variations in the lunar atmosphere. In addition, the spacecraft has an ultraviolet and visible light spectrometer that studies the composition of the lunar atmosphere.<br /><br />Additional features include lunar laser communications able to establish a broadband connection to Earth and steering rockets. The probe is about the length of two grown men.<br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world.<br /><br />For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:<br />https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS<br /><br />Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:<br />http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsUS<br /><br />Stay connected with us here:<br />Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS<br />Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS<br />Google+ http://gplus.to/TomoNewsUS
