LADEE’s Minotaur V Rocket

This image shows the Minotaur V rocket that will carry NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) on a pad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island, Va.

LADEE is a robotic mission that will orbit the moon to gather detailed information about the lunar atmosphere, conditions near the surface and environmental influences on lunar dust. A thorough understanding of these characteristics will address long-standing unknowns, and help scientists understand other planetary bodies as well.