QUICKSAT LUNAR PROSPECTOR The Quicksat Lunar Prospector is a design for a spacecraft that could be launched aboard a surplus Atlas E-rocket. One or more of these rockets have been made available by the Department of Defense and could loft an SGS-II upper stage system capable of injecting the spacecraft into lunar trajectory. The spacecraft is also designed to carry an Apollo surplus instrument into low lunar orbit. Designs similar to this could also be used with other expendable rockets such as Deltas. Atlas rocket with lunar prospector shortly after launch. Jettison of aerodynamic shroud around Lunar Prospector spacecraft. Stage separation from booster Deployment of spectrometer and two counterweight booms First SGS-II stage jettison Prospector atop solid rocket upper stage prior to Lunar injection. Lunar prospector arriving in polar orbit Spacecraft with gamma ray spectrometer (in cylinder) fully deployed. Lunar prospector in polar orbit looking for ice in permanently shadowed regions of the Moon’s poles.
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