Jacques van Oene
September 17th 04, 09:37 PM
SPACECRAFT AND EXPENDABLE VEHICLES STATUS REPORT
September 17, 2004
George H. Diller
NASA Kennedy Space Center
321/867-2468
MISSION: Swift
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II
LAUNCH PAD: 17-A Cape Canaveral
LAUNCH DATE: Oct. 26, 2004
LAUNCH WINDOW: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EDT
Launch of the Swift observatory has been rescheduled for Oct. 26 based on
the recovery schedule developed after Hurricane Frances. The date is
subject to change based on the track of Hurricane Jeanne next week. The
one-hour launch window extends from 1 - 2 p.m. EDT.
Swift is in the clean room at NASA's Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station. The spacecraft was removed from its shipping container on
Thursday, where it had been reinstalled as a precaution for Hurricane
Frances. The spacecraft is covered in a protective double bag and will
remain so until the threat from Hurricane Jeanne can be determined.
However, some electrical testing can still be performed in the interim.
The stacking of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-A has been
rescheduled to begin on Tuesday, Sept. 21 with the hoisting of the first
stage onto the launch pad. Attachment of the three strap-on solid rocket
boosters is scheduled for Sept. 22. The payload fairing will be lifted
inside the clean room with the mobile service tower on Sept. 23. The second
stage will be hoisted into position atop the first stage on Sept. 25.
The Swift observatory will pinpoint the location of distant yet fleeting
explosions that appear to signal the births of black holes. Gamma-ray
bursts are the most powerful explosions known in the universe, emitting more
than 100 billion times the energy that the Sun does in a year. Yet they
last only from a few milliseconds to a few minutes, never to appear in the
same spot again.
The Swift satellite is named for the nimble bird, because it can swiftly
turn and point its instruments to catch a burst "on the fly" to study both
the burst and its afterglow. This afterglow phenomenon follows the initial
gamma-ray flash in most bursts and it can linger in X-ray light, visible
light and radio waves for hours or weeks, providing great detail for
observations.
Swift is a medium-class Explorer mission managed by NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The observatory was built for NASA by
Spectrum Astro, a division of General Dynamics. The Kennedy Space Center in
Florida is responsible for Swift's integration with the Boeing Delta II
rocket and the countdown management on launch day.
MISSION: Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL
LAUNCH SITE: Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
LAUNCH DATE: Oct. 19, 2004
LAUNCH WINDOW: 11:19:13 a.m. - 11:26:13 a.m. PDT
At Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Pegasus XL launch vehicle completed its
buildup and testing is in progress. The first of three Pegasus Flight
Simulations was completed Aug. 18 and the second on Sept. 9. The final
simulation is scheduled to be conducted on Sept. 30.
The upper stage that will provide maneuvering for the spacecraft during
mission operations is scheduled to be mated to DART this week. Installation
of the Advanced Video Guidance Sensor (AVGS) hardware, the primary
technology demonstration experiment, was completed into the satellite Sept.
15 after arriving at Vandenberg Sept. 12. The optical characterization
testing and final performance verification test will be conducted later this
month.
DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an
advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting
satellite. The DART spacecraft weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet
long and 3 feet in diameter. The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL vehicle will
launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles.
The DART satellite provides a key step in establishing autonomous rendezvous
capabilities for the U.S. Space Program. While previous rendezvous and
docking efforts have been piloted by astronauts, the unmanned DART satellite
will have computers and cameras to perform its rendezvous functions.
Once in orbit, DART will make contact with a target satellite, the Multiple
Paths, Beyond-Line-of-Site Communications (MUBLCOM), also built by Orbital
Sciences and launched in 1999. DART will then perform several
close-proximity operations, such as moving toward and away from the
satellite using navigation data provided by on-board sensors. The entire
mission will last only 24 hours and will be accomplished without human
intervention. The DART flight computer will determine its own path to
accomplish its mission objectives.
# # #
--
---------------------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info
September 17, 2004
George H. Diller
NASA Kennedy Space Center
321/867-2468
MISSION: Swift
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II
LAUNCH PAD: 17-A Cape Canaveral
LAUNCH DATE: Oct. 26, 2004
LAUNCH WINDOW: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EDT
Launch of the Swift observatory has been rescheduled for Oct. 26 based on
the recovery schedule developed after Hurricane Frances. The date is
subject to change based on the track of Hurricane Jeanne next week. The
one-hour launch window extends from 1 - 2 p.m. EDT.
Swift is in the clean room at NASA's Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station. The spacecraft was removed from its shipping container on
Thursday, where it had been reinstalled as a precaution for Hurricane
Frances. The spacecraft is covered in a protective double bag and will
remain so until the threat from Hurricane Jeanne can be determined.
However, some electrical testing can still be performed in the interim.
The stacking of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-A has been
rescheduled to begin on Tuesday, Sept. 21 with the hoisting of the first
stage onto the launch pad. Attachment of the three strap-on solid rocket
boosters is scheduled for Sept. 22. The payload fairing will be lifted
inside the clean room with the mobile service tower on Sept. 23. The second
stage will be hoisted into position atop the first stage on Sept. 25.
The Swift observatory will pinpoint the location of distant yet fleeting
explosions that appear to signal the births of black holes. Gamma-ray
bursts are the most powerful explosions known in the universe, emitting more
than 100 billion times the energy that the Sun does in a year. Yet they
last only from a few milliseconds to a few minutes, never to appear in the
same spot again.
The Swift satellite is named for the nimble bird, because it can swiftly
turn and point its instruments to catch a burst "on the fly" to study both
the burst and its afterglow. This afterglow phenomenon follows the initial
gamma-ray flash in most bursts and it can linger in X-ray light, visible
light and radio waves for hours or weeks, providing great detail for
observations.
Swift is a medium-class Explorer mission managed by NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The observatory was built for NASA by
Spectrum Astro, a division of General Dynamics. The Kennedy Space Center in
Florida is responsible for Swift's integration with the Boeing Delta II
rocket and the countdown management on launch day.
MISSION: Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL
LAUNCH SITE: Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
LAUNCH DATE: Oct. 19, 2004
LAUNCH WINDOW: 11:19:13 a.m. - 11:26:13 a.m. PDT
At Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Pegasus XL launch vehicle completed its
buildup and testing is in progress. The first of three Pegasus Flight
Simulations was completed Aug. 18 and the second on Sept. 9. The final
simulation is scheduled to be conducted on Sept. 30.
The upper stage that will provide maneuvering for the spacecraft during
mission operations is scheduled to be mated to DART this week. Installation
of the Advanced Video Guidance Sensor (AVGS) hardware, the primary
technology demonstration experiment, was completed into the satellite Sept.
15 after arriving at Vandenberg Sept. 12. The optical characterization
testing and final performance verification test will be conducted later this
month.
DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an
advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting
satellite. The DART spacecraft weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet
long and 3 feet in diameter. The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL vehicle will
launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles.
The DART satellite provides a key step in establishing autonomous rendezvous
capabilities for the U.S. Space Program. While previous rendezvous and
docking efforts have been piloted by astronauts, the unmanned DART satellite
will have computers and cameras to perform its rendezvous functions.
Once in orbit, DART will make contact with a target satellite, the Multiple
Paths, Beyond-Line-of-Site Communications (MUBLCOM), also built by Orbital
Sciences and launched in 1999. DART will then perform several
close-proximity operations, such as moving toward and away from the
satellite using navigation data provided by on-board sensors. The entire
mission will last only 24 hours and will be accomplished without human
intervention. The DART flight computer will determine its own path to
accomplish its mission objectives.
# # #
--
---------------------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info