Jacques van Oene
October 1st 04, 06:59 PM
SPACECRAFT AND EXPENDABLE VEHICLES STATUS REPORT
September 30, 2004
George H. Diller
NASA Kennedy Space Center
321/867-2468
MISSION: Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL
LAUNCH SITE: Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
LAUNCH DATE: Oct. 26, 2004 NET
LAUNCH WINDOW: 11:13:32 a.m. - 11:20:32 a.m. PDT
Due to a failed pressure transducer on the DART upper stage, launch aboard a
Pegasus XL has been rescheduled to no earlier than Oct. 26. The upper stage
is necessary to deliver DART to its rendezvous point and to conduct
proximity operations with the Multiple Paths, Beyond-Line-of-Site
Communications (MUBLCOM) satellite. Three strain gauges have been installed
on the upper stage to derive hydrazine fuel tank pressure. Verification
testing is now under way to validate this alternate method of monitoring. A
final flight simulation is now scheduled to be conducted on Oct. 7.
Installation into the satellite of the Advanced Video Guidance Sensor
hardware, the primary technology demonstration experiment, was completed
Sept. 15 after arriving at Vandenberg Sept. 12.
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 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.
MISSION: Swift
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II
LAUNCH PAD: 17-A Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
LAUNCH DATE: Nov. 2, 2004 NET
LAUNCH WINDOW: 12:02 p.m. - 1:02 p.m. EST
Due to Hurricane Jeanne, the launch of Swift has been retargeted to occur no
earlier than Nov. 2. Integrated schedules involving the launch of Swift
from Pad 17-A and the pending launch of an Air Force Global Positioning
Satellite from Pad 17-B are now being developed. A firm launch date for
Swift should be known next week.
Swift is in the clean room at NASA's Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station. The Observatory was covered in a protective double bag with a dry
nitrogen purge during Hurricane Jeanne. The bag is being removed today in
preparation for a resumption of testing.
The final installation flight blankets to provide thermal stability during
the mission will occur on Sunday, Oct. 3. The two remaining Observatory
Operational Simulations are scheduled Oct. 6 through 8.
The start of stacking of the Boeing Delta II first stage on Pad 17-A has
been rescheduled for Friday, Oct. 1, due to Hurricane Jeanne. Attachment of
the three strap-on solid rocket boosters is scheduled for Oct. 2. The
payload fairing will be lifted into the clean room of the mobile service
tower on Oct. 4. The second stage will be hoisted into position atop the
first stage on Oct. 5.
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.
# # #
--
---------------------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info
September 30, 2004
George H. Diller
NASA Kennedy Space Center
321/867-2468
MISSION: Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART)
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL
LAUNCH SITE: Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
LAUNCH DATE: Oct. 26, 2004 NET
LAUNCH WINDOW: 11:13:32 a.m. - 11:20:32 a.m. PDT
Due to a failed pressure transducer on the DART upper stage, launch aboard a
Pegasus XL has been rescheduled to no earlier than Oct. 26. The upper stage
is necessary to deliver DART to its rendezvous point and to conduct
proximity operations with the Multiple Paths, Beyond-Line-of-Site
Communications (MUBLCOM) satellite. Three strain gauges have been installed
on the upper stage to derive hydrazine fuel tank pressure. Verification
testing is now under way to validate this alternate method of monitoring. A
final flight simulation is now scheduled to be conducted on Oct. 7.
Installation into the satellite of the Advanced Video Guidance Sensor
hardware, the primary technology demonstration experiment, was completed
Sept. 15 after arriving at Vandenberg Sept. 12.
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 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.
MISSION: Swift
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II
LAUNCH PAD: 17-A Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
LAUNCH DATE: Nov. 2, 2004 NET
LAUNCH WINDOW: 12:02 p.m. - 1:02 p.m. EST
Due to Hurricane Jeanne, the launch of Swift has been retargeted to occur no
earlier than Nov. 2. Integrated schedules involving the launch of Swift
from Pad 17-A and the pending launch of an Air Force Global Positioning
Satellite from Pad 17-B are now being developed. A firm launch date for
Swift should be known next week.
Swift is in the clean room at NASA's Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station. The Observatory was covered in a protective double bag with a dry
nitrogen purge during Hurricane Jeanne. The bag is being removed today in
preparation for a resumption of testing.
The final installation flight blankets to provide thermal stability during
the mission will occur on Sunday, Oct. 3. The two remaining Observatory
Operational Simulations are scheduled Oct. 6 through 8.
The start of stacking of the Boeing Delta II first stage on Pad 17-A has
been rescheduled for Friday, Oct. 1, due to Hurricane Jeanne. Attachment of
the three strap-on solid rocket boosters is scheduled for Oct. 2. The
payload fairing will be lifted into the clean room of the mobile service
tower on Oct. 4. The second stage will be hoisted into position atop the
first stage on Oct. 5.
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.
# # #
--
---------------------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info