Jacques van Oene
April 16th 05, 03:20 PM
NASA Launches Dart Spacecraft to Demonstrate Automated Rendezvous Capability
04.15.05
Kim Newton
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
(Phone: 256.544.0034)
Status Report: 05-049
NASA's Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft
successfully launched today at 1:25 p.m. EDT (10:25 a.m. PDT) from
Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., beginning a 24-hour mission to
demonstrate technologies required to locate and autonomously rendezvous with
another craft in space using only computers and sensors.
The automated rendezvous spacecraft was launched on a Pegasus vehicle from
the Orbital Science Corporation's Stargazer L-1011 aircraft. At
approximately 40,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean, the Pegasus vehicle was
released, boosting the DART spacecraft into an approximately 472-by-479-mile
polar orbit. Approximately 11 minutes after launch, the spacecraft was
delivered to its initial orbit and successfully completed the on-orbit
checkout.
DART's rendezvous target during the 24-hour mission is the Multiple Paths,
Beyond-Line-of-Sight Communications (MUBLCOM) satellite, an experimental
communications satellite launched in 1999.
DART provides a key step in establishing autonomous rendezvous capabilities
for the U.S. space program and will help lay groundwork for future manned
and unmanned launch vehicle missions that use computers to do the "driving"
in space.
Future technology applications may aid in cargo delivery, servicing missions
to the International Space Station and other space activities in support of
the Vision for Space Exploration. The DART project, managed by NASA's
Marshall Space Flight Center, is the first demonstration program selected by
NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate to develop technologies for
tomorrow's exploration of the Solar System. The prime contractor for the
mission is Orbital Sciences Corp., of Dulles Va., which also developed the
Pegasus launch vehicle and the MUBLCOM satellite. NASA's Kennedy Space
Center has oversight responsibility for launch integration and launch
services.
A second status report will be issued on Saturday April 16, following
completion of DART's rendezvous and proximity operations phase. For
information about NASA and Agency missions, please visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/
For more information about the DART mission, please visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dart/main/index.html
http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news/dart/
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info
04.15.05
Kim Newton
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
(Phone: 256.544.0034)
Status Report: 05-049
NASA's Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft
successfully launched today at 1:25 p.m. EDT (10:25 a.m. PDT) from
Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., beginning a 24-hour mission to
demonstrate technologies required to locate and autonomously rendezvous with
another craft in space using only computers and sensors.
The automated rendezvous spacecraft was launched on a Pegasus vehicle from
the Orbital Science Corporation's Stargazer L-1011 aircraft. At
approximately 40,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean, the Pegasus vehicle was
released, boosting the DART spacecraft into an approximately 472-by-479-mile
polar orbit. Approximately 11 minutes after launch, the spacecraft was
delivered to its initial orbit and successfully completed the on-orbit
checkout.
DART's rendezvous target during the 24-hour mission is the Multiple Paths,
Beyond-Line-of-Sight Communications (MUBLCOM) satellite, an experimental
communications satellite launched in 1999.
DART provides a key step in establishing autonomous rendezvous capabilities
for the U.S. space program and will help lay groundwork for future manned
and unmanned launch vehicle missions that use computers to do the "driving"
in space.
Future technology applications may aid in cargo delivery, servicing missions
to the International Space Station and other space activities in support of
the Vision for Space Exploration. The DART project, managed by NASA's
Marshall Space Flight Center, is the first demonstration program selected by
NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate to develop technologies for
tomorrow's exploration of the Solar System. The prime contractor for the
mission is Orbital Sciences Corp., of Dulles Va., which also developed the
Pegasus launch vehicle and the MUBLCOM satellite. NASA's Kennedy Space
Center has oversight responsibility for launch integration and launch
services.
A second status report will be issued on Saturday April 16, following
completion of DART's rendezvous and proximity operations phase. For
information about NASA and Agency missions, please visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/
For more information about the DART mission, please visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dart/main/index.html
http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news/dart/
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info