Sample records for air launch platform

  1. Throttleable GOX/ABS launch assist hybrid rocket motor for small scale air launch platform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spurrier, Zachary S.

    Aircraft-based space-launch platforms allow operational flexibility and offer the potential for significant propellant savings for small-to-medium orbital payloads. The NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center's Towed Glider Air-Launch System (TGALS) is a small-scale flight research project investigating the feasibility for a remotely-piloted, towed, glider system to act as a versatile air launch platform for nano-scale satellites. Removing the crew from the launch vehicle means that the system does not have to be human rated, and offers a potential for considerable cost savings. Utah State University is developing a small throttled launch-assist system for the TGALS platform. This "stage zero" design allows the TGALS platform to achieve the required flight path angle for the launch point, a condition that the TGALS cannot achieve without external propulsion. Throttling is required in order to achieve and sustain the proper launch attitude without structurally overloading the airframe. The hybrid rocket system employs gaseous-oxygen and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) as propellants. This thesis summarizes the development and testing campaign, and presents results from the clean-sheet design through ground-based static fire testing. Development of the closed-loop throttle control system is presented.

  2. AXONOMETRIC, LAUNCH DOOR AND DOOR CYLINDER, LAUNCH PLATFORM ROLLER GUIDE, ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    AXONOMETRIC, LAUNCH DOOR AND DOOR CYLINDER, LAUNCH PLATFORM ROLLER GUIDE, CRIB SUSPENSION SHOCK STRUT, LAUNCH PLATFORM - Dyess Air Force Base, Atlas F Missle Site S-8, Launch Facility, Approximately 3 miles east of Winters, 500 feet southwest of Highway 1770, center of complex, Winters, Runnels County, TX

  3. New Air-Launched Small Missile (ALSM) Flight Testbed for Hypersonic Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bui, Trong T.; Lux, David P.; Stenger, Michael T.; Munson, Michael J.; Teate, George F.

    2007-01-01

    The Phoenix Air-Launched Small Missile (ALSM) flight testbed was conceived and is proposed to help address the lack of quick-turnaround and cost-effective hypersonic flight research capabilities. The Phoenix ALSM testbed results from utilization of the United States Navy Phoenix AIM-54 (Hughes Aircraft Company, now Raytheon Company, Waltham, Massachusetts) long-range, guided air-to-air missile and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Dryden Flight Research Center (Edwards, California) F-15B (McDonnell Douglas, now the Boeing Company, Chicago, Illinois) testbed airplane. The retirement of the Phoenix AIM-54 missiles from fleet operation has presented an opportunity for converting this flight asset into a new flight testbed. This cost-effective new platform will fill the gap in the test and evaluation of hypersonic systems for flight Mach numbers ranging from 3 to 5. Preliminary studies indicate that the Phoenix missile is a highly capable platform; when launched from a high-performance airplane, the guided Phoenix missile can boost research payloads to low hypersonic Mach numbers, enabling flight research in the supersonic-to-hypersonic transitional flight envelope. Experience gained from developing and operating the Phoenix ALSM testbed will assist the development and operation of future higher-performance ALSM flight testbeds as well as responsive microsatellite-small-payload air-launched space boosters.

  4. New Air-Launched Small Missile (ALSM) Flight Testbed for Hypersonic Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bui, Trong T.; Lux, David P.; Stenger, Mike; Munson, Mike; Teate, George

    2006-01-01

    A new testbed for hypersonic flight research is proposed. Known as the Phoenix air-launched small missile (ALSM) flight testbed, it was conceived to help address the lack of quick-turnaround and cost-effective hypersonic flight research capabilities. The Phoenix ALSM testbed results from utilization of two unique and very capable flight assets: the United States Navy Phoenix AIM-54 long-range, guided air-to-air missile and the NASA Dryden F-15B testbed airplane. The U.S. Navy retirement of the Phoenix AIM-54 missiles from fleet operation has presented an excellent opportunity for converting this valuable flight asset into a new flight testbed. This cost-effective new platform will fill an existing gap in the test and evaluation of current and future hypersonic systems for flight Mach numbers ranging from 3 to 5. Preliminary studies indicate that the Phoenix missile is a highly capable platform. When launched from a high-performance airplane, the guided Phoenix missile can boost research payloads to low hypersonic Mach numbers, enabling flight research in the supersonic-to-hypersonic transitional flight envelope. Experience gained from developing and operating the Phoenix ALSM testbed will be valuable for the development and operation of future higher-performance ALSM flight testbeds as well as responsive microsatellite small-payload air-launched space boosters.

  5. Pegasus air-launched space booster

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lindberg, Robert E.; Mosier, Marty R.

    The launching of small satellites with the mother- aircraft-launched Pegasus booster yields substantial cost improvements over ground launching and enhances operational flexibility, since it allows launches to be conducted into any orbital inclination. The Pegasus launch vehicle is a three-stage solid-rocket-propelled system with delta-winged first stage. The major components of airborne support equipment, located on the mother aircraft, encompass a launch panel operator console, an electronic pallet, and a pylon adapter. Alternatives to the currently employed B-52 launch platform aircraft have been identified for future use. Attention is given to the dynamic, thermal, and acoustic environments experienced by the payload.

  6. The Crossbow Air Launch Trade Space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bonometti, Joseph A.; Sorensen, Kirk F.

    2006-01-01

    Effective air launching of a rocket is approached from a broad systems engineering viewpoint. The elementary reasons for why and how a rocket might be launched from a carrier aircraft are examined. From this, a carefully crafted set of guiding principles is presented. Rules are generated from a fundamental foundation, derived from NASA systems study analyses and from an academic vantage point. The Appendix includes the derivation of a revised Mass Multiplier Equation, useful in understanding the rocket equation as it applies to real vehicles, without the need of complicated weight and sizing programs. The rationale for air launching, being an enormously advantageous Earth-To-Orbit (ETO) methodology, is presented along with the realization that the appropriate air launch solution may lie in a very large class of carrier aircraft; the pod-hauler. Finally, a unique area of the system trade space is defined and branded Crossbow. Crossbow is not a specific hardware design for air launch, but represents a comprehensive vision for commercial, military and space transportation. This document serves as a starting point for future technical papers that evaluate the air launch hypotheses and assertions produced during the past several years of study on the subject.

  7. Motivation for Air-Launch: Past, Present, and Future

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kelly, John W.; Rogers, Charles E.; Brierly, Gregory T.; Martin, J Campbell; Murphy, Marshall G.

    2017-01-01

    Air-launch is defined as two or more air-vehicles joined and working together, that eventually separate in flight, and that have a combined performance greater than the sum of the individual parts. The use of the air-launch concept has taken many forms across civil, commercial, and military contexts throughout the history of aviation. Air-launch techniques have been applied for entertainment, movement of materiel and personnel, efficient execution of aeronautical research, increasing aircraft range, and enabling flexible and efficient launch of space vehicles. For each air-launch application identified in the paper, the motivation for that application is discussed.

  8. Air Launch: Examining Performance Potential of Various Configurations and Growth Options

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Waters, Eric D.; Creech, Dennis M.; Philips, Alan D.

    2013-01-01

    The Advanced Concepts Office at NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center conducted a high-level analysis of various air launch vehicle configurations, objectively determining maximum launch vehicle payload while considering carrier aircraft capabilities and given dimensional constraints. With the renewed interest in aerial launch of low-earth orbit payloads, referenced by programs such as Stratolaunch and Spaceship2, there exists a need to qualify the boundaries of the trade space, identify performance envelopes, and understand advantages and limiting factors of designing for maximum payload capability. Using the NASA/DARPA Horizontal Launch Study (HLS) Point Design 2 (PD-2) as a pointof- departure configuration, two independent design actions were undertaken. Both designs utilized a Boeing 747-400F as the carrier aircraft, LOX/RP-1 first stage and LOX/LH2 second stage. Each design was sized to meet dimensional and mass constraints while optimizing propellant loads and stage delta V splits. All concepts, when fully loaded, exceeded the allowable Gross Takeoff Weight (GTOW) of the aircraft platform. This excess mass was evaluated as propellant/fuel offload available for a potential in-flight propellant loading scenario. Results indicate many advantages such as payload delivery of approximately 47,000 lbm and significant mission flexibility including variable launch site inclination and launch window. However, in-flight cryogenic fluid transfer and carrier aircraft platform integration are substantial technical hurdles to the realization of such a system configuration.

  9. Air Launch: Examining Performance Potential of Various Configurations and Growth Options

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Waters, Eric D.; Creech, Dennis M.; Philips, Alan

    2013-01-01

    The Advanced Concepts Office at NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center conducted a high-level analysis of various air launch vehicle configurations, objectively determining maximum launch vehicle payload while considering carrier aircraft capabilities and given dimensional constraints. With the renewed interest in aerial launch of low-earth orbit payloads, referenced by programs such as Stratolaunch and Spaceship2, there existed a need to qualify the boundaries of the trade space, identify performance envelopes, and understand advantages and limiting factors of designing for maximum payload capability. Using the NASA/DARPA Horizontal Launch Study (HLS) Point Design 2 (PD-2) as a point-of-departure configuration, two independent design actions were undertaken. Both configurations utilized a Boeing 747-400F as the carrier aircraft, LOX/RP-1 first stage and LOX/LH2 second stage. Each design was sized to meet dimensional and mass constraints while optimizing propellant loads and stage delta V (?V) splits. All concepts, when fully loaded, exceeded the allowable Gross Takeoff Weight (GTOW) of the aircraft platform. This excess mass was evaluated as propellant/fuel offload available for a potential in-flight refueling scenario. Results indicate many advantages such as large, relative payload delivery of approximately 47,000 lbm and significant mission flexibility, such as variable launch site inclination and launch window; however, in-flight cryogenic fluid transfer and carrier aircraft platform integration are substantial technical hurdles to the realization of such a system configuration.

  10. Athena: Advanced air launched space booster

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Booker, Corey G.; Ziemer, John; Plonka, John; Henderson, Scott; Copioli, Paul; Reese, Charles; Ullman, Christopher; Frank, Jeremy; Breslauer, Alan; Patonis, Hristos

    1994-06-01

    The infrastructure for routine, reliable, and inexpensive access of space is a goal that has been actively pursued over the past 50 years, but has yet not been realized. Current launch systems utilize ground launching facilities which require the booster vehicle to plow up through the dense lower atmosphere before reaching space. An air launched system on the other hand has the advantage of being launched from a carrier aircraft above this dense portion of the atmosphere and hence can be smaller and lighter compared to its ground based counterpart. The goal of last year's Aerospace Engineering Course 483 (AE 483) was to design a 227,272 kg (500,000 lb.) air launched space booster which would beat the customer's launch cost on existing launch vehicles by at least 50 percent. While the cost analysis conducted by the class showed that this goal could be met, the cost and size of the carrier aircraft make it appear dubious that any private company would be willing to invest in such a project. To avoid this potential pitfall, this year's AE 483 class was to design as large an air launched space booster as possible which can be launched from an existing or modification to an existing aircraft. An initial estimate of the weight of the booster is 136,363 kg (300,000 lb.) to 159,091 kg (350,000 lb.).

  11. Athena: Advanced air launched space booster

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Booker, Corey G.; Ziemer, John; Plonka, John; Henderson, Scott; Copioli, Paul; Reese, Charles; Ullman, Christopher; Frank, Jeremy; Breslauer, Alan; Patonis, Hristos

    1994-01-01

    The infrastructure for routine, reliable, and inexpensive access of space is a goal that has been actively pursued over the past 50 years, but has yet not been realized. Current launch systems utilize ground launching facilities which require the booster vehicle to plow up through the dense lower atmosphere before reaching space. An air launched system on the other hand has the advantage of being launched from a carrier aircraft above this dense portion of the atmosphere and hence can be smaller and lighter compared to its ground based counterpart. The goal of last year's Aerospace Engineering Course 483 (AE 483) was to design a 227,272 kg (500,000 lb.) air launched space booster which would beat the customer's launch cost on existing launch vehicles by at least 50 percent. While the cost analysis conducted by the class showed that this goal could be met, the cost and size of the carrier aircraft make it appear dubious that any private company would be willing to invest in such a project. To avoid this potential pitfall, this year's AE 483 class was to design as large an air launched space booster as possible which can be launched from an existing or modification to an existing aircraft. An initial estimate of the weight of the booster is 136,363 kg (300,000 lb.) to 159,091 kg (350,000 lb.).

  12. Design of an airborne launch vehicle for an air launched space booster

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chao, Chin; Choi, Rich; Cohen, Scott; Dumont, Brian; Gibin, Mauricius; Jorden, Rob; Poth, Stefan

    1993-01-01

    A conceptual design is presented for a carrier vehicle for an air launched space booster. This airplane is capable of carrying a 500,000 pound satellite launch system to an altitude over 40,000 feet for launch. The airplane features a twin fuselage configuration for improved payload and landing gear integration, a high aspect ratio wing for maneuverability at altitude, and is powered by six General Electric GE-90 engines. The analysis methods used and the systems employed in the airplane are discussed. Launch costs are expected to be competitive with existing launch systems.

  13. Design of an airborne launch vehicle for an air launched space booster

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chao, Chin; Choi, Rich; Cohen, Scott; Dumont, Brian; Gibin, Mauricius; Jorden, Rob; Poth, Stefan

    1993-12-01

    A conceptual design is presented for a carrier vehicle for an air launched space booster. This airplane is capable of carrying a 500,000 pound satellite launch system to an altitude over 40,000 feet for launch. The airplane features a twin fuselage configuration for improved payload and landing gear integration, a high aspect ratio wing for maneuverability at altitude, and is powered by six General Electric GE-90 engines. The analysis methods used and the systems employed in the airplane are discussed. Launch costs are expected to be competitive with existing launch systems.

  14. System and Method for Air Launch from a Towed Aircraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Budd, Gerald D (Inventor)

    2018-01-01

    The invention is a system and method of air launching a powered launch vehicle into space or high altitude. More specifically, the invention is a tow aircraft which tows an unpowered glider, with the powered launch vehicle attached thereto, to launch altitude. The powered launch vehicle is released from the unpowered glider and powered on for launch.

  15. Air-to-air view of STS-26 Discovery, OV-103, launch from KSC

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1988-01-01

    Air-to-air view of STS-26 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, launch taken by T. Haydee Laguna, an airline passenger bound for Paradise Island in the Bahamas. She sent the photo of what she called 'the most beautiful sight this side of Heaven' to NASA along with a congratulatory letter. OV-103 is a small dot as it rises through the clouds from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex (LC) pad 39B with a exhaust plume trailing behind it.

  16. Low Earth Orbit Raider (LER) winged air launch vehicle concept

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Feaux, Karl; Jordan, William; Killough, Graham; Miller, Robert; Plunk, Vonn

    1989-01-01

    The need to launch small payloads into low earth orbit has increased dramatically during the past several years. The Low Earth orbit Raider (LER) is an answer to this need. The LER is an air-launched, winged vehicle designed to carry a 1500 pound payload into a 250 nautical mile orbit. The LER is launched from the back of a 747-100B at 35,000 feet and a Mach number of 0.8. Three staged solid propellant motors offer safe ground and flight handling, reliable operation, and decreased fabrication cost. The wing provides lift for 747 separation and during the first stage burn. Also, aerodynamic controls are provided to simplify first stage maneuvers. The air-launch concept offers many advantages to the consumer compared to conventional methods. Launching at 35,000 feet lowers atmospheric drag and other loads on the vehicle considerably. Since the 747 is a mobile launch pad, flexibility in orbit selection and launch time is unparalleled. Even polar orbits are accessible with a decreased payload. Most importantly, the LER launch service can come to the customer, satellites and experiments need not be transported to ground based launch facilities. The LER is designed to offer increased consumer freedom at a lower cost over existing launch systems. Simplistic design emphasizing reliability at low cost allows for the light payloads of the LER.

  17. Air-to-air view of STS-32 Columbia, OV-102, launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1990-01-09

    STS-32 Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, pierces a layer of low lying clouds as it makes its ascent to Earth orbit for a 10-day mission. In this air-to-air view, OV-102 rides atop the external tank (ET) with flames created by solid rocket boosters (SRBs) appearing directly underneath it and a long plume of exhaust smoke trailing behind it and extending to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) Pad 39A below. OV-102 left KSC LC Pad 39A at 7:34:59:98 am Eastern Standard Time (EST) some 24 hours after dubious weather at the return-to-landing site (RTLS) had cancelled a scheduled launch. The photo was taken by astronaut Michael L. Coats, acting chief of the Astronaut Office, from the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA).

  18. Air-launched GPR evaluation for rapid assessment of MoDOT bridge decks.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-03-01

    This study demonstrated the utility of the air-launched ground penetrating radar (GPR) tool in terms of : evaluating the condition of MoDOT bridge decks. The objective was to confirm that the air-launched GPR : tool can be implemented as a part of a ...

  19. Small Space Launch: Origins & Challenges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Freeman, T.; Delarosa, J.

    2010-09-01

    The United States Space Situational Awareness capability continues to be a key element in obtaining and maintaining the high ground in space. Space Situational Awareness satellites are critical enablers for integrated air, ground and sea operations, and play an essential role in fighting and winning conflicts. The United States leads the world space community in spacecraft payload systems from the component level into spacecraft, and in the development of constellations of spacecraft. In the area of launch systems that support Space Situational Awareness, despite the recent development of small launch vehicles, the United States launch capability is dominated by an old, unresponsive and relatively expensive set of launchers in the Expandable, Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELV) platforms; Delta IV and Atlas V. The United States directed Air Force Space Command to develop the capability for operationally responsive access to space and use of space to support national security, including the ability to provide critical space capabilities in the event of a failure of launch or on-orbit capabilities. On 1 Aug 06, Air Force Space Command activated the Space Development & Test Wing (SDTW) to perform development, test and evaluation of Air Force space systems and to execute advanced space deployment and demonstration projects to exploit new concepts and technologies, and rapidly migrate capabilities to the warfighter. The SDTW charged the Launch Test Squadron (LTS) with the mission to develop the capability of small space launch, supporting government research and development space launches and missile defense target missions, with operationally responsive spacelift for Low-Earth-Orbit Space Situational Awareness assets as a future mission. This new mission created new challenges for LTS. The LTS mission tenets of developing space launches and missile defense target vehicles were an evolution from the squadrons previous mission of providing sounding rockets under the Rocket

  20. Hot air balloons fill gap in atmospheric and sensing platforms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Watson, Steven M.; Price, Russ

    Eric Edgerton was having a problem he could not solve: how to noninvasively collect in situ incinerator plume data. So he called in the Air Force and learned about its Atmospheric and Sensor Test Platform program; its platform is a manned hot air balloon. Many investigators are discovering the advantages of hot air balloons as stable, inexpensive platforms for performing in situ atmospheric measurements. Some are also using remote sensing capabilities on the balloon platforms.

  1. Dyess Air Force Base, Atlas F Missle Site S8, Launch ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    Dyess Air Force Base, Atlas F Missle Site S-8, Launch Control Center (LCC), Approximately 3 miles east of Winters, 500 feet southwest of Highway 17700, northwest of Launch Facility, Winters, Runnels County, TX

  2. 33 CFR 334.1290 - In Bering Sea, Shemya Island Area, Alaska; meteorological rocket launching facility, Alaskan Air...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ..., Alaska; meteorological rocket launching facility, Alaskan Air Command, U.S. Air Force. 334.1290 Section...; meteorological rocket launching facility, Alaskan Air Command, U.S. Air Force. (a) The danger zone. An arc of a...) Rockets will normally be launched one each day Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Rocket...

  3. 33 CFR 334.1290 - In Bering Sea, Shemya Island Area, Alaska; meteorological rocket launching facility, Alaskan Air...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ..., Alaska; meteorological rocket launching facility, Alaskan Air Command, U.S. Air Force. 334.1290 Section...; meteorological rocket launching facility, Alaskan Air Command, U.S. Air Force. (a) The danger zone. An arc of a...) Rockets will normally be launched one each day Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Rocket...

  4. 33 CFR 334.1290 - In Bering Sea, Shemya Island Area, Alaska; meteorological rocket launching facility, Alaskan Air...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ..., Alaska; meteorological rocket launching facility, Alaskan Air Command, U.S. Air Force. 334.1290 Section...; meteorological rocket launching facility, Alaskan Air Command, U.S. Air Force. (a) The danger zone. An arc of a...) Rockets will normally be launched one each day Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Rocket...

  5. 33 CFR 334.1290 - In Bering Sea, Shemya Island Area, Alaska; meteorological rocket launching facility, Alaskan Air...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ..., Alaska; meteorological rocket launching facility, Alaskan Air Command, U.S. Air Force. 334.1290 Section...; meteorological rocket launching facility, Alaskan Air Command, U.S. Air Force. (a) The danger zone. An arc of a...) Rockets will normally be launched one each day Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Rocket...

  6. 33 CFR 334.1290 - In Bering Sea, Shemya Island Area, Alaska; meteorological rocket launching facility, Alaskan Air...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ..., Alaska; meteorological rocket launching facility, Alaskan Air Command, U.S. Air Force. 334.1290 Section...; meteorological rocket launching facility, Alaskan Air Command, U.S. Air Force. (a) The danger zone. An arc of a...) Rockets will normally be launched one each day Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Rocket...

  7. GRYPHON: Air launched space booster

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1993-06-01

    The project chosen for the winter semester Aero 483 class was the design of a next generation Air Launched Space Booster. Based on Orbital Sciences Corporation's Pegasus concept, the goal of Aero 483 was to design a 500,000 pound air launched space booster capable of delivering 17,000 pounds of payload to Low Earth Orbit and 8,000 pounds of payload to Geosynchronous Earth Orbit. The resulting launch vehicle was named the Gryphon. The class of forty senior aerospace engineering students was broken down into eight interdependent groups. Each group was assigned a subsystem or responsibility which then became their field of specialization. Spacecraft Integration was responsible for ensuring compatibility between subsystems. This group kept up to date on subsystem redesigns and informed those parties affected by the changes, monitored the vehicle's overall weight and dimensions, and calculated the mass properties of the booster. This group also performed the cost/profitability analysis of the Gryphon and obtained cost data for competing launch systems. The Mission Analysis Group was assigned the task of determining proper orbits, calculating the vehicle's flight trajectory for those orbits, and determining the aerodynamic characteristics of the vehicle. The Propulsion Group chose the engines that were best suited to the mission. This group also set the staging configurations for those engines and designed the tanks and fuel feed system. The commercial satellite market, dimensions and weights of typical satellites, and method of deploying satellites was determined by the Payloads Group. In addition, Payloads identified possible resupply packages for Space Station Freedom and identified those packages that were compatible with the Gryphon. The guidance, navigation, and control subsystems were designed by the Mission Control Group. This group identified required tracking hardware, communications hardware telemetry systems, and ground sites for the location of the Gryphon

  8. GRYPHON: Air launched space booster

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1993-01-01

    The project chosen for the winter semester Aero 483 class was the design of a next generation Air Launched Space Booster. Based on Orbital Sciences Corporation's Pegasus concept, the goal of Aero 483 was to design a 500,000 pound air launched space booster capable of delivering 17,000 pounds of payload to Low Earth Orbit and 8,000 pounds of payload to Geosynchronous Earth Orbit. The resulting launch vehicle was named the Gryphon. The class of forty senior aerospace engineering students was broken down into eight interdependent groups. Each group was assigned a subsystem or responsibility which then became their field of specialization. Spacecraft Integration was responsible for ensuring compatibility between subsystems. This group kept up to date on subsystem redesigns and informed those parties affected by the changes, monitored the vehicle's overall weight and dimensions, and calculated the mass properties of the booster. This group also performed the cost/profitability analysis of the Gryphon and obtained cost data for competing launch systems. The Mission Analysis Group was assigned the task of determining proper orbits, calculating the vehicle's flight trajectory for those orbits, and determining the aerodynamic characteristics of the vehicle. The Propulsion Group chose the engines that were best suited to the mission. This group also set the staging configurations for those engines and designed the tanks and fuel feed system. The commercial satellite market, dimensions and weights of typical satellites, and method of deploying satellites was determined by the Payloads Group. In addition, Payloads identified possible resupply packages for Space Station Freedom and identified those packages that were compatible with the Gryphon. The guidance, navigation, and control subsystems were designed by the Mission Control Group. This group identified required tracking hardware, communications hardware telemetry systems, and ground sites for the location of the Gryphon

  9. Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Solid Rocket ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Solid Rocket Booster Disassembly & Refurbishment Complex, Thrust Vector Control Deservicing Facility, Hangar Road, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  10. VIEW OF HB1 (VAB HIGH BAY) WITH MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    VIEW OF HB-1 (VAB HIGH BAY) WITH MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM (VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORMS ARE VISIBLE IN THE CENTER), FACING WEST - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  11. NASA's Space Launch System: A Heavy-Lift Platform for Entirely New Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Creech, Stephen A.

    2012-01-01

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration s (NASA's) Space Launch System (SLS) will contribute a new capability for human space flight and scientific missions beyond low-Earth orbit. The SLS Program, managed at NASA s Marshall Space Fight Center, will develop the heavy-lift vehicle that will launch the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), equipment, supplies, and major science missions. Orion will carry crews to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel, and provide safe reentry from deep-space return velocities. Supporting Orion s first autonomous flight to lunar orbit and back in 2017 and its first crewed flight in 2021, the SLS ultimately offers a flexible platform for both human and scientific exploration. The SLS plan leverages legacy infrastructure and hardware in NASA s inventory, as well as continues with advanced propulsion technologies now in development, to deliver an initial 70 metric ton (t) lift capability in 2017, evolving to a 130-t capability after 2021, using a block upgrade approach. This paper will give an overview of the SLS design and management approach against a backdrop of the missions it will support. It will detail the plan to deliver the initial SLS capability to the launch pad in the near term, as well as summarize the innovative approaches the SLS team is applying to deliver a safe, affordable, and sustainable long-range capability for entirely new missions opening a new realm of knowledge and a world of possibilities for multiple partners. Design reference missions that the SLS is being planned to support include asteroids, Lagrange Points, and Mars, among others. The Agency is developing its mission manifest in parallel with the development of a heavy-lift flagship that will dramatically increase total lift and volume capacity beyond current launch vehicle options, reduce trip times, and provide a robust platform for conducting new missions destined to rewrite textbooks with the

  12. Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, The Solid ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, The Solid Rocket Booster Assembly and Refurbishment Facility Manufacturing Building, Southeast corner of Schwartz Road and Contractors Road, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  13. Flight Simulator Platform Motion and Air Transport Pilot Training

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, Alfred T.; Bussolari, Steven R.

    1989-01-01

    The influence of flight simulator platform motion on pilot training and performance was examined In two studies utilizing a B-727-200 aircraft simulator. The simulator, located at Ames Research Center, Is certified by the FAA for upgrade and transition training in air carrier operations. Subjective ratings and objective performance of experienced B-727 pilots did not reveal any reliable effects of wide variations In platform motion de- sign. Motion platform variations did, however, affect the acquisition of control skill by pilots with no prior heavy aircraft flying experience. The effect was limited to pitch attitude control inputs during the early phase of landing training. Implications for the definition of platform motion requirements in air transport pilot training are discussed.

  14. NASA's Space Launch System: A Heavy-Lift Platform for Entirely New Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Creech, Stephen D.

    2012-01-01

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Space Launch System (SLS) will contribute a new capability for human space flight and scientific missions beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO). The SLS Program, managed at NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center, will develop the heavy-lift vehicle that will launch the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), equipment, supplies, and major science missions for exploration and discovery. Orion will carry crews to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel, and provide safe reentry from deep-space return velocities. Supporting Orion s first autonomous flight to lunar orbit and back in 2017 and its first crewed flight in 2021, the SLS ultimately offers a flexible platform for both human and scientific exploration. The SLS plan leverages legacy infrastructure and hardware in NASA s inventory, as well as continues with advanced technologies now in development, to deliver an initial 70 metric ton (t) lift capability in 2017, evolving to a 130-t capability, using a block upgrade approach. This paper will give an overview of the SLS design and management approach against a backdrop of the missions it will support. It will detail the plan to deliver the initial SLS capability to the launch pad in the near term, as well as summarize the innovative approaches the SLS team is applying to deliver a safe, affordable, and sustainable long-range capability for entirely new missions-opening a new realm of knowledge and a world of possibilities for multiple partners. Design reference missions that the SLS is being planned to support include Mars, Jupiter, Lagrange Points, and near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), among others. The Agency is developing its mission manifest in parallel with the development of a heavy-lift flagship that will dramatically increase total lift and volume capacity beyond current launch vehicle options, reduce trip times, and provide a robust platform for conducting new missions

  15. Upgrades to the Probabilistic NAS Platform Air Traffic Simulation Software

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hunter, George; Boisvert, Benjamin

    2013-01-01

    This document is the final report for the project entitled "Upgrades to the Probabilistic NAS Platform Air Traffic Simulation Software." This report consists of 17 sections which document the results of the several subtasks of this effort. The Probabilistic NAS Platform (PNP) is an air operations simulation platform developed and maintained by the Saab Sensis Corporation. The improvements made to the PNP simulation include the following: an airborne distributed separation assurance capability, a required time of arrival assignment and conformance capability, and a tactical and strategic weather avoidance capability.

  16. 78 FR 49729 - Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; U.S. Air Force Launches, Aircraft and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-15

    ... Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; U.S. Air Force Launches, Aircraft and Helicopter Operations, and Harbor Activities Related to Launch Vehicles From Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB... comments and information. SUMMARY: NMFS has received a request from the U.S. Air Force (USAF) for...

  17. DETAIL VIEW OF VIDEO CAMERA, MAIN FLOOR LEVEL, PLATFORM ESOUTH, ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    DETAIL VIEW OF VIDEO CAMERA, MAIN FLOOR LEVEL, PLATFORM E-SOUTH, HB-3, FACING SOUTHWEST - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  18. Comparison of Two Recent Launch Abort Platforms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dittemore, Gary D.; Harding, Adam

    2011-01-01

    The development of new and safer manned space vehicles is a top priority at NASA. Recently two different approaches of how to accomplish this mission of keeping astronauts safe was successfully demonstrated. With work already underway on an Apollo-like launch abort system for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), an alternative design concept named the Max Launch Abort System, or MLAS, was developed as a parallel effort. The Orion system, managed by the Constellation office, is based on the design of a single solid launch abort motor in a tower positioned above the capsule. The MLAS design takes a different approach placing the solid launch abort motor underneath the capsule. This effort was led by the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC). Both escape systems were designed with the Ares I Rocket as the launch vehicle and had the same primary requirement to safely propel a crew module away from any emergency event either on the launch pad or during accent. Beyond these two parameters, there was little else in common between the two projects, except that they both concluded in successful launches that will further promote the development of crew launch abort systems. A comparison of these projects from the standpoint of technical requirements; program management and flight test objectives will be done to highlight the synergistic lessons learned by two engineers who worked on each program. This comparison will demonstrate how the scope of the project architecture and management involvement in innovation should be tailored to meet the specific needs of the system under development.

  19. GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM CNORTH, HB3, FACING NORTHEAST ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM C-NORTH, HB-3, FACING NORTHEAST - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  20. GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM ENORTH, HB3, FACING NORTH ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM E-NORTH, HB-3, FACING NORTH - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  1. GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM ENORTH, HB3, FACING NORTHWEST ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM E-NORTH, HB-3, FACING NORTHWEST - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  2. GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM DNORTH, HB3, FACING NORTHWEST ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM D-NORTH, HB-3, FACING NORTHWEST - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  3. GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM BNORTH, HB3, FACING NORTH ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM B-NORTH, HB-3, FACING NORTH - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  4. GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM DNORTH, HB3, FACING NORTH ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM D-NORTH, HB-3, FACING NORTH - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  5. GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM BNORTH, HB3, FACING NORTHEAST ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM B-NORTH, HB-3, FACING NORTHEAST - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  6. GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM CNORTH, HB3, FACING NORTHWEST ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    GENERAL VIEW OF VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORM C-NORTH, HB-3, FACING NORTHWEST - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  7. Low-cost Citizen Science Balloon Platform for Measuring Air Pollutants to Improve Satellite Retrieval Algorithms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Potosnak, M. J.; Beck-Winchatz, B.; Ritter, P.

    2016-12-01

    High-altitude balloons (HABs) are an engaging platform for citizen science and formal and informal STEM education. However, the logistics of launching, chasing and recovering a payload on a 1200 g or 1500 g balloon can be daunting for many novice school groups and citizen scientists, and the cost can be prohibitive. In addition, there are many interesting scientific applications that do not require reaching the stratosphere, including measuring atmospheric pollutants in the planetary boundary layer. With a large number of citizen scientist flights, these data can be used to constrain satellite retrieval algorithms. In this poster presentation, we discuss a novel approach based on small (30 g) balloons that are cheap and easy to handle, and low-cost tracking devices (SPOT trackers for hikers) that do not require a radio license. Our scientific goal is to measure air quality in the lower troposphere. For example, particulate matter (PM) is an air pollutant that varies on small spatial scales and has sources in rural areas like biomass burning and farming practices such as tilling. Our HAB platform test flight incorporates an optical PM sensor, an integrated single board computer that records the PM sensor signal in addition to flight parameters (pressure, location and altitude), and a low-cost tracking system. Our goal is for the entire platform to cost less than $500. While the datasets generated by these flights are typically small, integrating a network of flight data from citizen scientists into a form usable for comparison to satellite data will require big data techniques.

  8. eLaunch Hypersonics: An Advanced Launch System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Starr, Stanley

    2010-01-01

    This presentation describes a new space launch system that NASA can and should develop. This approach can significantly reduce ground processing and launch costs, improve reliability, and broaden the scope of what we do in near earth orbit. The concept (not new) is to launch a re-usable air-breathing hypersonic vehicle from a ground based electric track. This vehicle launches a final rocket stage at high altitude/velocity for the final leg to orbit. The proposal here differs from past studies in that we will launch above Mach 1.5 (above transonic pinch point) which further improves the efficiency of air breathing, horizontal take-off launch systems. The approach described here significantly reduces cost per kilogram to orbit, increases safety and reliability of the boost systems, and reduces ground costs due to horizontal-processing. Finally, this approach provides significant technology transfer benefits for our national infrastructure.

  9. Design of a Flush Airdata System (FADS) for the Hypersonic Air Launched Option (HALO) Vehicle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Whitmore, Stephen A.; Moes, Timothy R.; Deets, Dwain A. (Technical Monitor)

    1994-01-01

    This paper presents a design study for a pressure based Flush airdata system (FADS) on the Hypersonic Air Launched Option (HALO) Vehicle. The analysis will demonstrate the feasibility of using a pressure based airdata system for the HALO and provide measurement uncertainty estimates along a candidate trajectory. The HALO is a conceived as a man-rated vehicle to be air launched from an SR-71 platform and is proposed as a testbed for an airbreathing hydrogen scramjet. A feasibility study has been performed and indicates that the proposed trajectory is possible with minimal modifications to the existing SR71 vehicle. The mission consists of launching the HALO off the top of an SR-71 at Mach 3 and 80,000 ft. A rocket motor is then used to accelerate the vehicle to the test condition. After the scramjet test is completed the vehicle will glide to a lakebed runway landing. This option provides reusability of the vehicle and scramjet engine. The HALO design will also allow for various scramjet engine and flowpath designs to be flight tested. For the HALO flights, measurements of freestream airdata are considered to be a mission critical to perform gain scheduling and trajectory optimization. One approach taken to obtaining airdata involves measurement of certain parameters such as external atmospheric winds, temperature, etc to estimate the airdata quantities. This study takes an alternate approach. Here the feasibility of obtaining airdata using a pressure-based flush airdata system (FADS) methods is assessed. The analysis, although it is performed using the HALO configuration and trajectory, is generally applicable to other hypersonic vehicles. The method to be presented offers the distinct advantage of inferring total pressure, Mach number, and flow incidence angles, without stagnating the freestream flow. This approach allows for airdata measurements to be made using blunt surfaces and significantly diminishes the heating load at the sensor. In the FADS concept a

  10. GENERAL VIEW OF NORTH VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORMS, HB3, FACING NORTHEAST ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    GENERAL VIEW OF NORTH VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORMS, HB-3, FACING NORTHEAST TOWARDS CEILING - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  11. GENERAL VIEW OF NORTH VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORMS, HB3, FACING NORTH ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    GENERAL VIEW OF NORTH VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORMS, HB-3, FACING NORTH TOWARDS FLOOR - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  12. GENERAL VIEW OF THE MAIN FLOOR LEVEL, PLATFORM DSOUTH, HB3, ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    GENERAL VIEW OF THE MAIN FLOOR LEVEL, PLATFORM D-SOUTH, HB-3, FACING NORTHWEST - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  13. Autonomous mobile platform for monitoring air emissions from industrial and municipal wastewater ponds.

    PubMed

    Fu, Long; Huda, Quamrul; Yang, Zheng; Zhang, Lucas; Hashisho, Zaher

    2017-11-01

    Significant amounts of volatile organic compounds and greenhouse gases are generated from wastewater lagoons and tailings ponds in Alberta, Canada. Accurate measurements of these air pollutants and greenhouse gases are needed to support management and regulatory decisions. A mobile platform was developed to measure air emissions from tailings pond in the oil sands region of Alberta. The mobile platform was tested in 2015 in a municipal wastewater treatment lagoon. With a flux chamber and a CO 2 /CH 4 sensor on board, the mobile platform was able to measure CO 2 and CH 4 emissions over two days at two different locations in the pond. Flux emission rates of CO 2 and CH 4 that were measured over the study period suggest the presence of aerobic and anaerobic zones in the wastewater treatment lagoon. The study demonstrated the capabilities of the mobile platform in measuring fugitive air emissions and identified the potential for the applications in air and water quality monitoring programs. The Mobile Platform demonstrated in this study has the ability to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fugitive sources such as municipal wastewater lagoons. This technology can be used to measure emission fluxes from tailings ponds with better detection of spatial and temporal variations of fugitive emissions. Additional air and water sampling equipment could be added to the mobile platform for a broad range of air and water quality studies in the oil sands region of Alberta.

  14. Environmental statement for National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Office of Space Science, launch vehicle and propulsion programs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1972-01-01

    NASA OSS Launch Vehicle and Propulsion Programs are responsible for the launch of approximately 20 automated science and applications spacecraft per year. These launches are for NASA programs and those of other U. S. government agencies, private organizations, such as the Comsat Corporation, foreign countries, and international organizations. Launches occur from Cape Kennedy, Florida; Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; Wallops Island, Virginia; and the San Marco Platform in the Indian Ocean off Kenya. Spacecraft launched by this program contribute in a variety of ways to the control of and betterment of the environment. Environmental effects caused by the launch vehicles are limited in extent, duration, and intensity and are considered insignificant.

  15. 66. DETAIL OF LAUNCH CONDUCTOR AND ASSISTANT LAUNCH CONDUCTOR PANELS ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    66. DETAIL OF LAUNCH CONDUCTOR AND ASSISTANT LAUNCH CONDUCTOR PANELS IN CONSOLE LOCATED CENTRALLY IN SLC-3E CONTROL ROOM. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT IN BACKGROUND: LAUNCH OPERATOR, LAUNCH ANALYST, AND FACILITIES PANELS. - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Operations Building, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

  16. Influence of the platform jitter on intensity fluctuation for laser launch system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Pengfei; Qiao, Chunhong; Huang, Tong; Zhang, Jinghui; Fan, Chengyu

    2017-10-01

    The jitter of the transmitting system can cause the light intensity fluctuation at the target position of the laser transmission, which affects the performance of the laser communication, imaging and the adaptive optical system. In this paper, the platform jitter is modeled by Gaussian random fluctuation phase and the analytic expression of the system jitter effect on the fluctuation of light intensity is obtained under the vacuum condition based on extended Huygens-Fresnel principle. The numerical simulation is compared with the theoretical expression and the consistency is obtained. At the same time, the influence of the jitter of the launch system on the intensity fluctuation of the target system under different turbulence conditions is analyzed by numerical simulation. The result show that normalized intensity fluctuation variance induced by platform jitter seems to be unrestricted. The jitter of the transmitting system has a more important influence on the fluctuation of the target position caused by the atmospheric turbulence, as the jitter increase. This result provides a reference for the application of the actual laser transmission system.

  17. Definition of air quality measurements for monitoring space shuttle launches

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thorpe, R. D.

    1978-01-01

    A description of a recommended air quality monitoring network to characterize the impact on ambient air quality in the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) (area) of space shuttle launch operations is given. Analysis of ground cloud processes and prevalent meteorological conditions indicates that transient HCl depositions can be a cause for concern. The system designed to monitor HCl employs an extensive network of inexpensive detectors combined with a central analysis device. An acid rain network is also recommended. A quantitative measure of projected minimal long-term impact involves the limited monitoring of NOx and particulates. All recommended monitoring is confined ti KSC property.

  18. 78 FR 32241 - U.S. Air Force Seeks Industry Input for National Security Space Launch Assessment

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-29

    ... Security Space Launch Assessment AGENCY: Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space... that the United States Air Force, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space.... Robert Long, 703-693-4978, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space, 1670 Air...

  19. CloudSat Preps for Launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2005-01-01

    The CloudSat spacecraft sits encapsulated within its Boeing Delta launch vehicle dual payload attach fitting at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. CloudSat will share its ride to orbit late next month with NASA's CALIPSO spacecraft. The two spacecraft are designed to reveal the secrets of clouds and aerosols.

  20. 65. DETAIL OF ASSISTANT LAUNCH CONTROLLER AND LAUNCH CONTROLLER PANELS ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    65. DETAIL OF ASSISTANT LAUNCH CONTROLLER AND LAUNCH CONTROLLER PANELS LOCATED NEAR CENTER OF SLC-3E CONTROL ROOM. NOTE 30-CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS PANELS. PAYLOAD ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND MONITORING PANELS (LEFT) AND LAUNCH OPERATORS PANEL (RIGHT) IN BACKGROUND. - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Operations Building, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

  1. 4. GENERAL VIEW OF LAUNCH PAD B FROM LAUNCH PAD ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    4. GENERAL VIEW OF LAUNCH PAD B FROM LAUNCH PAD A MOBILE SERVICE STRUCTURE; VIEW TO SOUTH. - Cape Canaveral Air Station, Launch Complex 17, Facility 28402, East end of Lighthouse Road, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  2. DETAIL VIEW OF SRB/ET ACCESS PANELS, THROUGH VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORMS ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    DETAIL VIEW OF SRB/ET ACCESS PANELS, THROUGH VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORMS E-NORTH, E-SOUTH, B-NORTH, AND B-SOUTH, HB-3, FACING NORTH - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  3. Popular NREL-Developed Transportation Mobile App Launches on Android

    Science.gov Websites

    Platform | News | NREL Popular NREL-Developed Transportation Mobile App Launches on Android Platform Popular NREL-Developed Transportation Mobile App Launches on Android Platform May 23, 2017 More . Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed the new mobile application for

  4. Launch Vehicles

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1990-06-01

    The Delta II expendable launch vehicle with the ROSAT (Roentgen Satellite), cooperative space X-ray astronomy mission between NASA, Germany and United Kingdom, was launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on June 1, 1990.

  5. B-52 Launch Aircraft in Flight

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2001-01-01

    NASA's venerable B-52 mothership is seen here photographed from a KC-135 Tanker aircraft. The X-43 adapter is visible attached to the right wing. The B-52, used for launching experimental aircraft and for other flight research projects, has been a familiar sight in the skies over Edwards for more than 40 years and is also both the oldest B-52 still flying and the aircraft with the lowest flight time of any B-52. NASA B-52, Tail Number 008, is an air launch carrier aircraft, 'mothership,' as well as a research aircraft platform that has been used on a variety of research projects. The aircraft, a 'B' model built in 1952 and first flown on June 11, 1955, is the oldest B-52 in flying status and has been used on some of the most significant research projects in aerospace history. Some of the significant projects supported by B-52 008 include the X-15, the lifting bodies, HiMAT (highly maneuverable aircraft technology), Pegasus, validation of parachute systems developed for the space shuttle program (solid-rocket-booster recovery system and the orbiter drag chute system), and the X-38. The B-52 served as the launch vehicle on 106 X-15 flights and flew a total of 159 captive-carry and launch missions in support of that program from June 1959 to October 1968. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo human spaceflight programs as well as space shuttle development. Between 1966 and 1975, the B-52 served as the launch aircraft for 127 of the 144 wingless lifting body flights. In the 1970s and 1980s, the B-52 was the launch aircraft for several aircraft at what is now the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, to study spin-stall, high-angle-of attack, and maneuvering characteristics. These included the 3/8-scale F-15/spin research vehicle (SRV), the HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) research vehicle, and the DAST (drones for aerodynamic and structural testing). The aircraft supported

  6. Performance status of the AIRS instrument thirteen years after launch

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elliott, Denis A.; Pagano, Thomas S.; Aumann, Hartmut H.; Broberg, Steven E.

    2015-09-01

    The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) is a hyperspectral infrared instrument on the EOS Aqua Spacecraft, launched on May 4, 2002. AIRS has 2378 infrared channels ranging from 3.7 μm to 15.4 μm and a 13.5 km footprint at nadir. AIRS is a "facility" instrument developed by NASA as an experimental demonstration of advanced technology for remote sensing and the benefits of high resolution infrared spectra to science investigations. AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), produces temperature profiles with 1K/km accuracy on a global scale, as well as water vapor profiles and trace gas amounts for CO2 , CO, SO2 , O3 and CH4. AIRS data are used for weather forecasting, climate process studies and validating climate models. The AIRS instrument has far exceeded its required design life of 5 years, with nearly 13 years of routine science operations that began on August 31, 2002. While the instrument has performed exceptionally well, with little sign of wear, the AIRS Project continues to monitor and maintain the health of AIRS, characterize its behavior and improve performance where possible. Radiometric stability has been monitored and trending shows better than 16 mK/year stability. Spectral calibration stability is better than 1 ppm/year. At this time we expect the AIRS to continue to perform well into the next decade. This paper contains updates to previous instrument status reports, with emphasis on the last three years.

  7. Launch Preparation and Rocket Launching

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-05-23

    which do not exceed several hundred kilometers. In the USA MBR and heavy rocket carriers to distant distances are transported predominantly on air or...Balloon for transportation of MBR "Minuteman" (drawing): - balloon; 2 - rocket. DOC = 91032701 PAGE 34 Page 20. Thus, for the protection from the axial g...launching is suitable for rockets, launched from surface of the earth (water), or from silo (submarine in submerged state). The selection of

  8. 73. VIEW OF LAUNCH OPERATOR AND LAUNCH ANAYLST PANELS LOCATED ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    73. VIEW OF LAUNCH OPERATOR AND LAUNCH ANAYLST PANELS LOCATED NEAR CENTER OF SOUTH WALL OF SLC-3E CONTROL ROOM. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ON WALL IN BACKGROUND: COMMUNICATIONS HEADSET AND FOOT PEDAL IN FORGROUND. ACCIDENT REPORTING EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM TELEPHONE, ATLAS H FUEL COUNTER, AND DIGITAL COUNTDOWN CLOCK. - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Operations Building, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

  9. Air Data Boom System Development for the Max Launch Abort System (MLAS) Flight Experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Woods-Vedeler, Jessica A.; Cox, Jeff; Bondurant, Robert; Dupont, Ron; ODonnell, Louise; Vellines, Wesley, IV; Johnston, William M.; Cagle, Christopher M.; Schuster, David M.; Elliott, Kenny B.; hide

    2010-01-01

    In 2007, the NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) chartered the NASA Engineering Safety Center (NESC) to demonstrate an alternate launch abort concept as risk mitigation for the Orion project's baseline "tower" design. On July 8, 2009, a full scale and passively, aerodynamically stabilized MLAS launch abort demonstrator was successfully launched from Wallops Flight Facility following nearly two years of development work on the launch abort concept: from a napkin sketch to a flight demonstration of the full-scale flight test vehicle. The MLAS flight test vehicle was instrumented with a suite of aerodynamic sensors. The purpose was to obtain sufficient data to demonstrate that the vehicle demonstrated the behavior predicted by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis and wind tunnel testing. This paper describes development of the Air Data Boom (ADB) component of the aerodynamic sensor suite.

  10. Eddy Seeding in the Labrador Sea: a Submerged Autonomous Launching Platform (SALP) Application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Furey, Heather H.; Femke de Jong, M.; Bower, Amy S.

    2013-04-01

    A simplified Submerged Autonomous Launch Platform (SALP) was used to release profiling floats into warm-core Irminger Rings (IRs) in order to investigate their vertical structure and evolution in the Labrador Sea from September 2007 - September 2009. IRs are thought to play an important role in restratification after convection in the Labrador Sea. The SALP is designed to release surface drifters or subsurface floats serially from a traditional ocean mooring, using real-time ocean measurements as criteria for launch. The original prototype instrument used properties measured at multiple depths, with information relayed to the SALP controller via acoustic modems. In our application, two SALP carousels were attached at 500 meters onto a heavily-instrumented deep water mooring, in the path of recently-shed IRs off the west Greenland shelf. A release algorithm was designed to use temperature and pressure measured at the SALP depth only to release one or two APEX profiling drifters each time an IR passed the mooring, using limited historical observations to set release thresholds. Mechanically and electronically, the SALP worked well: out of eleven releases, there was only one malfunction when a float was caught in the cage after the burn-wire had triggered. However, getting floats trapped in eddies met with limited success due to problems with the release algorithm and float ballasting. Out of seven floats launched from the platform using oceanographic criteria, four were released during warm water events that were not related to passing IRs. Also, after float release, it took on average about 2.6 days for the APEX to adjust from its initial ballast depth, about 600 meters, to its park point of 300 meters, leaving the float below the trapped core of water in the IRs. The other mooring instruments (at depths of 100 to 3000 m), revealed that 12 IRs passed by the mooring in the 2-year monitoring period. With this independent information, we were able to assess and improve

  11. Vandenberg Air Force Base Upper Level Wind Launch Weather Constraints

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shafer, Jaclyn A.; Wheeler, Mark M.

    2012-01-01

    The 30th Operational Support Squadron Weather Flight (30 OSSWF) provides comprehensive weather services to the space program at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California. One of their responsibilities is to monitor upper-level winds to ensure safe launch operations of the Minuteman III ballistic missile. The 30 OSSWF tasked the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) to analyze VAFB sounding data with the goal of determining the probability of violating (PoV) their upper-level thresholds for wind speed and shear constraints specific to this launch vehicle, and to develop a tool that will calculate the PoV of each constraint on the day of launch. In order to calculate the probability of exceeding each constraint, the AMU collected and analyzed historical data from VAFB. The historical sounding data were retrieved from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory archive for the years 1994-2011 and then stratified into four sub-seasons: January-March, April-June, July-September, and October-December. The maximum wind speed and 1000-ft shear values for each sounding in each subseason were determined. To accurately calculate the PoV, the AMU determined the theoretical distributions that best fit the maximum wind speed and maximum shear datasets. Ultimately it was discovered that the maximum wind speeds follow a Gaussian distribution while the maximum shear values follow a lognormal distribution. These results were applied when calculating the averages and standard deviations needed for the historical and real-time PoV calculations. In addition to the requirements outlined in the original task plan, the AMU also included forecast sounding data from the Rapid Refresh model. This information provides further insight for the launch weather officers (LWOs) when determining if a wind constraint violation will occur over the next few hours on day of launch. The interactive graphical user interface (GUI) for this project was developed in

  12. NPDES Permit for F.E. Warren Air Force Base Missile Launch Facilities in Colorado

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Under NPDES permit CO-0034789, the USAF, F. E. Warren Air Force Base, is authorized to discharge from the Missile Launch Facilities located in northeastern Colorado to unnamed drainage ditches located in the Cedar Creek and Pawnee Creek drainage basins.

  13. 46 CFR 199.145 - Marine evacuation system launching arrangements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. 199.145....145 Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. (a) Arrangements. Each marine evacuation system... from the marine evacuation system platform by a person either in the liferaft or on the platform; (4...

  14. 46 CFR 199.145 - Marine evacuation system launching arrangements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. 199.145....145 Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. (a) Arrangements. Each marine evacuation system... from the marine evacuation system platform by a person either in the liferaft or on the platform; (4...

  15. 46 CFR 199.145 - Marine evacuation system launching arrangements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. 199.145....145 Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. (a) Arrangements. Each marine evacuation system... from the marine evacuation system platform by a person either in the liferaft or on the platform; (4...

  16. 46 CFR 199.145 - Marine evacuation system launching arrangements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. 199.145....145 Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. (a) Arrangements. Each marine evacuation system... from the marine evacuation system platform by a person either in the liferaft or on the platform; (4...

  17. 46 CFR 199.145 - Marine evacuation system launching arrangements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. 199.145....145 Marine evacuation system launching arrangements. (a) Arrangements. Each marine evacuation system... from the marine evacuation system platform by a person either in the liferaft or on the platform; (4...

  18. Fiber Optic Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring of Air Platforms

    PubMed Central

    Guo, Honglei; Xiao, Gaozhi; Mrad, Nezih; Yao, Jianping

    2011-01-01

    Aircraft operators are faced with increasing requirements to extend the service life of air platforms beyond their designed life cycles, resulting in heavy maintenance and inspection burdens as well as economic pressure. Structural health monitoring (SHM) based on advanced sensor technology is potentially a cost-effective approach to meet operational requirements, and to reduce maintenance costs. Fiber optic sensor technology is being developed to provide existing and future aircrafts with SHM capability due to its unique superior characteristics. This review paper covers the aerospace SHM requirements and an overview of the fiber optic sensor technologies. In particular, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor technology is evaluated as the most promising tool for load monitoring and damage detection, the two critical SHM aspects of air platforms. At last, recommendations on the implementation and integration of FBG sensors into an SHM system are provided. PMID:22163816

  19. Using a patterned grating structure to create lipid bilayer platforms insensitive to air bubbles.

    PubMed

    Han, Chung-Ta; Chao, Ling

    2015-01-07

    Supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) have been used for various biosensing applications. The bilayer structure enables embedded lipid membrane species to maintain their native orientation, and the two-dimensional fluidity is crucial for numerous biomolecular interactions to occur. The platform integrated with a microfluidic device for reagent transport and exchange has great potential to be applied with surface analytical tools. However, SLBs can easily be destroyed by air bubbles during assay reagent transport and exchange. Here, we created a patterned obstacle grating structured surface in a microfluidic channel to protect SLBs from being destroyed by air bubbles. Unlike all of the previous approaches using chemical modification or adding protection layers to strengthen lipid bilayers, the uniqueness of this approach is that it uses the patterned obstacles to physically trap water above the bilayers to prevent the air-water interface from directly coming into contact with and peeling the bilayers. We showed that our platform with certain grating geometry criteria can provide promising protection to SLBs from air bubbles. The required obstacle distance was found to decrease when we increased the air-bubble movement speed. In addition, the interaction assay results from streptavidin and biotinylated lipids in the confined SLBs suggested that receptors at the SLBs retained the interaction ability after air-bubble treatment. The results showed that the developed SLB platform can preserve both high membrane fluidity and high accessibility to the outside environment, which have never been simultaneously achieved before. Incorporating the built platforms with some surface analytical tools could open the bottleneck of building highly robust in vitro cell-membrane-related bioassays.

  20. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers on the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, watch as the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) clears the platform. SIRTF will be attached to the Delta II rocket and encapsulated in its fairing before launch. Consisting of three cryogenically cooled science instruments and an 0.85-meter telescope, SIRTF is one of NASA’s largest infrared telescopes to be launched. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-08-10

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers on the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, watch as the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) clears the platform. SIRTF will be attached to the Delta II rocket and encapsulated in its fairing before launch. Consisting of three cryogenically cooled science instruments and an 0.85-meter telescope, SIRTF is one of NASA’s largest infrared telescopes to be launched. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.

  1. Business Case Analysis of the Towed Gilder Air Launched System (TGALS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Webb, Darryl W.; Nguyen, McLinton B.; Seibold, Robert W.; Wong, Frank C.; Budd, Gerald D.

    2017-01-01

    The Aerospace Corporation developed an integrated Business Case Analysis (BCA) model on behalf of the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC). This model evaluated the potential profitability of the Towed Glider Air Launched System (TGALS) concept, under development at AFRC, identifying potential technical, programmatic, and business decisions that could improve its business viability. The model addressed system performance metrics; development, production and operation cost estimates; market size and product service positioning; pricing alternatives; and market share.

  2. Subway platform air quality: Assessing the influences of tunnel ventilation, train piston effect and station design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moreno, T.; Pérez, N.; Reche, C.; Martins, V.; de Miguel, E.; Capdevila, M.; Centelles, S.; Minguillón, M. C.; Amato, F.; Alastuey, A.; Querol, X.; Gibbons, W.

    2014-08-01

    A high resolution air quality monitoring campaign (PM, CO2 and CO) was conducted on differently designed station platforms in the Barcelona subway system under: (a) normal forced tunnel ventilation, and (b) with daytime tunnel ventilation systems shut down. PM concentrations are highly variable (6-128 μgPM1 m-3, 16-314 μgPM3 m-3, and 33-332 μgPM10 m-3, 15-min averages) depending on ventilation conditions and station design. Narrow platforms served by single-track tunnels are heavily dependent on forced tunnel ventilation and cannot rely on the train piston effect alone to reduce platform PM concentrations. In contrast PM levels in stations with spacious double-track tunnels are not greatly affected when tunnel ventilation is switched off, offering the possibility of significant energy savings without damaging air quality. Sampling at different positions along the platform reveals considerable lateral variation, with the greatest accumulation of particulates occurring at one end of the platform. Passenger accesses can dilute PM concentrations by introducing cleaner outside air, although lateral down-platform accesses are less effective than those positioned at the train entry point. CO concentrations on the platform are very low (≤1 ppm) and probably controlled by ingress of traffic-contaminated street-level air. CO2 averages range from 371 to 569 ppm, changing during the build-up and exchange of passengers with each passing train.

  3. Flight simulator platform motion and air transport pilot training

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, Alfred T.; Bussolari, Steven R.

    1987-01-01

    The effect of a flight simulator platform motion on the performance and training of a pilot was evaluated using subjective ratings and objective performance data obtained on experienced B-727 pilots and pilots with no prior heavy aircraft flying experience flying B-727-200 aircraft simulator used by the FAA in the upgrade and transition training for air carrier operations. The results on experienced pilots did not reveal any reliable effects of wide variations in platform motion design. On the other hand, motion variations significantly affected the behavior of pilots without heavy-aircraft experience. The effect was limited to pitch attitude control inputs during the early phase of landing training.

  4. Dryden B-52 Launch Aircraft on Dryden Ramp

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1996-01-01

    NASA's venerable B-52 mothership sits on the ramp in front of the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. Over the course of more than 40 years, the B-52 launched numerous experimental aircraft, ranging from the X-15 to the X-38, and was also used as a flying testbed for a variety of other research projects. NASA B-52, Tail Number 008, is an air launch carrier aircraft, 'mothership,' as well as a research aircraft platform that has been used on a variety of research projects. The aircraft, a 'B' model built in 1952 and first flown on June 11, 1955, is the oldest B-52 in flying status and has been used on some of the most significant research projects in aerospace history. Some of the significant projects supported by B-52 008 include the X-15, the lifting bodies, HiMAT (highly maneuverable aircraft technology), Pegasus, validation of parachute systems developed for the space shuttle program (solid-rocket-booster recovery system and the orbiter drag chute system), and the X-38. The B-52 served as the launch vehicle on 106 X-15 flights and flew a total of 159 captive-carry and launch missions in support of that program from June 1959 to October 1968. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo human spaceflight programs as well as space shuttle development. Between 1966 and 1975, the B-52 served as the launch aircraft for 127 of the 144 wingless lifting body flights. In the 1970s and 1980s, the B-52 was the launch aircraft for several aircraft at what is now the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, to study spin-stall, high-angle-of attack, and maneuvering characteristics. These included the 3/8-scale F-15/spin research vehicle (SRV), the HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) research vehicle, and the DAST (drones for aerodynamic and structural testing). The aircraft supported the development of parachute recovery systems used to recover the space shuttle solid rocket

  5. Hydrogen disposal investigation for the Space Shuttle launch complex at Vandenberg Air Force Base

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Breit, Terry J.; Elliott, George

    1987-01-01

    The concern of an overpressure condition on the aft end of the Space Shuttle caused by ignition of unburned hydrogen being trapped in the Space Shuttle Main Engine exhaust duct at the Vandenberg AFB launch complex has been investigated for fifteen months. Approximately twenty-five concepts have been reviewed, with four concepts being thoroughly investigated. The four concepts investigated were hydrogen burnoff ignitors (ignitors located throughout the exhaust duct to continuously ignite any unburned hydrogen), jet mixing (utilizing large volumes of high pressure air to ensure complete combustion of the hydrogen), steam inert (utilizing flashing hot water to inert the duct with steam) and open duct concept (design an open duct or above grade J-deflector to avoid trapping hydrogen gas). Extensive studies, analyses and testing were performed at six test sites with technical support from twenty-two major organizations. In December 1986, the Air Force selected the steam inert concept to be utilized at the Vandenberg launch complex and authorized the design effort.

  6. Launching Garbage-Bag Balloons.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Hy

    1997-01-01

    Presents a modification of a procedure for making and launching hot air balloons made out of garbage bags. Student instructions for balloon construction, launching instructions, and scale diagrams are included. (DDR)

  7. Mobile Launch Platform Vehicle Assembly Area (SWMU 056) Biosparge Expansion Interim Measures Work Plan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Burcham, Michael S.; Daprato, Rebecca C.

    2016-01-01

    This document presents the design details for an Interim Measure (IM) Work Plan (IMWP) for the Mobile Launch Platform/Vehicle Assembly Building (MLPV) Area, located at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The MLPV Area has been designated Solid Waste Management Unit Number 056 (SWMU 056) under KSC's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action Program. This report was prepared by Geosyntec Consultants (Geosyntec) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under contract number NNK09CA02B and NNK12CA13B, project control number ENV1642. The Advanced Data Package (ADP) presentation covering the elements of this IMWP report received KSC Remediation Team (KSCRT) approval at the December 2015 Team Meeting; the meeting minutes are included in Appendix A.

  8. A Discrete Event Simulation Model for Evaluating Air Force Reusable Military Launch Vehicle Prelaunch Operations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-03-01

    by 2018 . The Air Force will require the HLV OS to be highly responsive, with a goal of launching a pre-integrated payload with a 24 to 48 hour...136 Vita Captain Adam T. Stiegelmeier graduated high school from Sunshine Bible

  9. Air liquefaction and enrichment system propulsion in reusable launch vehicles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bond, W. H.; Yi, A. C.

    1994-07-01

    A concept is shown for a fully reusable, Earth-to-orbit launch vehicle with horizontal takeoff and landing, employing an air-turborocket for low speed and a rocket for high-speed acceleration, both using liquid hydrogen for fuel. The turborocket employs a modified liquid air cycle to supply the oxidizer. The rocket uses 90% pure liquid oxygen as its oxidizer that is collected from the atmosphere, separated, and stored during operation of the turborocket from about Mach 2 to 5 or 6. The takeoff weight and the thrust required at takeoff are markedly reduced by collecting the rocket oxidizer in-flight. This article shows an approach and the corresponding technology needs for using air liquefaction and enrichment system propulsion in a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle. Reducing the trajectory altitude at the end of collection reduces the wing area and increases payload. The use of state-of-the-art materials, such as graphite polyimide, in a direct substitution for aluminum or aluminum-lithium alloy, is critical to meet the structure weight objective for SSTO. Configurations that utilize 'waverider' aerodynamics show great promise to reduce the vehicle weight.

  10. Monitoring Direct Effects of Delta, Atlas, and Titan Launches from Cape Canaveral Air Station

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schmalzer, Paul A.; Boyle, Shannon R.; Hall, Patrice; Oddy, Donna M.; Hensley, Melissa A.; Stolen, Eric D.; Duncan, Brean W.

    1998-01-01

    Launches of Delta, Atlas, and Titan rockets from Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) have potential environmental effects that could arise from direct impacts of the launch exhaust (e.g., blast, heat), deposition of exhaust products of the solid rocket motors (hydrogen chloride, aluminum oxide), or other effects such as noise. Here we: 1) review previous reports, environmental assessments, and environmental impact statements for Delta, Atlas, and Titan vehicles and pad areas to clarity the magnitude of potential impacts; 2) summarize observed effects of 15 Delta, 22 Atlas, and 8 Titan launches; and 3) develop a spatial database of the distribution of effects from individual launches and cumulative effects of launches. The review of previous studies indicated that impacts from these launches can occur from the launch exhaust heat, deposition of exhaust products from the solid rocket motors, and noise. The principal effluents from solid rocket motors are hydrogen chloride (HCl), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), water (H2O), hydrogen (H2), carbon monoxide (CO), and carbon dioxide (CO2). The exhaust plume interacts with the launch complex structure and water deluge system to generate a launch cloud. Fall out or rain out of material from this cloud can produce localized effects from acid or particulate deposition. Delta, Atlas, and Titan launch vehicles differ in the number and size of solid rocket boosters and in the amount of deluge water used. All are smaller and use less water than the Space Shuttle. Acid deposition can cause damage to plants and animals exposed to it, acidify surface water and soil, and cause long-term changes to community composition and structure from repeated exposure. The magnitude of these effects depends on the intensity and frequency of acid deposition.

  11. A METHOD OF ASSESSING AIR TOXICS CONCENTRATIONS IN URBAN AREAS USING MOBILE PLATFORM MEASUREMENTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The objective of this paper is to demonstrate an approach to characterize the spatial variability in ambient air concentrations using mobile platform measurements. This approach may be useful for air toxic assessments in Environmental Justice applications, epidemiological studies...

  12. OpenAQ: A Platform to Aggregate and Freely Share Global Air Quality Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hasenkopf, C. A.; Flasher, J. C.; Veerman, O.; DeWitt, H. L.

    2015-12-01

    Thousands of ground-based air quality monitors around the world publicly publish real-time air quality data; however, researchers and the public do not have access to this information in the ways most useful to them. Often, air quality data are posted on obscure websites showing only current values, are programmatically inaccessible, and/or are in inconsistent data formats across sites. Yet, historical and programmatic access to such a global dataset would be transformative to several scientific fields, from epidemiology to low-cost sensor technologies to estimates of ground-level aerosol by satellite retrievals. To increase accessibility and standardize this disparate dataset, we have built OpenAQ, an innovative, open platform created by a group of scientists and open data programmers. The source code for the platform is viewable at github.com/openaq. Currently, we are aggregating, storing, and making publicly available real-time air quality data (PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, and O3) via an Application Program Interface (API). We will present the OpenAQ platform, which currently has the following specific capabilities: A continuous ingest mechanism for some of the most polluted cities, generalizable to more sources An API providing data-querying, including ability to filter by location, measurement type and value and date, as well as custom sort options A generalized, chart-based visualization tool to explore data accessible via the API At this stage, we are seeking wider participation and input from multiple research communities in expanding our data retrieval sites, standardizing our protocols, receiving feedback on quality issues, and creating tools that can be built on top of this open platform.

  13. The exploration about the means of lunar-landing based on space-launch

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yi, Jiang; Zheming, Zhang; Debin, Fu

    The lunar exploration and lunar-landing is the first step of china s deep space exploration On the basement of our country s achievements and the experiences of the foreign countries the paper brings forward the idea that use the existing transportation technology to sent the Launch vehicles and cosmonauts to the near-earth orbit in batches assemble the components together on the Space-launch Platform and then launch them to the Moon to fulfill our dream of manned landing on the moon The paper also discusses the Space-launch Platform and the launching way

  14. Dryden B-52 Launch Aircraft in Flight over Dryden

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1996-01-01

    NASA's venerable B-52 mothership flies over the main building at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The B-52, used for launching experimental aircraft and for other flight research projects, has been a familiar sight in the skies over Edwards for more than 40 years and has also been both the oldest B-52 still flying and the aircraft with the lowest flight time of any B-52. NASA B-52, Tail Number 008, is an air launch carrier aircraft, 'mothership,' as well as a research aircraft platform that has been used on a variety of research projects. The aircraft, a 'B' model built in 1952 and first flown on June 11, 1955, is the oldest B-52 in flying status and has been used on some of the most significant research projects in aerospace history. Some of the significant projects supported by B-52 008 include the X-15, the lifting bodies, HiMAT (highly maneuverable aircraft technology), Pegasus, validation of parachute systems developed for the space shuttle program (solid-rocket-booster recovery system and the orbiter drag chute system), and the X-38. The B-52 served as the launch vehicle on 106 X-15 flights and flew a total of 159 captive-carry and launch missions in support of that program from June 1959 to October 1968. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo human spaceflight programs as well as space shuttle development. Between 1966 and 1975, the B-52 served as the launch aircraft for 127 of the 144 wingless lifting body flights. In the 1970s and 1980s, the B-52 was the launch aircraft for several aircraft at what is now the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, to study spin-stall, high-angle-of attack, and maneuvering characteristics. These included the 3/8-scale F-15/spin research vehicle (SRV), the HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) research vehicle, and the DAST (drones for aerodynamic and structural testing). The aircraft supported the development of

  15. Dryden B-52 Launch Aircraft on Edwards AFB Runway

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1996-01-01

    NASA's venerable workhorse, the B-52 mothership, rolls out on the Edwards AFB runway after a test flight in 1996. Over the course of more than 40 years, the B-52 launched numerous experimental aircraft, ranging from the X-15 to the X-38, and was also used as a flying testbed for a variety of other research projects. NASA B-52, Tail Number 008, is an air launch carrier aircraft, 'mothership,' as well as a research aircraft platform that has been used on a variety of research projects. The aircraft, a 'B' model built in 1952 and first flown on June 11, 1955, is the oldest B-52 in flying status and has been used on some of the most significant research projects in aerospace history. Some of the significant projects supported by B-52 008 include the X-15, the lifting bodies, HiMAT (highly maneuverable aircraft technology), Pegasus, validation of parachute systems developed for the space shuttle program (solid-rocket-booster recovery system and the orbiter drag chute system), and the X-38. The B-52 served as the launch vehicle on 106 X-15 flights and flew a total of 159 captive-carry and launch missions in support of that program from June 1959 to October 1968. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo human spaceflight programs as well as space shuttle development. Between 1966 and 1975, the B-52 served as the launch aircraft for 127 of the 144 wingless lifting body flights. In the 1970s and 1980s, the B-52 was the launch aircraft for several aircraft at what is now the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, to study spin-stall, high-angle-of attack, and maneuvering characteristics. These included the 3/8-scale F-15/spin research vehicle (SRV), the HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) research vehicle, and the DAST (drones for aerodynamic and structural testing). The aircraft supported the development of parachute recovery systems used to recover the space shuttle solid rocket

  16. Can commercial low-cost sensor platforms contribute to air quality monitoring and exposure estimates?

    PubMed

    Castell, Nuria; Dauge, Franck R; Schneider, Philipp; Vogt, Matthias; Lerner, Uri; Fishbain, Barak; Broday, David; Bartonova, Alena

    2017-02-01

    The emergence of low-cost, user-friendly and very compact air pollution platforms enable observations at high spatial resolution in near-real-time and provide new opportunities to simultaneously enhance existing monitoring systems, as well as engage citizens in active environmental monitoring. This provides a whole new set of capabilities in the assessment of human exposure to air pollution. However, the data generated by these platforms are often of questionable quality. We have conducted an exhaustive evaluation of 24 identical units of a commercial low-cost sensor platform against CEN (European Standardization Organization) reference analyzers, evaluating their measurement capability over time and a range of environmental conditions. Our results show that their performance varies spatially and temporally, as it depends on the atmospheric composition and the meteorological conditions. Our results show that the performance varies from unit to unit, which makes it necessary to examine the data quality of each node before its use. In general, guidance is lacking on how to test such sensor nodes and ensure adequate performance prior to marketing these platforms. We have implemented and tested diverse metrics in order to assess if the sensor can be employed for applications that require high accuracy (i.e., to meet the Data Quality Objectives defined in air quality legislation, epidemiological studies) or lower accuracy (i.e., to represent the pollution level on a coarse scale, for purposes such as awareness raising). Data quality is a pertinent concern, especially in citizen science applications, where citizens are collecting and interpreting the data. In general, while low-cost platforms present low accuracy for regulatory or health purposes they can provide relative and aggregated information about the observed air quality. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  17. Orion Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-12-05

    A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

  18. Rocket Launch Trajectory Simulations Mechanism

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Margasahayam, Ravi; Caimi, Raoul E.; Hauss, Sharon; Voska, N. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    The design and development of a Trajectory Simulation Mechanism (TSM) for the Launch Systems Testbed (LST) is outlined. In addition to being one-of-a-kind facility in the world, TSM serves as a platform to study the interaction of rocket launch-induced environments and subsequent dynamic effects on the equipment and structures in the close vicinity of the launch pad. For the first time, researchers and academicians alike will be able to perform tests in a laboratory environment and assess the impact of vibroacoustic behavior of structures in a moving rocket scenario on ground equipment, launch vehicle, and its valuable payload or spacecraft.

  19. Surrounded by work platforms, the full-scale Orion AFT crew module (center) is undergoing preparations for the first flight test of Orion's launch abort system.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2008-05-20

    Surrounded by work platforms, NASA's first full-scale Orion abort flight test (AFT) crew module (center) is undergoing preparations at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in California for the first flight test of Orion's launch abort system.

  20. Demonstration of Launch Vehicle Slosh Instability on Pole-Cart Platform

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pei, Jing; Rothhaar, Paul

    2015-01-01

    Liquid propellant makes up a significant portion of the total weight for large launch vehicles such as Saturn V, Space Shuttle, and the Space Launch System (SLS). Careful attention must be given to the influence of fuel slosh motion on the stability of the vehicle. A well-documented slosh danger zone occurs when the slosh mass is between the vehicle center of mass and the center of percussion. Passive damping via slosh baffle is generally required when the slosh mass is within this region. The pole-cart hardware system, typically used for academic purposes, has similar dynamic characteristics as an unstable launch vehicle. This setup offers a simple and inexpensive way of analyzing slosh dynamics and its impact on flight control design. In this paper, experimental and numerical results from the pole-cart system will be shown and direct analogies to launch vehicle slosh dynamics will be made.

  1. STS-95 Space Shuttle Discovery rollout to Launch Pad 39B

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    Perched on the Mobile Launch Platform, in the early morning hours Space Shuttle Discovery approaches Launch Complex Pad 39B after a 6-hour, 4.2-mile trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building. At the launch pad, the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the launch, scheduled to lift off Oct. 29. The mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process.

  2. Artist's Concept of Magnetic Launch Assisted Air-Breathing Rocket

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    This artist's concept depicts a Magnetic Launch Assist vehicle in orbit. Formerly referred to as the Magnetic Levitation (Maglev) system, the Magnetic Launch Assist system is a launch system developed and tested by engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) that could levitate and accelerate a launch vehicle along a track at high speeds before it leaves the ground. Using electricity and magnetic fields, a Magnetic Launch Assist system would drive a spacecraft along a horizontal track until it reaches desired speeds. The system is similar to high-speed trains and roller coasters that use high-strength magnets to lift and propel a vehicle a couple of inches above a guideway. A full-scale, operational track would be about 1.5-miles long, capable of accelerating a vehicle to 600 mph in 9.5 seconds, and the vehicle would then shift to rocket engines for launch into orbit. The major advantages of launch assist for NASA launch vehicles is that it reduces the weight of the take-off, the landing gear, the wing size, and less propellant resulting in significant cost savings. The US Navy and the British MOD (Ministry of Defense) are planning to use magnetic launch assist for their next generation aircraft carriers as the aircraft launch system. The US Army is considering using this technology for launching target drones for anti-aircraft training.

  3. MAVEN Atlas V Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2013-11-18

    The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft launches from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41, Monday, Nov. 18, 2013, Cape Canaveral, Florida. NASA’s Mars-bound spacecraft, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, is the first spacecraft devoted to exploring and understanding the Martian upper atmosphere. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  4. InSight Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-05-05

    The NASA InSight spacecraft launches onboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas-V rocket, Saturday, May 5, 2018, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is a Mars lander designed to study the "inner space" of Mars: its crust, mantle, and core. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  5. The U.S. Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) programs : Quarterly Launch Report : special report

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-01-01

    The Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Program is a Department of Defense technology-development program managed by the Air Force. The program is intended to produce an improved launch vehicle family for government use. The EELV will replace th...

  6. Impact of combustion products from Space Shuttle launches on ambient air quality

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dumbauld, R. K.; Bowers, J. F.; Cramer, H. E.

    1974-01-01

    The present work describes some multilayer diffusion models and a computer program for these models developed to predict the impact of ground clouds formed during Space Shuttle launches on ambient air quality. The diffusion models are based on the Gaussian plume equation for an instantaneous volume source. Cloud growth is estimated on the basis of measurable meteorological parameters: standard deviation of the wind azimuth angle, standard deviation of wind elevation angle, vertical wind-speed shear, vertical wind-direction shear, and depth of the surface mixing layer. Calculations using these models indicate that Space Shuttle launches under a variety of meteorological regimes at Kennedy Space Center and Vandenberg AFB are unlikely to endanger the exposure standards for HCl; similar results have been obtained for CO and Al2O3. However, the possibility that precipitation scavenging of the ground cloud might result in an acidic rain that could damage vegetation has not been investigated.

  7. Launch Vehicles

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2007-09-09

    Under the goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, Ares I is a chief component of the cost-effective space transportation infrastructure being developed by NASA's Constellation Program. This transportation system will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. Launch Pad 39B of the Kennedy Space Flight Center (KSC), currently used for Space Shuttle launches, will be revised to host the Ares launch vehicles. The fixed and rotating service structures standing at the pad will be dismantled sometime after the Ares I-X test flight. A new launch tower for Ares I will be built onto a new mobile launch platform. The gantry for the shuttle doesn't reach much higher than the top of the four segments of the solid rocket booster. Pad access above the current shuttle launch pad structure will not be required for Ares I-X because the stages above the solid rocket booster are inert. For the test scheduled in 2012 or for the crewed flights, workers and astronauts will need access to the highest levels of the rocket and capsule. When the Ares I rocket rolls out to the launch pad on the back of the same crawler-transporters used now, its launch gantry will be with it. The mobile launchers will nestle under three lightning protection towers to be erected around the pad area. Ares time at the launch pad will be significantly less than the three weeks or more the shuttle requires. This “clean pad” approach minimizes equipment and servicing at the launch pad. It is the same plan NASA used with the Saturn V rockets and industry employs it with more modern launchers. The launch pad will also get a new emergency escape system for astronauts, one that looks very much like a roller coaster. Cars riding on a rail will replace the familiar baskets hanging from steel cables. This artist's concept illustrates the Ares I on launch pad 39B.

  8. Feasibility of a low-cost sounding rockoon platform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Okninski, Adam; Raurell, Daniel Sors; Mitre, Alberto Rodriguez

    2016-10-01

    This paper presents the results of analyses and simulations for the design of a small sounding platform, dedicated to conducting scientific atmospheric research and capable of reaching the von Kármán line by means of a rocket launched from it. While recent private initiatives have opted for the air launch concept to send small payloads to Low Earth Orbit, several historical projects considered the use of balloons as the first stage of orbital and suborbital platforms, known as rockoons. Both of these approaches enable the minimization of drag losses. This paper addresses the issue of utilizing stratospheric balloons as launch platforms to conduct sub-orbital rocket flights. Research and simulations have been conducted to demonstrate these capabilities and feasibility. A small sounding solid propulsion rocket using commercially-off-the-shelf hardware is proposed. Its configuration and design are analyzed with special attention given to the propulsion system and its possible mission-orientated optimization. The cost effectiveness of this approach is discussed. Performance calculation outcomes are shown. Additionally, sensitivity study results for different design parameters are given. Minimum mass rocket configurations for various payload requirements are presented. The ultimate aim is to enhance low-cost experimentation maintaining high mobility of the system and simplicity of operations. An easier and more affordable access to a space-like environment can be achieved with this system, thus allowing for widespread outreach of space science and technology knowledge. This project is based on earlier experience of the authors in LEEM Association of the Technical University of Madrid and the Polish Small Sounding Rocket Program developed at the Institute of Aviation and Warsaw University of Technology in Poland.

  9. Impact analysis of air gap motion with respect to parameters of mooring system for floating platform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shen, Zhong-xiang; Huo, Fa-li; Nie, Yan; Liu, Yin-dong

    2017-04-01

    In this paper, the impact analysis of air gap concerning the parameters of mooring system for the semi-submersible platform is conducted. It is challenging to simulate the wave, current and wind loads of a platform based on a model test simultaneously. Furthermore, the dynamic equivalence between the truncated and full-depth mooring system is still a tuff work. However, the wind and current loads can be tested accurately in wind tunnel model. Furthermore, the wave can be simulated accurately in wave tank test. The full-scale mooring system and the all environment loads can be simulated accurately by using the numerical model based on the model tests simultaneously. In this paper, the air gap response of a floating platform is calculated based on the results of tunnel test and wave tank. Meanwhile, full-scale mooring system, the wind, wave and current load can be considered simultaneously. In addition, a numerical model of the platform is tuned and validated by ANSYS AQWA according to the model test results. With the support of the tuned numerical model, seventeen simulation cases about the presented platform are considered to study the wave, wind, and current loads simultaneously. Then, the impact analysis studies of air gap motion regarding the length, elasticity, and type of the mooring line are performed in the time domain under the beam wave, head wave, and oblique wave conditions.

  10. Orion Launch from Helicopter - Aerials

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-12-05

    This helicopter view of Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida shows the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket as it stands ready to boost NASA's Orion spacecraft on a 4.5-hour mission.

  11. Monitoring biological impacts of space shuttle launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base: Establishment of baseline conditions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schmaizer, Paul A.; Hinkle, C. Ross

    1987-01-01

    Space shuttle launches produce environmental impacts resulting from the formation of an exhaust cloud containing hydrogen chloride aerosols and aluminum oxide particulates. Studies have shown that most impacts occur near-field (within 1.5 km) of the launch site while deposition from launches occurs far-field (as distant as 22 km). In order to establish baseline conditions of vegetation and soils in the areas likely to be impacted by shuttle launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), vegetation and soils in the vicinity of Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6) were sampled and a vegetation map prepared. The areas likely to be impacted by launches were determined considering the structure of the launch complex, the prevailing winds, the terrain, and predictions of the Rocket Exhaust Effluent Diffusion Model (REEDM). Fifty vegetation transects were established and sampled in March 1986 and resampled in September 1986. A vegetation map was prepared for six Master Planning maps surrounding SLC-6 using LANDSAT Thematic Mapper imagery as well as color and color infrared aerial photography. Soil samples were collected form the 0 to 7.5 cm layer at all transects in the wet season and at a subsample of the transects in the dry season and analyzed for pH, organic matter, conductivity, cation exchange capacity, exchangeable Ca, Mg, Na, K, and Al, available NH3-N, PO4-P, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, and TKN.

  12. 1. AERIAL VIEW, SHOWING MOBILE LAUNCHER. BASE IS CALLED LAUNCH ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    1. AERIAL VIEW, SHOWING MOBILE LAUNCHER. BASE IS CALLED LAUNCH PLATFORM AND TOWER ON RIGHT IS CALLED LAUNCH UMBILICAL TOWER, (LUT). - Mobile Launcher One, Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, Brevard County, FL

  13. Ceremony celebrates 50 years of rocket launches

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2000-01-01

    Ceremony celebrates 50 years of rocket launches PL00C-10364.16 At the 50th anniversary ceremony celebrating the first rocket launch from what is now Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Brig. Gen. Donald Pettit addresses an audience that included members of the team who successfully launched the first rocket, known as Bumper 8. The ceremony was hosted by the Air Force Space & Missile Museum Foundation, Inc. , and included launch of a Bumper 8 model rocket, presentation of a Bumper Award to Florida Sen. George Kirkpatrick by the National Space Club; plus remarks by Sen. Kirkpatrick, KSC's Center Director Roy Bridges, and Pettit. A reception followed at Hangar C. Since 1950 there have been a total of 3,245 launches from Cape Canaveral.

  14. Development and calibration of an air-floating six-axis force measurement platform using self-calibration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Bin; Wang, Xiaomeng; Li, Chengwei; Yi, Jiajing; Lu, Rongsheng; Tao, Jiayue

    2016-09-01

    This paper describes the design, working principle, as well as calibration of an air-floating six-axis force measurement platform, where the floating plate and nozzles were connected without contact, preventing inter-dimensional coupling and increasing precision significantly. The measurement repeatability error of the force size in the platform is less than 0.2% full scale (FS), which is significantly better than the precision of 1% FS in the six-axis force sensors on the current market. We overcame the difficulties of weight loading device in high-precision calibration by proposing a self-calibration method based on the floating plate gravity and met the calibration precision requirement of 0.02% FS. This study has general implications for the development and calibration of high-precision multi-axis force sensors. In particular, the air-floating six-axis force measurement platform could be applied to the calibration of some special sensors such as flexible tactile sensors and may be used as a micro-nano mechanical assembly platform for real-time assembly force testing.

  15. Aquarius SAC-D Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-06-10

    A Delta II rocket launches with the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft payload from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. on Friday, June 10, 2011. The joint U.S./Argentinian Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D mission, set to launch June 10, will map the salinity at the ocean surface, information critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system: the water cycle and ocean circulation. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  16. Ceremony celebrates 50 years of rocket launches

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2000-01-01

    Ceremony celebrates 50 years of rocket launches PL00C-10364.21 At the 50th anniversary ceremony celebrating the first rocket launch from pad 3 on what is now Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, KSC's Center Director Roy Bridges Jr. addresses an audience that included members of the team who successfully launched the first rocket, known as Bumper 8. The original launch occurred July 24, 1950. The anniversary ceremony was hosted by the Air Force Space & Missile Museum Foundation, Inc., and included launch of a Bumper 8 model rocket, presentation of a Bumper Award to Florida Sen. George Kirkpatrick by the National Space Club; plus remarks by Sen. Kirkpatrick, Bridges, and the Commander of the 45th Space Wing, Brig. Gen. Donald Pettit. A reception followed at Hangar C. Since 1950 there have been a total of 3,245 launches from Cape Canaveral.

  17. Surrounded by work platforms, the full-scale Orion AFT crew module (center) is undergoing preparations for the first flight test of Orion's launch abort system.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2008-05-20

    Surrounded by work platforms, NASA's first full-scale Orion abort flight test (AFT) crew module (center) is undergoing preparations at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in California for the first flight test of Orion's launch abort system. To the left is a space shuttle orbiter purge vehicle sharing the hangar.

  18. Pegasus XL CYGNSS Second Launch Attempt

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-12-15

    In the Mission Director's Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, right, congratulates, Omar Baez, a senior launch director in NASA's Launch Services Program, after the successful launch of eight Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. The satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a crucial role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

  19. National Security Space Launch at a Crossroads

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-05-13

    questions over individual launch costs, along with legal challenges to the Air Force EELV program by SpaceX , have contributed to Congress recently taking...Russian RD-180 Main Engine ......................................................................... 7 SpaceX Challenges to the EELV Acquisition...unresolved questions over individual launch costs, along with legal challenges to the Air Force EELV program by SpaceX , have contributed to Congress recently

  20. Environmental Conditions and Threatened and Endangered Species Populations near the Titan, Atlas, and Delta Launch Complexes, Cape Canaveral Air Station

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oddy, Donna M.; Stolen, Eric D.; Schmalzer, Paul A.; Hensley, Melissa A.; Hall, Patrice; Larson, Vickie L.; Turek, Shannon R.

    1999-01-01

    Launches of Delta, Atlas, and Titan rockets from Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) have potential environmental effects. These could occur from direct impacts of launches or indirectly from habitat alterations. This report summarizes a three-year study (1 995-1 998) characterizing the environment, with particular attention to threatened and endangered species, near Delta, Atlas, and Titan launch facilities. Cape Canaveral has been modified by Air Force development and by 50 years of fire suppression. The dominant vegetation type around the Delta and Atlas launch complexes is coastal oak hammock forest. Oak scrub is the predominant upland vegetation type near the Titan launch complexes. Compositionally, these are coastal scrub communities that has been unburned for > 40 years and have developed into closed canopy, low-stature forests. Herbaceous vegetation around active and inactive facilities, coastal strand and dune vegetation near the Atlantic Ocean, and exotic vegetation in disturbed areas are common. Marsh and estuarine vegetation is most common west of the Titan complexes. Launch effects to vegetation include scorch, acid, and particulate deposition. Discernable, cumulative effects are limited to small areas near the launch complexes. Water quality samples were collected at the Titan, Atlas, and Delta launch complexes in September 1995 (wet season) and January 1996 (dry season). Samples were analyzed for heavy metals, chloride, total organic carbon, calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium, total alkalinity, pH, and conductivity. Differences between fresh, brackish, and saline surface waters were evident. The natural buffering capacity of the environment surrounding the CCAS launch complexes is adequate for neutralizing acid deposition in rainfall and launch deposition. Populations of the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), a Federally-listed, threatened species, reside near the launch complexes. Thirty-seven to forty-one scrub-jay territories were located at

  1. Environmental Conditions and Threatened and Endangered Species Populations near the Titain, Atlas, and Delta Launch Complexes, Cape Canaveral Air Station

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oddy, Donna M.; Stolen, Eric D.; Schmalzer, Paul A.; Hensley, Melissa A.; Hall, Patrice; Larson, Vickie L.; Turek, Shannon R.

    1999-01-01

    Launches of Delta, Atlas, and Titan rockets from Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) have potential environmental effects. These could occur from direct impacts of launches or indirectly from habitat alterations. This report summarizes a three-year study (1995-1998) characterizing the environment, with particular attention to threatened and endangered species, near Delta, Atlas, and Titan launch facilities. Cape Canaveral has been modified by Air Force development and by 50 years of fire suppression. The dominant vegetation type around the Delta and Atlas launch complexes is coastal oak hammock forest. Oak scrub is the predominant upland vegetation type near the Titan launch complexes. Compositionally, these are coastal scrub communities that has been unburned for greater than 40 years and have developed into closed canopy, low-stature forests. Herbaceous vegetation around active and inactive facilities, coastal strand and dune vegetation near the Atlantic Ocean, and exotic vegetation in disturbed areas are common. Marsh and estuarine vegetation is most common west of the Titan complexes. Launch effects to vegetation include scorch, acid, and particulate deposition. Discernable, cumulative effects are limited to small areas near the launch complexes. Water quality samples were collected at the Titan, Atlas, and Delta launch complexes in September 1995 (wet season) and January 1996 (dry season). Samples were analyzed for heavy metals, chloride, total organic carbon, calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium, total alkalinity, pH, and conductivity. Differences between fresh, brackish, and saline surface waters were evident. The natural buffering capacity of the environment surrounding the CCAS launch complexes is adequate for neutralizing acid deposition in rainfall and launch deposition. Populations of the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), a Federally- listed, threatened species, reside near the launch complexes. Thirty-seven to forty-one scrub-jay territories were

  2. Proposal of New Triggered Lightning Launch Commit Criteria for Japan's Safety Rocket Launch

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saito, Yasuhiro; Saito, Toshiya; Okita, Koichi

    2013-09-01

    Triggered lightning for rocket launch can cause the failure.The current Japanese criteria to postpone the launch opportunity is the thickness of cloud 1.8km with 0 -20 degrees Celsius. Of all H2A launches during these ten years, slipping launches have occurred over half of its flights. So, we have initiated a research on Triggered Lightning Launch Commit Criteria, two years ago.We present the overall activities with the observation campaign (RAIJIN*) in Feb/2012 and Jan-Feb/2013, by means of air-born field mill with airplane, X-band dual polarization radar, ground based field mill and Videosonde. Also, the analytical results and proposal of the new criteria will be shown.*) Raijin is originally a name for Thunder god in Japanese and here it stands for Rocket launch Atmospheric electricity Investigation by Jaxa IN cooperation with academia.

  3. Characterizing the 3-D atmosphere with NUCAPS sounding products from multiple platforms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barnet, C. D.; Smith, N.; Gambacorta, A.; Wheeler, A. A.; Sjoberg, W.; Goldberg, M.

    2017-12-01

    The JPSS Proving Ground and Risk Reduction (PGRR) Program launched the Sounding Initiative in 2014 to develop operational applications that use 3-D satellite soundings. These are near global daily swaths of vertical atmospheric profiles of temperature, moisture and trace gas species. When high vertical resolution satellite soundings first became available, their assimilation into user applications was slow: forecasters familiar with 2-D satellite imagery or 1-D radiosondes did not have the technical capability nor product knowledge to readily ingest satellite soundings. Similarly, the satellite sounding developer community lacked wherewithal to understand the many challenges forecasters face in their real time decision-making. It took the PGRR Sounding Initiative to bring these two communities together and develop novel applications that now depend on NUCAPS soundings. NUCAPS - the NOAA Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System - is platform agnostic and generates satellite soundings from measurements made by infrared and microwave sounder pairs on the MetOp (IASI/AMSU) and Suomi NPP (CrIS/ATMS) polar-orbiting platforms. We highlight here three new applications developed under the PGRR Sounding Initiative. They are, (i) aviation: NUCAPS identifies cold air "blobs" that causes jet fuel to freeze, (ii) severe weather: NUCAPS identifies areas of convective initiation, and (iii) air quality: NUCAPS identifies stratospheric intrusions and tracks long-range transport of biomass burning plumes. The value of NUCAPS being platform agnostic will become apparent with the JPSS-1 launch. NUCAPS soundings from Suomi NPP and JPSS-1, being 50 min apart, could capture fast-changing weather events and together with NUCAPS soundings from the two MetOp platforms ( 4 hours earlier in the day than JPSS) could characterize diurnal cycles. In this paper, we will summarize key accomplishments and assess whether NUCAPS maintains enough continuity in its sounding products from multiple

  4. Launch Control Systems: Moving Towards a Scalable, Universal Platform for Future Space Endeavors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sun, Jonathan

    2011-01-01

    The redirection of NASA away from the Constellation program calls for heavy reliance on commercial launch vehicles for the near future in order to reduce costs and shift focus to research and long term space exploration. To support them, NASA will renovate Kennedy Space Center's launch facilities and make them available for commercial use. However, NASA's current launch software is deeply connected with the now-retired Space Shuttle and is otherwise not massively compatible. Therefore, a new Launch Control System must be designed that is adaptable to a variety of different launch protocols and vehicles. This paper exposits some of the features and advantages of the new system both from the perspective of the software developers and the launch engineers.

  5. Platform C Installation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-10-19

    A heavy-lift crane lowers the first half of the C-level work platforms, C south, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, for installation on the south side of High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. In view below Platform C are several of the previously installed platforms. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

  6. 60 year anniversary of Explorer 1 launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-01-31

    The successful launch of Explorer 1 from Cape Canaveral Florida Jan. 31, 1958, marked the beginning of U.S. space exploration. NASA and the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing commemorated the historic launch on Wednesday, Jan. 31, at the Air Force Space and Missile Museum on CCAFS. The museum is located at the launch site where this pioneering mission began. The primary science instrument on board was a cosmic ray detector, which led to Explorer principal investigator James Van Allen's discovery of Earth’s radiation belts, later named the Van Allen belts in his honor. The event speakers included Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, commander, 45th Space Wing; Robert Cabana, director, NASA Kennedy Space Center; and John Meisenheimer, Explorer 1 launch weather officer.

  7. Platform C Installation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-10-19

    Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a construction worker assist with the installation of the first half of the C-level work platforms, C south, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The large bolts that hold the platform in place on the south wall are being secured. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

  8. Platform C Installation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-10-19

    Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, construction workers assist with the installation of the first half of the C-level work platforms, C south, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The large bolts that hold the platform in place on the south wall are being secured. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

  9. Platform C Installation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-10-19

    Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the first half of the C-level work platforms, C south, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, has been installed on the south side of the high bay. In view below are several levels of previously installed platforms. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

  10. STS-95 Space Shuttle Discovery rollout to Launch Pad 39B

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    As daylight creeps over the horizon, STS-95 Space Shuttle Discovery, on the Mobile Launch Platform, arrives at Launch Complex Pad 39B after a 4.2-mile trip taking approximately 6 hours. At the left is the 'white room,' attached to the orbiter access arm. The white room is an environmental chamber that mates with the orbiter and holds six persons. At the launch pad, the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the launch, scheduled to lift off Oct. 29. The mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar- observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process.

  11. Ceremony celebrates 50 years of rocket launches

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2000-01-01

    Ceremony celebrates 50 years of rocket launches PL00C-10364.12 At the 50th anniversary ceremony celebrating the first rocket launch from pad 3 on what is now Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Norris Gray waves to the audience. Gray was part of the team who successfully launched the first rocket, known as Bumper 8. The ceremony was hosted by the Air Force Space & Missile Museum Foundation, Inc. , and included launch of a Bumper 8 model rocket, presentation of a Bumper Award to Florida Sen. George Kirkpatrick by the National Space Club; plus remarks by Sen. Kirkpatrick, KSC's Center Director Roy Bridges, and the Commander of the 45th Space Wing, Brig. Gen. Donald Pettit. Also attending the ceremony were other members of the original Bumper 8 team. A reception followed at Hangar C. Since 1950 there have been a total of 3,245 launches from Cape Canaveral.

  12. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A worker sandblasts the surface behind the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A . Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-09-12

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A worker sandblasts the surface behind the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A . Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

  13. Structural Sizing of a Horizontal Take-Off Launch Vehicle with an Air Collection and Enrichment System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McCurdy, David R.; Roche, Joseph M.

    2004-01-01

    In support of NASA's Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) program, the Andrews Gryphon booster was studied. The Andrews Gryphon concept is a horizontal lift-off, two-stage-to-orbit, reusable launch vehicle that uses an air collection and enrichment system (ACES). The purpose of the ACES is to collect atmospheric oxygen during a subsonic flight loiter phase and cool it to cryogenic temperature, ultimately resulting in a reduced initial take-off weight To study the performance and size of an air-collection based booster, an initial airplane like shape was established as a baseline and modeled in a vehicle sizing code. The code, SIZER, contains a general series of volume, surface area, and fuel fraction relationships that tie engine and ACES performance with propellant requirements and volumetric constraints in order to establish vehicle closure for the given mission. A key element of system level weight optimization is the use of the SIZER program that provides rapid convergence and a great deal of flexibility for different tank architectures and material suites in order to study their impact on gross lift-off weight. This paper discusses important elements of the sizing code architecture followed by highlights of the baseline booster study.

  14. Evolution of the Florida Launch Site Architecture: Embracing Multiple Customers, Enhancing Launch Opportunities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Colloredo, Scott; Gray, James A.

    2011-01-01

    The impending conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program and the Constellation Program cancellation unveiled in the FY2011 President's budget created a large void for human spaceflight capability and specifically launch activity from the Florida launch Site (FlS). This void created an opportunity to re-architect the launch site to be more accommodating to the future NASA heavy lift and commercial space industry. The goal is to evolve the heritage capabilities into a more affordable and flexible launch complex. This case study will discuss the FlS architecture evolution from the trade studies to select primary launch site locations for future customers, to improving infrastructure; promoting environmental remediation/compliance; improving offline processing, manufacturing, & recovery; developing range interface and control services with the US Air Force, and developing modernization efforts for the launch Pad, Vehicle Assembly Building, Mobile launcher, and supporting infrastructure. The architecture studies will steer how to best invest limited modernization funding from initiatives like the 21 st elSe and other potential funding.

  15. NASA launches carbon dioxide research satellite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wendel, JoAnna

    2014-07-01

    Last week NASA launched a new satellite to study atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Once in orbit, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite, launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, will take more than 100,000 individual measurements of atmospheric CO2 per day.

  16. Aquarius SAC-D Post-Launch Briefing

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-06-10

    Hector Timerman, Foreign Minister of Argentina, Buenos Aires, left, Michael Freilich, NASA Earth Science Division Director, NASA Headquarters, Washington, center, and Conrado Varotto, CONAE Executive and Technical Director, Buenos Aires, laugh at the start of the Aquarius/SAC-D post-launch press conference on Friday, June 10, 2011 at the NASA Resident Office, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The joint U.S./Argentinian Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D mission, launched earlier on Friday June 10, will map the salinity at the ocean surface, information critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system: the water cycle and ocean circulation. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  17. Platform C Installation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-10-19

    A heavy-lift crane lifts the first half of the C-level work platforms, C south, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, high up from the transfer aisle floor of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The C platform will be installed on the south side of High Bay 3. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

  18. Platform C Installation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-10-19

    A heavy-lift crane lifts the first half of the C-level work platforms, C south, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, high up from the transfer aisle floor of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The C platform will be moved into High Bay 3 for installation on the south wall. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

  19. DNA-launched live-attenuated vaccines for biodefense applications

    PubMed Central

    Pushko, Peter; Lukashevich, Igor S.; Weaver, Scott C.; Tretyakova, Irina

    2016-01-01

    Summary A novel vaccine platform uses DNA immunization to launch live-attenuated virus vaccines in vivo. This technology has been applied for vaccine development against positive-strand RNA viruses with global public health impact including alphaviruses and flaviviruses. The DNA-launched vaccine represents the recombinant plasmid that encodes the full-length genomic RNA of live-attenuated virus downstream from a eukaryotic promoter. When administered in vivo, the genomic RNA of live-attenuated virus is transcribed. The RNA initiates limited replication of a genetically defined, live-attenuated vaccine virus in the tissues of the vaccine recipient, thereby inducing a protective immune response. This platform combines the strengths of reverse genetics, DNA immunization and the advantages of live-attenuated vaccines, resulting in a reduced chance of genetic reversions, increased safety, and improved immunization. With this vaccine technology, the field of DNA vaccines is expanded from those that express subunit antigens to include a novel type of DNA vaccines that launch live-attenuated viruses. PMID:27055100

  20. Performance Validation Approach for the GTX Air-Breathing Launch Vehicle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trefny, Charles J.; Roche, Joseph M.

    2002-01-01

    The primary objective of the GTX effort is to determine whether or not air-breathing propulsion can enable a launch vehicle to achieve orbit in a single stage. Structural weight, vehicle aerodynamics, and propulsion performance must be accurately known over the entire flight trajectory in order to make a credible assessment. Structural, aerodynamic, and propulsion parameters are strongly interdependent, which necessitates a system approach to design, evaluation, and optimization of a single-stage-to-orbit concept. The GTX reference vehicle serves this purpose, by allowing design, development, and validation of components and subsystems in a system context. The reference vehicle configuration (including propulsion) was carefully chosen so as to provide high potential for structural and volumetric efficiency, and to allow the high specific impulse of air-breathing propulsion cycles to be exploited. Minor evolution of the configuration has occurred as analytical and experimental results have become available. With this development process comes increasing validation of the weight and performance levels used in system performance determination. This paper presents an overview of the GTX reference vehicle and the approach to its performance validation. Subscale test rigs and numerical studies used to develop and validate component performance levels and unit structural weights are outlined. The sensitivity of the equivalent, effective specific impulse to key propulsion component efficiencies is presented. The role of flight demonstration in development and validation is discussed.

  1. Aquarius SAC-D Post-Launch Briefing

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-06-10

    Conrado Varotto, CONAE Executive and Technical Director, Buenos Aires, talks during the Aquarius/SAC-D post-launch press conference on Friday, June 10, 2011 at the NASA Resident Office, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The joint U.S./Argentinian Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D mission, launched earlier on Friday June 10, will map the salinity at the ocean surface, information critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system: the water cycle and ocean circulation. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  2. Aquarius SAC-D Post-Launch Briefing

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-06-10

    Conrado Varotto, CONAE Executive and Technical Director, Buenos Aires, looks on as other panelest speak during the Aquarius/SAC-D post-launch press conference on Friday, June 10, 2011 at the NASA Resident Office, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The joint U.S./Argentinian Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D mission, launched earlier on Friday June 10, will map the salinity at the ocean surface, information critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system: the water cycle and ocean circulation. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  3. Aquarius SAC-D Post-Launch Briefing

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-06-10

    Hector Timerman, Foreign Minister of Argentina, Buenos Aires, talks during the Aquarius/SAC-D post-launch press conference on Friday, June 10, 2011 at the NASA Resident Office, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The joint U.S./Argentinian Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D mission, launched earlier on Friday June 10, will map the salinity at the ocean surface, information critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system: the water cycle and ocean circulation. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  4. Pegasus XL CYGNSS Second Launch Attempt

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-12-15

    In the Mission Director's Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, members of the launch team monitor the progress of preparations to launch eight Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. The CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a crucial role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

  5. NPP Satellite Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-10-28

    The Satellite Operations Facility of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is seen here minutes before the launch of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) on Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 in Suitland, Md. NPP is a joint venture between NASA and NOAA, and is the nation's newest Earth-observing satellite, which will provide data on climate change science, allow for accurate weather forecasts and advance warning for severe weather. NPP was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

  6. Method for Producing Launch/Landing Pads and Structures Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mueller, Robert P. (Compiler)

    2015-01-01

    Current plans for deep space exploration include building landing-launch pads capable of withstanding the rocket blast of much larger spacecraft that that of the Apollo days. The proposed concept will develop lightweight launch and landing pad materials from in-situ materials, utilizing regolith to produce controllable porous cast metallic foam brickstiles shapes. These shapes can be utilized to lay a landing launch platform, as a construction material or as more complex parts of mechanical assemblies.

  7. NASA Launches Parachute Test Platform from Wallops

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-10-04

    NASA tested a parachute platform during the flight of a Terrier-Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket on Oct. 4, from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The rocket carried the Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiment (ASPIRE) from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The mission will evaluate the performance of the ASPIRE payload, which is designed to test parachute systems in a low-density, supersonic environment.

  8. Platform C Installation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-10-19

    A heavy-lift crane lifts the first half of the C-level work platforms, C south, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, up from the transfer aisle floor of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Large Tandemloc bars have been attached to the platform to keep it level during lifting and installation. The C platform will be installed on the south side of High Bay 3. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

  9. Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-07-02

    A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket launches with the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2)satellite onboard from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. on Wednesday, July 2, 2014. OCO-2 will measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  10. OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-07

    The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket arrives at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

  11. VAB Platform K(2) Lift & Install into Highbay 3

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-07

    Work is underway to secure the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform is being secured into position on tower E, about 86 feet above the floor. The K work platforms will provide access to NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

  12. Aquarius SAC-D Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-06-09

    A Delta II rocket launches with the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft payload from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. on Friday, June 10, 2011. The joint U.S./Argentinian Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D mission will map the salinity at the ocean surface, information critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system: the water cycle and ocean circulation. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  13. Aquarius SAC-D Post-Launch Briefing

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-06-10

    From left, George Diller, NASA Public Affairs Officer; Charles Gay, Deputy Associate Administrator, NASA Science Mission Directorate; Hector Timerman, Foreign Minister of Argentina, Buenos Aires; Michael Freilich, NASA Earth Science Division Director, NASA Headquarters; and Conrado Varotto, CONAE Executive and Technical Director, Buenos Aires, are seen at the Aquarius/SAC-D post-launch press conference on Friday, June 10, 2011 at the NASA Resident Office, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The joint U.S./Argentinian Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D mission, launched earlier on Friday June 10, will map the salinity at the ocean surface, information critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system: the water cycle and ocean circulation. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  14. Aquarius SAC-D Post-Launch Briefing

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-06-10

    Seated from left, George Diller, NASA Public Affairs Officer; Charles Gay, Deputy Associate Administrator, NASA Science Mission Directorate; Hector Timerman, Foreign Minister of Argentina, Buenos Aires; Michael Freilich, NASA Earth Science Division Director, NASA Headquarters; and Conrado Varotto, CONAE Executive and Technical Director, Buenos Aires, are seen at the Aquarius/SAC-D post-launch press conference on Friday, June 10, 2011 at the NASA Resident Office, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The joint U.S./Argentinian Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D mission, launched earlier on Friday June 10, will map the salinity at the ocean surface, information critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system: the water cycle and ocean circulation. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  15. Platform C North Installation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-11-10

    A heavy-lift crane lifts the second half of the C-level work platforms, C north, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, up from the transfer aisle floor of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The C platform will be installed on the north side of High Bay 3. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

  16. Operationally Responsive Space Launch for Space Situational Awareness Missions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Freeman, T.

    The United States Space Situational Awareness capability continues to be a key element in obtaining and maintaining the high ground in space. Space Situational Awareness satellites are critical enablers for integrated air, ground and sea operations, and play an essential role in fighting and winning conflicts. The United States leads the world space community in spacecraft payload systems from the component level into spacecraft and in the development of constellations of spacecraft. This position is founded upon continued government investment in research and development in space technology, which is clearly reflected in the Space Situational Awareness capabilities and the longevity of these missions. In the area of launch systems that support Space Situational Awareness, despite the recent development of small launch vehicles, the United States launch capability is dominated by unresponsive and relatively expensive launchers in the Expandable, Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELV). The EELV systems require an average of six to eight months from positioning on the launch table until liftoff. Access to space requires maintaining a robust space transportation capability, founded on a rigorous industrial and technology base. To assure access to space, the United States directed Air Force Space Command to develop the capability for operationally responsive access to space and use of space to support national security, including the ability to provide critical space capabilities in the event of a failure of launch or on-orbit capabilities. Under the Air Force Policy Directive, the Air Force will establish, organize, employ, and sustain space forces necessary to execute the mission and functions assigned including rapid response to the National Command Authorities and the conduct of military operations across the spectrum of conflict. Air Force Space Command executes the majority of spacelift operations for DoD satellites and other government and commercial agencies. The

  17. Integration of launch/impact discrimination algorithm with the UTAMS platform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Desai, Sachi; Morcos, Amir; Tenney, Stephen; Mays, Brian

    2008-04-01

    An acoustic array, integrated with an algorithm to discriminate potential Launch (LA) or Impact (IM) events, was augmented by employing the Launch Impact Discrimination (LID) algorithm for mortar events. We develop an added situational awareness capability to determine whether the localized event is a mortar launch or mortar impact at safe standoff distances. The algorithm utilizes a discrete wavelet transform to exploit higher harmonic components of various sub bands of the acoustic signature. Additional features are extracted via the frequency domain exploiting harmonic components generated by the nature of event, i.e. supersonic shrapnel components at impact. The further extrapolations of these features are employed with a neural network to provide a high level of confidence for discrimination and classification. The ability to discriminate between these events is of great interest on the battlefield. Providing more information and developing a common picture of situational awareness. Algorithms exploit the acoustic sensor array to provide detection and identification of IM/LA events at extended ranges. The integration of this algorithm with the acoustic sensor array for mortar detection provides an early warning detection system giving greater battlefield information for field commanders. This paper will describe the integration of the algorithm with a candidate sensor and resulting field tests.

  18. Pegasus XL CYGNSS Second Launch Attempt

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-12-15

    In the Mission Director's Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Dana Allender, NASA Launch Operations manager, left, and Aly Mendoza-Hill, NASA Mission manager, monitor the progress of preparations to launch eight Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. The CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a crucial role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

  19. SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-07-31

    One of two new work platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines is secured on dunnage inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms were transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. They will be stored in the VAB, where they will be used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

  20. NPP Satellite Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-10-28

    NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, left, watches the launch of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Satellite Operations Center on Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 in Suitland, Md. U.S Congresswoman Donna Edwards, D-Md., is seen next to Garver. NPP is a joint venture between NASA and NOAA, and is the nation's newest Earth-observing satellite, which will provide data on climate change science, allow for accurate weather forecasts and advance warning for severe weather. NPP was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

  1. Aerial view of Launch Complex 39

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    In this aerial view looking south can be seen Launch Complex (LC) 39 area, where assembly, checkout and launch of the Space Shuttle Orbiter and its External Tank and twin Solid Rocket Boosters take place. Central to the complex is the tallest building at the center, the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). To the immediate left, from top to bottom, are the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) High Bay 3 and new engine shop (north side), OPF Modular Office Building, Thermal Protection System Facility, and a crawler-transporter (to its left). In front of the VAB are OPF 1 and OPF 2. At right is the Processing Control Center. West of OPF 3 is the Mobile Launch Platform. In the upper left corner is Launch Pad B; at the far right is the turn basin, with the Press Site located just below it to the right.

  2. LAUNCH - STS-1 - KSC

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1981-04-12

    S81-30498 (12 April 1981) --- After six years of silence, the thunder of manned spaceflight is heard again, as the successful launch of the first space shuttle ushers in a new concept in utilization of space. The April 12, 1981 launch, at Pad 39A, just seconds past 7 a.m., carries astronaut John Young and Robert Crippen into an Earth-orbital mission scheduled to last for 54 hours, ending with unpowered landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. STS-1, the first in a series of shuttle vehicles planned for the Space Transportation System, utilizes reusable launch and return components. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

  3. Environmental Assessment: Construction and Operation of an Alternate Drone Launch System at Tyndall Air Force Base

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-05-01

    matter less than or equal to 2.5 microns in aerodynamic diameter POL petroleum, oil , and lubricant RATO Rocket Assisted Take Off RCRA Resource... southeast of the Base airfield. The 325th Fighter Wing, Tyndall AFB, with the support of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), has prepared this...segments. The drone launch facility is located just off U.S. Highway 98 southeast of the Base airfield (Figure 1-2). The proposed alternate drone

  4. Launch Vehicles

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1992-09-25

    Titan III vehicle launched the Mars Observer spacecraft and the Transfer Orbit Stage (TOS) from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on September 25, 1992. Managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), TOS will fire to send the Observer on an 11-month interplanetary journey to the Mars. The Observer failed to reach the Mars orbit in August 1993.

  5. Platform C North Arrival

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-08-30

    A section of the second half of the C-level platforms, C North, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, arrives at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform was offloaded from a heavy lift transport truck and secured in a staging area in the west parking lot of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing.

  6. Google Mercury: The Launch of a New Planet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hirshon, B.; Chapman, C. R.; Edmonds, J.; Goldstein, J.; Hallau, K. G.; Solomon, S. C.; Vanhala, H.; Weir, H. M.; Messenger Education; Public Outreach Epo Team

    2010-12-01

    The NASA MESSENGER mission’s Education and Public Outreach (EPO) Team, in cooperation with Google, Inc., has launched Google Mercury, an immersive new environment on the Google Earth platform. Google Mercury features hundreds of surface features, most of them newly revealed by the three flybys of the innermost planet by the MESSENGER spacecraft. As with Google Earth, Google Mercury is available on line at no cost. This presentation will demonstrate how our team worked with Google staff, features we incorporated, how games can be developed within the Google Earth platform, and how others can add tours, games, and other educational features. Finally, we will detail new enhancements to be added once MESSENGER enters into orbit about Mercury in March 2011 and begins sending back compelling images and other global data sets on a daily basis. The MESSENGER EPO Team comprises individuals from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); Carnegie Academy for Science Education (CASE); Center for Educational Resources (CERES) at Montana State University (MSU) - Bozeman; National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE); Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL); National Air and Space Museum (NASM); Science Systems and Applications, Inc. (SSAI); and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). Screen shot of Google Mercury as a work in progress

  7. Platform C North Installation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-11-10

    A heavy-lift crane lifts the second half of the C-level work platforms, C north, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, high up from the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The C platform will be moved into High Bay 3 for installation on the north side of High Bay 3. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. In view below Platform C are several of the previously installed platforms. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

  8. OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-07

    A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket begins to roll out of the Vertical Integration Facility to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

  9. OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-07

    After leaving the Vertical Integration Facility, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is on its way to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

  10. OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-07

    After leaving the Vertical Integration Facility, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket arrives at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

  11. OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-07

    The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket arrives at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

  12. OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-07

    A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket rolls out of the Vertical Integration Facility on its way to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

  13. OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-07

    A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket has left the Vertical Integration Facility and is on its way to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

  14. OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-07

    The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket has made the trek from the Vertical Integration Facility to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

  15. OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-07

    A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket rolled out of the Vertical Integration Facility and is on its way to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

  16. TDRS-M Live Launch Coverage

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-08-18

    Live launch coverage of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-M, liftoff at 8:39am EDT from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. TDRS-M is the latest spacecraft destined for the agency's constellation of communications satellites that allows nearly continuous contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories.

  17. Orion Launch from UCS-3

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-12-05

    A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

  18. Orion Launch from UCS-3

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-12-05

    A Delta IV Heavy rocket soars after liftoff from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

  19. Delta II JPSS-1 Launch Vehicle on Stand

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-07-12

    The first stage of the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket that will launch the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) is raised at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. JPSS, a next-generation environmental satellite system, is a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA.

  20. STS-112 Pilot Melroy suits up for launch

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-112 Pilot Pamela Melroy finishes suiting up for launch. STS-112 is the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station, carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss to the Station. Launch is scheduled for 3:46 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B. .

  1. Platform C North Installation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-11-10

    A heavy-lift crane lowers the second half of the C-level work platforms, C north, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, into High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The C platform will be installed on the north side of High Bay 3. In view below are several of the previously installed levels of platforms. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

  2. Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-07-02

    Lights shine on the umbilical tower shortly after a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket launched with the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2)satellite onboard from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. on Wednesday, July 2, 2014. OCO-2 will measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  3. 32. DETAIL VIEW OF CAMERA PIT SOUTH OF LAUNCH PAD ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    32. DETAIL VIEW OF CAMERA PIT SOUTH OF LAUNCH PAD WITH CAMERA AIMED AT LAUNCH DECK; VIEW TO NORTHEAST. - Cape Canaveral Air Station, Launch Complex 17, Facility 28402, East end of Lighthouse Road, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  4. Platform C North Installation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-11-10

    A heavy-lift crane lifts the second half of the C-level work platforms, C north, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, high up from the transfer aisle floor of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The C platform will be installed on the north side of High Bay 3. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

  5. Platform C North Installation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-11-10

    A heavy-lift crane lifts the second half of the C-level work platforms, C north, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, high up from the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The C platform will be moved into High Bay 3 for installation on the north side of High Bay 3. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

  6. Platform C North Installation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-11-10

    A heavy-lift crane lifts the second half of the C-level work platforms, C north, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, high up from the transfer aisle floor of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The C platform will be moved into High Bay 3 for installation on the north wall. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

  7. Platform B North Installation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-12-16

    A construction worker solders a section of steel during the installation of the second half of the B-level work platforms, B north, for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, in High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Construction workers will secure the large bolts that hold the platform in place on the north wall. The B platforms are the ninth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

  8. STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis roars into the clear blue sky from the billows of smoke below after launch on mission STS-112, the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39B occurred at 3:46 p.m. EDT. Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss. providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss to the Station.

  9. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Sandblasting begins on the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A to remove corrosion before repainting. Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-09-12

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Sandblasting begins on the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A to remove corrosion before repainting. Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

  10. 3. VIEW OF ESCAPE TUNNEL IN NORTH FACE OF LAUNCH ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    3. VIEW OF ESCAPE TUNNEL IN NORTH FACE OF LAUNCH OPERATIONS BUILDING. BUNKER PERISCOPE VISIBLE ABOVE RIGHT CORNER OF TUNNEL. - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Operations Building, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

  11. Pegasus XL CYGNSS Second Launch Attempt

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-12-15

    In the Mission Director's Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Greg Robinson, deputy associate administrator for Programs in the NASA Science Mission Directorate, right, congratulates, Tim Dunn, who was launch director for launch of eight Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. The satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a crucial role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

  12. OCO-2 Post Launch Briefing

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-07-02

    NASA Kennedy Space Center Public Affairs Officer George Diller, moderates a post-launch press briefing, following the successful launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), NASA’s first spacecraft dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, Wednesday, July 2, 2014, at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. OCO-2 will measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  13. MULTISCALE AIR QUALITY SIMULATION PLATFORM (MAQSIP): INITIAL APPLICATIONS AND PERFORMANCE FOR TROPOSPHERIC OZONE AND PARTICULATE MATTER

    EPA Science Inventory

    This manuscript provides an overview of the formulation, process considerations, and performance for simulating tropospheric ozone and particulate matter distributions of the Multiscale Air Quality Simulation Platform (MAQSIP). MAQSIP is a comprehensive atmospheric chemistry/tran...

  14. 76 FR 33139 - Launch Safety: Lightning Criteria for Expendable Launch Vehicles

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-08

    ... availability and implement changes already adopted by the United States Air Force. DATES: Effective July 25... identify the docket and amendment numbers of this rulemaking. I. Background On August 25, 2006, the FAA... lightning during flight. Licensing and Safety Requirements for Launch, 71 FR 50508 (Aug. 25, 2006). An ELV...

  15. No Launch Before Its Time

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Townsend, Bill

    2004-01-01

    Aura is an Earth-observing satellite developed to help us study the quality of the air we breathe. It will look at the state of the ozone and the atmospheric composition in regards to the Earth's changing climate. I headed to California on July 5, 2004. The plan was that the satellite would launch on the tenth, but we had a few problems getting it off. This was the fifty-ninth launch of my career, and it was also a little different than most of my previous launches. Most of the time it's weather that postpones a launch; there aren't usually that many technical issues this late in the game. This time. however, we had several problems, equally split between the launch vehicle and the spacecraft. I remember a member of the crew asking me, 'Is this normal?' And in my experience, it wasn't.

  16. SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-07-31

    A flatbed truck carrying one of two new service platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines nears the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms were transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. They will be delivered to the VAB, where they will be stored and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

  17. SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-07-31

    A flatbed truck carrying one of two new service platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines backs up inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms were transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. They will be stored in the VAB, where they will be used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

  18. SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-07-31

    A flatbed truck carrying one of two new service platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines backs in to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms were transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. They will be stored in the VAB, where they will be used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

  19. SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-07-31

    A flatbed truck carrying one of two new service platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines arrives inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms were transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. They will be stored in the VAB, where they will be used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

  20. SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-07-31

    A flatbed truck carrying one of two new service platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms were transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. They will be stored in the VAB, where they will be used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

  1. SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-07-31

    New service platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines, secured on two flatbed trucks, are on their way to the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They are being transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. The platforms will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where they will be stored and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

  2. SLS Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivery

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-07-31

    A flatbed truck carrying one of two new service platforms for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines makes its way along the NASA Causeway to the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platforms were transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. They will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where they will be stored and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

  3. NPP Satellite Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-10-28

    Dr. Kathy Sullivan, center, Deputy Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and former NASA astronaut is interviewed by a local television network at NOAA's Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Md. after the successful launch of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) on Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. NPP is a joint venture between NASA and NOAA, and is the nation's newest Earth-observing satellite, which will provide data on climate change science, allow for accurate weather forecasts and advance warning for severe weather. NPP was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

  4. Next Generation Air Quality Platform: Openness and Interoperability for the Internet of Things.

    PubMed

    Kotsev, Alexander; Schade, Sven; Craglia, Massimo; Gerboles, Michel; Spinelle, Laurent; Signorini, Marco

    2016-03-18

    The widespread diffusion of sensors, mobile devices, social media and open data are reconfiguring the way data underpinning policy and science are being produced and consumed. This in turn is creating both opportunities and challenges for policy-making and science. There can be major benefits from the deployment of the IoT in smart cities and environmental monitoring, but to realize such benefits, and reduce potential risks, there is an urgent need to address current limitations, including the interoperability of sensors, data quality, security of access and new methods for spatio-temporal analysis. Within this context, the manuscript provides an overview of the AirSensEUR project, which establishes an affordable open software/hardware multi-sensor platform, which is nonetheless able to monitor air pollution at low concentration levels. AirSensEUR is described from the perspective of interoperable data management with emphasis on possible use case scenarios, where reliable and timely air quality data would be essential.

  5. Next Generation Air Quality Platform: Openness and Interoperability for the Internet of Things

    PubMed Central

    Kotsev, Alexander; Schade, Sven; Craglia, Massimo; Gerboles, Michel; Spinelle, Laurent; Signorini, Marco

    2016-01-01

    The widespread diffusion of sensors, mobile devices, social media and open data are reconfiguring the way data underpinning policy and science are being produced and consumed. This in turn is creating both opportunities and challenges for policy-making and science. There can be major benefits from the deployment of the IoT in smart cities and environmental monitoring, but to realize such benefits, and reduce potential risks, there is an urgent need to address current limitations, including the interoperability of sensors, data quality, security of access and new methods for spatio-temporal analysis. Within this context, the manuscript provides an overview of the AirSensEUR project, which establishes an affordable open software/hardware multi-sensor platform, which is nonetheless able to monitor air pollution at low concentration levels. AirSensEUR is described from the perspective of interoperable data management with emphasis on possible use case scenarios, where reliable and timely air quality data would be essential. PMID:26999160

  6. Determining the Probability of Violating Upper-Level Wind Constraints for the Launch of Minuteman Ill Ballistic Missiles At Vandenberg Air Force Base

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shafer, Jaclyn A.; Brock, Tyler M.

    2013-01-01

    The 30th Operational Support Squadron Weather Flight (30 OSSWF) provides comprehensive weather services to the space program at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California. One of their responsibilities is to monitor upper-level winds to ensure safe launch operations of the Minuteman Ill ballistic missile. The 30 OSSWF requested the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) analyze VAFB sounding data to determine the probability of violating (PoV) upper-level thresholds for wind speed and shear constraints specific to this launch vehicle, and to develop a graphical user interface (GUI) that will calculate the PoV of each constraint on the day of launch. The AMU suggested also including forecast sounding data from the Rapid Refresh (RAP) model. This would provide further insight for the launch weather officers (LWOs) when determining if a wind constraint violation will occur over the next few hours, and help to improve the overall upper winds forecast on launch day.

  7. Platform C South Arrival

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-08-04

    A heavy load transport truck from Tillett Heavy Hauling in Titusville, Florida, arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying a section of the first half of the C-level work platforms, C south, for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The platform will be delivered to the VAB staging area in the west parking lot. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing.

  8. OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-07

    In a view from ground level looking up, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket begins to roll out of the Vertical Integration Facility to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

  9. OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-07

    In a view from above, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket begins to roll out of the Vertical Integration Facility to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

  10. OSIRIS-REx Rollout for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-07

    A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is reflected in the water as it rolls out of the Vertical Integration Facility on its way to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will boost NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.

  11. Photocopy of drawing. LAUNCH COMPLEX 39. NASA, John F. Kennedy ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    Photocopy of drawing. LAUNCH COMPLEX 39. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. File Number 203-100, Urbahn-Roberts-Seelye-Moran, October, 1963. VOLUME 29, LAUNCH CONTROL CENTER (LCC) TITLE AND LOCATION SHEET. Sheet 29-01 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Launch Control Center, LCC Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  12. JPL-20180406-INSIGHf-0001-InSight West Coast Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-04-06

    NASA's InSight mission to Mars will be the first interplanetary launch from America's West Coast. It will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch window opens at 4:05 a.m. PDT and remains open for two hours. The launch period spans May 5 through June 8. Animations indicate how the launch will look to people on the ground in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Diego. A map shows the entire region in which the launch will be visible if skies are clear.

  13. KSC Vertical Launch Site Evaluation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Phillips, Lynne V.

    2007-01-01

    RS&H was tasked to evaluate the potential available launch sites for a combined two user launch pad. The Launch sites were to be contained entirely within current Kennedy Space Center property lines. The user launch vehicles to be used for evaluation are in the one million pounds of first stage thrust range. Additionally a second evaluation criterion was added early on in the study. A single user launch site was to be evaluated for a two million pound first stage thrust vehicle. Both scenarios were to be included in the report. To provide fidelity to the study criteria, a specific launch vehicle in the one million pound thrust range was chosen as a guide post or straw-man launch vehicle. The RpK K-1 vehicle is a current Commercial Orbital Transportation System (COTS), contract awardee along with the SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle. SpaceX, at the time of writing, is planning to launch COTS and possibly other payloads from Cx-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station property. RpK has yet to declare a specific launch site as their east coast US launch location. As such it was deemed appropriate that RpK's vehicle requirements be used as conceptual criteria. For the purposes of this study those criteria were marginally generalized to make them less specifiC.

  14. Orbital ATK CRS-7 Post Launch News Conference

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-04-18

    Members of the news media attend a press conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, after the launch of the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It was Orbital ATK's seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 11:11 a.m. EDT. Speaking to the media is Vern Thorp, program manager, commercial missions, United Launch Alliance.

  15. Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-07-02

    Members of the media are unable to see the launch of the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket with the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite onboard due to heavy fog at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. on Wednesday, July 2, 2014. OCO-2 launched at 2:56 a.m. PDT. OCO-2 will measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  16. Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivered to VAB

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-04-17

    A new service platform for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines is being prepared for the move into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform was transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. It will be stored in the VAB, and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

  17. Platform B North Installation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-12-16

    Construction workers wearing safety harnesses and tethered lines assist with the installation of the second half of the B-level work platforms, B north, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, high up in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They are securing the large bolts that hold the platform securely in place on the north side of High Bay 3. The B platforms are the ninth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

  18. 2. VIEW OF WEST FACE OF LAUNCH OPERATIONS BUILDING. BUNKER ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    2. VIEW OF WEST FACE OF LAUNCH OPERATIONS BUILDING. BUNKER PERISCOPE VISIBLE ON NORTH END OF ROOF. ESCAPE TUNNEL AND CABLE SHED VISIBLE ON NORTH FACE. - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Operations Building, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

  19. 41. VIEW OF UMBILICAL MAST AND LAUNCH PAD FROM LAUNCHER; ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    41. VIEW OF UMBILICAL MAST AND LAUNCH PAD FROM LAUNCHER; SOUTH FACE OF MST IN BACKGROUND. RAIL SYSTEM FROM BASE OF MST PARALLEL TO MAST. - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Pad 3 East, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

  20. Aerothermal test results from the first flight of the Pegasus air-launched space booster

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Noffz, Gregory K.; Curry, Robert E.; Haering, Edward A., Jr.; Kolodziej, Paul

    1991-01-01

    A survey of temperature measurements at speeds through Mach 8.0 on the first flight of the Pegasus air-launched booster system is discussed. In addition, heating rates were derived from the temperature data obtained on the fuselage in the vicinity of the wing shock interaction. Sensors were distributed on the wing surfaces, leading edge, and on the wing-body fairing or fillet. Side-by-side evaluations were obtained for a variety of sensor installations. Details of the trajectory reconstruction through first-stage separation are provided. Given here are indepth descriptions of the sensor installations, temperature measurements, and derived heating rates along with interpretations of the results.

  1. SSTO RLVs: More Global Reach? A Study of the Use of Single Stage to Orbit Reusable Launch Vehicles as Airlift Platforms.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1996-11-01

    Orbit ( SSTO ) Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLVs) are currently under cooperative development by NASA, the Air Force, and the aerospace industry in the pursuit...exploit these rapid transit technologies to advance ’Global Reach for America.’ The SSTO RLV is a single stage rocket that will be completely reusable...investigated to assess the projected capabilities and costs of the SSTO system. This paper reviews the proposed capabilities of the SSTO system, discusses

  2. 42. VIEW OF UMBILICAL MAST AND LAUNCH PAD FROM MST ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    42. VIEW OF UMBILICAL MAST AND LAUNCH PAD FROM MST BASE. LAUNCHER IS BEHIND UMBILICAL MAST AND RAIL SYSTEM IS PARALLEL TO MAST ON RIGHT AND LEFT. - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Pad 3 East, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

  3. STS-112 M.S. Magnus suits up before launch

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-112 Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus finishes suiting up before launch. STS-112 is the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station, carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss to the Station. Launch is scheduled for 3:46 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B.

  4. SpaceX CRS-13 Live Launch Coverage

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-15

    Live Launch Coverage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying the Dragon spacecraft filled with research and supplies to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 10:36 a.m. EST. On its 13th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station, Dragon will bring up nearly 4,800 pounds of supplies and new science experiments and equipment for technology research.

  5. Orion Launch from Helicopter - Aerials

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-12-05

    This helicopter view of the NASA Causeway connecting NASA's Kennedy Space Center with Cape Canaveral Air Force Staton shows the thousands of vehicles parked where guests gather to see the launch of the Orion Flight Test.

  6. ARES I-X Launch Prep

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2009-10-25

    A launch countdown sign showing one day until launch of the NASA ARES I-X rocket is seen along the road between Cape Canaveral Air Force Base and the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Monday, Oct. 26, 2009. The flight test of Ares I-X, scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009, will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  7. Platform C South Arrival

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-08-04

    A heavy load transport truck from Tillett Heavy Hauling in Titusville, Florida, arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying a section of the first half of the C-level work platforms, C South, for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The platform is being lifted and transferred onto support stands in the VAB staging area in the west parking lot. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing.

  8. Platform C South Arrival

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-08-05

    A heavy load transport truck from Tillett Heavy Hauling in Titusville, Florida, arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the second section of the first half of the C-level work platforms, C South, for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The platform will be offloaded in the VAB staging area in the west parking lot. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing.

  9. DLR HABLEG- High Altitude Balloon Launched Experimental Glider

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wlach, S.; Schwarzbauch, M.; Laiacker, M.

    2015-09-01

    The group Flying Robots at the DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics in Oberpfaffenhofen conducts research on solar powered high altitude aircrafts. Due to the high altitude and the almost infinite mission duration, these platforms are also denoted as High Altitude Pseudo-Satellites (HAPS). This paper highlights some aspects of the design, building, integration and testing of a flying experimental platform for high altitudes. This unmanned aircraft, with a wingspan of 3 m and a mass of less than 10 kg, is meant to be launched as a glider from a high altitude balloon in 20 km altitude and shall investigate technologies for future large HAPS platforms. The aerodynamic requirements for high altitude flight included the development of a launch method allowing for a safe transition to horizontal flight from free-fall with low control authority. Due to the harsh environmental conditions in the stratosphere, the integration of electronic components in the airframe is a major effort. For regulatory reasons a reliable and situation dependent flight termination system had to be implemented. In May 2015 a flight campaign was conducted. The mission was a full success demonstrating that stratospheric research flights are feasible with rather small aircrafts.

  10. M2-F3 In-flight Launch from B-52

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1971-01-01

    This photo shows the M2-F3 Lifting Body being launched from NASA's B-52 mothership at the NASA Flight Research Center (FRC--now the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California. A fleet of lifting bodies flown at the FRC from 1963 to l975 demonstrated the ability of pilots to maneuver and safely land a wingless vehicle designed to fly back to Earth from space and be landed like an aircraft at a pre-determined site. Early flight testing of the M2-F1 and M2-F2 lifting body reentry configurations had validated the concept of piloted lifting body reentry from space. When the M2-F2 crashed on May 10, 1967, valuable information had already been obtained and was contributing to new designs. NASA pilots said the M2-F2 had lateral control problems, so when the M2-F2 was rebuilt at Northrop and redesignated the M2-F3, it was modified with an additional third vertical fin -- centered between the tip fins -- to improve control characteristics. First flight of the M2-F3, with NASA pilot Bill Dana at the controls, was June 2, 1970. The modified vehicle exhibited much better lateral stability and control characteristics than before, and only three glide flights were necessary before the first powered flight on Nov. 25, 1970. Over the next 26 missions, the M2-F3 reached a top speed of l,064 mph (Mach 1.6). Highest altitude reached by vehicle was 7l,500 feet on Dec. 20, 1972, the date of its last flight, with NASA pilot John Manke at the controls. NASA donated The M2-F3 vehicle to the Smithsonian Institute in December 1973. It is currently hanging in the Air and Space Museum along with the X-15 aircraft number 1, which was its hangar partner from 1965 to 1969. NASA B-52, Tail Number 008, is an air launch carrier aircraft, 'mothership,' as well as a research aircraft platform that has been used on a variety of research projects. The aircraft, a 'B' model built in 1952 and first flown on June 11, 1955, is the oldest B-52 in flying status and has been used on some of the most

  11. Platform C South Arrival

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-08-05

    The second section of the first half of the C-level work platforms, C South, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was offloaded from a heavy transport truck in a staging area on the west side of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing.

  12. Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivered to VAB

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-04-17

    A new service platform for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines, secured on a flatbed truck, has arrived at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. The platform will be stored in the VAB and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). During EM-1, an uncrewed Orion spacecraft will launch on the SLS to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and return to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

  13. Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivered to VAB

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-04-17

    A new service platform for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines has been offloaded from a flatbed truck and is being prepared for the move into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform was transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. It will be stored in the VAB, and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

  14. Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivered to VAB

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-04-17

    A new service platform for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines, secured on a flatbed truck, is on its way to the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. The platform will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be stored and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). During EM-1, an uncrewed Orion spacecraft will launch on the SLS to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and return to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

  15. 86. Shock absorber, top of launch control center, southeast corner ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    86. Shock absorber, top of launch control center, southeast corner - Ellsworth Air Force Base, Delta Flight, Launch Control Facility, County Road CS23A, North of Exit 127, Interior, Jackson County, SD

  16. 69. Commander's launch control console, east end, plexiglass shield up ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    69. Commander's launch control console, east end, plexiglass shield up - Ellsworth Air Force Base, Delta Flight, Launch Control Facility, County Road CS23A, North of Exit 127, Interior, Jackson County, SD

  17. External Payload Carrier (XPC) - A Novel Platform for Suborbital Research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schallhorn, Paul; Groves, Curtis; Tatro, Charles; Kutter, Bernard; Szatkowski, Gerald; Bulk, Tim; Pitchford, Brian

    2010-01-01

    ULA, SAS, and NASA LSP are examining a new platform for suborbital research utilizing the Atlas V Launch Vehicle. The new platform, XPC, fills a new niche within the suborbital realm Large Heavy Lift (approximately 1200 cubic feet, 5000 lb payload). It will not compete with the commercial suborbital launch sector. The XPC will utilize excess performance on Atlas V missions. The Preliminary Design phase is recently underway. The XPC team is soliciting input from potential users.

  18. Second Shuttle Join NASA's STS Fleet: Challenger Launches First New Tracking Satellite

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1983-01-01

    NASA made a major stride in readying a second delivery vehicle for its Space Transportation System (STS) fleet with the perfect landing of Shuttle Orbiter Challenger at Edwards Air Force Base, California, April 9, 1983. Besides being the first flight test of Challenger's performance, the mission marked the orbiting of the first spacecraft in NASA's new Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). The new family of orbiting space communications platforms is essential to serve future Shuttle missions. Although the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) second stage engine firing failed to place TDRS in its final 35,888 kilometer (22,300 mile) geosynchronous orbit, its release from the orbiter cargo bay went as planned. Launch officials were confident they can achieve its planned orbit in a matter of weeks.

  19. Assessment and forecasting of lightning potential and its effect on launch operations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and John F. Kennedy Space Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weems, J.; Wyse, N.; Madura, J.; Secrist, M.; Pinder, C.

    1991-01-01

    Lightning plays a pivotal role in the operation decision process for space and ballistic launches at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center. Lightning forecasts are the responsibility of Detachment 11, 4th Weather Wing's Cape Canaveral Forecast Facility. These forecasts are important to daily ground processing as well as launch countdown decisions. The methodology and equipment used to forecast lightning are discussed. Impact on a recent mission is summarized.

  20. Pegasus XL CYGNSS Second Launch Attempt

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-12-15

    In the Mission Director's Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Amanda Mitskevich, facing the camera, is program manager for NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Seated next to her is Chuck Dovale, deputy LSP program manager. They are monitoring the progress of preparations to launch eight Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. The CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a crucial role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

  1. Platform options for the Space Station program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mangano, M. J.; Rowley, R. W.

    1986-01-01

    Platforms for polar and 28.5 deg orbits were studied to determine the platform requirements and characteristics necessary to support the science objectives. Large platforms supporting the Earth-Observing System (EOS) were initially studied. Co-orbiting platforms were derived from these designs. Because cost estimates indicated that the large platform approach was likely to be too expensive, require several launches, and generally be excessively complex, studies of small platforms were undertaken. Results of these studies show the small platform approach to be technically feasible at lower overall cost. All designs maximized hardware inheritance from the Space Station program to reduce costs. Science objectives as defined at the time of these studies are largely achievable.

  2. 83. Shock absorber attaching "egg" to the launch control center, ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    83. Shock absorber attaching "egg" to the launch control center, southwest corner - Ellsworth Air Force Base, Delta Flight, Launch Control Facility, County Road CS23A, North of Exit 127, Interior, Jackson County, SD

  3. 5. GENERAL VIEW OF LAUNCHER BUILDING 28402 SHOWING LAUNCH DECK ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    5. GENERAL VIEW OF LAUNCHER BUILDING 28402 SHOWING LAUNCH DECK AT RIGHT; VIEW TO NORTHEAST. - Cape Canaveral Air Station, Launch Complex 17, Facility 28402, East end of Lighthouse Road, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  4. STS-112 M.S. Wolf suits up for launch

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-112 Mission Specialist David Wolf suits up for launch, just hours away. STS-112 is the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station, carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss to the Station. Launch is scheduled for 3:46 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B. .

  5. STS-112 M.S. Sellers suits up for launch

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - During suitup for launch, STS-112 Mission Specialist Piers Sellers smiles in anticipation of his first Shuttle flight. STS-112 is the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station, carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss to the Station. Launch is scheduled for 3:46 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B.

  6. Photocopy of drawing. LAUNCH COMPLEX 39. NASA, John F. Kennedy ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    Photocopy of drawing. LAUNCH COMPLEX 39. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. File Number 203-100, Urbahn-Roberts-Seelye-Moran, October, 1963. LCC TRANSVERSE SECTIONS AA & BB. Sheet 29-45 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Launch Control Center, LCC Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  7. 2. GENERAL CONTEXT VIEW SHOWING 36004 AT FAR LEFT, LAUNCH ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    2. GENERAL CONTEXT VIEW SHOWING 36004 AT FAR LEFT, LAUNCH PAD A GANTRY AT CENTER, LAUNCH PAD B GANTRY AT RIGHT; THIS VIEW MATCHES FL-8-5-1 TO FORM PANORAMIC SWEEP OF SITE; VIEW TO NORTHEAST. - Cape Canaveral Air Station, Launch Complex 17, East end of Lighthouse Road, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  8. Photocopy of drawing. LAUNCH COMPLEX 39, CRAWLER TRANSPORTER. NASA, John ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    Photocopy of drawing. LAUNCH COMPLEX 39, CRAWLER TRANSPORTER. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 75M05760, KSC-Launch Support Equipment Engineering Division, January 1967. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT. Sheet 1 of 4 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Crawler Transporters, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  9. 14. VIEW OF MST, FACING SOUTHEAST, AND LAUNCH PAD TAKEN ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    14. VIEW OF MST, FACING SOUTHEAST, AND LAUNCH PAD TAKEN FROM NORTHEAST PHOTO TOWER WITH WINDOW OPEN. FEATURES LEFT TO RIGHT: SOUTH TELEVISION CAMERA TOWER, SOUTHWEST PHOTO TOWER, LAUNCHER, UMBILICAL MAST, MST, AND OXIDIZER APRON. - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Pad 3 East, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

  10. 53. Interior of launch support building, brine chiller, view towards ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    53. Interior of launch support building, brine chiller, view towards south - Ellsworth Air Force Base, Delta Flight, Launch Facility, On County Road T512, south of Exit 116 off I-90, Interior, Jackson County, SD

  11. Orbital ATK CRS-7 Launch Coverage

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-04-18

    NASA Television conducted a live broadcast from Kennedy Space Center as Orbital ATK’s CRS-7 lifted off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft carried more than 7,600 pounds of science research, crew supplies, and hardware to the orbiting laboratory as Orbital ATK’s seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Launch commentary conducted by: -George Diller, NASA Communications Special guests included: -Frank DeMauro, VP & GM, Advanced Programs Division, Space Systems Group, Orbital ATK -Tori McLendon, NASA Communications -Robert Cabana, Kennedy Space Center Director -Tara Ruttley, Associate Program Scientist, International Space Station -Vern Thorp, Program Manager for Commercial Missions, United Launch Alliance

  12. 42. Launch Area, Underground Missile Storage Structure, detail of escape ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    42. Launch Area, Underground Missile Storage Structure, detail of escape hatch, elevator and air vent VIEW SOUTH - NIKE Missile Battery PR-79, Launch Area, East Windsor Road south of State Route 101, Foster, Providence County, RI

  13. 72. View of launch control center towards the blast door ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    72. View of launch control center towards the blast door and west, seat empty - Ellsworth Air Force Base, Delta Flight, Launch Control Facility, County Road CS23A, North of Exit 127, Interior, Jackson County, SD

  14. 70. Commander's launch control console, plexiglass shield down, looking southeast, ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    70. Commander's launch control console, plexiglass shield down, looking southeast, filing cabinet in corner - Ellsworth Air Force Base, Delta Flight, Launch Control Facility, County Road CS23A, North of Exit 127, Interior, Jackson County, SD

  15. 36. Launch Area, Underground Missile Storage Structure, detail showing elevator, ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    36. Launch Area, Underground Missile Storage Structure, detail showing elevator, air ventilators and personnel entrance VIEW SOUTHEAST - NIKE Missile Battery PR-79, Launch Area, East Windsor Road south of State Route 101, Foster, Providence County, RI

  16. 77. Deputy commander's launch control console, fire control panel missing ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    77. Deputy commander's launch control console, fire control panel missing at right, south side - Ellsworth Air Force Base, Delta Flight, Launch Control Facility, County Road CS23A, North of Exit 127, Interior, Jackson County, SD

  17. Orbital ATK CRS-7 Post-Launch News Conference

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-04-18

    NASA Television held a post launch news conference from Kennedy Space Center’s Press Site recapping the successful launch of Orbital ATK’s CRS-7 atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft carried more than 7,600 pounds of science research, crew supplies, and hardware to the orbiting laboratory as Orbital ATK’s seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Participants included: -George Diller, NASA Communications -Joel Montalbano, Deputy Manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson Space Center -Frank Culbertson, President, Orbital ATK Space Systems Group -Vern Thorp, Program Manager, Commercial Missions, United Launch Alliance

  18. Launch Vehicle Demonstrator Using Shuttle Assets

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Threet, Grady E., Jr.; Creech, Dennis M.; Philips, Alan D.; Water, Eric D.

    2011-01-01

    The Marshall Space Flight Center Advanced Concepts Office (ACO) has the leading role for NASA s preliminary conceptual launch vehicle design and performance analysis. Over the past several years the ACO Earth-to-Orbit Team has evaluated thousands of launch vehicle concept variations for a multitude of studies including agency-wide efforts such as the Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS), Constellation, Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLLV), Heavy Lift Propulsion Technology (HLPT), Human Exploration Framework Team (HEFT), and Space Launch System (SLS). NASA plans to continue human space exploration and space station utilization. Launch vehicles used for heavy lift cargo and crew will be needed. One of the current leading concepts for future heavy lift capability is an inline one and a half stage concept using solid rocket boosters (SRB) and based on current Shuttle technology and elements. Potentially, the quickest and most cost-effective path towards an operational vehicle of this configuration is to make use of a demonstrator vehicle fabricated from existing shuttle assets and relying upon the existing STS launch infrastructure. Such a demonstrator would yield valuable proof-of-concept data and would provide a working test platform allowing for validated systems integration. Using shuttle hardware such as existing RS-25D engines and partial MPS, propellant tanks derived from the External Tank (ET) design and tooling, and four-segment SRB s could reduce the associated upfront development costs and schedule when compared to a concept that would rely on new propulsion technology and engine designs. There are potentially several other additional benefits to this demonstrator concept. Since a concept of this type would be based on man-rated flight proven hardware components, this demonstrator has the potential to evolve into the first iteration of heavy lift crew or cargo and serve as a baseline for block upgrades. This vehicle could also serve as a demonstration

  19. STS-107 Columbia rollout to Launch Pad 39A

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Columbia, framed by trees near the Banana River, rolls towards Launch Pad 39A, sitting atop the Mobile Launcher Platform, which in turn is carried by the crawler-transporter underneath. The STS-107 research mission comprises experiments ranging from material sciences to life sciences (many rats), plus the Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and Research (FREESTAR) that incorporates eight high priority secondary attached shuttle experiments. Mission STS-107 is scheduled to launch Jan. 16, 2003.

  20. Air launch wireless sensor nodes (ALSN) for battle damage assessment (BDA)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Back, Jason M.; Beck, Steven D.; Frank, Mark A.; Hoenes, Eric

    2006-05-01

    This paper summarizes the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) sponsored development and demonstration of an Air Launched Sensor Node (ALSN) system designed to fill DTRA's immediate need to support the Global Strike requirement of weapon-borne deliverable sensors for Battle Damage Assessment (BDA). Unattended ground sensors were integrated into a CBU-103 Tactical Munitions Dispenser (TMD), and flight test demonstrated with the 46 th Test Wing at Eglin AFB, FL. The objectives of the ALSN program were to repackage an existing multi-sensor node system to conform to the payload envelope and deployment configuration design; to integrate this payload into the CBU-103 TMD; and to conduct a combined payload flight test demonstration. The final sensor node included multiple sensors a microphone, a geophone, and multiple directional Passive Infrared (PIR) detectors with processing electronics, a low power wireless communications 802.15.4 mesh network, GPS (Global Positioning System), and power integrated into a form-fit BLU-97 munitions deployable package. This paper will present and discuss the flight test, results, and ALSN performance.

  1. X-24B launch - air drop from mothership

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1974-01-01

    powered mission November 15, 1973. Among the final flights with the X-24B were two precise landings on the main concrete runway at Edwards, California, which showed that accurate unpowered reentry vehicle landings were operationally feasible. These missions were flown by Manke and Air Force Maj. Mike Love and represented the final milestone in a program that helped write the flight plan for the Space Shuttle program of today. After launch from the B-52 'mothership' at an altitude of about 45,000 feet, the XLR-11 rocket engine was ignited and the vehicle accelerated to speeds of more than 1,100 miles per hour and to altitudes of 60,000 to 70,000 feet. After the rocket engine was shut down, the pilots began steep glides towards the Edwards runway. As the pilots entered the final leg of their approach, they increased their rate of descent to build up speed and used this energy to perform a 'flare out' maneuver, which slowed their landing speed to about 200 miles per hour--the same basic approach pattern and landing speed of the Space Shuttles today. The final powered flight with the X-24B aircraft was on September 23, l975. The pilot was Bill Dana, and it was also the last rocket-powered flight flown at Dryden. It was also Dana who flew the last X-15 mission about seven years earlier. Top speed reached with the X-24B was 1,164 miles per hour (Mach 1.76) by Love on October 25, 1974. The highest altitude reached was 74,100 feet, by Manke on May 22, 1975. The X-24B is on public display at the Air Force Museum, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. This roughly 20-second video clip shows the X-24B dropping from the B-52 mothership, after which the rocket engine ignites.

  2. Booster Engine Service Platforms Delivered to VAB

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-04-17

    A new service platform for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines, secured on a flatbed truck, is on its way to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), in view in the distance, at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. The platform will be delivered to the VAB, where it will be stored and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). During EM-1, an uncrewed Orion spacecraft will launch on the SLS to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and return to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

  3. Delta II THEMIS Pre-Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2002-01-01

    The Delta II rocket with the THEMIS spacecraft atop sits ready for launch on Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in this aerial view of the launch complex area as the mobile service tower begins to move away. THEMIS, an acronym for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms, consists of five identical probes that will track violent, colorful eruptions near the North Pole. This will be the largest number of scientific satellites NASA has ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. The THEMIS mission aims to unravel the mystery behind auroral substorms, an avalanche of magnetic energy powered by the solar wind that intensifies the northern and southern lights. The mission will investigate what causes auroras in the Earth’s atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering waves of light to wildly shifting streaks of bright color. Launch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

  4. Orbital ATK CRS-7 Post Launch News Conference

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-04-18

    Members of the news media attend a press conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, after the launch of the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It was Orbital ATK's seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 11:11 a.m. EDT. Speaking to the media is Frank Culbertson, president, Orbital ATK Space Systems Group.

  5. Close-up of Wing Fit Check of Pylon to Carry the X-38 on B-52 Launch Aircraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1997-01-01

    Andy Blua and Jeff Doughty of Dryden's Experimental Fabrication Shop, along with B-52 Crew Chief Dan Bains and assistant Mark Thompson, all eye the new X-38 pylon during a fit-check on NASA's B-52 at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The fit-check was the first time the 1,200-pound steel pylon, which was fabricated at Dryden, was mated to the B-52. The pylon served as an 'adapter' that allowed the X-38 to be attached to the B-52's wing. Earlier flight research vehicles had used the X-15 pylon for attachment to and launch from the B-52. NASA B-52, Tail Number 008, is an air launch carrier aircraft, 'mothership,' as well as a research aircraft platform that has been used on a variety of research projects. The aircraft, a 'B' model built in 1952 and first flown on June 11, 1955, is the oldest B-52 in flying status and has been used on some of the most significant research projects in aerospace history. Some of the significant projects supported by B-52 008 include the X-15, the lifting bodies, HiMAT (highly maneuverable aircraft technology), Pegasus, validation of parachute systems developed for the space shuttle program (solid-rocket-booster recovery system and the orbiter drag chute system), and the X-38. The B-52 served as the launch vehicle on 106 X-15 flights and flew a total of 159 captive-carry and launch missions in support of that program from June 1959 to October 1968. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo human spaceflight programs as well as space shuttle development. Between 1966 and 1975, the B-52 served as the launch aircraft for 127 of the 144 wingless lifting body flights. In the 1970s and 1980s, the B-52 was the launch aircraft for several aircraft at what is now the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, to study spin-stall, high-angle-of attack, and maneuvering characteristics. These included the 3/8-scale F-15/spin research vehicle (SRV), the Hi

  6. Close-up of Wing Fit Check of Pylon to Carry the X-38 on B-52 Launch Aircraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1997-01-01

    Dryden Experimental Fabrication Shop's Andy Blua and Jeff Doughty make sure the new pylon for the X-38 fits precisely during a fit-check on NASA's B-52 at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California in 1997. The 1,200-pound steel pylon, fabricated at Dryden, was an 'adapter' to allow the X-38 research vehicle to be carried aloft and launched from the bomber. The X-38 was a designed as a technology demonstrator to help develop an emergency Crew Return Vehicle for the International Space Station. NASA B-52, Tail Number 008, is an air launch carrier aircraft, 'mothership,' as well as a research aircraft platform that has been used on a variety of research projects. The aircraft, a 'B' model built in 1952 and first flown on June 11, 1955, is the oldest B-52 in flying status and has been used on some of the most significant research projects in aerospace history. Some of the significant projects supported by B-52 008 include the X-15, the lifting bodies, HiMAT (highly maneuverable aircraft technology), Pegasus, validation of parachute systems developed for the space shuttle program (solid-rocket-booster recovery system and the orbiter drag chute system), and the X-38. The B-52 served as the launch vehicle on 106 X-15 flights and flew a total of 159 captive-carry and launch missions in support of that program from June 1959 to October 1968. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo human spaceflight programs as well as space shuttle development. Between 1966 and 1975, the B-52 served as the launch aircraft for 127 of the 144 wingless lifting body flights. In the 1970s and 1980s, the B-52 was the launch aircraft for several aircraft at what is now the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, to study spin-stall, high-angle-of attack, and maneuvering characteristics. These included the 3/8-scale F-15/spin research vehicle (SRV), the HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) research

  7. Close-up of Wing Fit Check of Pylon to Carry the X-38 on B-52 Launch Aircraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1997-01-01

    Tom McMullen, Chief of Dryden's Experimental Fabrication Shop, makes adjustments to the new pylon for NASA's X-38 during a fit-check on NASA's B-52 at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, in 1997. The fit-check was the first time the 1,200-pound steel pylon was mated to the B-52 following fabrication at Dryden by the Center's Experimental Fabrication Shop. The pylon was built as an 'adapter' to allow the X-38 to be attached to and launched from the B-52's wing. NASA B-52, Tail Number 008, is an air launch carrier aircraft, 'mothership,' as well as a research aircraft platform that has been used on a variety of research projects. The aircraft, a 'B' model built in 1952 and first flown on June 11, 1955, is the oldest B-52 in flying status and has been used on some of the most significant research projects in aerospace history. Some of the significant projects supported by B-52 008 include the X-15, the lifting bodies, HiMAT (highly maneuverable aircraft technology), Pegasus, validation of parachute systems developed for the space shuttle program (solid-rocket-booster recovery system and the orbiter drag chute system), and the X-38. The B-52 served as the launch vehicle on 106 X-15 flights and flew a total of 159 captive-carry and launch missions in support of that program from June 1959 to October 1968. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo human spaceflight programs as well as space shuttle development. Between 1966 and 1975, the B-52 served as the launch aircraft for 127 of the 144 wingless lifting body flights. In the 1970s and 1980s, the B-52 was the launch aircraft for several aircraft at what is now the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, to study spin-stall, high-angle-of attack, and maneuvering characteristics. These included the 3/8-scale F-15/spin research vehicle (SRV), the HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) research vehicle, and the DAST

  8. Close-up of Wing Fit Check of Pylon to Carry the X-38 on B-52 Launch Aircraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1997-01-01

    The new pylon for the X-38 following a fit-check on NASA's B-52 at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, in 1997. The fit-check was the first time the 1,200-pound steel pylon was mated to the B-52 following fabrication at Dryden by the Center's Experimental Fabrication Shop. The pylon was built as an 'adapter' to allow the X-38 research vehicle to be carried aloft and launched from the B-52. NASA B-52, Tail Number 008, is an air launch carrier aircraft, 'mothership,' as well as a research aircraft platform that has been used on a variety of research projects. The aircraft, a 'B' model built in 1952 and first flown on June 11, 1955, is the oldest B-52 in flying status and has been used on some of the most significant research projects in aerospace history. Some of the significant projects supported by B-52 008 include the X-15, the lifting bodies, HiMAT (highly maneuverable aircraft technology), Pegasus, validation of parachute systems developed for the space shuttle program (solid-rocket-booster recovery system and the orbiter drag chute system), and the X-38. The B-52 served as the launch vehicle on 106 X-15 flights and flew a total of 159 captive-carry and launch missions in support of that program from June 1959 to October 1968. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo human spaceflight programs as well as space shuttle development. Between 1966 and 1975, the B-52 served as the launch aircraft for 127 of the 144 wingless lifting body flights. In the 1970s and 1980s, the B-52 was the launch aircraft for several aircraft at what is now the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, to study spin-stall, high-angle-of attack, and maneuvering characteristics. These included the 3/8-scale F-15/spin research vehicle (SRV), the HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) research vehicle, and the DAST (drones for aerodynamic and structural testing). The aircraft supported the

  9. Aerial photo shows Launch Complex 39 Area

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2000-01-01

    This aerial photo captures many of the facilities involved in Space Shuttle launches. At center is the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), with the Launch Control Center at its right. The curved road on the left in the photo is the newly restored crawlerway leading into the VAB high bay 2, where a mobile launcher platform/crawler-transporter sits. The road restoration and high bay 2 are part of KSC's Safe Haven project, enabling the storage of orbiters during severe weather. The crawlerway also extends from the east side out to the two launch pads, one visible close to the road on the left and one to the left of the VAB. In the distance is the Atlantic Ocean. To the right of the crawlerway is the turn basin, into which ships tow the barge for offloading new external tanks from Louisiana.

  10. Earth-to-orbit reusable launch vehicles: A comparative assessment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chase, R. L.

    1978-01-01

    A representative set of space systems, functions, and missions for NASA and DoD from which launch vehicle requirements and characteristics was established as well as a set of air-breathing launch vehicles based on graduated technology capabilities corresponding to increasingly higher staging Mach numbers. The utility of the air-breathing launch vehicle candidates based on lift-off weight, performance, technology needs, and risk was assessed and costs were compared to alternative concepts. The results indicate that a fully reusable launch vehicle, whether two stage or one stage, could potentially reduce the cost per flight 60-80% compared to that for a partially reusable vehicle but would require advances in thermal protection system technology. A two-stage-to-orbit, parallel-lift vehicle with an air-breathing booster would cost approximately the same as a single-stage-to-orbit vehicle, but the former would have greater flexibility and a significantly reduced developmental risk. A twin-booster, subsonic-staged, parallel-lift vehicle represents the lowest system cost and developmental risk. However, if a large supersonic turbojet engine in the 350,000-N thrust class were available, supersonic staging would be preferred, and the investment in development would be returned in reduced program cost.

  11. Photocopy of drawing. LAUNCH COMPLEX 39. NASA, John F. Kennedy ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    Photocopy of drawing. LAUNCH COMPLEX 39. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. File Number 203-100, Urbahn-Roberts-Seelye-Moran, October, 1963. LCC FLOOR 3, LEVEL 38’-0”, AREA “P”. Sheet 29-39 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Launch Control Center, LCC Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  12. In-flight evaluation of aerodynamic predictions of an air-launched space booster

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Curry, Robert E.; Mendenhall, Michael R.; Moulton, Bryan

    1993-01-01

    Several analytical aerodynamic design tools that were applied to the Pegasus air-launched space booster were evaluated using flight measurements. The study was limited to existing codes and was conducted with limited computational resources. The flight instrumentation was constrained to have minimal impact on the primary Pegasus missions. Where appropriate, the flight measurements were compared with computational data. Aerodynamic performance and trim data from the first two flights were correlated with predictions. Local measurements in the wing and wing-body interference region were correlated with analytical data. This complex flow region includes the effect of aerothermal heating magnification caused by the presence of a corner vortex and interaction of the wing leading edge shock and fuselage boundary layer. The operation of the first two missions indicates that the aerodynamic design approach for Pegasus was adequate, and data show that acceptable margins were available. Additionally, the correlations provide insight into the capabilities of these analytical tools for more complex vehicles in which design margins may be more stringent.

  13. Development and case study of a science-based software platform to support policy making on air quality.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Yun; Lao, Yanwen; Jang, Carey; Lin, Chen-Jen; Xing, Jia; Wang, Shuxiao; Fu, Joshua S; Deng, Shuang; Xie, Junping; Long, Shicheng

    2015-01-01

    This article describes the development and implementations of a novel software platform that supports real-time, science-based policy making on air quality through a user-friendly interface. The software, RSM-VAT, uses a response surface modeling (RSM) methodology and serves as a visualization and analysis tool (VAT) for three-dimensional air quality data obtained by atmospheric models. The software features a number of powerful and intuitive data visualization functions for illustrating the complex nonlinear relationship between emission reductions and air quality benefits. The case study of contiguous U.S. demonstrates that the enhanced RSM-VAT is capable of reproducing the air quality model results with Normalized Mean Bias <2% and assisting in air quality policy making in near real time. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  14. 71. View of launch control center towards the blast door ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    71. View of launch control center towards the blast door and west, deputy commander in B-52 seat - Ellsworth Air Force Base, Delta Flight, Launch Control Facility, County Road CS23A, North of Exit 127, Interior, Jackson County, SD

  15. Orion EFT-1 Launch from NASA Causeway

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-12-05

    A Delta IV Heavy rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. During the two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission, engineers will evaluate the systems critical to crew safety, the launch abort system, the heat shield and the parachute system.

  16. KSC-20170816-MH-GEB01_0002-TDRS_M_Launch_Vehicle_Roll_H265-3161082

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-08-16

    A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is rolled to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle will send NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-M to orbit. TDRS-M is the latest spacecraft destined for the agency's constellation of communications satellites that allows nearly continuous contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories. Liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled to take place from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 8:03 a.m. EDT Aug. 18.

  17. NASA’s BARREL Mission Launches 20 Balloons

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-08

    A crane lowers two BARREL balloon payloads onto the platform at Halley Research Station in Antarctica. Credit: NASA --- In Antarctica in January, 2013 – the summer at the South Pole – scientists launched 20 balloons up into the air to study an enduring mystery of space weather: when the giant radiation belts surrounding Earth lose material, where do the extra particles actually go? The mission is called BARREL (Balloon Array for Radiation belt Relativistic Electron Losses) and it is led by physicist Robyn Millan of Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. Millan provided photographs from the team’s time in Antarctica. The team launched a balloon every day or two into the circumpolar winds that circulate around the pole. Each balloon floated for anywhere from 3 to 40 days, measuring X-rays produced by fast-moving electrons high up in the atmosphere. BARREL works hand in hand with another NASA mission called the Van Allen Probes, which travels through the Van Allen radiation belts surrounding Earth. The belts wax and wane over time in response to incoming energy and material from the sun, sometimes intensifying the radiation through which satellites must travel. Scientists wish to understand this process better, and even provide forecasts of this space weather, in order to protect our spacecraft. As the Van Allen Probes were observing what was happening in the belts, BARREL tracked electrons that precipitated out of the belts and hurtled down Earth’s magnetic field lines toward the poles. By comparing data, scientists will be able to track how what’s happening in the belts correlates to the loss of particles – information that can help us understand this mysterious, dynamic region that can impact spacecraft. Having launched balloons in early 2013, the team is back at home building the next set of payloads. They will launch 20 more balloons in 2014. NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors

  18. Apollo Saturn 511 effluent measurements from the Apollo 16 launch operations: An experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gregory, G. L.; Hulten, W. C.; Wornom, D. E.

    1974-01-01

    An experiment was performed in conjunction with the Apollo 16 launch to define operational and instrumentational problems associated with launch-vehicle exhaust effluent monitoring. Ground and airborne sampling were performed for CO, CO2, hydrocarbons, and particulates. Sampling systems included filter pads and photometers for particulates and whole-air grab samples for gases. Launch debris was identified in the particulate samples at ground level(taken immediately after launch) and in the airborne measurements (taken 40 to 50 minutes after launch approximately 40 km downwind of the pad). Operational problems were identified and included the need for higher instrumentation mobility and the need for real-time sampling instrumentation as opposed to collection-type samples such as the whole-air grab sample.

  19. NASA’s Mars Lander Launches

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-05-05

    NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) was launched May 5 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Central California. NASA also flew a technology demonstration called Mars Cube One (MarCO) on the Atlas V to separately go to Mars. NASA has a long and successful track record at Mars. InSight will drill into the Red Planet to study the crust, mantle and core of Mars. It will help scientists understand the formation and early evolution of all rocky planets, including Earth.

  20. 22. Photocopy of engineering drawing. MODIFICATION TO LAUNCH COMPLEX 17 ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    22. Photocopy of engineering drawing. MODIFICATION TO LAUNCH COMPLEX 17 MOBILE SERVICE TOWER 'A'-MECHANICAL, PROPULSION DRIVE TRUCKS AND KEY PLAN, MARCH 1967. - Cape Canaveral Air Station, Launch Complex 17, Facility 28416, East end of Lighthouse Road, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  1. An Estimate of the Vertical Variability of Temperature at KSC Launch Complex 39-B

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brenton, James

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this analysis is to determine the vertical variability of the air temperature below 500 feet at Launch Complex (LC) 39-B at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This analysis utilizes data from the LC39-B Lightning Protection System (LPS) Towers and the 500 foot Tower 313. The results of this analysis will be used to help evaluate the ambient air temperature Launch Commit Criteria (LCC) for the Exploration Mission 1 launch.

  2. 57. Interior of launch control center, crew in B52 seats, ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    57. Interior of launch control center, crew in B-52 seats, looking east - Ellsworth Air Force Base, Delta Flight, Launch Control Facility, County Road CS23A, North of Exit 127, Interior, Jackson County, SD

  3. 44. VIEW OF UMBILICAL MAST AND LAUNCH PAD FROM SOUTHWEST. ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    44. VIEW OF UMBILICAL MAST AND LAUNCH PAD FROM SOUTHWEST. DOORS FOR THE UMBILICAL MAST TRENCH RAISED FOR MAINTENANCE POSITION OF 10 DEGREES. LAUNCHER IS RIGHT OF MAST; RAILS PARALLEL TO MAST. CONTROL PANELS LEFT TO RIGHT: ELECTRICAL PANEL, COMMUNICATIONS PANEL, AND MAST CONTROL PANEL. - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Pad 3 East, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

  4. Prospects for utilization of air liquefaction and enrichment system (ALES) propulsion in fully reusable launch vehicles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bond, W. H.; Yi, A. C.

    1993-01-01

    A concept is shown for a fully reusable, earth to orbit launch vehicle with horizontal takeoff and landing, employing an air-turborocket for low speed and a rocket for high speed acceleration, both using LH2 fuel. The turborocket employs a modified liquid air cycle to supply the oxidizer. The rocket uses 90 percent pure LOX that is collected from the atmosphere, separated, and stored during operation of the turborocket from about Mach 2 to Mach 5 or 6. The takeoff weight and the thrust required at takeoff are markedly reduced by collecting the rocket oxidizer in-flight. The paper shows an approach and the corresponding technology needs for using ALES propulsion in a SSTO vehicle. Reducing the trajectory altitude at the end of collection reduces the wing area and increases payload. The use of state-of-the-art materials, such as graphite polyimide, is critical to meet the structure weight objective for SSTO. Configurations that utilize 'waverider' aerodynamics show great promise to reduce the vehicle weight.

  5. Aerodynamic Performance of Hand Launch Glider

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koike, Masaru; Ishii, Mitsuru

    In recent years Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) for disaster aerial video are developed vigorously. In order to improve aerodynamic performance of MAV wing performance in low Reynolds numbers (Re) need to be improved, but research on the theme are very rare. In category of Hand Launch Glider, a kind of model aircraft, glide performance are competed, as a result high performance airfoils in Re is around 20,000 are developed. Therefore for MAV's aerodynamic performance improvement airfoils of Hand Launch Gliders should be referred and aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoils desired to be studied. So in this research, aerodynamic characteristics of the gliders are measured in wind tunnel. And also consistency between wind tunnel test and glide test in calm air is examined to confirm reliability of wind tunnel test. Comparison of different airfoils and flow visualization are also performed.

  6. 5. TETHERED MINUTEMAN MISSILE LAUNCH, TEST AREA 1100. Original is ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    5. TETHERED MINUTEMAN MISSILE LAUNCH, TEST AREA 1-100. Original is a color print. - Edwards Air Force Base, Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, Leuhman Ridge near Highways 58 & 395, Boron, Kern County, CA

  7. NASA SMAP is Readied for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-01-20

    NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive spacecraft is lowered onto the Delta II payload attach structure in the Astrotech payload processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, in preparation for launch, to take place no sooner than Jan. 29.

  8. 73. View of launch control center towards the blast door ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    73. View of launch control center towards the blast door and west, deputy commander standing in front of modular bed storage unit - Ellsworth Air Force Base, Delta Flight, Launch Control Facility, County Road CS23A, North of Exit 127, Interior, Jackson County, SD

  9. 1. GENERAL VIEW OF LAUNCH PAD A WITH MOBILE SERVICE ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    1. GENERAL VIEW OF LAUNCH PAD A WITH MOBILE SERVICE STRUCTURE IN LOCKED POSITION OVER LAUNCHER BUILDING AND RETENTION POND AT RIGHT; VIEW TO NORTHWEST. - Cape Canaveral Air Station, Launch Complex 17, Facility 28501, East end of Lighthouse Road, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  10. 8. VIEW OF NEW CONSTRUCTION ON LAUNCH DECK WITH CASTINPLACE ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    8. VIEW OF NEW CONSTRUCTION ON LAUNCH DECK WITH CAST-IN-PLACE CONCRETE WALLS AND STEEL STRUCTURE FOR NEW SOUTH-FACING FLAME DEFLECTOR; VIEW TO EAST. - Cape Canaveral Air Station, Launch Complex 17, Facility 28402, East end of Lighthouse Road, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  11. OSIRIS-REx Launch Event at Goddard Visitor Center. NASA's first

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-08

    OSIRIS-REx Launch Event at Goddard Visitor Center. NASA's first asteroid sampling mission launched into space at 7:05 p.m. EDT Thursday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, beginning a journey that could revolutionize our understanding of the early solar system.

  12. M-HELP: a miniaturized total health examination system launched on a mobile phone platform.

    PubMed

    Yu, Yang; Li, Jingjing; Liu, Jing

    2013-11-01

    A timely health examination is of great significance for incipient disease detection and prevention. However, conventional examinations generally rely heavily on bulky and expensive instrumentation, which is not easily available. To address technical barriers, an innovative, highly miniaturized, and integrated health examination system-Mobile Health Examination Launched on the Phone (M-HELP)-was developed. Based on the design of a multifunctional Android® (Google, Mountain View, CA) application and the development of different wireless biomedical sensor modules, a mobile phone was incorporated into a central terminal for personal health examination. More than 12 parameters, including electrocardiogram, heart sound, and eye test, as well as others, covered the majority of the crucial parameters in a total health examination and have been successfully established and incorporated into the system. Unlike the conventional examination, the M-HELP system could generate electronic health records and send them to physicians via e-mails or multimedia messages. This significantly simplifies the general health examination with much lower cost and fewer temporal and spatial restrictions. For proof of concept, a bench-scale test recruiting 11 volunteer subjects showed that the average time spent on a total health examination with M-HELP system was about 28 min. This article clarifies the basic concept of a total health examination on the platform of a mobile phone, demonstrates the basic features of the M-HELP system with group tests, and suggests the practical future application of the new system and the scientific issues thus raised.

  13. Delta II THEMIS Pre-Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2002-01-01

    In this close-up aerial view, the Delta II rocket with the THEMIS spacecraft atop sits ready for launch on Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. THEMIS, an acronym for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms, consists of five identical probes that will track violent, colorful eruptions near the North Pole. This will be the largest number of scientific satellites NASA has ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. The THEMIS mission aims to unravel the mystery behind auroral substorms, an avalanche of magnetic energy powered by the solar wind that intensifies the northern and southern lights. The mission will investigate what causes auroras in the Earth’s atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering waves of light to wildly shifting streaks of bright color. Launch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

  14. GOES-S Countdown to T-Zero, Episode 1: Launch Fever

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-01-23

    NOAA’s GOES-S spacecraft, the next in a series of advanced weather satellites, arrives at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center aboard a U.S. Air Force C-5 Super Galaxy aircraft. The satellite’s arrival at the Florida spaceport, followed by its move into the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility in nearby Titusville, signal the start of the final journey to T-zero. GOES-S is slated to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

  15. Peak Wind Forecasts for the Launch-Critical Wind Towers on Kennedy Space Center/Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Phase IV

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Crawford, Winifred

    2011-01-01

    This final report describes the development of a peak wind forecast tool to assist forecasters in determining the probability of violating launch commit criteria (LCC) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). The peak winds arc an important forecast clement for both the Space Shuttle and Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) programs. The LCC define specific peak wind thresholds for each launch operation that cannot be exceeded in order to ensure the safety of the vehicle. The 45th Weather Squadron (45 WS) has found that peak winds are a challenging parameter to forecast, particularly in the cool season months of October through April. Based on the importance of forecasting peak winds, the 45 WS tasked the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) to update the statistics in the current peak-wind forecast tool to assist in forecasting LCC violations. The tool includes onshore and offshore flow climatologies of the 5-minute mean and peak winds and probability distributions of the peak winds as a function of the 5-minute mean wind speeds.

  16. STS-112 M.S. Yurchikhin suits up for launch

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During suitup for launch, STS-112 Mission Specialist Fyodor Yurchikhin shows he is ready for his first Shuttle flight. STS-112 is the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station, carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure, the first starboard truss segment, to be attached to the central truss segment, S0, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss. Launch is scheduled for 3:46 p.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39B.

  17. 70. VIEW OF FUEL APRON FROM EAST SIDE OF LAUNCH ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    70. VIEW OF FUEL APRON FROM EAST SIDE OF LAUNCH PAD. ROCKET FUEL TANKS ON LEFT; GASEOUS NITROGEN AND HELIUM TANKS IN CENTER; AND A LARGE LIQUID NITROGEN TANK ON RIGHT. SKID 1 FOR GASEOUS NITROGEN TRANSFER AND SKID 5 FOR HELIUM TRANSFER IN THE CENTER RIGHT PORTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH. - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Pad 3 East, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

  18. Orbital ATK CRS-7 Post Launch News Conference

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-04-18

    Members of the news media attend a press conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, after the launch of the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It was Orbital ATK's seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 11:11 a.m. EDT. Speaking to the media are, from left, George Diller, NASA Kennedy Communications; Joel Montalbano, deputy manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston; Frank Culbertson, president, Orbital ATK Space Systems Group; and Vern Thorp, program manager, commercial missions, United Launch Alliance.

  19. Orbital ATK CRS-7 Post Launch News Conference

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-04-18

    At the conclusion of the Orbital ATK CRS-7 post-launch press conference, moderator George Diller, second from left, NASA Kennedy Communications; shakes hands with Joel Montalbano, deputy manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. Also with them are Frank Culbertson, president, Orbital ATK Space Systems Group; and Vern Thorp, program manager, commercial missions, United Launch Alliance. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying Orbital ATK's Cygnus pressurized cargo module. It is Orbital ATK's seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 11:11 a.m. EDT.

  20. OSIRIS-REx Launch Event at Goddard Visitor Center. NASA's first

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-08

    OSIRIS-REx Launch Event at Goddard Visitor Center. NASA's first asteroid sampling mission launched into space at 7:05 p.m. EDT Thursday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida beginning a journey that could revolutionize our understanding of the early solar system. Lucy McFadden

  1. Parametric Study for Increasing On-Station Duration via Unconventional Aircraft Launch Approach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kuhl, Christopher A.; Moses, Robert W.; Croom, Mark A.; Sandford, Stephen P.

    2004-01-01

    The need for better atmospheric predictions is causing the atmospheric science community to look for new ways to obtain longer, higher-resolution measurements over several diurnal cycles. The high resolution, in-situ measurements required to study many atmospheric phenomena can be achieved by an Autonomous Aerial Observation System (AAOS); however, meeting the long on-station time requirements with an aerial platform poses many challenges. Inspired by the half-scale drop test of the deployable Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Survey (ARES) Mars airplane, a study was conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center to examine the possibility of increasing on-station time by launching an airplane directly at the desired altitude. The ARES Mars airplane concept was used as a baseline for Earth atmospheric flight, and parametric analyses of fundamental configuration elements were performed to study their impact on achieving desired on-station time with this class of airplane. The concept involved lifting the aircraft from the ground to the target altitude by means of an air balloon, thereby unburdening the airplane of ascent requirements. The parameters varied in the study were aircraft wingspan, payload, fuel quantity, and propulsion system. The results show promising trends for further research into aircraft-payload design using this unconventional balloon-based launch approach.

  2. Aquarius SAC-D Post-Launch Briefing

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-06-10

    Michael Freilich, NASA Earth Science Division Director, NASA Headquarters, talks during the Aquarius/SAC-D post-launch press conference on Friday, June 10, 2011 at the NASA Resident Office, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The joint U.S./Argentinian Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D mission, launched earlier on Friday June 10, will map the salinity at the ocean surface, information critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system: the water cycle and ocean circulation. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  3. Aquarius SAC-D Post-Launch Briefing

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-06-10

    Charles Gay, Deputy Associate Administrator, NASA Science Mission Directorate, talks during the Aquarius/SAC-D post-launch press conference on Friday, June 10, 2011 at the NASA Resident Office, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The joint U.S./Argentinian Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D mission, launched earlier on Friday June 10, will map the salinity at the ocean surface, information critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system: the water cycle and ocean circulation. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  4. 4. Inside perimeter fence, view towards east and launch closure, ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    4. Inside perimeter fence, view towards east and launch closure, sensor EMP antenna left center - Ellsworth Air Force Base, Delta Flight, Launch Facility D-6, 4 miles north of Badlands National Park Headquarters, 4.5 miles east of Jackson County line on county road, Interior, Jackson County, SD

  5. ATALARS Operational Requirements: Automated Tactical Aircraft Launch and Recovery System

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1988-04-01

    The Automated Tactical Aircraft Launch and Recovery System (ATALARS) is a fully automated air traffic management system intended for the military service but is also fully compatible with civil air traffic control systems. This report documents a fir...

  6. New Horizons Launch Contingency Effort

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chang, Yale; Lear, Matthew H.; McGrath, Brian E.; Heyler, Gene A.; Takashima, Naruhisa; Owings, W. Donald

    2007-01-01

    On 19 January 2006 at 2:00 PM EST, the NASA New Horizons spacecraft (SC) was launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), FL, onboard an Atlas V 551/Centaur/STAR™ 48B launch vehicle (LV) on a mission to explore the Pluto Charon planetary system and possibly other Kuiper Belt Objects. It carried a single Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG). As part of the joint NASA/US Department of Energy (DOE) safety effort, contingency plans were prepared to address the unlikely events of launch accidents leading to a near-pad impact, a suborbital reentry, an orbital reentry, or a heliocentric orbit. As the implementing organization. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) had expanded roles in the New Horizons launch contingency effort over those for the Cassini mission and Mars Exploration Rovers missions. The expanded tasks included participation in the Radiological Control Center (RADCC) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), preparation of contingency plans, coordination of space tracking assets, improved aerodynamics characterization of the RTG's 18 General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) modules, and development of spacecraft and RTG reentry breakup analysis tools. Other JHU/APL tasks were prediction of the Earth impact footprints (ElFs) for the GPHS modules released during the atmospheric reentry (for purposes of notification and recovery), prediction of the time of SC reentry from a potential orbital decay, pre-launch dissemination of ballistic coefficients of various possible reentry configurations, and launch support of an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on the JHU/APL campus. For the New Horizons launch, JHU/APL personnel at the RADCC and at the EOC were ready to implement any real-time launch contingency activities. A successful New Horizons launch and interplanetary injection precluded any further contingency actions. The New Horizons launch contingency was an interagency effort by several organizations. This paper

  7. Public Watches IRIS Launch Broadcast at NASA Ames (Reporter Pkg)

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2013-06-27

    Crowds of space enthusiasts gathered at Ames Research Center to witness the broadcast of NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph or IRIS Mission as it launched from an aircraft out of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Speakers shared insights about the IRIS Mission and attendees cheered as the Pegasus rocket successfully separated from the L-1011 launch aircraft and proceeded to fire its rockets and launch into a polar orbit around the Earth.

  8. STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Looking like a star balanced on a stem of smoke, Space Shuttle Atlantis shoots through the clear blue sky after launch on mission STS-112, the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39B occurred at 3:46 p.m. EDT. Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss.

  9. Delta II THEMIS Pre-Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2002-01-01

    In this aerial view, the Delta II rocket with the THEMIS spacecraft sits ready for launch on Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, as the mobile service tower moves away from the pad. THEMIS, an acronym for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms, consists of five identical probes that will track violent, colorful eruptions near the North Pole. This will be the largest number of scientific satellites NASA has ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. The THEMIS mission aims to unravel the mystery behind auroral substorms, an avalanche of magnetic energy powered by the solar wind that intensifies the northern and southern lights. The mission will investigate what causes auroras in the Earth’s atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering waves of light to wildly shifting streaks of bright color. Launch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

  10. Delta II THEMIS Pre-Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2002-01-01

    In this close-up aerial view, the Delta II rocket with the THEMIS spacecraft atop sits ready for launch on Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as the mobile service tower moves away from the pad. THEMIS, an acronym for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms, consists of five identical probes that will track violent, colorful eruptions near the North Pole. This will be the largest number of scientific satellites NASA has ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. The THEMIS mission aims to unravel the mystery behind auroral substorms, an avalanche of magnetic energy powered by the solar wind that intensifies the northern and southern lights. The mission will investigate what causes auroras in the Earth’s atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering waves of light to wildly shifting streaks of bright color. Launch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

  11. Delta II THEMIS Pre-Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2002-01-01

    In this close-up aerial view, the Delta II rocket with the THEMIS spacecraft atop sits ready for launch on Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as the mobile service tower begins to move away. THEMIS, an acronym for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms, consists of five identical probes that will track violent, colorful eruptions near the North Pole. This will be the largest number of scientific satellites NASA has ever launched into orbit aboard a single rocket. The THEMIS mission aims to unravel the mystery behind auroral substorms, an avalanche of magnetic energy powered by the solar wind that intensifies the northern and southern lights. The mission will investigate what causes auroras in the Earth’s atmosphere to dramatically change from slowly shimmering waves of light to wildly shifting streaks of bright color. Launch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

  12. In-flight Evaluation of Aerodynamic Predictions of an Air-launched Space Booster

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Curry, Robert E.; Mendenhall, Michael R.; Moulton, Bryan

    1992-01-01

    Several analytical aerodynamic design tools that were applied to the Pegasus (registered trademark) air-launched space booster were evaluated using flight measurements. The study was limited to existing codes and was conducted with limited computational resources. The flight instrumentation was constrained to have minimal impact on the primary Pegasus missions. Where appropriate, the flight measurements were compared with computational data. Aerodynamic performance and trim data from the first two flights were correlated with predictions. Local measurements in the wing and wing-body interference region were correlated with analytical data. This complex flow region includes the effect of aerothermal heating magnification caused by the presence of a corner vortex and interaction of the wing leading edge shock and fuselage boundary layer. The operation of the first two missions indicates that the aerodynamic design approach for Pegasus was adequate, and data show that acceptable margins were available. Additionally, the correlations provide insight into the capabilities of these analytical tools for more complex vehicles in which the design margins may be more stringent.

  13. Orbital ATK CRS-7 Post Launch News Conference

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-04-18

    Members of the news media attend a press conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, after the launch of the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It was Orbital ATK's seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 11:11 a.m. EDT. Speaking to the media are, from left, George Diller, NASA Kennedy Communications; Joel Montalbano, deputy manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston; and Frank Culbertson, president, Orbital ATK Space Systems Group.

  14. Launch vehicle tracking enhancement through Global Positioning System Metric Tracking

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moore, T. C.; Li, Hanchu; Gray, T.; Doran, A.

    United Launch Alliance (ULA) initiated operational flights of both the Atlas V and Delta IV launch vehicle families in 2002. The Atlas V and Delta IV launch vehicles were developed jointly with the US Air Force (USAF) as part of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. Both Launch Vehicle (LV) families have provided 100% mission success since their respective inaugural launches and demonstrated launch capability from both Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) on the Western Test Range and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) on the Eastern Test Range. However, the current EELV fleet communications, tracking, & control architecture & technology, which date back to the origins of the space launch business, require support by a large and high cost ground footprint. The USAF has embarked on an initiative known as Future Flight Safety System (FFSS) that will significantly reduce Test Range Operations and Maintenance (O& M) cost by closing facilities and decommissioning ground assets. In support of the FFSS, a Global Positioning System Metric Tracking (GPS MT) System based on the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite constellation has been developed for EELV which will allow both Ranges to divest some of their radar assets. The Air Force, ULA and Space Vector have flown the first 2 Atlas Certification vehicles demonstrating the successful operation of the GPS MT System. The first Atlas V certification flight was completed in February 2012 from CCAFS, the second Atlas V certification flight from VAFB was completed in September 2012 and the third certification flight on a Delta IV was completed October 2012 from CCAFS. The GPS MT System will provide precise LV position, velocity and timing information that can replace ground radar tracking resource functionality. The GPS MT system will provide an independent position/velocity S-Band telemetry downlink to support the current man-in-the-loop ground-based commanded destruct of an anomalous flight- The system

  15. The DARPA/USAF Falcon Program Small Launch Vehicles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weeks, David J.; Walker, Steven H.; Thompson, Tim L.; Sackheim, Robert; London, John R., III

    2006-01-01

    Earlier in this decade, the U.S. Air Force Space Command and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), in recognizing the need for low-cost responsive small launch vehicles, decided to partner in addressing this national shortcoming. Later, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) joined in supporting this effort, dubbed the Falcon Program. The objectives of the Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) element of the DARPA/USAF Falcon Program include the development of a low-cost small launch vehicle(s) that demonstrates responsive launch and has the potential for achieving a per mission cost of less than $5M when based on 20 launches per year for 10 years. This vehicle class can lift 1000 to 2000 lbm payloads to a reference low earth orbit. Responsive operations include launching the rocket within 48 hours of call up. A history of the program and the current status will be discussed with an emphasis on the potential impact on small satellites.

  16. Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freeman, Delma C., Jr.; Talay, Theodore A.; Austin, R. Eugene

    1996-01-01

    Industry/NASA Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Technology Program efforts are underway to design, test, and develop technologies and concepts for viable commercial launch systems that also satisfy national needs at acceptable recurring costs. Significant progress has been made in understanding the technical challenges of fully reusable launch systems and the accompanying management and operational approaches for achieving a low-cost program. This paper reviews the current status of the Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Program including the DC-XA, X-33 and X-34 flight systems and associated technology programs. It addresses the specific technologies being tested that address the technical and operability challenges of reusable launch systems including reusable cryogenic propellant tanks, composite structures, thermal protection systems, improved propulsion, and subsystem operability enhancements. The recently concluded DC-XA test program demonstrated some of these technologies in ground and flight tests. Contracts were awarded recently for both the X-33 and X-34 flight demonstrator systems. The Orbital Sciences Corporation X-34 flight test vehicle will demonstrate an air-launched reusable vehicle capable of flight to speeds of Mach 8. The Lockheed-Martin X-33 flight test vehicle will expand the test envelope for critical technologies to flight speeds of Mach 15. A propulsion program to test the X-33 linear aerospike rocket engine using a NASA SR-71 high speed aircraft as a test bed is also discussed. The paper also describes the management and operational approaches that address the challenge of new cost-effective, reusable launch vehicle systems.

  17. SpaceX CRS-14 Live Launch Coverage

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-04-02

    Live Launch Coverage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying the Dragon spacecraft filled with research and supplies to the International Space Station. Liftoff occurred at 4:30 p.m. EDT., on Monday April 2. On its 14th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station, Dragon will bring up nearly 5,800 pounds of research, crew supplies, and hardware to the orbiting laboratory.

  18. Water Flow Test at Launch Complex 39B

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-20

    Water flowed during a test at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. About 450,000 gallons of water flowed at high speed from a holding tank through new and modified piping and valves, the flame trench, flame deflector nozzles and mobile launcher interface risers during a wet flow test at Launch Complex 39B. At peak flow, the water reached about 100 feet in the air above the pad surface. The test was a milestone to confirm and baseline the performance of the Ignition Overpressure/Sound Suppression system. During launch of NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, the high-speed water flow will help protect the vehicle from the extreme acoustic and temperature environment during ignition and liftoff.

  19. OSIRIS-REx Launch Event at Goddard Visitor Center. NASA's first

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-09-08

    OSIRIS-REx Launch Event at Goddard Visitor Center. NASA's first asteroid sampling mission launched into space at 7:05 p.m. EDT Thursday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida beginning a journey that could revolutionize our understanding of the early solar system. Dr. Jim Glavin.Lucy McFadden.Dr. Jose Aponte

  20. Payload Isolation System for Launch Vehicles

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1997-03-01

    Payload Isolation System for Launch Vehicles Paul S. Wilke, Conor D. Johnson CSA Engineering Palo Alto, CA Eugene R. Fosness Air Force Phillips ... Laboratory , PL/VTVD Kirkland AFB, NM Spie Smart Structures and Materials San Diego, CA March 1997 Copyright 1997 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation

  1. Lock-on range estimation in an air-to-air engagement situation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cetin, Birkan; Kandemir, Kutlu D.

    2017-05-01

    In air-to-air missile applications, it is important to estimate the lock-on distance between the missile and the target by the help of correct radiometric approaches. However, in an air-to-air engagement, due to the dome heating after launch, signal to noise ratio (SNR) decreases and possibility of losing target becomes as a significant issue. Simulations showed that the selection of cut-on and cut-off wavelengths of midwave band pass filters which can be implemented in the optical path of the seeker is very important in order to maintain lock-on during the mission. In this aspect, the critical electro-optical parameters of an air-to-air seeker are investigated before and after the launch.

  2. AC-67/FLTSATCOM Launch with Isolated Cam Views/ Freeze of Lightning/ Press Conference

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1987-01-01

    The FLTSATCOM system provides worldwide, high-priority UHF communications between naval aircraft, ships, submarines, and ground stations and between the Strategic Air Command and the national command authority network. This videotape shows the attempted launch of the 6th member of the satellite system on an Atlas Centaur rocket. Within a minute of launch a problem developed. The initial sign of the problem was the loss of telemetry data. The videotape shows three isolated views of the launch, and then a freeze shot of a lightning strike shortly after the launch. The tape then shows a press conference, with Mr. Wolmaster, Mr. Gibbs, and Air Force Colonel Alsbrooke. Mr. Gibbs summarizes the steps that would be taken to review the launch failure. The questions from the press mostly concern the weather conditions, and the possibility that the weather might have caused the mission failure.

  3. 4. View of the launch closure. Transporter/erector mounts at center, ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    4. View of the launch closure. Transporter/erector mounts at center, security antenna at left, access building at right. View towards south. Lyon - Whiteman Air Force Base, Minuteman Missile Launch Facility Trainer T-12, Northeast of Oscar-01 Missile Alert Facility, Knob Noster, Johnson County, MO

  4. The Application of the NASA Advanced Concepts Office, Launch Vehicle Team Design Process and Tools for Modeling Small Responsive Launch Vehicles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Threet, Grady E.; Waters, Eric D.; Creech, Dennis M.

    2012-01-01

    The Advanced Concepts Office (ACO) Launch Vehicle Team at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is recognized throughout NASA for launch vehicle conceptual definition and pre-phase A concept design evaluation. The Launch Vehicle Team has been instrumental in defining the vehicle trade space for many of NASA s high level launch system studies from the Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS) through the Augustine Report, Constellation, and now Space Launch System (SLS). The Launch Vehicle Team s approach to rapid turn-around and comparative analysis of multiple launch vehicle architectures has played a large role in narrowing the design options for future vehicle development. Recently the Launch Vehicle Team has been developing versions of their vetted tools used on large launch vehicles and repackaged the process and capability to apply to smaller more responsive launch vehicles. Along this development path the LV Team has evaluated trajectory tools and assumptions against sounding rocket trajectories and air launch systems, begun altering subsystem mass estimating relationships to handle smaller vehicle components, and as an additional development driver, have begun an in-house small launch vehicle study. With the recent interest in small responsive launch systems and the known capability and response time of the ACO LV Team, ACO s launch vehicle assessment capability can be utilized to rapidly evaluate the vast and opportune trade space that small launch vehicles currently encompass. This would provide a great benefit to the customer in order to reduce that large trade space to a select few alternatives that should best fit the customer s payload needs.

  5. A Technology Pathway for Airbreathing, Combined-Cycle, Horizontal Space Launch Through SR-71 Based Trajectory Modeling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kloesel, Kurt J.; Ratnayake, Nalin A.; Clark, Casie M.

    2011-01-01

    Access to space is in the early stages of commercialization. Private enterprises, mainly under direct or indirect subsidy by the government, have been making headway into the LEO launch systems infrastructure, of small-weight-class payloads of approximately 1000 lbs. These moderate gains have emboldened the launch industry and they are poised to move into the middle-weight class (roughly 5000 lbs). These commercially successful systems are based on relatively straightforward LOX-RP, two-stage, bi-propellant rocket technology developed by the government 40 years ago, accompanied by many technology improvements. In this paper we examine a known generic LOX-RP system with the focus on the booster stage (1st stage). The booster stage is then compared to modeled Rocket-Based and Turbine-Based Combined Cycle booster stages. The air-breathing propulsion stages are based on/or extrapolated from known performance parameters of ground tested RBCC (the Marquardt Ejector Ramjet) and TBCC (the SR-71/J-58 engine) data. Validated engine models using GECAT and SCCREAM are coupled with trajectory optimization and analysis in POST-II to explore viable launch scenarios using hypothetical aerospaceplane platform obeying the aerodynamic model of the SR-71. Finally, and assessment is made of the requisite research technology advances necessary for successful commercial and government adoption of combined-cycle engine systems for space access.

  6. Utility of AIRS Retrievals for Climate Studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Molnar, Guyla I.; Susskind, Joel

    2007-01-01

    Satellites provide an ideal platform to study the Earth-atmosphere system on practically all spatial and temporal scales. Thus, one may expect that their rapidly growing datasets could provide crucial insights not only for short-term weather processes/predictions but into ongoing and future climate change processes as well. Though Earth-observing satellites have been around for decades, extracting climatically reliable information from their widely varying datasets faces rather formidable challenges. AIRS/AMSU is a state of the art infrared/microwave sounding system that was launched on the EOS Aqua platform on May 4, 2002, and has been providing operational quality measurements since September 2002. In addition to temperature and atmospheric constituent profiles, outgoing longwave radiation and basic cloud parameters are also derived from the AIRS/AMSU observations. However, so far the AIRS products have not been rigorously evaluated and/or validated on a large scale. Here we present preliminary assessments of monthly and 8-day mean AIRS "Version 4.0" retrieved products (available to the public through the DAAC at NASA/GSFC) to assess their utility for climate studies. First we present "consistency checks" by evaluating the time series of means, and "anomalies" (relative to the first 4 full years' worth of AIRS "climate statistics") of several climatically important retrieved parameters. Finally, we also present preliminary results regarding interrelationships of some of these geophysical variables, to assess to what extent they are consistent with the known physics of climate variability/change. In particular, we find at least one observed relationship which contradicts current general circulation climate (GCM) model results: the global water vapor climate feedback which is expected to be strongly positive is deduced to be slightly negative (shades of the "Lindzen effect"?). Though the current AIRS climatology covers only -4.5 years, it will hopefully extend much

  7. STS-114: Discovery Launch Readiness Press Conference

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2005-01-01

    Michael Griffin, NASA Administrator; Wayne Hale, Space Shuttle Deputy Program Manager; Mike Wetmore, Director of Shuttle Processing; and 1st Lieutenant Mindy Chavez, Launch Weather Officer-United States Air Force 45th Weather Squadron are in attendance for this STS-114 Discovery launch readiness press conference. The discussion begins with Wayne Hale bringing to the table a low level sensor device for everyone to view. He talks in detail about all of the extensive tests that were performed on these sensors and the completion of these ambient tests. Chavez presents her weather forecast for the launch day of July 26th 2005. Michael Griffin and Wayne Hale answer questions from the news media pertaining to the sensors and launch readiness. The video ends with footage of Pilot Jim Kelly and Commander Eileen Collins conducting test flights in a Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) that simulates Space Shuttle landing.

  8. Assessment of candidate-expendable launch vehicles for large payloads

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1984-01-01

    In recent years the U.S. Air Force and NASA conducted design studies of 3 expendable launch vehicle configurations that could serve as a backup to the space shuttle--the Titan 34D7/Centaur, the Atlas II/Centaur, and the shuttle-derived SRB-X--as well as studies of advanced shuttle-derived launch vehicles with much larger payload capabilities than the shuttle. The 3 candidate complementary launch vehicles are judged to be roughly equivalent in cost, development time, reliability, and payload-to-orbit performance. Advanced shuttle-derived vehicles are considered viable candidates to meet future heavy lift launch requirements; however, they do not appear likely to result in significant reduction in cost-per-pound to orbit.

  9. DEMONSTRATION OF IN SITU DEHALOGENATION OF DNAPL THROUGH INJECTION OF EMULSIFIED ZERO-VALIENT IRON AT LAUNCH COMPLEX 34 IN CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FLORIDA

    EPA Science Inventory

    The purpose of this project was to evaluate the technical and cost performance of emulsified zero-valent iron (EZVI) technology when applied to DNAPL contaminants in the saturated zone. This demonstration was conducted at Launch Complex 34, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL, w...

  10. 51. Interior of launch support building, minuteman power processor at ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    51. Interior of launch support building, minuteman power processor at lower left, power distribution panel at center, old diesel control panel at lower right, diesel battery at upper right, view towards west - Ellsworth Air Force Base, Delta Flight, Launch Facility, On County Road T512, south of Exit 116 off I-90, Interior, Jackson County, SD

  11. An approximate flight profile of an Ariane launch vehicle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dijkshoorn, B.

    1983-04-01

    The flight trajectory of an Ariane launch vehicle, launched from Kourou (French Guyana) to put the satellites MARECS-B and SIRIO-2 in a geostationary transfer orbit, was approximated. The calculation was carried out to subject a panel 24 m from the nose to a heat flow, corresponding to the heat flow from the boundary layer in real flight. Height, flight speed (relative to the surrounding atmosphere) air density, dynamic pressure, air temperature, and Mach number were determined every 10 sec as a function of time from lift-off until the stopping of the rocket engines of the first stage 143.9 sec afterwards. Heat flow calculations show good agreement with published data.

  12. Launch of NASA's FUSE satellite from CCAS.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite sits on Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, aboard the Boeing Delta II rocket waiting for launch. Liftoff is scheduled for 11:39 a.m. EDT. FUSE was developed to investigate the origin and evolution of the lightest elements in the universe - hydrogen and deuterium. In addition, the FUSE satellite will examine the forces and process involved in the evolution of the galaxies, stars and planetary systems by investigating light in the far ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

  13. Design optimization of space launch vehicles using a genetic algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bayley, Douglas James

    The United States Air Force (USAF) continues to have a need for assured access to space. In addition to flexible and responsive spacelift, a reduction in the cost per launch of space launch vehicles is also desirable. For this purpose, an investigation of the design optimization of space launch vehicles has been conducted. Using a suite of custom codes, the performance aspects of an entire space launch vehicle were analyzed. A genetic algorithm (GA) was employed to optimize the design of the space launch vehicle. A cost model was incorporated into the optimization process with the goal of minimizing the overall vehicle cost. The other goals of the design optimization included obtaining the proper altitude and velocity to achieve a low-Earth orbit. Specific mission parameters that are particular to USAF space endeavors were specified at the start of the design optimization process. Solid propellant motors, liquid fueled rockets, and air-launched systems in various configurations provided the propulsion systems for two, three and four-stage launch vehicles. Mass properties models, an aerodynamics model, and a six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) flight dynamics simulator were all used to model the system. The results show the feasibility of this method in designing launch vehicles that meet mission requirements. Comparisons to existing real world systems provide the validation for the physical system models. However, the ability to obtain a truly minimized cost was elusive. The cost model uses an industry standard approach, however, validation of this portion of the model was challenging due to the proprietary nature of cost figures and due to the dependence of many existing systems on surplus hardware.

  14. Getting Ready for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-04-06

    NASA's InSight to Mars undergoes final preparations at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Central California, ahead of its launch, expected as early as May 5, 2018. InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is the first mission dedicated to studying the deep interior of Mars. Its findings will advance understanding of the early history of all rocky planets, including Earth. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22254

  15. STS-112 Launch

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis hurdles toward space from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the STS-112 mission. Liftoff occurred at 3:46pm EDT, October 7, 2002. Atlantis carried the Starboard-1 (S1) Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The S1 was the second truss structure installed on the International Space Station (ISS). It was attached to the S0 truss which was previously installed by the STS-110 mission. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future space walking astronauts. The 11 day mission performed three space walks to attach the S1 truss.

  16. Multi-platform metabolomics assays for human lung lavage fluids in an air pollution exposure study.

    PubMed

    Surowiec, Izabella; Karimpour, Masoumeh; Gouveia-Figueira, Sandra; Wu, Junfang; Unosson, Jon; Bosson, Jenny A; Blomberg, Anders; Pourazar, Jamshid; Sandström, Thomas; Behndig, Annelie F; Trygg, Johan; Nording, Malin L

    2016-07-01

    Metabolomics protocols are used to comprehensively characterize the metabolite content of biological samples by exploiting cutting-edge analytical platforms, such as gas chromatography (GC) or liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) assays, as well as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) assays. We have developed novel sample preparation procedures combined with GC-MS, LC-MS, and NMR metabolomics profiling for analyzing bronchial wash (BW) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from 15 healthy volunteers following exposure to biodiesel exhaust and filtered air. Our aim was to investigate the responsiveness of metabolite profiles in the human lung to air pollution exposure derived from combustion of biofuels, such as rapeseed methyl ester biodiesel, which are increasingly being promoted as alternatives to conventional fossil fuels. Our multi-platform approach enabled us to detect the greatest number of unique metabolites yet reported in BW and BAL fluid (82 in total). All of the metabolomics assays indicated that the metabolite profiles of the BW and BAL fluids differed appreciably, with 46 metabolites showing significantly different levels in the corresponding lung compartments. Furthermore, the GC-MS assay revealed an effect of biodiesel exhaust exposure on the levels of 1-monostearylglycerol, sucrose, inosine, nonanoic acid, and ethanolamine (in BAL) and pentadecanoic acid (in BW), whereas the LC-MS assay indicated a shift in the levels of niacinamide (in BAL). The NMR assay only identified lactic acid (in BW) as being responsive to biodiesel exhaust exposure. Our findings demonstrate that the proposed multi-platform approach is useful for wide metabolomics screening of BW and BAL fluids and can facilitate elucidation of metabolites responsive to biodiesel exhaust exposure. Graphical Abstract Graphical abstract illustrating the study workflow. NMR Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, LC-TOFMS Liquid chromatography-Time Of Flight Mass Spectrometry, GC Gas

  17. Pegasus XL CYGNSS - "Days to Launch" Sign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-12-05

    A sign just inside the gate to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida notes that in seven days a Pegasus XL rocket is scheduled to launch with eight agency Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. On Dec. 12, 2016, the Orbital ATK L-1011 Stargazer, with a Pegasus XL rocket mated to the underside of the aircraft, will take off from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket with the L-1011 flying off shore. CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will help scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a crucial role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

  18. Coordinated control of a space manipulator tested by means of an air bearing free floating platform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sabatini, Marco; Gasbarri, Paolo; Palmerini, Giovanni B.

    2017-10-01

    A typical approach studied for the guidance of next generation space manipulators (satellites with robotic arms aimed at autonomously performing on-orbit operations) is to decouple the platform and the arm maneuvers, which are supposed to happen sequentially, mainly because of safety concerns. This control is implemented in this work as a two-stage Sequential control, where a first stage calls for the motion of the platform and the second stage calls for the motion of the manipulator. A second novel strategy is proposed, considering the platform and the manipulator as a single multibody system subject to a Coordinated control, with the goal of approaching and grasping a target spacecraft. At the scope, a region that the end effector can reach by means of the arm motion with limited reactions on the platform is identified (the so called Reaction Null workspace). The Coordinated control algorithm performs a gain modulation (finalized to a balanced contribution of the platform and arm motion) as a function of the target position within this Reaction Null map. The result is a coordinated maneuver in which the end effector moves thanks to the platform motion, predominant in a first phase, and to the arm motion, predominant when the Reaction-Null workspace is reached. In this way the collision avoidance and attitude over-control issues are automatically considered, without the need of splitting the mission in independent (and overall sub-optimal) segments. The guidance and control algorithms are first simulated by means of a multibody code, and successively tested in the lab by means of a free floating platform equipped with a robotic arm, moving frictionless on a flat granite table thanks to air bearings and on-off thrusters; the results will be discussed in terms of optimality of the fuel consumption and final accuracy.

  19. Air-Breathing Launch Vehicle Technology Being Developed

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trefny, Charles J.

    2003-01-01

    Of the technical factors that would contribute to lowering the cost of space access, reusability has high potential. The primary objective of the GTX program is to determine whether or not air-breathing propulsion can enable reusable single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) operations. The approach is based on maturation of a reference vehicle design with focus on the integration and flight-weight construction of its air-breathing rocket-based combined-cycle (RBCC) propulsion system.

  20. Successful Demolition of Historic Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Facilities: Managing the Process to Maximize Recycle Value to Fund Demolition

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jones, A.; Hambro, L.; Hooper, K.

    2008-07-01

    This paper will present the history of the Atlas 36 and Titan 40 Space Launch Complexes (SLC), the facility assessment process, demolition planning, recycle methodology, and actual facility demolition that resulted in a 40% reduction in baseline cost. These two SLC launched hundreds of payloads into space from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (AFS), Florida. The Atlas-Centaur family of rockets could lift small- to medium-size satellites designed for communications, weather, or military use, placing them with near pinpoint accuracy into their intended orbits. The larger Titan family was relied upon for heavier lifting needs, including launching military satellites as wellmore » as interplanetary probes. But despite their efficiency and cost-effectiveness, the Titan rockets, as well as earlier generation Atlas models, were retired in 2005. Concerns about potential environmental health hazards from PCBs and lead-based paint chipping off the facilities also contributed to the Air Force's decision in 2005 to dismantle and demolish the Atlas and Titan missile-launching systems. Lockheed Martin secured the complex following the final launch, removed equipment and turned over the site to the Air Force for decommissioning and demolition (D and D). AMEC was retained by the Air Force to perform demolition planning and facility D and D in 2004. AMEC began with a review of historical information, interviews with past operations personnel, and 100% facility assessment of over 100 structures. There where numerous support buildings that due to their age contained asbestos containing material (ACM), PCB-impacted material, and universal material that had to be identified and removed prior to demolition. Environmental testing had revealed that the 36B mobile support tower (MST) exceeded the TSCA standard for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) paint (<50 ppm), as did the high bay sections of the Titan Vertical Integration Building (VIB). Thus, while most of the steel structures could

  1. Deterrence of ballistic missile systems and their effects on today's air operations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Durak, Hasan

    2015-05-01

    Lately, the effect-based approach has gained importance in executing air operations. Thus, it makes more successful in obtaining the desired results by breaking the enemy's determination in a short time. Air force is the first option to be chosen in order to defuse the strategic targets. However, the problems such as the defense of targets and country, radars, range…etc. becoming serious problems. At this level ballistic missiles emerge as a strategic weapon. Ultimate emerging technologies guided by the INS and GPS can also be embedded with multiple warheads and reinforced with conventional explosive, ballistic missiles are weapons that can destroy targets with precision. They have the advantage of high speed, being easily launched from every platform and not being easily detected by air defense systems contrary to other air platforms. While these are the advantages, there are also disadvantages of the ballistic missiles. The high cost, unavailability of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, and its limited effect while using conventional explosives against destroying the fortified targets are the disadvantages. The features mentioned above should be considered as limitation to the impact of the ballistic missiles. The aim is to impose the requests on enemies without starting a war with all components and to ensure better implementation of the operation functions during the air operations. In this study, effects of ballistic missiles in the future on air battle theatre will be discussed in the beginning, during the process and at the end phase of air operations within the scope of an effect-based approach.

  2. 1. Launch facility, delta 6, approach road and gate, pole ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    1. Launch facility, delta 6, approach road and gate, pole marking the hardened intersite cable system in right center, commercial power pole outside fence in left center, view towards south - Ellsworth Air Force Base, Delta Flight, Launch Facility D-6, 4 miles north of Badlands National Park Headquarters, 4.5 miles east of Jackson County line on county road, Interior, Jackson County, SD

  3. Photocopy of drawing. LAUNCH COMPLEX 39. NASA John F. Kennedy ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    Photocopy of drawing. LAUNCH COMPLEX 39. NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. File Number 203-100, Urbahn-Roberts-Seelye-Moran, October 1963. VERTICAL ASSEMBLY BUILDING, LOW BAY, SECTIONS J-J, K-K, & L-L. Sheet 33-32 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

  4. Pegasus air-launched space booster flight test program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elias, Antonio L.; Knutson, Martin A.

    1995-03-01

    Pegasus is a satellite-launching space rocket dropped from a B52 carrier aircraft instead of launching vertically from a ground pad. Its three-year, privately-funded accelerated development was carried out under a demanding design-to-nonrecurring cost methodology, which imposed unique requirements on its flight test program, such as the decision not to drop an inert model from the carrier aircraft; the number and type of captive and free-flight tests; the extent of envelope exploration; and the decision to combine test and operational orbital flights. The authors believe that Pegasus may be the first vehicle where constraints in the number and type of flight tests to be carried out actually influenced the design of the vehicle. During the period November 1989 to February of 1990 a total of three captive flight tests were conducted, starting with a flutter clearing flight and culminating in a complete drop rehearsal. Starting on April 5, 1990, two combination test/operational flights were conducted. A unique aspect of the program was the degree of involvement of flight test personnel in the early design of the vehicle and, conversely, of the design team in flight testing and early flight operations. Various lessons learned as a result of this process are discussed throughout this paper.

  5. Wet Flow Test at Launch Complex 39B

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-20

    About 450,000 gallons of water flowed at high speed from a holding tank through new and modified piping and valves, the flame trench, flame deflector nozzles and mobile launcher interface risers during a wet flow test at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At peak flow, the water reached about 100 feet in the air above the pad surface. The test was a milestone to confirm and baseline the performance of the Ignition Overpressure/Sound Suppression system. During launch of NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, the high-speed water flow will help protect the vehicle from the extreme acoustic and temperature environment during ignition and liftoff.

  6. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers, covered in protective clothing and breathing apparatus, continue sandblasting on the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A to remove corrosion before repainting. Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-09-12

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers, covered in protective clothing and breathing apparatus, continue sandblasting on the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A to remove corrosion before repainting. Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

  7. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 39A, clouds of dust float away from the Mobile Launcher Platform, which is undergoing sandblasting to remove corrosion before repainting. Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-09-12

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 39A, clouds of dust float away from the Mobile Launcher Platform, which is undergoing sandblasting to remove corrosion before repainting. Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

  8. Design Evolution and Performance Characterization of the GTX Air-Breathing Launch Vehicle Inlet

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    DeBonis, J. R.; Steffen, C. J., Jr.; Rice, T.; Trefny, C. J.

    2002-01-01

    The design and analysis of a second version of the inlet for the GTX rocket-based combine-cycle launch vehicle is discussed. The previous design did not achieve its predicted performance levels due to excessive turning of low-momentum comer flows and local over-contraction due to asymmetric end-walls. This design attempts to remove these problems by reducing the spike half-angle to 10- from 12-degrees and by implementing true plane of symmetry end-walls. Axisymmetric Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes simulations using both perfect gas and real gas, finite rate chemistry, assumptions were performed to aid in the design process and to create a comprehensive database of inlet performance. The inlet design, which operates over the entire air-breathing Mach number range from 0 to 12, and the performance database are presented. The performance database, for use in cycle analysis, includes predictions of mass capture, pressure recovery, throat Mach number, drag force, and heat load, for the entire Mach range. Results of the computations are compared with experimental data to validate the performance database.

  9. Science Preparations for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory - 2 (OCO-2) Launch

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gunson, M. R.; Crisp, D.; Eldering, A.

    2013-12-01

    The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) is the first NASA satellite designed to collect the measurements needed measure atmospheric CO2 with the precision, resolution, and coverage needed to identify and quantify atmospheric sources and sinks on regional scales over the globe. OCO-2 is currently scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 3 AM 1 July 2014. After a series of maneuvers, OCO-2 will be inserted at the head of the 705-km Afternoon Constellation (A-Train), about 6 minutes ahead of the GCOM-W1 satellite. OCO-2 will fly along a ground track that is displaced 217.3 km to the east of the World Reference System-2 (WRS-2) track followed by the NASA Aqua platform, such that it overflies the ground footprints of the CloudSat radar and the CALIPSO lidar. The OCO-2 spacecraft carries a single instrument that incorporates three, high-resolution, imaging spectrometers designed to measure the absorption of reflected sunlight by CO2 and O2. This instrument will collect about 1,000,000 soundings over the sunlit hemisphere each day. Rigorous instrument characterization has been completed to verify that it will meet requirements for sensitivity, with a high signal to noise ratio, large dynamic range, over a small sounding footprint (< 3 km2) that will enable OCO-2 to determine CO2 concentrations at regional scales with better that 1 ppm uncertainty. These capabilities have been incorporated into the main data processing and retrieval software for testing. This paper will describe pre-launch plans for testing both based on simulations and with the continuing data stream from the Japanese GOSAT instrument. We describe post-launch plans to further down-select the 1,000,000 soundings to those for immediate processing, user help in data quality assessment, and the schedule for data release to the science community.

  10. Boeing Delta II rocket for FUSE launch arrives at CCAS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    At Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), the first stage of a Boeing Delta II rocket is raised for its journey up the launch tower. The rocket is targeted to launch NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE), developed by The Johns Hopkins University under contract to Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. FUSE will investigate the origin and evolution of the lightest elements in the universe, hydrogen and deuterium. In addition, the FUSE satellite will examine the forces and process involved in the evolution of the galaxies, stars and planetary systems by investigating light in the far ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. FUSE is scheduled to be launched June 23 at CCAS.

  11. Launch of NASA's FUSE satellite from CCAS.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    As light peers over the horizon at the crack of dawn, NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite waits for launch on Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, aboard the Boeing Delta II rocket. Liftoff is scheduled for 11:39 a.m. EDT. FUSE was developed to investigate the origin and evolution of the lightest elements in the universe - hydrogen and deuterium. In addition, the FUSE satellite will examine the forces and process involved in the evolution of the galaxies, stars and planetary systems by investigating light in the far ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

  12. SpaceX CRS-14 Post Launch Conference

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-04-02

    In the Press Site auditorium of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA and industry leaders speak to media at a post-launch news conference following the successful liftoff of SpaceX CRS-14, a commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Participants included Josh Finch of NASA Communications, Joel Montalbano, deputy manager of the International Space Station Program, and Jessica Jensen, director of Dragon Mission Management at SpaceX. SpaceX CRS-14 lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 4:30 p.m. EDT.

  13. Advanced Propulsion for Gun Launched Projectiles and Missiles: Phase 1 - Low Cost Flight Test Platform Development

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-11-30

    Son blueberry fields as shown in Figure 113. All FAA and Maine DOT permits were acquired. Richard Willey was the designated LSO (Launch Safety...The launch area is on the Jasper Wyman & Son blueberry fields as shown in Figure 113. FAA and Maine DOT permits are required for flight testing

  14. Orbital ATK CRS-7 Live Launch Coverage - Part 2

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-04-18

    NASA Television conducted a live broadcast from Kennedy Space Center as Orbital ATK’s CRS-7 lifted off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft carried more than 7,600 pounds of science research, crew supplies, and hardware to the orbiting laboratory as Orbital ATK’s seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Launch commentary conducted by: George Diller, NASA Communications. Special guests included: -Bob Cabana, Center Director of Kennedy Space Center and -Frank DeMauro, Vice President and General Manager for Human Space Systems with Orbital ATK.

  15. Developmental Testing of Electric Thrust Vector Control Systems for Manned Launch Vehicle Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bates, Lisa B.; Young, David T.

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes recent developmental testing to verify the integration of a developmental electromechanical actuator (EMA) with high rate lithium ion batteries and a cross platform extensible controller. Testing was performed at the Thrust Vector Control Research, Development and Qualification Laboratory at the NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center. Electric Thrust Vector Control (ETVC) systems like the EMA may significantly reduce recurring launch costs and complexity compared to heritage systems. Electric actuator mechanisms and control requirements across dissimilar platforms are also discussed with a focus on the similarities leveraged and differences overcome by the cross platform extensible common controller architecture.

  16. Aerial photo shows Launch Complex 39 Area

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2000-01-01

    This aerial photo shows the areas recently opened as part of KSC's Safe Haven project. The curved road in the center is the newly restored crawlerway leading around the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and Orbiter Processing Facility 3 (OPF-3) into the VAB high bay 2 (open on the lower right), where a mobile launcher platform/crawler-transporter currently sits. The Safe Haven project will enable the storage of orbiters during severe weather. OPF1 and OPF-2 are at the lower right. The crawlerway also extends from the east side of the VAB out to the two launch pads. Launch Pad 39A is visible to the left of the crawlerway. In the distance is the Atlantic Ocean. To the right of the VAB is the turn basin, into which ships tow the barge for offloading new external tanks from Louisiana.

  17. The research and realization of multi-platform real-time message-oriented middleware in large-scale air traffic control system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, Haijun; Ren, Jialong; Song, Tao

    2017-05-01

    Operating requirement of air traffic control system, the multi-platform real-time message-oriented middleware was studied and realized, which is composed of CDCC and CDCS. The former provides application process interface, while the latter realizes data synchronism of CDCC and data exchange. MQM, as one important part of it, provides message queue management and, encrypt and compress data during transmitting procedure. The practical system application verifies that the middleware can simplify the development of air traffic control system, enhance its stability, improve its systematic function and make it convenient for maintenance and reuse.

  18. Mobile Launch Platform Vehicle Assembly Building Area (SWMU 056) Hot Spot 3 Bioremediation Interim Measures Work Plan, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Whitney L. Morrison; Daprato, Rebecca C.

    2016-01-01

    This Interim Measures Work Plan (IMWP) presents an approach and design for the remediation of chlorinated volatile organic compound (CVOC) groundwater impacts using bioremediation (biostimulation and bioaugmentation) in Hot Spot 3, which is defined by the area where CVOC (trichloroethene [TCE], cis-1,2-dichloroethene [cDCE], and vinyl chloride [VC]) concentrations are greater than 10 times their respective Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Natural Attenuation Default Concentration (NADC) [10xNADC] near the western Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) structure. The IM treatment area is the Hot Spot 3 area, which is approximately 0.07 acres and extends from approximately 6 to 22 and 41 to 55 feet below land surface (ft BLS). Within Hot Spot 3, a source zone (SZ; area with TCE concentrations greater than 1% solubility [11,000 micrograms per liter (micrograms/L)]) was delineated and is approximately 0.02 acres and extends from approximately 6 to 16 and 41 to 50 ft BLS.

  19. InSight Rollout for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-05-04

    At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 3 in preparation for the liftoff of NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket now is poised to boost the spacecraft with liftoff scheduled for 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT). InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. InSight will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created.

  20. Water Deluge Test at Launch Complex 39B

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-05-24

    About 450,000 gallons of water flow at high speed from a holding tank through new and modified piping and valves, the flame trench, flame deflector nozzles and mobile launcher interface risers during a wet flow test on May 24, 2018, at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At peak flow, the water reached about 100 feet in the air above the pad surface. The test was performed by Exploration Ground Systems to confirm the performance of the Ignition Overpressure/Sound Suppression system. During launch of NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, the high-speed water flow will help protect the vehicle from the extreme acoustic and temperature environment during ignition and liftoff.

  1. Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour as it leaps free of Launch Pad

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2007-08-08

    Space Shuttle Endeavour paints the still-blue evening sky as it leaves Earth behind on its journey into space on mission STS-118. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39A was on time at 6:36 p.m. EDT. The mission is the 22nd shuttle flight to the International Space Station. It will continue space station construction by delivering a third starboard truss segment, S5, and other payloads such as the SPACEHAB module and the external stowage platform 3. The 11-day mission may be extended to as many as 14 depending on the test of the Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System that will allow the docked shuttle to draw electrical power from the station and extend its visits to the orbiting lab.

  2. Pegasus XL CYGNSS Second Launch Attempt

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-12-15

    In the Mission Director's Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Andy Bundy, Avionics lead, left, and Pat Simpkins, director of Kennedy Space Center Engineering, monitor the progress of preparations to launch eight Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. The CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a crucial role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

  3. KSC-20180301-VP-CDC01_0001-GOES_S_Launch_Commentary-3182524

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-03-01

    A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying the NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-S. Liftoff was at 5:02 p.m. EST. GOES-S is the second satellite in a series of next-generation weather satellites. It will launch to a geostationary position over the U.S. to provide images of storms and help predict weather forecasts, severe weather outlooks, watches, warnings, lightning conditions and longer-term forecasting.

  4. 24. AIRCONDITIONING DUCT, WINCH CONTROL BOX, AND SPEAKER AT STATION ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    24. AIR-CONDITIONING DUCT, WINCH CONTROL BOX, AND SPEAKER AT STATION 85.5 OF MST. FOLDED-UP PLATFORM ON RIGHT OF PHOTO. - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Pad 3 East, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

  5. SpaceX CRS-13 Post Launch News Conference

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-15

    In the Press Site auditorium of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from left, Stephanie Martin of NASA Communications, speaks to media at a post-launch news conference following the liftoff of SpaceX CRS-13. The flight is a commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. SpaceX CRS-13 lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 10:36 a.m. EST with supplies and equipment and new science experiments for technology research.

  6. Technology review: prototyping platforms for monitoring ambient conditions.

    PubMed

    Afolaranmi, Samuel Olaiya; Ramis Ferrer, Borja; Martinez Lastra, Jose Luis

    2018-05-08

    The monitoring of ambient conditions in indoor spaces is very essential owing to the amount of time spent indoors. Specifically, the monitoring of air quality is significant because contaminated air affects the health, comfort and productivity of occupants. This research work presents a technology review of prototyping platforms for monitoring ambient conditions in indoor spaces. It involves the research on sensors (for CO 2 , air quality and ambient conditions), IoT platforms, and novel and commercial prototyping platforms. The ultimate objective of this review is to enable the easy identification, selection and utilisation of the technologies best suited for monitoring ambient conditions in indoor spaces. Following the review, it is recommended to use metal oxide sensors, optical sensors and electrochemical sensors for IAQ monitoring (including NDIR sensors for CO 2 monitoring), Raspberry Pi for data processing, ZigBee and Wi-Fi for data communication, and ThingSpeak IoT platform for data storage, analysis and visualisation.

  7. Noise Monitoring Titan III D Launch Vandenberg AFB, Calif

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1975-01-01

    ent weather conditions. d. Estimated Environmental Impact : (1) The impact of any single noise event is difficult to determine when one is concerned...from average atmospheric conditions should be considered when extrapolating these data. 2. No significant environmental impact is expected to result...AD-A012 748 NOISE MONITORING TITAN III D LAUNCH VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIFORNIA Ronald D. Burnett Environmental Health Laboratory McClellan Air

  8. A new ball launching system with controlled flight parameters for catching experiments.

    PubMed

    d'Avella, A; Cesqui, B; Portone, A; Lacquaniti, F

    2011-03-30

    Systematic investigations of sensorimotor control of interceptive actions in naturalistic conditions, such as catching or hitting a ball moving in three-dimensional space, requires precise control of the projectile flight parameters and of the associated visual stimuli. Such control is challenging when air drag cannot be neglected because the mapping of launch parameters into flight parameters cannot be computed analytically. We designed, calibrated, and experimentally validated an actuated launching apparatus that can control the average spatial position and flight duration of a ball at a given distance from a fixed launch location. The apparatus was constructed by mounting a ball launching machine with adjustable delivery speed on an actuated structure capable of changing the spatial orientation of the launch axis while projecting balls through a hole in a screen hiding the apparatus. The calibration procedure relied on tracking the balls with a motion capture system and on approximating the mapping of launch parameters into flight parameters by means of polynomials functions. Polynomials were also used to estimate the variability of the flight parameters. The coefficients of these polynomials were obtained using the launch and flight parameters of 660 launches with 65 different initial conditions. The relative accuracy and precision of the apparatus were larger than 98% for flight times and larger than 96% for ball heights at a distance of 6m from the screen. Such novel apparatus, by reliably and automatically controlling desired ball flight characteristics without neglecting air drag, allows for a systematic investigation of naturalistic interceptive tasks. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Launch Pad Flame Trench Refractory Materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Calle, Luz M.; Hintze, Paul E.; Parlier, Christopher R.; Bucherl, Cori; Sampson, Jeffrey W.; Curran, Jerome P.; Kolody, Mark; Perusich, Steve; Whitten, Mary

    2010-01-01

    failure mechanisms, load response, ejected material impact evaluation, and repair design analysis (environmental and structural assessment, induced environment from solid rocket booster plume, loads summary, and repair integrity), assessment of risk posture for flame trench debris, and justification of flight readiness rationale. Although the configuration of the launch pad, water and exhaust direction, and location of the Mobile Launcher Platform between the flame trench and the flight hardware should protect the Space Vehicle from debris exposure, loss of material could cause damage to a major element of the ground facility (resulting in temporary usage loss); and damage to other facility elements is possible. These are all significant risks that will impact ground operations for Constellation and development of new refractory material systems is necessary to reduce the likelihood of the foreign object debris hazard during launch. KSC is developing an alternate refractory material for the launch pad flame trench protection system, including flame deflector and flame trench walls, that will withstand launch conditions without the need for repair after every launch, as is currently the case. This paper will present a summary of the results from industry surveys, trade studies, life cycle cost analysis, and preliminary testing that have been performed to support and validate the development, testing, and qualification of new refractory materials.

  10. he second X-43A and its modified Pegasus booster rocket accelerate after launch from NASA's B-52B launch aircraft over the Pacific Ocean

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-27

    The second X-43A hypersonic research aircraft and its modified Pegasus booster rocket accelerate after launch from NASA's B-52B launch aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on March 27, 2004. The mission originated from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Minutes later the X-43A separated from the Pegasus booster and accelerated to its intended speed of Mach 7.

  11. Ares I-X Launch Vehicle Modal Test Overview

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Buehrle, Ralph D.; Bartolotta, Paul A.; Templeton, Justin D.; Reaves, Mercedes C.; Horta, Lucas G.; Gaspar, James L.; Parks, Russell A.; Lazor, Daniel R.

    2010-01-01

    The first test flight of NASA's Ares I crew launch vehicle, called Ares I-X, is scheduled for launch in 2009. Ares IX will use a 4-segment reusable solid rocket booster from the Space Shuttle heritage with mass simulators for the 5th segment, upper stage, crew module and launch abort system. Flight test data will provide important information on ascent loads, vehicle control, separation, and first stage reentry dynamics. As part of hardware verification, a series of modal tests were designed to verify the dynamic finite element model (FEM) used in loads assessments and flight control evaluations. Based on flight control system studies, the critical modes were the first three free-free bending mode pairs. Since a test of the free-free vehicle is not practical within project constraints, modal tests for several configurations in the nominal integration flow were defined to calibrate the FEM. A traceability study by Aerospace Corporation was used to identify the critical modes for the tested configurations. Test configurations included two partial stacks and the full Ares I-X launch vehicle on the Mobile Launcher Platform. This paper provides an overview for companion papers in the Ares I-X Modal Test Session. The requirements flow down, pre-test analysis, constraints and overall test planning are described.

  12. Approaches to Improve the Performances of the Sea Launch System Performances

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tatarevs'kyy, K.

    2002-01-01

    The paper dwells on the outlines of the techniques of on-line pre-launch analysis on possibility of safe and reliable LV launch off floating launch system, when actual launch conditions (weather, launcher motion parameters) are beyond design limitations. The technique guarantees to follow the take-off LV trajectory limitations (the shock-free launch) and allows the improvement of the operat- ing characteristics of the floating launch systems at the expense of possibility to authorize the launch even if a number of weather and launcher motion parameters restrictions are exceeded. This paper ideas are applied for LV of Zenit-type launches off tilting launch platform, operative within Sea Launch. The importance, novelty and urgency of the approach under consideration is explained by the fact that the application during floating launch systems operation allows the bringing down of the num- ber of weather-conditioned launch abort cases. And this, in its part, increases the trustworthiness of the mission fulfillment on specific spacecraft injection, since, in the long run, the launch abort may cause the crossing of allowable wait threshold and accordingly the mission abort. All previous launch kinds for these LV did not require the development of the special technique of pre-launch analysis on launch possibility, since weather limitations for stationary launcher condi- tions are basically reduced to the wind velocity limitations. This parameter is reliably monitored and is sure to influence the launch dynamics. So the measured wind velocity allows the thorough picture on the possibility of the launch off the ground-based launcher. Since the floating launch systems commit complex and continuous movements under the exposure of the wind and the waves, the number of parameters is increased and, combined differently, they do not always make the issue on shockless launch critical. The proposed technique of the pre-launch analysis of the forthcoming launch dynamics with the

  13. Development of Test Article Building Block (TABB) for deployable platform systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Greenberg, H. S.; Barbour, R. T.

    1984-01-01

    The concept of a Test Article Building Block (TABB) is described. The TABB is a ground test article that is representative of a future building block that can be used to construct LEO and GEO deployable space platforms for communications and scientific payloads. This building block contains a main housing within which the entire structure, utilities, and deployment/retraction mechanism are stowed during launch. The end adapter secures the foregoing components to the housing during launch. The main housing and adapter provide the necessary building-block-to-building-block attachments for automatically deployable platforms. Removal from the shuttle cargo bay can be accomplished with the remote manipulator system (RMS) and/or the handling and positioning aid (HAPA). In this concept, all the electrical connections are in place prior to launch with automatic latches for payload attachment provided on either the end adapters or housings. The housings also can contain orbiter docking ports for payload installation and maintenance.

  14. ASTP (SA-210) Launch vehicle operational flight trajectory. Part 3: Final documentation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carter, A. B.; Klug, G. W.; Williams, N. W.

    1975-01-01

    Trajectory data are presented for a nominal and two launch window trajectory simulations. These trajectories are designed to insert a manned Apollo spacecraft into a 150/167 km. (81/90 n. mi.) earth orbit inclined at 51.78 degrees for rendezvous with a Soyuz spacecraft, which will be orbiting at approximately 225 km. (121.5 n. mi.). The launch window allocation defined for this launch is 500 pounds of S-IVB stage propellant. The launch window opening trajectory simulation depicts the earliest launch time deviation from a planar flight launch which conforms to this constraint. The launch window closing trajectory simulation was developed for the more stringent Air Force Eastern Test Range (AFETR) flight azimuth restriction of 37.4 degrees east-of-north. These trajectories enclose a 12.09 minute launch window, pertinent features of which are provided in a tabulation. Planar flight data are included for mid-window reference.

  15. Determining the Probability of Violating Upper-Level Wind Constraints for the Launch of Minuteman III Ballistic Missiles at Vandenberg Air Force Base

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shafer, Jaclyn A.; Brock, Tyler M.

    2012-01-01

    The 30th Operational Support Squadron Weather Flight (30 OSSWF) provides comprehensive weather services to the space program at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California. One of their responsibilities is to monitor upper-level winds to ensure safe launch operations of the Minuteman Ill ballistic missile. The 30 OSSWF tasked the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) to analyze VAFB sounding data with the goal of determining the probability of violating (PoV) their upper-level thresholds for wind speed and shear constraints specific to this launch vehicle, and to develop a tool that will calculate the PoV of each constraint on the day of launch. In order to calculate the probability of exceeding each constraint, the AMU collected and analyzed historical data from VAFB. The historical sounding data were retrieved from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory archive for the years 1994-2011 and then stratified into four sub-seasons: January-March, April-June, July-September, and October-December. The AMU determined the theoretical distributions that best fit the maximum wind speed and maximum wind shear datasets and applied this information when calculating the averages and standard deviations needed for the historical and real-time PoV calculations. In addition, the AMU included forecast sounding data from the Rapid Refresh model. This information provides further insight for the launch weather officers (LWOs) when determining if a wind constraint violation will occur over the next few hours on the day of launch. The AMU developed an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) in Microsoft Excel using Visual Basic for Applications. The GUI displays the critical sounding data easily and quickly for LWOs on day of launch. This tool will replace the existing one used by the 30 OSSWF, assist the LWOs in determining the probability of exceeding specific wind threshold values, and help to improve the overall upper winds forecast for

  16. STS-112 crew group photo at launch pad during TCDT

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- During Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, the STS-112 crew poses for a group photo near the launch pad where Space Shuttle Atlantis waits for launch. Standing left to right are Mission Specialist Piers Sellers, Commander Jeffrey Ashby, Mission Specialist David Wolf, Pilot Pamela Melroy, and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Fyodor Yurchikhin, who is with the Russian Space Agency. The TCDT includes emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. Mission STS-112 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch no earlier than Oct. 2, between 2 and 6 p.m. EDT. STS-112 is the 15th assembly mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis will be carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure, the first starboard truss segment, to be attached to the central truss segment, S0, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts.

  17. Aquarius SAC-D Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-06-08

    The Delta II rocket with it's Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft payload is seen shortly after the service structure is rolled back on Thursday, June 9, 2011, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The joint U.S./Argentinian Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D mission, set to launch June 10, will map the salinity at the ocean surface, information critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system: the water cycle and ocean circulation. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  18. Aquarius SAC-D Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2011-06-08

    The Delta II rocket with it's Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft payload is seen as the service structure is rolled back on Thursday, June 9, 2011, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The joint U.S./Argentinian Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D mission, set to launch June 10, will map the salinity at the ocean surface, information critical to improving our understanding of two major components of Earth's climate system: the water cycle and ocean circulation. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  19. San Marco C-2 (San Marco-4) Post Launch Report No. 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1974-01-01

    The San Marco C-2 spacecraft, now designated San Marco-4, was successfully launched by a Scout vehicle from the San Marco Platform on 18 February 1974 at 6:05 a.m. EDT. The launch occurred 2 hours 50 minutes into the 3-hour window due co low cloud cover at the launch site. All spacecraft subsystems have been checked and are functioning normally. The protective caps for the two U.S. experiments were ejected and the Omegatron experiment activated on 19 February. The neutral mass spectrometer was activated as scheduled on 22 February after sufficient time to allow for spacecraft outgassing and to avoid the possibility of corona occurring. Both instruments are performing properly and worthwhile scientific data is being acquired.

  20. OCO-2 Post Launch Briefing

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-07-02

    Geoff Yoder, deputy associate administrator for programs, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, discusses the successful launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), NASA’s first spacecraft dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, during a press briefing, Wednesday, July 2, 2014, at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. OCO-2 will measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  1. OCO-2 Post Launch Briefing

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-07-02

    Ralph Basilio, OCO-2 project manager, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, discusses the successful launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), NASA’s first spacecraft dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, during a press briefing, Wednesday, July 2, 2014, at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. OCO-2 will measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  2. Assessing Upper-Level Winds on Day-of-Launch

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bauman, William H., III; Wheeler, Mark M.

    2012-01-01

    On the day-or-launch. the 45th Weather Squadron Launch Weather Officers (LWOS) monitor the upper-level winds for their launch customers to include NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP). During launch operations, the payload launch team sometimes asks the LWO if they expect the upper level winds to change during the countdown but the LWOs did not have the capability to quickly retrieve or display the upper-level observations and compare them to the numerical weather prediction model point forecasts. The LWOs requested the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) develop a capability in the form of a graphical user interface (GUI) that would allow them to plot upper-level wind speed and direction observations from the Kennedy Space Center Doppler Radar Wind Profilers and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station rawinsondes and then overlay model point forecast profiles on the observation profiles to assess the performance of these models and graphically display them to the launch team. The AMU developed an Excel-based capability for the LWOs to assess the model forecast upper-level winds and compare them to observations. They did so by creating a GUI in Excel that allows the LWOs to first initialize the models by comparing the O-hour model forecasts to the observations and then to display model forecasts in 3-hour intervals from the current time through 12 hours.

  3. Lifting of NASA OCO-2 Delta II Launch Vehicle

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-04-15

    The Delta II second stage for NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 mission, or OCO-2, is lifted to the top of the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

  4. A Modular IoT Platform for Real-Time Indoor Air Quality Monitoring.

    PubMed

    Benammar, Mohieddine; Abdaoui, Abderrazak; Ahmad, Sabbir H M; Touati, Farid; Kadri, Abdullah

    2018-02-14

    The impact of air quality on health and on life comfort is well established. In many societies, vulnerable elderly and young populations spend most of their time indoors. Therefore, indoor air quality monitoring (IAQM) is of great importance to human health. Engineers and researchers are increasingly focusing their efforts on the design of real-time IAQM systems using wireless sensor networks. This paper presents an end-to-end IAQM system enabling measurement of CO₂, CO, SO₂, NO₂, O₃, Cl₂, ambient temperature, and relative humidity. In IAQM systems, remote users usually use a local gateway to connect wireless sensor nodes in a given monitoring site to the external world for ubiquitous access of data. In this work, the role of the gateway in processing collected air quality data and its reliable dissemination to end-users through a web-server is emphasized. A mechanism for the backup and the restoration of the collected data in the case of Internet outage is presented. The system is adapted to an open-source Internet-of-Things (IoT) web-server platform, called Emoncms, for live monitoring and long-term storage of the collected IAQM data. A modular IAQM architecture is adopted, which results in a smart scalable system that allows seamless integration of various sensing technologies, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and smart mobile standards. The paper gives full hardware and software details of the proposed solution. Sample IAQM results collected in various locations are also presented to demonstrate the abilities of the system.

  5. A Modular IoT Platform for Real-Time Indoor Air Quality Monitoring

    PubMed Central

    Abdaoui, Abderrazak; Ahmad, Sabbir H.M.; Touati, Farid; Kadri, Abdullah

    2018-01-01

    The impact of air quality on health and on life comfort is well established. In many societies, vulnerable elderly and young populations spend most of their time indoors. Therefore, indoor air quality monitoring (IAQM) is of great importance to human health. Engineers and researchers are increasingly focusing their efforts on the design of real-time IAQM systems using wireless sensor networks. This paper presents an end-to-end IAQM system enabling measurement of CO2, CO, SO2, NO2, O3, Cl2, ambient temperature, and relative humidity. In IAQM systems, remote users usually use a local gateway to connect wireless sensor nodes in a given monitoring site to the external world for ubiquitous access of data. In this work, the role of the gateway in processing collected air quality data and its reliable dissemination to end-users through a web-server is emphasized. A mechanism for the backup and the restoration of the collected data in the case of Internet outage is presented. The system is adapted to an open-source Internet-of-Things (IoT) web-server platform, called Emoncms, for live monitoring and long-term storage of the collected IAQM data. A modular IAQM architecture is adopted, which results in a smart scalable system that allows seamless integration of various sensing technologies, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and smart mobile standards. The paper gives full hardware and software details of the proposed solution. Sample IAQM results collected in various locations are also presented to demonstrate the abilities of the system. PMID:29443893

  6. VAB Platform K(2) Lift & Install into Highbay 3

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-07

    A 250-ton crane is used to lower the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket into High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be secured about 86 feet above the VAB floor, on tower E of the high bay. The K work platforms will provide access to the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

  7. 4. "LAUNCH SILOS, EQUIPMENT ROOMS SECTIONS AND DETAILS." Specifications ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    4. "LAUNCH SILOS, EQUIPMENT ROOMS - SECTIONS AND DETAILS." Specifications No. ENG-04-353-59-73; Drawing No. 5841S-5; D.O. SERIES AW-1525/28; Stamped: RECORD DRAWING AS CONSTRUCTED. Below Stamp: Contract No. 6601, Date 18 Sep 59. - Edwards Air Force Base, Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, Missile Silo Type, Test Area 1-100, northeast end of Test Area 1-100 Road, Boron, Kern County, CA

  8. Aqua 10 Years After Launch

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parkinson, Claire L.

    2013-01-01

    A little over ten years ago, in the early morning hours of May 4, 2002, crowds of spectators stood anxiously watching as the Delta II rocket carrying NASA's Aqua spacecraft lifted off from its launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 2:55 a.m. The rocket quickly went through a low-lying cloud cover, after which the main portion of the rocket fell to the waters below and the rockets second stage proceeded to carry Aqua south across the Pacific, onward over Antarctica, and north to Africa, where the spacecraft separated from the rocket 59.5 minutes after launch. Then, 12.5 minutes later, the solar array unfurled over Europe, and Aqua was on its way in the first of what by now have become over 50,000 successful orbits of the Earth.

  9. Analysis of Rawinsonde Spatial Separation for Space Launch Vehicle Applications at the Eastern Range

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Decker, Ryan K.

    2017-01-01

    Space launch vehicles develop day-of-launch steering commands based upon the upper-level atmospheric environments in order to alleviate wind induced structural loading and optimize ascent trajectory. Historically, upper-level wind measurements to support launch operations at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Kennedy Space Center co-located on the United States Air Force's Eastern Range (ER) at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station use high-resolution rawinsondes. One inherent limitation with rawinsondes consists of taking approximately one hour to generate a vertically complete wind profile. Additionally, rawinsonde drift during ascent by the ambient wind environment can result in the balloon being hundreds of kilometers down range, which results in questioning whether the measured winds represent the wind environment the vehicle will experience during ascent. This paper will describe the use of balloon profile databases to statistically assess the drift distance away from the ER launch complexes during rawinsonde ascent as a function of season and discuss an alternative method to measure upper level wind environments in closer proximity to the vehicle trajectory launching from the ER.

  10. Analysis of Rawinsonde Spatial Separation for Space Launch Vehicle Applications at the Eastern Range

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Decker, Ryan K.

    2017-01-01

    Space launch vehicles use day-of-launch steering commands based upon the upper-level (UL) atmospheric environments in order to alleviate wind induced structural loading and optimize ascent trajectory. Historically, UL wind measurements to support launch operations at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC), co-located on the United States Air Force's Eastern Range (ER) at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station use high-resolution (HR) rawinsondes. One inherent limitation with rawinsondes is the approximately one-hour sampling time necessary to measure tropospheric winds. Additionally, rawinsonde drift during ascent due to the ambient wind environment can result in the balloon being hundreds of kilometers down range, which results in questioning whether the measured winds represent the wind environment the vehicle will experience during ascent. This paper will describe the use of balloon profile databases to statistically assess the drift distance away from the ER launch complexes during HR rawinsonde ascent as a function of season. Will also discuss an alternative method to measure UL wind environments in closer proximity to the vehicle trajectory when launching from the ER.

  11. Space Based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Contribution to Global Strike in 2035

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-02-15

    include using high altitude air platforms and airships as a short-term solution, and small satellites with an Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) launch...irreversible threats, along with a worst case scenario. Section IV provides greater detail of the high altitude air platform, airship , and commercial space...Resultantly, the U.S. could use high altitude air platforms, airships , and cyber to complement its space systems in case of denial, degradation, or

  12. A solvent-free microbial-activated air cathode battery paper platform made with pencil-traced graphite electrodes.

    PubMed

    Lee, Seung Ho; Ban, Ju Yeon; Oh, Chung-Hun; Park, Hun-Kuk; Choi, Samjin

    2016-06-23

    We present the fabrication of an ultra-low cost, disposable, solvent-free air cathode all-paper microbial fuel cell (MFC) that does not utilize any chemical treatments. The anode and cathode were fabricated by depositing graphite particles by drawing them on paper with a pencil (four strokes). Hydrophobic parchment paper was used as a proton exchange membrane (PEM) to allow only H(+) to pass. Air cathode MFC technology, where O2 was used as an electron acceptor, was implemented on the paper platform. The bioelectric current was generated by an electrochemical process involving the redox couple of microbial-activated extracellular electron transferred electrons, PEM-passed H(+), and O2 in the cathode. A fully micro-integrated pencil-traced MFC showed a fast start-time, producing current within 10 s after injection of bacterial cells. A single miniaturized all-paper air cathode MFC generated a maximum potential of 300 mV and a maximum current of 11 μA during 100 min after a single injection of Shewanella oneidensis. The micro-fabricated solvent-free air cathode all-paper MFC generated a power of 2,270 nW (5.68 mW/m(2)). The proposed solvent-free air cathode paper-based MFC device could be used for environmentally-friendly energy storage as well as in single-use medical power supplies that use organic matter.

  13. A solvent-free microbial-activated air cathode battery paper platform made with pencil-traced graphite electrodes

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Seung Ho; Ban, Ju Yeon; Oh, Chung-Hun; Park, Hun-Kuk; Choi, Samjin

    2016-01-01

    We present the fabrication of an ultra-low cost, disposable, solvent-free air cathode all-paper microbial fuel cell (MFC) that does not utilize any chemical treatments. The anode and cathode were fabricated by depositing graphite particles by drawing them on paper with a pencil (four strokes). Hydrophobic parchment paper was used as a proton exchange membrane (PEM) to allow only H+ to pass. Air cathode MFC technology, where O2 was used as an electron acceptor, was implemented on the paper platform. The bioelectric current was generated by an electrochemical process involving the redox couple of microbial-activated extracellular electron transferred electrons, PEM-passed H+, and O2 in the cathode. A fully micro-integrated pencil-traced MFC showed a fast start-time, producing current within 10 s after injection of bacterial cells. A single miniaturized all-paper air cathode MFC generated a maximum potential of 300 mV and a maximum current of 11 μA during 100 min after a single injection of Shewanella oneidensis. The micro-fabricated solvent-free air cathode all-paper MFC generated a power of 2,270 nW (5.68 mW/m2). The proposed solvent-free air cathode paper-based MFC device could be used for environmentally-friendly energy storage as well as in single-use medical power supplies that use organic matter. PMID:27333815

  14. A solvent-free microbial-activated air cathode battery paper platform made with pencil-traced graphite electrodes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Seung Ho; Ban, Ju Yeon; Oh, Chung-Hun; Park, Hun-Kuk; Choi, Samjin

    2016-06-01

    We present the fabrication of an ultra-low cost, disposable, solvent-free air cathode all-paper microbial fuel cell (MFC) that does not utilize any chemical treatments. The anode and cathode were fabricated by depositing graphite particles by drawing them on paper with a pencil (four strokes). Hydrophobic parchment paper was used as a proton exchange membrane (PEM) to allow only H+ to pass. Air cathode MFC technology, where O2 was used as an electron acceptor, was implemented on the paper platform. The bioelectric current was generated by an electrochemical process involving the redox couple of microbial-activated extracellular electron transferred electrons, PEM-passed H+, and O2 in the cathode. A fully micro-integrated pencil-traced MFC showed a fast start-time, producing current within 10 s after injection of bacterial cells. A single miniaturized all-paper air cathode MFC generated a maximum potential of 300 mV and a maximum current of 11 μA during 100 min after a single injection of Shewanella oneidensis. The micro-fabricated solvent-free air cathode all-paper MFC generated a power of 2,270 nW (5.68 mW/m2). The proposed solvent-free air cathode paper-based MFC device could be used for environmentally-friendly energy storage as well as in single-use medical power supplies that use organic matter.

  15. VAB Platform K(2) Lift & Install into Highbay 3

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-07

    A 250-ton crane is used to lift the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket high above the transfer aisle inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform is being lifted up for transfer into High Bay 3 for installation. The platform will be secured about 86 feet above the VAB floor, on tower E of the high bay. The K work platforms will provide access to the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

  16. 21. DETAIL OF AIR HANDLER 1 (MST AIRCONDITIONING SYSTEM) INTERIOR, ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    21. DETAIL OF AIR HANDLER 1 (MST AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM) INTERIOR, SOUTHEAST CORNER, STATION 30, SLC-3W MST - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Pad 3 West, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

  17. Delta II Heavy launch of "Opportunity" MER-B Rover

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-07-07

    On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Delta II Heavy launch vehicle carrying the rover "Opportunity" for the second Mars Exploration Rover mission launches at 11:18:15 p.m. EDT. Opportunity will reach Mars on Jan. 25, 2004. Together the two MER rovers, Spirit (launched June 10) and Opportunity, seek to determine the history of climate and water at two sites on Mars where conditions may once have been favorable to life. The rovers are identical. They will navigate themselves around obstacles as they drive across the Martian surface, traveling up to about 130 feet each Martian day. Each rover carries five scientific instruments including a panoramic camera and microscope, plus a rock abrasion tool that will grind away the outer surfaces of rocks to expose their interiors for examination. Each rover’s prime mission is planned to last three months on Mars.

  18. OCO-2 Post Launch Briefing

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-07-02

    Mike Miller, senior vice president, Science and Environmental Satellite Programs, Orbital Sciences Space Systems Group, discusses the successful launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), NASA’s first spacecraft dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, during a press briefing, Wednesday, July 2, 2014, at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. OCO-2 will measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  19. TDRS-M Atlas V 1st Stage Erection Launch Vehicle on Stand

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-07-12

    A United Launch Alliance Atlas V first stage is lifted at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rocket is scheduled to launch the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-M. It will be the latest spacecraft destined for the agency's constellation of communications satellites that allows nearly continuous contact with orbiting spacecraft ranging from the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope to the array of scientific observatories. Liftoff atop the ULA Atlas V rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 41 on Aug. 3, 2017 at 9:02 a.m. EDT.

  20. Use of Smoothed Measured Winds to Predict and Assess Launch Environments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cordova, Henry S.; Leahy, Frank; Adelfang, Stanley; Roberts, Barry; Starr, Brett; Duffin, Paul; Pueri, Daniel

    2011-01-01

    Since many of the larger launch vehicles are operated near their design limits during the ascent phase of flight to optimize payload to orbit, it often becomes necessary to verify that the vehicle will remain within certification limits during the ascent phase as part of the go/no-go review made prior to launch. This paper describes the approach used to predict Ares I-X launch vehicle structural air loads and controllability prior to launch which represents a distinct departure from the methodology of the Space Shuttle and Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) programs. Protection for uncertainty of key environment and trajectory parameters is added to the nominal assessment of launch capability to ensure that critical launch trajectory variables would be within the integrated vehicle certification envelopes. This process was applied by the launch team as a key element of the launch day go/no-go recommendation. Pre-launch assessments of vehicle launch capability for NASA's Space Shuttle and the EELV heavy lift versions require the use of a high-resolution wind profile measurements, which have relatively small sample size compared with low-resolution profile databases (which include low-resolution balloons and radar wind profilers). The approach described in this paper has the potential to allow the pre-launch assessment team to use larger samples of wind measurements from low-resolution wind profile databases that will improve the accuracy of pre-launch assessments of launch availability with no degradation of mission assurance or launch safety.

  1. Introduction to AIRS and CrIS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Susskind, Joel

    2004-01-01

    "Introduction to AIRS and CrIS" is a chapter in a book dealing with various aspects of remote sensing. AIRS and CrIS are both high spectral resolution IR sounding instruments, which were recently launched (AIRS) or will soon be launched (CrIS). The chapter explains the general principles of infra-red remote sensing, and explains the significance and information content of high spectral resolution IR measurements. The chapter shows results obtained using AIRS observations, and explains why similar quality results should be obtainable from CrIS data.

  2. Launching the AquaMAV: bioinspired design for aerial-aquatic robotic platforms.

    PubMed

    Siddall, R; Kovač, M

    2014-09-01

    Current Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) are greatly limited by being able to operate in air only. Designing multimodal MAVs that can fly effectively, dive into the water and retake flight would enable applications of distributed water quality monitoring, search and rescue operations and underwater exploration. While some can land on water, no technologies are available that allow them to both dive and fly, due to dramatic design trade-offs that have to be solved for movement in both air and water and due to the absence of high-power propulsion systems that would allow a transition from underwater to air. In nature, several animals have evolved design solutions that enable them to successfully transition between water and air, and move in both media. Examples include flying fish, flying squid, diving birds and diving insects. In this paper, we review the biological literature on these multimodal animals and abstract their underlying design principles in the perspective of building a robotic equivalent, the Aquatic Micro Air Vehicle (AquaMAV). Building on the inspire-abstract-implement bioinspired design paradigm, we identify key adaptations from nature and designs from robotics. Based on this evaluation we propose key design principles for the design of successful aerial-aquatic robots, i.e. using a plunge diving strategy for water entry, folding wings for diving efficiency, water jet propulsion for water takeoff and hydrophobic surfaces for water shedding and dry flight. Further, we demonstrate the feasibility of the water jet propulsion by building a proof-of-concept water jet propulsion mechanism with a mass of 2.6 g that can propel itself up to 4.8 m high, corresponding to 72 times its size. This propulsion mechanism can be used for AquaMAV but also for other robotic applications where high-power density is of use, such as for jumping and swimming robots.

  3. Aerial photo shows Launch Complex 39 Area

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2000-01-01

    This aerial photo captures many of the facilities involved in Space Shuttle launches. At center is the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The curved road on the near side is the newly restored crawlerway leading into the VAB high bay 2, where a mobile launcher platform/crawler-transporter currently sits. The road restoration and high bay 2 are part of KSC's Safe Haven project, enabling the storage of orbiters during severe weather. The road circles around the Orbiter Processing Facility 3 (OPF-3) at left center. OPF1 and OPF-2 are just below the curving road. The crawlerway also extends from the east side of the VAB out to the two launch pads, only one visible to the left of the VAB. In the distance is the Atlantic Ocean. To the right of the far crawlerway is the turn basin, into which ships tow the barge for offloading new external tanks from Louisiana.

  4. STS-27 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, at KSC Launch Complex (LC) pad 39B

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1988-01-01

    STS-27 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, sits atop the mobile launcher platform at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) pad 39B. Profile of OV-104 mounted on external tank and flanked by solid rocket boosters (SRBs) is obscured by a flock of seagulls in the foreground. The fixed service structure (FSS) with rotating service structure (RSS) retracted appears in the background. Water resevoir is visible at the base of the launch pad concrete structure.

  5. Squid rocket science: How squid launch into air

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    O'Dor, Ron; Stewart, Julia; Gilly, William; Payne, John; Borges, Teresa Cerveira; Thys, Tierney

    2013-10-01

    Squid not only swim, they can also fly like rockets, accelerating through the air by forcefully expelling water out of their mantles. Using available lab and field data from four squid species, Sthenoteuthis pteropus, Dosidicus gigas, Illex illecebrosus and Loligo opalescens, including sixteen remarkable photographs of flying S. pteropus off the coast of Brazil, we compared the cost of transport in both water and air and discussed methods of maximizing power output through funnel and mantle constriction. Additionally we found that fin flaps develop at approximately the same size range as flight behaviors in these squids, consistent with previous hypotheses that flaps could function as ailerons whilst aloft. S. pteropus acceleration in air (265 body lengths [BL]/s2; 24.5m/s2) was found to exceed that in water (79BL/s2) three-fold based on estimated mantle length from still photos. Velocities in air (37BL/s; 3.4m/s) exceed those in water (11BL/s) almost four-fold. Given the obvious advantages of this extreme mode of transport, squid flight may in fact be more common than previously thought and potentially employed to reduce migration cost in addition to predation avoidance. Clearly squid flight, the role of fin flaps and funnel, and the energetic benefits are worthy of extended investigation.

  6. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory - 2 (OCO-2) Mission and Preparation for 2014 Launch

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eldering, Annmarie; Gunson, Michael; Crisp, David

    2014-05-01

    The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) is the first NASA satellite designed to collect the measurements needed measure atmospheric CO2 with the precision, resolution, and coverage needed to identify and quantify atmospheric sources and sinks on regional scales over the globe. OCO-2 is currently scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 3 AM 1 July 2014. After a series of maneuvers, OCO-2 will be inserted at the head of the 705-km Afternoon Constellation (A-Train), about 6 minutes ahead of the GCOM-W1 satellite. OCO-2 will fly along a ground track that is displaced 217.3 km to the east of the World Reference System-2 (WRS-2) track followed by the NASA Aqua platform, such that it overflies the ground footprints of the CloudSat radar and the CALIPSO lidar. The OCO-2 spacecraft carries a single instrument that incorporates three, high-resolution, imaging spectrometers designed to measure the absorption of reflected sunlight by CO2 and O2. This instrument will collect about 1,000,000 soundings over the sunlit hemisphere each day. Rigorous instrument characterization has been completed to verify that it will meet requirements for sensitivity, with a high signal to noise ratio, large dynamic range, over a small sounding footprint (< 3 km2) that will enable OCO-2 to determine CO2 concentrations at regional scales with better that 1 ppm uncertainty. These capabilities have been incorporated into the main data processing and retrieval software for testing. This paper will describe pre-launch plans for testing both based on simulations and with the continuing data stream from the Japanese GOSAT instrument. We describe post-launch plans to further down-select the 1,000,000 soundings to those for immediate processing, user help in data quality assessment, and the schedule for data release to the science community.

  7. Passive millimetre wave imaging for ballistic missile launch detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Higgins, Christopher J.; Salmon, Neil A.

    2008-10-01

    QinetiQ has used a suite of modelling tools to predict the millimetric plume signatures from a range of ballistic missile types, based on the accepted theory that Bremsstrahlung emission, generated by the collision of free electrons with neutral species in a rocket motor plume, is the dominant signature mechanism. Plume signatures in terms of radiation temperatures varied from a few hundred Kelvin to over one thousand Kelvin, and were predicted to be dependent on emission frequency, propellant type and missile thrust. Two types of platform were considered for the passive mmw imager launch detection system; a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) and a satellite based platform in low, mid and geosynchronous earth orbits. It was concluded that the optimum operating frequency for a HAPS based imager would be 35GHz with a 4.5m aperture and a sensitivity of 20mK providing visibility through 500 vertical feet of cloud. For a satellite based platform with a nadir view, the optimum frequency is 220 GHz. With such a system, in a low earth orbit at an altitude of 320km, with a sensitivity of 20mK, a 29cm aperture would be desirable.

  8. STS-112 crew arrives at KSC's SLF for launch

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-112 Mission Specialist Fyodor Yurchikhin, who is with the Russian Space Agency, shows his happiness at returning to KSC to prepare for launch. He will be making his first Shuttle flight. STS-112, aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis, is the 15th assembly mission to the International Space Station. Atlantis will be carrying the S1 Integrated Truss Structure, the first starboard truss segment, to be attached to the central truss segment, S0, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. The 11-day mission includes three spacewalks. Launch is scheduled for Oct. 2 betw een 2 and 6 p.m.

  9. Launch Vehicle Demonstrator Using Shuttle Assets

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Creech, Dennis M.; Threet, Grady E., Jr.; Philips, Alan D.; Waters, Eric D.

    2011-01-01

    The Advanced Concepts Office at NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center undertook a study to define candidate early heavy lift demonstration launch vehicle concepts derived from existing space shuttle assets. The objective was to determine the performance capabilities of these vehicles and characterize potential early demonstration test flights. Given the anticipated budgetary constraints that may affect America's civil space program, and a lapse in U.S. heavy launch capability with the retirement of the space shuttle, an early heavy lift launch vehicle demonstration flight would not only demonstrate capabilities that could be utilized for future space exploration missions, but also serve as a building block for the development of our nation s next heavy lift launch system. An early heavy lift demonstration could be utilized as a test platform, demonstrating capabilities of future space exploration systems such as the Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle. By using existing shuttle assets, including the RS-25D engine inventory, the shuttle equipment manufacturing and tooling base, and the segmented solid rocket booster industry, a demonstrator concept could expedite the design-to-flight schedule while retaining critical human skills and capital. In this study two types of vehicle designs are examined. The first utilizes a high margin/safety factor battleship structural design in order to minimize development time as well as monetary investment. Structural design optimization is performed on the second, as if an operational vehicle. Results indicate low earth orbit payload capability is more than sufficient to support various vehicle and vehicle systems test programs including Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle articles. Furthermore, a shuttle-derived, hydrogen core vehicle configuration offers performance benefits when trading evolutionary paths to maximum capability.

  10. Pegasus XL CYGNSS Prepared for Launch Aboard Orbital ATK's L-101

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-12-10

    At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Skid Strip the Orbital ATK L-1011 Stargazer aircraft is being prepared to launch NASA's Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. The eight micro satellites are aboard an Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket strapped to the underside of the Stargazer. CYGNSS is scheduled for its airborne launch aboard the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip on Dec. 12. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.

  11. Boeing Delta II rocket for FUSE launch arrives at CCAS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    At Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), the first stage of a Boeing Delta II rocket is moved into the tower. The rocket is targeted to launch NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE), developed by The Johns Hopkins University under contract to Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. FUSE will investigate the origin and evolution of the lightest elements in the universe, hydrogen and deuterium. In addition, the FUSE satellite will examine the forces and process involved in the evolution of the galaxies, stars and planetary systems by investigating light in the far ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. FUSE is scheduled to be launched June 23 at CCAS.

  12. Boeing Delta II rocket for FUSE launch arrives at CCAS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    After its arrival at Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), the first stage of a Boeing Delta II rocket is raised to a vertical position. The rocket is targeted to launch NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE), developed by The Johns Hopkins University under contract to Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. FUSE will investigate the origin and evolution of the lightest elements in the universe, hydrogen and deuterium. In addition, the FUSE satellite will examine the forces and process involved in the evolution of the galaxies, stars and planetary systems by investigating light in the far ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. FUSE is scheduled to be launched June 23 at CCAS.

  13. Boeing Delta II rocket for FUSE launch arrives at CCAS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    At Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), the first stage of a Boeing Delta II rocket is ready to be lifted into the tower. The rocket is targeted to launch NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE), developed by The Johns Hopkins University under contract to Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. FUSE will investigate the origin and evolution of the lightest elements in the universe,hydrogen and deuterium. In addition, the FUSE satellite will examine the forces and process involved in the evolution of the galaxies, stars and planetary systems by investigating light in the far ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. FUSE is scheduled to be launched June 23 at CCAS.

  14. The AirQuality SenseBox

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Demuth, Dustin; Nuest, Daniel; Bröring, Arne; Pebesma, Edzer

    2013-04-01

    In the past year, a group of open hardware enthusiasts and citizen scientists had large success in the crowd-funding of an open hardware-based sensor platform for air quality monitoring, called the Air Quality Egg. Via the kickstarter platform, the group was able to collect triple the amount of money than needed to fulfill their goals. Data generated by the Air Quality Egg is pushed to the data logging platform cosm.com, which makes the devices a part of the Internet of Things. The project aims at increasing the participation of citizens in the collection of data, the development of sensors, the operation of sensor stations, and, as data on cosm is publicly available, the sharing, visualization and analysis of data. Air Quality Eggs can measure NO2 and CO concentrations, as well as relative humidity and temperature. The chosen sensors are low-cost and have limited precision and accurracy. The Air Quality Egg consists of a stationary outdoor and a stationary indoor unit. Each outdoor unit will wirelessly transmit air quality measurements to the indoor unit, which forwards the data to cosm. Most recent versions of the Air Quality Egg allow a rough calibration of the gas sensors and on-the-fly conversion from raw sensor readings (impedance) to meaningful air quality data expressed in units of parts per billion. Data generated by these low-cost platforms are not intended to replace well-calibrated official monitoring stations, but rather augment the density of the total monitoring network with citizen sensors. To improve the usability of the Air Quality Egg, we present a new and more advanced concept, called the AirQuality SenseBox. We made the outdoor platform more autonomous and location-aware by adding solarpanels and rechargeable batteries as a power source. The AirQuality SenseBox knows its own position from a GPS device attached to the platform. As a mobile sensor platform, it can for instance be attached to vehicles. A low-cost and low-power wireless chipset

  15. Progress at Standard Space Platforms Corporation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perkins, Frederick W.

    1992-08-01

    An account is given of a simple program structure with low costs and short schedules for the space R&D community operating outside mission-oriented, government-funded programs. In addition to furnishing launch services into orbit, the program structure furnishes engineering services through its ground station, control room, and 3-year duration 'MMSB' platform. Flights may begin as little as a year after contract signature.

  16. Advances in Understanding Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Diseases: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air)

    PubMed Central

    Kaufman, Joel D.; Spalt, Elizabeth W.; Curl, Cynthia L.; Hajat, Anjum; Jones, Miranda R.; Kim, Sun-Young; Vedal, Sverre; Szpiro, Adam A.; Gassett, Amanda; Sheppard, Lianne; Daviglus, Martha L.; Adar, Sara D.

    2016-01-01

    The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air) leveraged the platform of the MESA cohort into a prospective longitudinal study of relationships between air pollution and cardiovascular health. MESA Air researchers developed fine-scale, state-of-the-art air pollution exposure models for the MESA Air communities, creating individual exposure estimates for each participant. These models combine cohort-specific exposure monitoring, existing monitoring systems, and an extensive database of geographic and meteorological information. Together with extensive phenotyping in MESA—and adding participants and health measurements to the cohort—MESA Air investigated environmental exposures on a wide range of outcomes. Advances by the MESA Air team included not only a new approach to exposure modeling but also biostatistical advances in addressing exposure measurement error and temporal confounding. The MESA Air study advanced our understanding of the impact of air pollutants on cardiovascular disease and provided a research platform for advances in environmental epidemiology. PMID:27741981

  17. Large Scale Variability of Mid-Tropospheric Carbon Dioxide as Observed by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the NASA EOS Aqua Platform

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pagano, Thomas S.; Olsen, Edward T.

    2012-01-01

    The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) is a hyperspectral infrared instrument on the EOS Aqua Spacecraft, launched on May 4, 2002. AIRS has 2378 infrared channels ranging from 3.7 microns to 15.4 microns and a 13.5 km footprint. AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), produces temperature profiles with 1K/km accuracy, water vapor profiles (20%/2km), infrared cloud height and fraction, and trace gas amounts for CO2, CO, SO2, O3 and CH4 in the mid to upper troposphere. AIRS wide swath(cedilla) +/-49.5 deg , enables daily global daily coverage for over 95% of the Earth's surface. AIRS data are used for weather forecasting, validating climate model distribution and processes, and observing long-range transport of greenhouse gases. In this study, we examine the large scale and regional horizontal variability in the AIRS Mid-tropospheric Carbon Dioxide product as a function of season and associate the observed variability with known atmospheric transport processes, and sources and sinks of CO2.

  18. 3. "LAUNCH SILOS; AREA PAVING AND GRADING PLAN." Specifications No. ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    3. "LAUNCH SILOS; AREA PAVING AND GRADING PLAN." Specifications No. ENG-04-353-59-73; Drawing No. 5841C-11; D.O. SERIES AW-1525/17; Stamped: RECORD DRAWING AS CONSTRUCTED. Below stamp: Contract No. 6601, Date 18 Sep 59. - Edwards Air Force Base, Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, Missile Silo Type, Test Area 1-100, northeast end of Test Area 1-100 Road, Boron, Kern County, CA

  19. 5. "LAUNCH SILOS; EQUIP. ROOM; SECTIONS AND DETAILS." Specifications No. ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    5. "LAUNCH SILOS; EQUIP. ROOM; SECTIONS AND DETAILS." Specifications No. ENG-04-353-59-73; Drawing No. 5841S-6; D.O. SERIES AW-1525/29; Stamped: RECORD DRAWING AS CONSTRUCTED. Below stamp: Contract No. 6601, Date 18 Sep 59. - Edwards Air Force Base, Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, Missile Silo Type, Test Area 1-100, northeast end of Test Area 1-100 Road, Boron, Kern County, CA

  20. NASA Launches NOAA Weather Satellite to Improve Forecasts

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-11-18

    Early on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 18, NASA successfully launched for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the first in a series of four advanced polar-orbiting satellites, equipped with next-generation technology and designed to improve the accuracy of U.S. weather forecasts out to seven days. The Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) lifted off on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base on California’s central coast. JPSS-1 data will improve weather forecasting and help agencies involved with post-storm recovery by visualizing storm damage and the geographic extent of power outages.

  1. SpaceX CRS-13 Post Launch News Conference

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-15

    In the Press Site auditorium of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA and industry leaders speak to media at a post-launch news conference following the successful liftoff of SpaceX CRS-13, a commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Participants included Stephanie Martin of NASA Communications, Ven Feng, NASA manager of the Transportation Integration Office with the International Space Station Program, and Jessica Jensen, director of Dragon Mission Management at SpaceX. SpaceX CRS-13 lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 10:36 a.m. EST.

  2. Geostationary platform systems concepts definition study. Volume 1: Executive summary

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1980-01-01

    The results of a geostationary platform concept analysis are summarized. Mission and payloads definition, concept selection, the requirements of an experimental platform, supporting research and technology, and the Space Transportation System interface requirements are addressed. It is concluded that platforms represent a logical extension of current trends toward larger, more complex, multifrequency satellites. Geostationary platforms offer significant cost savings compared to individual satellites, with the majority of these economies being realized with single Shuttle launched platforms. Further cost savings can be realized, however, by having larger platforms. Platforms accommodating communications equipment that operates at multiple frequencies and which provide larger scale frequency reuse through the use of large aperture multibeam antennas and onboard switching maximize the useful capacity of the orbital arc and frequency spectrum. Projections of market demand indicate that such conservation measures are clearly essential if orderly growth is to be provided for. In addition, it is pointed out that a NASA experimental platform is required to demonstrate the technologies necessary for operational geostationary platforms of the 1990's.

  3. Venturi air-jet vacuum ejectors for high-volume atmospheric sampling on aircraft platforms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hill, Gerald F.; Sachse, Glen W.; Young, Douglas C.; Wade, Larry O.; Burney, Lewis G.

    1992-01-01

    Documentation of the installation and use of venturi air-jet vacuum ejectors for high-volume atmospheric sampling on aircraft platforms is presented. Information on the types of venturis that are useful for meeting the pumping requirements of atmospheric-sampling experiments is also presented. A description of the configuration and installation of the venturi system vacuum line is included with details on the modifications that were made to adapt a venturi to the NASA Electra aircraft at GSFC, Wallops Flight Facility. Flight test results are given for several venturis with emphasis on applications to the Differential Absorption Carbon Monoxide Measurement (DACOM) system at LaRC. This is a source document for atmospheric scientists interested in using the venturi systems installed on the NASA Electra or adapting the technology to other aircraft.

  4. The analysis of a generic air-to-air missile simulation model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kaplan, Joseph A.; Chappell, Alan R.; Mcmanus, John W.

    1994-01-01

    A generic missile model was developed to evaluate the benefits of using a dynamic missile fly-out simulation system versus a static missile launch envelope system for air-to-air combat simulation. This paper examines the performance of a launch envelope model and a missile fly-out model. The launch envelope model bases its probability of killing the target aircraft on the target aircraft's position at the launch time of the weapon. The benefits gained from a launch envelope model are the simplicity of implementation and the minimal computational overhead required. A missile fly-out model takes into account the physical characteristics of the missile as it simulates the guidance, propulsion, and movement of the missile. The missile's probability of kill is based on the missile miss distance (or the minimum distance between the missile and the target aircraft). The problems associated with this method of modeling are a larger computational overhead, the additional complexity required to determine the missile miss distance, and the additional complexity of determining the reason(s) the missile missed the target. This paper evaluates the two methods and compares the results of running each method on a comprehensive set of test conditions.

  5. VAB Platform K(2) Lift & Install into Highbay 3

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-07

    Preparations are underway to lift the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket up from High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be lifted up and over the transfer aisle and then lowered into High Bay 3 for installation. It will be secured about 86 feet above the VAB floor, on tower E of the high bay. The K work platforms will provide access to the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

  6. VAB Platform K(2) Lift & Install into Highbay 3

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-07

    A 250-ton crane is used to lift the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket up from High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be lifted up and over the transfer aisle and then lowered into High Bay 3 for installation. It will be secured about 86 feet above the VAB floor, on tower E of the high bay. The K work platforms will provide access to the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

  7. VAB Platform K(2) Lift & Install into Highbay 3

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-07

    A 250-ton crane is used to lift the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket up from High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform is being lifted up and over the transfer aisle and will be lowered into High Bay 3 for installation. It will be secured about 86 feet above the VAB floor, on tower E of the high bay. The K work platforms will provide access to the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

  8. Launch Order, Launch Separation, and Loiter in the Constellation 1 1/2-Launch Solution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stromgren, Chel; Cates, Grant; Cirillo, William

    2009-01-01

    The NASA Constellation Program (CxP) is developing a two-element Earth-to-Orbit launch system to enable human exploration of the Moon. The first element, Ares I, is a human-rated system that consists of a first stage based on the Space Shuttle Program's solid rocket booster (SRB) and an upper stage that consists of a four-crew Orion capsule, a service module, and a Launch Escape System. The second element, Ares V, is a Saturn V-plus category launch system that consists of the core stage with a cluster of six RS-68B engines and augmented with two 5.5-segment SRBs, a Saturn-derived J-2X engine powering an Earth Departure Stage (EDS), and the lunar-lander vehicle payload, Altair. Initial plans called for the Ares V to be launched first, followed the next day by the Ares I. After the EDS performs the final portion of ascent and subsequent orbit circularization, the Orion spacecraft then performs a rendezvous and docks with the EDS and its Altair payload. Following checkout, the integrated stack loiters in low Earth orbit (LEO) until the appropriate Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI) window opportunity opens, at which time the EDS propels the integrated Orion Altair to the Moon. Successful completion of this 1 1/2-launch solution carries risks related to both the orbital lifetime of the assets and the probability of achieving the launch of the second vehicle within the orbital lifetime of the first. These risks, which are significant in terms of overall system design choices and probability of mission success, dictated a thorough reevaluation of the launch strategy, including the order of vehicle launch and the planned time period between launches. The goal of the effort described in this paper was to select a launch strategy that would result in the greatest possible expected system performance, while accounting for launch risks and the cost of increased orbital lifetime. Discrete Event Simulation (DES) model of the launch strategies was created to determine the probability

  9. View of the Endeavour moving towards it launch pad

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1996-06-06

    STS077-S-044 (16 April 1996) --- The Space Shuttle Endeavour atop the Mobile Launcher Platform and Crawler-Transporter (MLP/CT) slowly lumbers past a tree alongside the crawlerway, at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Launch Pad 39B will take about five to six hours to complete. Once hard down at the pad, preparations will continue to ready Endeavour for its upcoming spaceflight on STS-77.

  10. Space Logistics: Launch Capabilities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Furnas, Randall B.

    1989-01-01

    The current maximum launch capability for the United States are shown. The predicted Earth-to-orbit requirements for the United States are presented. Contrasting the two indicates the strong National need for a major increase in Earth-to-orbit lift capability. Approximate weights for planned payloads are shown. NASA is studying the following options to meet the need for a new heavy-lift capability by mid to late 1990's: (1) Shuttle-C for near term (include growth versions); and (2) the Advanced Lauching System (ALS) for the long term. The current baseline two-engine Shuttle-C has a 15 x 82 ft payload bay and an expected lift capability of 82,000 lb to Low Earth Orbit. Several options are being considered which have expanded diameter payload bays. A three-engine Shuttle-C with an expected lift of 145,000 lb to LEO is being evaluated as well. The Advanced Launch System (ALS) is a potential joint development between the Air Force and NASA. This program is focused toward long-term launch requirements, specifically beyond the year 2000. The basic approach is to develop a family of vehicles with the same high reliability as the Shuttle system, yet offering a much greater lift capability at a greatly reduced cost (per pound of payload). The ALS unmanned family of vehicles will provide a low end lift capability equivalent to Titan IV, and a high end lift capability greater than the Soviet Energia if requirements for such a high-end vehicle are defined.In conclusion, the planning of the next generation space telescope should not be constrained to the current launch vehicles. New vehicle designs will be driven by the needs of anticipated heavy users.

  11. The Z1 truss is transported to Launch Pad 39A

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2000-01-01

    At Launch Pad 39A, the payload canister at left draws closer to the Rotating Service Structure where it will be lifted to the Payload Changeout Room. There its cargo, the Integrated Truss Structure Z1, will be removed and later transferred to Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay. Discovery is at right, sitting atop the Mobile Launcher Platform. The Z1 truss is the first of 10 that will become the backbone of the International Space Station, eventually stretching the length of a football field. Along with its companion payload, the third Pressurized Mating Adapter, the Z1 is scheduled to be launched aboard Discovery Oct. 5 at 9:38 p.m. EDT.

  12. The Z1 truss is transported to Launch Pad 39A

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2000-01-01

    At Launch Pad 39A, the payload canister with the Integrated Truss Structure Z1 inside arrives at the spot under the Rotating Service Structure where the canister can be lifted to the Payload Changeout Room. There the Z1 truss will be removed and later transferred to Space Shuttle Discovery's payload bay. Discovery is at right, sitting atop the Mobile Launcher Platform. The Z1 truss is the first of 10 that will become the backbone of the International Space Station, eventually stretching the length of a football field. Along with its companion payload, the third Pressurized Mating Adapter, the Z1 is scheduled to be launched aboard Discovery Oct. 5 at 9:38 p.m. EDT.

  13. An employee works on the top side of the experiment platform for the Huygens probe in the PHSF

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1997-01-01

    An employee in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) works on the top side of the experiment platform for the Huygens probe that will accompany the Cassini orbiter to Saturn during prelaunch processing, testing and integration in that facility. The Huygens probe and the Cassini orbiter being processed at KSC are the two primary components of the Cassini spacecraft, which will be launched on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Following postflight inspections, integration of the 12 science instruments not already installed on the orbiter will be completed. Then, the parabolic high-gain antenna and the propulsion module will be mated to the orbiter, followed by the Huygens probe, which will complete spacecraft integration. The Cassini mission is targeted for an Oct. 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004.

  14. The Mars Climate Orbiter launches from Pad 17A, CCAS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    A Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle lifts off with NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter at 1:45:51 p.m. EST, on Dec. 11, 1998, from Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The launch was delayed one day when personnel detected a battery-related software problem in the spacecraft. The problem was corrected and the launch was rescheduled for the next day. The first of a pair of spacecraft to be launched in the Mars Surveyor '98 Project, the orbiter is heading for Mars where it will first provide support to its companion Mars Polar Lander spacecraft, which is planned for launch on Jan. 3, 1999. The orbiter's instruments will then monitor the Martian atmosphere and image the planet's surface on a daily basis for one Martian year (1.8 Earth years). It will observe the appearance and movement of atmospheric dust and water vapor, as well as characterize seasonal changes on the surface. The detailed images of the surface features will provide important clues to the planet's early climate history and give scientists more information about possible liquid water reserves beneath the surface.

  15. Shipping InSight Mars Spacecraft to California for Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-12-17

    Personnel supporting NASA's InSight mission to Mars load the crated InSight spacecraft into a C-17 cargo aircraft at Buckley Air Force Base, Denver, for shipment to Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The spacecraft, built in Colorado by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, was shipped Dec. 16, 2015, in preparation for launch from Vandenberg in March 2016. InSight, for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is the first mission dedicated to studying the deep interior of Mars. Its findings will advance understanding of the early history of all rocky planets, including Earth. Note: After thorough examination, NASA managers have decided to suspend the planned March 2016 launch of the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission. The decision follows unsuccessful attempts to repair a leak in a section of the prime instrument in the science payload. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20278

  16. STS-45 Atlantis, OV-104, lifts off from KSC Launch Complex (LC) Pad

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1992-03-24

    STS-45 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, lifts off from a Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) Pad at 8:13:40:048 am (Eastern Standard Time (EST)). Exhaust billows out the solid rocket boosters (SRBs) as OV-104 atop its external tank (ET) soars above the mobile launcher platform and is nearly clear of the fixed service structure (FSS) tower. The diamond shock effect produced by the space shuttle main engines (SSMEs) is visible. The glow of the SRB/SSME firings is reflected in a nearby waterway. An exhaust cloud covers the launch pad area.

  17. INTELSAT III LIFTS OFF FROM LC 17A ABOARD A DELTA LAUNCH VEHICLE

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1968-01-01

    A Delta launch vehicle carrying the Intelsat III spacecraft was launched from Complex 17 at 8:09 p.m. EDT. A malfunction in flight resulted in the rocket breaking up some 102 seconds into the mission. Destruct action was initiated by the Air Force East Test Range some six seconds later when it was apparent that the mission could not succeed.

  18. 78. PIPING CHANNEL FOR FUEL LOADING, FUEL TOPPING, COMPRESSED AIR, ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    78. PIPING CHANNEL FOR FUEL LOADING, FUEL TOPPING, COMPRESSED AIR, GASEOUS NITROGEN, AND HELIUM - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Pad 3 East, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

  19. Long-Term Outdoor Reliability Assessment of a Wireless Unit for Air-Quality Monitoring Based on Nanostructured Films Integrated on Micromachined Platforms

    PubMed Central

    Leccardi, Matteo; Decarli, Massimiliano; Lorenzelli, Leandro; Milani, Paolo; Mettala, Petteri; Orava, Risto; Barborini, Emanuele

    2012-01-01

    We have fabricated and tested in long-term field operating conditions a wireless unit for outdoor air quality monitoring. The unit is equipped with two multiparametric sensors, one miniaturized thermo-hygrometer, front-end analogical and digital electronics, and an IEEE 802.15.4 based module for wireless data transmission. Micromachined platforms were functionalized with nanoporous metal-oxides to obtain multiparametric sensors, hosting gas-sensitive, anemometric and temperature transducers. Nanoporous metal-oxide layer was directly deposited on gas sensing regions of micromachined platform batches by hard-mask patterned supersonic cluster beam deposition. An outdoor, roadside experiment was arranged in downtown Milan (Italy), where one wireless sensing unit was continuously operated side by side with standard gas chromatographic instrumentation for air quality measurements. By means of a router PC, data from sensing unit and other instrumentation were collected, merged, and sent to a remote data storage server, through an UMTS device. The whole-system robustness as well as sensor dataset characteristics were continuously characterized over a run-time period of 18 months. PMID:22969394

  20. Rockot Launch Vehicle Commercial Operations for Grace and Iridium Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Viertel, Y.; Kinnersley, M.; Schumacher, I.

    2002-01-01

    payloads of up to 1900 kilograms in near- earth orbit. The rocket is 29 meters long with a diameter of 2.5 meters. The launch weight is about 107 tons. Satellite launches with Rockot are a service offered and carried out by Eurockot Launch Service GmbH. It is a European Russian joint venture which is 51% controlled by Astrium and 49 % by Khrunichev, Russia's leading launch vehicle firm. The Rockot vehicles can be launched from Plesetsk in northern Russia and Baikonur in Kazakhstan. EUROCKOT provides a wide choice of flight-proven adapters and multi-satellite platforms to the customer to allow such payloads to be accommodated. These range from the Russian Single Pyro Point Attachment System (SPPA)

  1. A Comparison of Platforms for the Aerial Exploration of Titan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wright, Henry S.; Gasbarre, Joseph F.; Levine, Joel S.

    2005-01-01

    Exploration of Titan, envisioned as a follow-on to the highly successful Cassini-Huygens mission, is described in this paper. A mission blending measurements from a dedicated orbiter and an in-situ aerial explorer is discussed. Summary description of the science rationale and the mission architecture, including the orbiter, is provided. The mission has been sized to ensure it can be accommodated on an existing expendable heavy-lift launch vehicle. A launch to Titan in 2018 with a 6-year time of flight to Titan using a combination of Solar Electric Propulsion and aeroassist (direct entry and aerocapture) forms the basic mission architecture. A detailed assessment of different platforms for aerial exploration of Titan has been performed. A rationale for the selection of the airship as the baseline platform is provided. Detailed description of the airship, its subsystems, and its operational strategies are provided.

  2. NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-04-15

    Social Media participants gathered at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Sunday, April 15 to hear from NASA and its partners about the agnecy’s next-generation planet hunting satellite. NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is scheduled to launch April 16 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

  3. 12. DETAIL, ENTRY STAIRWELL TO CABLE TUNNEL, LAUNCHING PAD IN ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    12. DETAIL, ENTRY STAIRWELL TO CABLE TUNNEL, LAUNCHING PAD IN THE LEFT DISTANCE, TRACKSIDE CAMERA STAND AT TOP CENTER. - Edwards Air Force Base, South Base Sled Track, Firing Control Blockhouse, South of Sled Track at east end, Lancaster, Los Angeles County, CA

  4. STS-95 Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson suits up for launch

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    STS-95 Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson gives a thumbs up as he dons his flight suit in the Operations and Checkout Building with the help of suit tech George Brittingham (lower right). The final fitting takes place prior to the crew walkout and transport to Launch Pad 39B. Targeted for launch at 2 p.m. EST on Oct. 29, the mission is expected to last 8 days, 21 hours and 49 minutes, and return to KSC at 11:49 a.m. EST on Nov. 7. The STS-95 mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process.

  5. STS-95 Mission Specialist Pedro Duque suits up for launch

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    STS-95 Mission Specialist Pedro Duque of Spain, with the European Space Agency, is helped with his flight suit by suit tech Tommy McDonald in the Operations and Checkout Building. The final fitting takes place prior to the crew walkout and transport to Launch Pad 39B. Targeted for launch at 2 p.m. EST on Oct. 29, the mission is expected to last 8 days, 21 hours and 49 minutes, and return to KSC at 11:49 a.m. EST on Nov. 7. The STS-95 mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process.

  6. STS-30 Atlantis, OV-104, at KSC LC Pad 39B atop mobile launcher platform

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1989-01-01

    STS-30 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, arrives at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) Pad 39B atop mobile launcher platform. The fixed service structure (FSS) towers above OV-104, its external tank (ET), and its solid rocket boosters (SRBs). The rotating service structure (RSS) is retracted. The launch tower catwalks are also retracted.

  7. A study to identify and compare airborne systems for in-situ measurements of launch vehicle effluents

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thomas, T. J.; Chace, A. S.

    1974-01-01

    An in-situ system for monitoring the concentration of HCl, CO, CO2, and Al2O3 in the cloud of reaction products that form as a result of a launch of solid propellant launch vehicle is studied. A wide array of instrumentation and platforms are reviewed to yield the recommended system. An airborne system suited to monitoring pollution concentrations over urban areas for the purpose of calibrating remote sensors is then selected using a similar methodology to yield the optimal configuration.

  8. 14 CFR 101.27 - ATC notification for all launches.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... (CONTINUED) AIR TRAFFIC AND GENERAL OPERATING RULES MOORED BALLOONS, KITES, AMATEUR ROCKETS AND UNMANNED FREE BALLOONS Amateur Rockets § 101.27 ATC notification for all launches. No person may operate an unmanned rocket other than a Class 1—Model Rocket unless that person gives the following information to the FAA...

  9. 14 CFR 101.27 - ATC notification for all launches.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... (CONTINUED) AIR TRAFFIC AND GENERAL OPERATING RULES MOORED BALLOONS, KITES, AMATEUR ROCKETS AND UNMANNED FREE BALLOONS Amateur Rockets § 101.27 ATC notification for all launches. No person may operate an unmanned rocket other than a Class 1—Model Rocket unless that person gives the following information to the FAA...

  10. 14 CFR 101.27 - ATC notification for all launches.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... (CONTINUED) AIR TRAFFIC AND GENERAL OPERATING RULES MOORED BALLOONS, KITES, AMATEUR ROCKETS AND UNMANNED FREE BALLOONS Amateur Rockets § 101.27 ATC notification for all launches. No person may operate an unmanned rocket other than a Class 1—Model Rocket unless that person gives the following information to the FAA...

  11. 14 CFR 101.27 - ATC notification for all launches.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... (CONTINUED) AIR TRAFFIC AND GENERAL OPERATING RULES MOORED BALLOONS, KITES, AMATEUR ROCKETS AND UNMANNED FREE BALLOONS Amateur Rockets § 101.27 ATC notification for all launches. No person may operate an unmanned rocket other than a Class 1—Model Rocket unless that person gives the following information to the FAA...

  12. 14 CFR 101.27 - ATC notification for all launches.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... (CONTINUED) AIR TRAFFIC AND GENERAL OPERATING RULES MOORED BALLOONS, KITES, AMATEUR ROCKETS AND UNMANNED FREE BALLOONS Amateur Rockets § 101.27 ATC notification for all launches. No person may operate an unmanned rocket other than a Class 1—Model Rocket unless that person gives the following information to the FAA...

  13. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) observatory is moved toward the outside of the launch tower. It will be lowered and taken back to NASA Spacecraft Hangar AE. SIRTF will remain in the clean room at Hangar AE until it returns to the pad in early August.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-05-02

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) observatory is moved toward the outside of the launch tower. It will be lowered and taken back to NASA Spacecraft Hangar AE. SIRTF will remain in the clean room at Hangar AE until it returns to the pad in early August.

  14. Canadian Space Launch: Exploiting Northern Latitudes For Efficient Space Launch

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-04-01

    9  Peoples’ Republic of China .........................................................................................11  USA Launch... taxation and legislation that make Canada an attractive destination for commercial space companies.3 General Definitions Highly Inclined Orbit...launches from sites north of the 35th parallel.33 USA Launch Facilities There are 3 US based launch facilities that conduct launch operations north

  15. Orion Launch Abort System Performance During Exploration Flight Test 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McCauley, Rachel; Davidson, John; Gonzalez, Guillo

    2015-01-01

    The Orion Launch Abort System Office is taking part in flight testing to enable certification that the system is capable of delivering the astronauts aboard the Orion Crew Module to a safe environment during both nominal and abort conditions. Orion is a NASA program, Exploration Flight Test 1 is managed and led by the Orion prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, and launched on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket. Although the Launch Abort System Office has tested the critical systems to the Launch Abort System jettison event on the ground, the launch environment cannot be replicated completely on Earth. During Exploration Flight Test 1, the Launch Abort System was to verify the function of the jettison motor to separate the Launch Abort System from the crew module so it can continue on with the mission. Exploration Flight Test 1 was successfully flown on December 5, 2014 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 37. This was the first flight test of the Launch Abort System preforming Orion nominal flight mission critical objectives. The abort motor and attitude control motors were inert for Exploration Flight Test 1, since the mission did not require abort capabilities. Exploration Flight Test 1 provides critical data that enable engineering to improve Orion's design and reduce risk for the astronauts it will protect as NASA continues to move forward on its human journey to Mars. The Exploration Flight Test 1 separation event occurred at six minutes and twenty seconds after liftoff. The separation of the Launch Abort System jettison occurs once Orion is safely through the most dynamic portion of the launch. This paper will present a brief overview of the objectives of the Launch Abort System during a nominal Orion flight. Secondly, the paper will present the performance of the Launch Abort System at it fulfilled those objectives. The lessons learned from Exploration Flight Test 1 and the other Flight Test Vehicles will certainly

  16. Exploring the Spatial Representativeness of NAAQS and Near Roadway Sites Using High-Spatial Resolution Air Pollution Maps Produced by A Mobile Mapping Platform

    EPA Science Inventory

    In the current study, three Google Street View cars were equipped with the Aclima Environmental Intelligence ™ Platform. The air pollutants of interest, including O3, NO, NO2, CO2, black carbon, and particle number in several size ranges, were measured using a suite of fast...

  17. 7. "LAUNCH SILOS; SECTIONS, DETAILS." Specifications No. ENG043535973; Drawing No. ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    7. "LAUNCH SILOS; SECTIONS, DETAILS." Specifications No. ENG-04-353-59-73; Drawing No. 5841-S-4; D.O. SERIES AW1525/26 Rev. A.; Stamped: RECORD DRAWING - AS CONSTRUCTED. Below stamp: Contract No. 6601, Rev. A., Date 11 Sep 59. - Edwards Air Force Base, Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, Missile Silo Type, Test Area 1-100, northeast end of Test Area 1-100 Road, Boron, Kern County, CA

  18. 6. "LAUNCH SILOS, PLAN AND DETAILS." Specifications No. OC15973; Drawing ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    6. "LAUNCH SILOS, PLAN AND DETAILS." Specifications No. OC1-59-73; Drawing No. 5841 S-3; D.O. SERIES AW-1525/25 Rev. A.; Stamped: RECORD DRAWING - AS CONSTRUCTED. Below stamp: Contract No. 6601, Rev. A., Date 11 Sep 59. - Edwards Air Force Base, Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, Missile Silo Type, Test Area 1-100, northeast end of Test Area 1-100 Road, Boron, Kern County, CA

  19. 36. GENERAL VIEW OF SLC3W MST STATION 85.5 FROM SOUTHEAST ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    36. GENERAL VIEW OF SLC-3W MST STATION 85.5 FROM SOUTHEAST CORNER SHOWING REMOVABLE SAFETY RAILS AROUND CENTRAL OPENING, STRETCH SLING CYLINDER, AND PULLEY ON WEST SIDE, AIR-CONDITIONING DUCTING IN NORTHWEST CORNER, PLATFORM SEGMENTS AND HINGES - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Pad 3 West, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

  20. U.S. Space Station platform - Configuration technology for customer servicing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dezio, Joseph A.; Walton, Barbara A.

    1987-01-01

    Features of the Space Station coorbiting and polar orbiting platforms (COP and POP, respectively) are described that will allow them to be configured optimally to meet mission requirements and to be assembled, serviced, and modified on-orbit. Both of these platforms were designed to permit servicing at the Shuttle using the remote manipulator system with teleoperated end effectors; EVA was planned as a backup and for unplanned payload failure modes. Station-based servicing is discussed as well as expendable launch vehicle-based servicing concepts.

  1. The Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel(UPWT) Test 1891 Space Launch System

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-10-15

    Stage Separation Test of the Space Launch System(SLS) in the Langley Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT). The model used High Pressure air blown through the solid rocket boosters. (SRB) to simulate the booster separation motors (BSM) firing.

  2. The Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel(UPWT) Test 1891 Space Launch System

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-10-14

    Stage Separation Test of the Space Launch System(SLS) in the Langley Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT). The model used High Pressure air blown through the solid rocket boosters. (SRB) to simulate the booster separation motors (BSM) firing.

  3. The Mars Climate Orbiter at Launch Complex 17A, CCAS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    At Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, workers place aside a piece of the canister surrounding the Mars Climate Orbiter. Targeted for liftoff on Dec. 10, 1998, aboard a Boeing Delta II (7425) rocket, the orbiter will be the first spacecraft to be launched in the pair of Mars '98 missions. After its arrival at the red planet, the Mars Climate Orbiter will be used primarily to support its companion Mars Polar Lander spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Jan. 3, 1999. The orbiter will then monitor the Martian atmosphere and image the planet's surface on a daily basis for one Martian year, the equivalent of about two Earth years. The spacecraft will observe the appearance and movement of atmospheric dust and water vapor, and characterize seasonal changes on the planet's surface.

  4. The Mars Climate Orbiter at Launch Complex 17A, CCAS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    At Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, workers remove the canister surrounding the Mars Climate Orbiter. Targeted for liftoff on Dec. 10, 1998, aboard a Boeing Delta II (7425) rocket, the orbiter will be the first spacecraft to be launched in the pair of Mars '98 missions. After its arrival at the red planet, the Mars Climate Orbiter will be used primarily to support its companion Mars Polar Lander spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Jan. 3, 1999. The orbiter will then monitor the Martian atmosphere and image the planet's surface on a daily basis for one Martian year, the equivalent of about two Earth years. The spacecraft will observe the appearance and movement of atmospheric dust and water vapor, and characterize seasonal changes on the planet's surface.

  5. Cygnus Orbital ATK OA-6 Post Launch Press Conference

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-23

    In the Press Site auditorium of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA and industry leaders speak to members of the news media at a post-launch news conference following the liftoff of Orbital ATK CRS-6, a commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station, or ISS. From left are: Kathryn Hambleton of NASA Communications; Kenneth Todd, NASA ISS Operations Integration manager; Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK's Space System Group; Vern Thorp, United Space Alliance's program manager for NASA missions. The Cygnus spacecraft lifted off atop an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 11:05 p.m. EDT.

  6. Cygnus Orbital ATK OA-6 Post Launch Press Conference

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-03-23

    In the Press Site auditorium of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA and industry leaders speak to members of the news media at a post-launch news conference following the liftoff of Orbital ATK CRS-6, a commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station, or ISS. From left are: Kenneth Todd, NASA ISS Operations Integration manager; Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK's Space System Group; Vern Thorp, United Space Alliance's program manager for NASA missions. The Cygnus spacecraft lifted off atop an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 11:05 p.m. EDT.

  7. First Stage of a Highly Reliable Reusable Launch System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kloesel, Kurt J.; Pickrel, Jonathan B.; Sayles, Emily L.; Wright, Michael; Marriott, Darin; Holland, Leo; Kuznetsov, Stephen

    2009-01-01

    Electromagnetic launch assist has the potential to provide a highly reliable reusable first stage to a space access system infrastructure at a lower overall cost. This paper explores the benefits of a smaller system that adds the advantages of a high specific impulse air-breathing stage and supersonic launch speeds. The method of virtual specific impulse is introduced as a tool to emphasize the gains afforded by launch assist. Analysis shows launch assist can provide a 278-s virtual specific impulse for a first-stage solid rocket. Additional trajectory analysis demonstrates that a system composed of a launch-assisted first-stage ramjet plus a bipropellant second stage can provide a 48-percent gross lift-off weight reduction versus an all-rocket system. The combination of high-speed linear induction motors and ramjets is identified, as the enabling technologies and benchtop prototypes are investigated. The high-speed response of a standard 60 Hz linear induction motor was tested with a pulse width modulated variable frequency drive to 150 Hz using a 10-lb load, achieving 150 mph. A 300-Hz stator-compensated linear induction motor was constructed and static-tested to 1900 lbf average. A matching ramjet design was developed for use on the 300-Hz linear induction motor.

  8. Recommendations for a wind profiling network to support Space Shuttle launches

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zamora, R. J.

    1992-01-01

    The feasibility is examined of a network of clear air radar wind profilers to forecast wind conditions before Space Shuttle launches during winter. Currently, winds are measured only in the vicinity of the shuttle launch site and wind loads on the launch vehicle are estimated using these measurements. Wind conditions upstream of the Cape are not monitored. Since large changes in the wind shear profile can be associated with weather systems moving over the Cape, it may be possible to improve wind forecasts over the launch site if wind measurements are made upstream. A radar wind profiling system is in use at the Space Shuttle launch site. This system can monitor the wind profile continuously. The existing profiler could be combined with a number of radars located upstream of the launch site. Thus, continuous wind measurements would be available upstream and at the Cape. NASA-Marshall representatives have set the requirements for radar wind profiling network. The minimum vertical resolution of the network must be set so that the wind shears over the depths greater than or = 1 km will be detected. The network should allow scientists and engineers to predict the wind profile over the Cape 6 hours before a Space Shuttle launch.

  9. Assimilation of Wind Profiles from Multiple Doppler Radar Wind Profilers for Space Launch Vehicle Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Decker, Ryan K.; Walker, John R.; Barbre, Robert E., Jr.; Leach, Richard D.

    2015-01-01

    Atmospheric wind data are required by space launch vehicles in order to assess flight vehicle loads and performance on day-of-launch. Space launch ranges at NASA's Kennedy Space Center co-located with the United States Air Force's (USAF) Eastern Range (ER) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and USAF's Western Range (WR) at Vandenberg Air Force Base have extensive networks of in-situ and remote sensing instrumentation to measure atmospheric winds. Each instrument's technique to measure winds has advantages and disadvantages in regards to use within vehicle trajectory analyses. Balloons measure wind at all altitudes necessary for vehicle assessments, but two primary disadvantages exist when applying balloon output. First, balloons require approximately one hour to reach required altitudes. Second, balloons are steered by atmospheric winds down range of the launch site that could significantly differ from those winds along the vehicle ascent trajectory. These issues are mitigated by use of vertically pointing Doppler Radar Wind Profilers (DRWPs). However, multiple DRWP instruments are required to provide wind data over altitude ranges necessary for vehicle trajectory assessments. The various DRWP systems have different operating configurations resulting in different temporal and spatial sampling intervals. Therefore, software was developed to combine data from both DRWP-generated profiles into a single profile for use in vehicle trajectory analyses. This paper will present details of the splicing software algorithms and will provide sample output.

  10. First in new environmental spacecraft series to be launched

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1978-01-01

    A series of operational meteorological monitoring satellites (TIROS-N) is described. Emphasis is placed on environmental monitoring instruments onboard the satellites that provide technological advances over previous sensors. Benefits in the areas of weather forecasting, oceanography, water resource management, and flood forecasting are discussed along with the operational capability to collect and transmit environmental data from platforms on land, at sea, and airborne, and to track stations motion. The participation of Canada, Great Britain, and France is mentioned and a description of the launch vehicle is included.

  11. 19. DETAIL OF AIR FORCE WEATHER INFORMATION TERMINAL AND CHART ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    19. DETAIL OF AIR FORCE WEATHER INFORMATION TERMINAL AND CHART RECORDER LOCATED IMMEDIATELY NORTH OF CONSOLE IN PHOTOS A-15 THROUGH A-18. - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Operations Building, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

  12. NASA's Space Launch System: Affordability for Sustainability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    May, Todd A.; Creech, Stephen D.

    2012-01-01

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Space Launch System (SLS) Program, managed at the Marshall Space Flight Center, is charged with delivering a new capability for human exploration beyond Earth orbit in an austere economic climate. But the SLS value is clear and codified in United States (U.S.) budget law. The SLS Program knows that affordability is the key to sustainability and will provide an overview of initiatives designed to fit within the funding guidelines by using existing engine assets and hardware now in testing to meet a first launch by 2017 within the projected budget. It also has a long-range plan to keep the budget flat, yet evolve the 70-tonne (t) initial lift capability to 130-t lift capability after the first two flights. To achieve the evolved configuration, advanced technologies must offer appropriate return on investment to be selected through the competitive process. For context, the SLS will be larger than the Saturn V that took 12 men on 6 trips for a total of 11 days on the lunar surface some 40 years ago. Astronauts train for long-duration voyages on platforms such as the International Space Station, but have not had transportation to go beyond Earth orbit in modern times, until now. To arrive at the launch vehicle concept, the SLS Program conducted internal engineering and business studies that have been externally validated by industry and reviewed by independent assessment panels. In parallel with SLS concept studies, NASA is now refining its mission manifest, guided by U.S. space policy and the Global Exploration Roadmap, which reflects the mutual goals of a dozen member nations. This mission planning will converge with a flexible heavy-lift rocket that can carry international crews and the air, water, food, and equipment they need for extended trips to asteroids and Mars. In addition, the SLS capability will accommodate very large science instruments and other payloads, using a series of modular fairings and

  13. First night launch of a Saturn I launch vehicle

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1965-05-25

    First night time launching of a Saturn I launch vehicle took place at 2:35 a.m., May 25, 1965, with the launch of the second Pegasus meteoroid detection satellite from Complex 37, Cape Kennedy, Florida.

  14. The Mars Climate Orbiter awaits launch from Pad 17A, CCAS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    After launch tower retraction, the Boeing Delta II rocket carrying NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter undergoes final preparations for liftoff on Dec. 11, 1998, at Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The launch was delayed one day when personnel detected a battery-related software problem in the spacecraft. The problem was corrected and the launch was rescheduled for the next day. The first of a pair of spacecraft in the Mars Surveyor '98 Project, the orbiter is heading for Mars where it will first provide support to its companion Mars Polar Lander spacecraft, which is planned for launch on Jan. 3, 1999. The orbiter's instruments will then monitor the Martian atmosphere and image the planet's surface on a daily basis for one Martian year (1.8 Earth years). It will observe the appearance and movement of atmospheric dust and water vapor, as well as characterize seasonal changes on the surface. The detailed images of the surface features will provide important clues to the planet's early climate history and give scientists more information about possible liquid water reserves beneath the surface.

  15. NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-04-15

    NASA and industry leaders speak to NASA Social participants about the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking to the group is Tom Barclay, TESS scientist, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. TESS is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. The satellite will survey the nearest and brightest stars for two years to search for transiting exoplanets. TESS will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than 6:32 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 16.

  16. NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-04-15

    NASA and industry leaders speak to NASA Social participants about the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking to the group is Zach Berta-Thompson, assistant professor, University of Colorado Boulder. TESS is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. The satellite will survey the nearest and brightest stars for two years to search for transiting exoplanets. TESS will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than 6:32 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 16.

  17. NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-04-15

    NASA and industry leaders speak to NASA Social participants about the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking to the group is Elisa Quintana, TESS scientist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. TESS is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. The satellite will survey the nearest and brightest stars for two years to search for transiting exoplanets. TESS will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than 6:32 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 16.

  18. NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-04-15

    NASA and industry leaders speak to NASA Social participants about the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speaking to the group is Natalia Guerrero, TESS researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. TESS is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. The satellite will survey the nearest and brightest stars for two years to search for transiting exoplanets. TESS will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than 6:32 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 16.

  19. Design options for advanced manned launch systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Freeman, Delma C.; Talay, Theodore A.; Stanley, Douglas O.; Lepsch, Roger A.; Wilhite, Alan W.

    1995-03-01

    Various concepts for advanced manned launch systems are examined for delivery missions to space station and polar orbit. Included are single-and two-stage winged systems with rocket and/or air-breathing propulsion systems. For near-term technologies, two-stage reusable rocket systems are favored over single-stage rocket or two-stage air-breathing/rocket systems. Advanced technologies enable viable single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) concepts. Although two-stage rocket systems continue to be lighter in dry weight than SSTO vehicles, advantages in simpler operations may make SSTO vehicles more cost-effective over the life cycle. Generally, rocket systems maintain a dry-weight advantage over air-breathing systems at the advanced technology levels, but to a lesser degree than when near-term technologies are used. More detailed understanding of vehicle systems and associated ground and flight operations requirements and procedures is essential in determining quantitative discrimination between these latter concepts.

  20. STS-99 Endeavour rolls out to Launch Pad 39A

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    Framed by branches of oak leaves in this photo, Space Shuttle Endeavour, on its mobile launcher platform, is transferred to Launch Pad 39B via the crawler-transporter. The van behind it is barely noticeable next to the gigantic stature of the moving vehicle. Launch of STS-103 is targeted for Dec. 16 at 9:18 p.m. EST. The crew, comprising Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, and Mission Specialists Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), Claude Nicollier of Switzerland, with the European Space Agency (ESA), and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France, also with ESA, will be servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, replacing gyros, insulation and equipment in up to three space walks. Landing is targeted for Dec. 26 about 6:56 p.m. at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility.

  1. 13. WALKWAY FROM LAUNCHING PAD TO CABLE TUNNEL STAIRWELL, ALSO ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    13. WALKWAY FROM LAUNCHING PAD TO CABLE TUNNEL STAIRWELL, ALSO SHOWING A PROTECTIVE BERM AT TOP LEFT, AND FIRING CONTROL BLOCKHOUSE 0545 AT TOP RIGHT. - Edwards Air Force Base, South Base Sled Track, Firing Control Blockhouse, South of Sled Track at east end, Lancaster, Los Angeles County, CA

  2. SpaceX Jason-3 Live Launch Broadcast - Part 1 of 4

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-01-17

    At Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Jason-3 spacecraft into orbit for NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and EUMETSAT, the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. Built by Thales Alenia of France, Jason-3 will measure the topography of the ocean surface for a four-agency international partnership consisting of NOAA, NASA, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, France’s space agency, and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.

  3. SpaceX Jason-3 Live Launch Broadcast - Part 4 of 4

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-01-17

    At Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Jason-3 spacecraft into orbit for NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and EUMETSAT, the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. Built by Thales Alenia of France, Jason-3 will measure the topography of the ocean surface for a four-agency international partnership consisting of NOAA, NASA, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, France’s space agency, and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.

  4. SpaceX Jason-3 Live Launch Broadcast - Part 3 of 4

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-01-17

    At Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Jason-3 spacecraft into orbit for NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and EUMETSAT, the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. Built by Thales Alenia of France, Jason-3 will measure the topography of the ocean surface for a four-agency international partnership consisting of NOAA, NASA, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, France’s space agency, and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.

  5. SpaceX Jason-3 Live Launch Broadcast - Part 2 of 4

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-01-17

    At Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Jason-3 spacecraft into orbit for NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and EUMETSAT, the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. Built by Thales Alenia of France, Jason-3 will measure the topography of the ocean surface for a four-agency international partnership consisting of NOAA, NASA, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, France’s space agency, and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.

  6. OCO-2 Post Launch Briefing

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2014-07-02

    Ralph Basilio, OCO-2 project manager, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, left, Mike Miller, senior vice president, Science and Environmental Satellite Programs, Orbital Sciences Space Systems Group,and Geoff Yoder, deputy associate administrator for programs, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, right, discuss the successful launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), NASA’s first spacecraft dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, during a press briefing, Wednesday, July 2, 2014, at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. OCO-2 will measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

  7. Advanced Manned Launch System (AMLS) study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ehrlich, Carl F., Jr.; Potts, Jack; Brown, Jerry; Schell, Ken; Manley, Mary; Chen, Irving; Earhart, Richard; Urrutia, Chuck; Randolph, Ray; Morris, Jim

    1992-01-01

    To assure national leadership in space operations and exploration in the future, NASA must be able to provide cost effective and operationally efficient space transportation. Several NASA studies and the joint NASA/DoD Space Transportation Architecture Studies (STAS) have shown the need for a multi-vehicle space transportation system with designs driven by enhanced operations and low costs. NASA is currently studying an advanced manned launch system (AMLS) approach to transport crew and cargo to the Space Station Freedom. Several single and multiple stage systems from air-breathing to all-rocket concepts are being examined in a series of studies potential replacements for the Space Shuttle launch system in the 2000-2010 time frame. Rockwell International Corporation, under contract to the NASA Langley Research Center, has analyzed a two-stage all-rocket concept to determine whether this class of vehicles is appropriate for the AMLS function. The results of the pre-phase A study are discussed.

  8. STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A distant view creates a frame of leaves around the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-112. Liftoff occurred on time at 3:46 p.m. EDT. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss and CETA Cart A.

  9. STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space Shuttle Atlantis leaps from the steam and smoke billowing across Launch Pad 39B after an on-time liftoff of 3:46 p.m. EDT on mission STS-112. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss. [Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews

  10. STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The brilliance of the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis is reflected in nearby waters. Liftoff of the Shuttle on mission STS-112 occurred on time at 3:46 p.m. EDT. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss.

  11. STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - -- Space Shuttle Atlantis races toward space just after liftoff from Launch Pad 39B on mission STS-112. Liftoff occurred on time at 3:46 p.m. EDT. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A to the International Space Station (ISS). The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss.

  12. STS-112 Atlantis Launch from LC-39B

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The afternoon sun casts a shadow on Space Shuttle Atlantis as it launches on its journey to the International Space Station. Liftoff occurred on time at 3:46 p.m. EDT. Along with a crew of six, Atlantis carries the S1 Integrated Truss Structure and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart A. The CETA is the first of two human-powered carts that will ride along the ISS railway, providing mobile work platforms for future spacewalking astronauts. On the 11-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to attach the S1 truss and CETA cart.

  13. Nimbus-7 (-G) post launch report: Mission success

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Edelson, B. I.

    1983-01-01

    Nimbus-7, the last of the Nimbus series satellites, was launched from the Space and Missile Test Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California on October 24, 1978. The purpose of the mission was to collect global data of the Earth's atmosphere, oceans and polar ice with a payload of eight interdisciplinary research experiments. These experiments represent both domestic and international, scientific and governmental communities.

  14. SSV Launch Monitoring Strategies: HGDS Design and Development Through System Maturity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shoemaker, Marc D.; Crimi, Thomas

    2010-01-01

    This poster presentation reviews the design and development of the Hazardous Gas Detection System (HGDS). It includes a overview schematic of the HGDS, pictures of the shuttle on the Mobile Launch platform, the original HGDS, the current HGDS and parts of the original and current system. There are charts showing the dynamics of the orbiter during external tank loading, and transient leaks observed on HGDS during Power Reactant Storage and Distribution (PRSD) load.

  15. Final Environmental Assessment: Falcon 9 and Falcon 9 Heavy Launch Vehicle Programs from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-03-01

    display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 01 MAR 2011 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2011 to 00-00-2011 4. TITLE...space launch into polar and sunsynchronous orbits, which are typically used for imaging, earth observation, and weather satellites. SUMMARY OF...Ynez River estuary, which although outside the overpressure and overflight zones, is within the 100 dBA noise zone. To date no launches originating

  16. The Mars Climate Orbiter at Launch Complex 17A, CCAS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    At Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, the Mars Climate Orbiter is free of the protective canister that surrounded it during the move to the pad. Targeted for liftoff on Dec. 10, 1998, aboard a Boeing Delta II (7425) rocket, the orbiter will be the first spacecraft to be launched in the pair of Mars '98 missions. After its arrival at the red planet, the Mars Climate Orbiter will be used primarily to support its companion Mars Polar Lander spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Jan. 3, 1999. The orbiter will then monitor the Martian atmosphere and image the planet's surface on a daily basis for one Martian year, the equivalent of about two Earth years. The spacecraft will observe the appearance and movement of atmospheric dust and water vapor, and characterize seasonal changes on the planet's surface.

  17. The Mars Climate Orbiter at Launch Complex 17A, CCAS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    At Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, workers get ready to remove the last piece of the canister surrounding the Mars Climate Orbiter. Targeted for liftoff on Dec. 10, 1998, aboard a Boeing Delta II (7425) rocket, the orbiter will be the first spacecraft to be launched in the pair of Mars '98 missions. After its arrival at the red planet, the Mars Climate Orbiter will be used primarily to support its companion Mars Polar Lander spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Jan. 3, 1999. The orbiter will then monitor the Martian atmosphere and image the planet's surface on a daily basis for one Martian year, the equivalent of about two Earth years. The spacecraft will observe the appearance and movement of atmospheric dust and water vapor, and characterize seasonal changes on the planet's surface.

  18. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Boeing Delta II rocket and its Mars Exploration Rover (MER-A) payload are free of the tower and ready for launch. This will be the third launch attempt in as many days after weather concerns postponed the launches June 8 and June 9. MER-A is the first of two rovers being launched to Mars. When the two rovers arrive at Mars in 2004, they will bounce to airbag-cushioned landings at sites offering a balance of favorable conditions for safe landings and interesting science. The rovers see sharper images, can explore farther and examine rocks better than anything that has ever landed on Mars. The designated site for MER-A mission is Gusev Crater, which appears to have been a crater lake. The second rover, MER-B, is scheduled to launch June 25.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-06-10

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Boeing Delta II rocket and its Mars Exploration Rover (MER-A) payload are free of the tower and ready for launch. This will be the third launch attempt in as many days after weather concerns postponed the launches June 8 and June 9. MER-A is the first of two rovers being launched to Mars. When the two rovers arrive at Mars in 2004, they will bounce to airbag-cushioned landings at sites offering a balance of favorable conditions for safe landings and interesting science. The rovers see sharper images, can explore farther and examine rocks better than anything that has ever landed on Mars. The designated site for MER-A mission is Gusev Crater, which appears to have been a crater lake. The second rover, MER-B, is scheduled to launch June 25.

  19. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Boeing Delta II rocket and its Mars Exploration Rover (MER-A) payload are free of the tower (right) and ready for launch. This will be the third launch attempt in as many days after weather concerns postponed the launches June 8 and June 9. MER-A is the first of two rovers being launched to Mars. When the two rovers arrive at Mars in 2004, they will bounce to airbag-cushioned landings at sites offering a balance of favorable conditions for safe landings and interesting science. The rovers see sharper images, can explore farther and examine rocks better than anything that has ever landed on Mars. The designated site for MER-A mission is Gusev Crater, which appears to have been a crater lake. The second rover, MER-B, is scheduled to launch June 25.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-06-10

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Boeing Delta II rocket and its Mars Exploration Rover (MER-A) payload are free of the tower (right) and ready for launch. This will be the third launch attempt in as many days after weather concerns postponed the launches June 8 and June 9. MER-A is the first of two rovers being launched to Mars. When the two rovers arrive at Mars in 2004, they will bounce to airbag-cushioned landings at sites offering a balance of favorable conditions for safe landings and interesting science. The rovers see sharper images, can explore farther and examine rocks better than anything that has ever landed on Mars. The designated site for MER-A mission is Gusev Crater, which appears to have been a crater lake. The second rover, MER-B, is scheduled to launch June 25.

  20. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Boeing Delta II rocket and its Mars Exploration Rover (MER-A) payload are viewed as the launch tower overhead rolls back. This will be the third launch attempt in as many days after weather concerns postponed the launches June 8 and June 9. MER-A is the first of two rovers being launched to Mars. When the two rovers arrive at Mars in 2004, they will bounce to airbag-cushioned landings at sites offering a balance of favorable conditions for safe landings and interesting science. The rovers see sharper images, can explore farther and examine rocks better than anything that has ever landed on Mars. The designated site for MER-A mission is Gusev Crater, which appears to have been a crater lake. The second rover, MER-B, is scheduled to launch June 25.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-06-10

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Boeing Delta II rocket and its Mars Exploration Rover (MER-A) payload are viewed as the launch tower overhead rolls back. This will be the third launch attempt in as many days after weather concerns postponed the launches June 8 and June 9. MER-A is the first of two rovers being launched to Mars. When the two rovers arrive at Mars in 2004, they will bounce to airbag-cushioned landings at sites offering a balance of favorable conditions for safe landings and interesting science. The rovers see sharper images, can explore farther and examine rocks better than anything that has ever landed on Mars. The designated site for MER-A mission is Gusev Crater, which appears to have been a crater lake. The second rover, MER-B, is scheduled to launch June 25.