Sample records for rocket launch called
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2013-04-21
The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket is seen as it launches from Pad-0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Sunday, April 21, 2013. The test launch marked the first flight of Antares and the first rocket launch from Pad-0A. The Antares rocket delivered the equivalent mass of a spacecraft, a so-called mass simulated payload, into Earth's orbit. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
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2013-04-21
NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and other guests react after having watched the successful launch of the Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Sunday, April 21, 2013. The test launch marked the first flight of Antares and the first rocket launch from Pad-0A. The Antares rocket delivered the equivalent mass of a spacecraft, a so-called mass simulated payload, into Earth's orbit. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
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2013-04-21
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and other guests react after having watched the successful launch of the Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Sunday, April 21, 2013. The test launch marked the first flight of Antares and the first rocket launch from Pad-0A. The Antares rocket delivered the equivalent mass of a spacecraft, a so-called mass simulated payload, into Earth's orbit. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
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2013-04-21
NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver talks with CEO and President of Orbital Sciences Corporation David Thompson, left, Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, Orbital Sciences Corporation Antonio Elias, second from left, and Executive Director, Va. Commercial Space Flight Authority Dale Nash, background, in the Range Control Center at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility after the successful launch of the Orbital Sciences Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) in Virginia, Sunday, April 21, 2013. The test launch marked the first flight of Antares and the first rocket launch from Pad-0A. The Antares rocket delivered the equivalent mass of a spacecraft, a so-called mass simulated payload, into Earth's orbit. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
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2011-04-27
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Technicians work with processing hardware for the Falcon 9 rocket in the Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) hangar at Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Technicians are preparing the rocket for the second launch in the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, program to demonstrate private companies' ability to launch uncrewed spacecraft into orbit. A follow-on contract, Commercial Resupply Services, calls for SpaceX to launch 12 resupply missions to the International Space Station between 2011 and 2015. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
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Tight Fits for Americas Next Moon Rocket, Ares V
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Jaap, John; Fisher, Wyatt; Richardson, Lea
2010-01-01
America has begun the development of a new heavy lift rocket which will enable humans to return to the moon and reach even farther destinations. Five decades ago, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration designed a system (called Saturn/Apollo) to carry men to the moon and back; the rocket which boosted them to the moon was the Saturn V. Saturn V was huge relative to contemporary rockets and is still the largest rocket ever launched. The new moon rocket is called Ares V. It will insert 40% more payload into low earth orbit than Saturn V; and after docking with the crew spacecraft, it will insert 50% more payload onto the translunar trajectory than Saturn V. The current design of Ares V calls for two liquid-fueled stages and 2 "strap-on" solid rockets. The solid rockets are extended-length versions of the solid rockets used on the Shuttle. The diameter of the liquid stages is at least as large as the first stage of the Saturn V; the height of the lower liquid stage (called the core stage) is longer than the external tank of the Shuttle. Huge rockets require huge infrastructure and, during the Saturn/Apollo era, America invested significantly in manufacturing, assembly and launch facilities which are still in use today. Since the Saturn/Apollo era, America has invested in additional infrastructure for the Shuttle program. Ares V must utilize this existing infrastructure, with reasonable modifications. Building a rocket with 50% more capability in the same buildings, testing it in the same test stands, shipping on the same canals under the same bridges, assembling it in the same building, rolling it to the pad on the same crawler, and launching it from the same launch pad is an engineering and logistics challenge which goes hand-in-hand with designing the structure, tanks, turbines, engines, software, etc. necessary to carry such a large payload to earth orbit and to the moon. This paper quantitatively discusses the significant "tight fits" that are constraining Ares V. The engineers designing and building the infrastructure for the Saturn/Apollo program usually added margins and growth capability; sometimes the size of existing facilities (such as the width of a draw bridge) was not a constraint. Ares V may utilize the "extra" space in the existing facilities and expand other tight fits. Some of the tight fits cannot be overcome without great expense; raising the roof on the Vertical Assembly Building for example. Other tight fits are easily overcome; the transporter at the manufacturing facility for the core stage can pass under low ceilings and later over a dike (without dragging the middle) by retracting or extending the struts which support the stage. Tight fits discussed in this paper include manufacturing (jigs, widths, heights, and local transportation), testing (test stand sizes and crane capability), transportation to the test stands and the launch site (barge, waterway, and rail), assembly (VAB internal dimensions and door size), roll-out limits, and launch pad size.
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Illustration of Ares I Launch Vehicle With Call Outs
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2006-01-01
Named for the Greek god associated with Mars, the NASA developed Ares launch vehicles will return humans to the moon and later take them to Mars and other destinations. This is an illustration of the Ares I with call outs. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Orion crew vehicle and its launch abort system. In addition to the primary mission of carrying crews of four to six astronauts to Earth orbit, Ares I may also use its 25-ton payload capacity to deliver resources and supplies to the International Space Station, or to 'park' payloads in orbit for retrieval by other spacecraft bound for the moon or other destinations. Ares I employs a single five-segment solid rocket booster, a derivative of the space shuttle solid rocket booster, for the first stage. A liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen J-2X engine derived from the J-2 engine used on the Apollo second stage will power the Ares I second stage. The Ares I can lift more than 55,000 pounds to low Earth orbit. Ares I is subject to configuration changes before it is actually launched. This illustration reflects the latest configuration as of January 2007.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Savio Odriozola, Siomel; de Meneses, Francisco Carlos, Jr.; Muralikrishna, Polinaya; Alvares Pimenta, Alexandre; Alam Kherani, Esfhan
2017-03-01
A two-stage VS-30 Orion rocket was launched from the equatorial rocket launching station in Alcântara, Brazil, on 8 December 2012 soon after sunset (19:00 LT), carrying a Langmuir probe operating alternately in swept and constant bias modes. At the time of launch, ground equipment operated at equatorial stations showed rapid rise in the base of the F layer, indicating the pre-reversal enhancement of the F region vertical drift and creating ionospheric conditions favorable for the generation of plasma bubbles. Vertical profiles of electron density estimated from Langmuir probe data showed wave patterns and small- and medium-scale plasma irregularities in the valley region (100-300 km) during the rocket upleg and downleg. These irregularities resemble those detected by the very high frequency (VHF) radar installed at Jicamarca and so-called equatorial quasi-periodic echoes. We present evidence suggesting that these observations could be the first detection of this type of irregularity made by instruments onboard a rocket.
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1999-01-05
The first stage of a Boeing Delta II rocket is in position on the mobile tower (at right) at Launch Complex 17. At left is the launch tower. The rocket will carry the Stardust spacecraft into space for a close encounter with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Using a medium called aerogel, it will capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet, plus collect interstellar dust for later analysis. The collected samples will return to Earth in a Sample Return Capsule to be jettisoned as Stardust swings by Earth in January 2006. Stardust is scheduled to be launched on Feb. 6, 1999
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2018-04-10
A host of CubeSats, or small satellites, are undergoing the final stages of processing at Rocket Lab USA’s facility in Huntington Beach, California, for NASA’s first mission dedicated solely to spacecraft of their size. This will be the first launch under the agency’s new Venture Class Launch Services. Scientists, including those from NASA and various universities, began arriving at the facility in early April with spacecraft small enough to be a carry-on to be prepared for launch. A team from NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, completed final checkouts of a CubeSat called the Compact Radiation Belt Explorer (CeREs), before placing the satellite into a dispenser to hold the spacecraft during launch inside the payload fairing. Among its missions, the satellite will examine the radiation belt and how electrons are energized and lost, particularly during events called microbursts — when sudden swarms of electrons stream into the atmosphere. This facility is the final stop for designers and builders of the CubeSats, but the journey will continue for the spacecraft. Rocket Lab will soon ship the satellites to New Zealand for launch aboard the company’s Electron orbital rocket on the Mahia Peninsula this summer. The CubeSats will be flown on an Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) mission to space through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. CeREs is one of the 10 ELaNa CubeSats scheduled to be a part of this mission.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Santiago-Perez, Julio
1988-01-01
The frequency and intensity of thunderstorms around the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has affected scheduled launch, landing, and other ground operations for many years. In order to protect against and provide safe working facilities, KSC has performed and hosted several studies on lightning phenomena. For the reasons mentioned above, KSC has established the Atmospheric Science Field Laboratory (ASFL). At these facilities KSC launches wire-towing rockets into thunderstorms to trigger natural lightning to the launch site. A program named Rocket Triggered Lightning Program (RTLP) is being conducted at the ASFL. This report calls for two of the experiments conducted in the summer 1988 Rocket Triggered Lightning Program. One experiment suspended an electric field mill over the launching areas from a balloon about 500 meters high to measure the space charges over the launching area. The other was to connect a waveform recorder to a nearby distribution power line to record currents and voltages wave forms induced by natural and triggered lightning.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Santiago-Perez, Julio
1988-10-01
The frequency and intensity of thunderstorms around the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has affected scheduled launch, landing, and other ground operations for many years. In order to protect against and provide safe working facilities, KSC has performed and hosted several studies on lightning phenomena. For the reasons mentioned above, KSC has established the Atmospheric Science Field Laboratory (ASFL). At these facilities KSC launches wire-towing rockets into thunderstorms to trigger natural lightning to the launch site. A program named Rocket Triggered Lightning Program (RTLP) is being conducted at the ASFL. This report calls for two of the experiments conducted in the summer 1988 Rocket Triggered Lightning Program. One experiment suspended an electric field mill over the launching areas from a balloon about 500 meters high to measure the space charges over the launching area. The other was to connect a waveform recorder to a nearby distribution power line to record currents and voltages wave forms induced by natural and triggered lightning.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ridenoure, Rex
2004-09-01
Space-borne imaging systems derived from commercial technology have been successfully employed on launch vehicles for several years. Since 1997, over sixty such imagers - all in the product family called RocketCamTM - have operated successfully on 29 launches involving most U.S. launch systems. During this time, these inexpensive systems have demonstrated their utility in engineering analysis of liftoff and ascent events, booster performance, separation events and payload separation operations, and have also been employed to support and document related ground-based engineering tests. Such views from various vantage points provide not only visualization of key events but stunning and extremely positive public relations video content. Near-term applications include capturing key events on Earth-orbiting spacecraft and related proximity operations. This paper examines the history to date of RocketCams on expendable and manned launch vehicles, assesses their current utility on rockets, spacecraft and other aerospace vehicles (e.g., UAVs), and provides guidance for their use in selected defense and security applications. Broad use of RocketCams on defense and security projects will provide critical engineering data for developmental efforts, a large database of in-situ measurements onboard and around aerospace vehicles and platforms, compelling public relations content, and new diagnostic information for systems designers and failure-review panels alike.
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Launch Condition Deviations of Reusable Launch Vehicle Simulations in Exo-Atmospheric Zoom Climbs
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Urschel, Peter H.; Cox, Timothy H.
2003-01-01
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has proposed a two-stage system to deliver a small payload to orbit. The proposal calls for an airplane to perform an exo-atmospheric zoom climb maneuver, from which a second-stage rocket is launched carrying the payload into orbit. The NASA Dryden Flight Research Center has conducted an in-house generic simulation study to determine how accurately a human-piloted airplane can deliver a second-stage rocket to a desired exo-atmospheric launch condition. A high-performance, fighter-type, fixed-base, real-time, pilot-in-the-loop airplane simulation has been modified to perform exo-atmospheric zoom climb maneuvers. Four research pilots tracked a reference trajectory in the presence of winds, initial offsets, and degraded engine thrust to a second-stage launch condition. These launch conditions have been compared to the reference launch condition to characterize the expected deviation. At each launch condition, a speed change was applied to the second-stage rocket to insert the payload onto a transfer orbit to the desired operational orbit. The most sensitive of the test cases was the degraded thrust case, yielding second-stage launch energies that were too low to achieve the radius of the desired operational orbit. The handling qualities of the airplane, as a first-stage vehicle, have also been investigated.
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High Powered Rocketry: Design, Construction, and Launching Experience and Analysis
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Paulson, Pryce; Curtis, Jarret; Bartel, Evan; Cyr, Waycen Owens; Lamsal, Chiranjivi
2018-01-01
In this study, the nuts and bolts of designing and building a high powered rocket have been presented. A computer simulation program called RockSim was used to design the rocket. Simulation results are consistent with time variations of altitude, velocity, and acceleration obtained in the actual flight. The actual drag coefficient was determined…
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2012-11-06
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 moves along the crawler way toward Launch Pad 39A following modifications to ensure its ability to carry launch vehicles such as the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the launch pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles projects to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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2007-06-15
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The second stage of the Delta II launch vehicle for the Dawn spacecraft is lifted alongside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. At right can be seen the solid rocket boosters surrounding Delta's first stage. The second stage will be mated with the first stage. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy is the strongest rocket in the Delta II class. It will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
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Illustration of Ares V Launch Vehicle With Call Outs
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2006-01-01
The NASA developed Ares rockets, named for the Greek god associated with Mars, will return humans to the moon and later take them to Mars and other destinations. This is an illustration of the Ares V with call outs. The Ares V is a heavy lift launch vehicle that will use five RS-68 liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen engines mounted below a larger version of the space shuttle external tank, and two five-segment solid propellant rocket boosters for the first stage. The upper stage will use the same J-2X engine as the Ares I and past Apollo vehicles. The Ares V can lift more than 286,000 pounds to low Earth orbit and stands approximately 360 feet tall. This versatile system will be used to carry cargo and the components into orbit needed to go to the moon and later to Mars. Ares V is subject to configuration changes before it is actually launched. This illustration reflects the latest configuration as of January 2007.
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Delta II ICESat-2 Fairing Cleaning and Sampling
2018-04-06
On Friday, April 6, 2018, in NASA’s Building 8337 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a technician cleans and takes samples from the payload fairing the will protect NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, satellite during launch. Liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is scheduled for Sept. 12, 2018, from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg. It will be the last for the venerable Delta II rocket. ICESat-2, which is being built and tested by Orbital ATK in Gilbert, Arizona, will carry a single instrument called the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System, or ATLAS. The ATLAS instrument is being built and tested at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland. Once in orbit, the satellite is designed to measure the height of a changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses a second. ICESat-2 will help scientists investigate why, and how much, Earth’s frozen and icy areas, called the cryosphere, are changing.
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Delta II ICESat-2 Fairing Cleaning and Sampling
2018-04-06
On Friday, April 6, 2018, in NASA’s Building 8337 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians and engineers clean and take samples from the payload fairing the will protect NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, satellite during launch. Liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is scheduled for Sept. 12, 2018, from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg. It will be the last for the venerable Delta II rocket. ICESat-2, which is being built and tested by Orbital ATK in Gilbert, Arizona, will carry a single instrument called the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System, or ATLAS. The ATLAS instrument is being built and tested at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland. Once in orbit, the satellite is designed to measure the height of a changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses a second. ICESat-2 will help scientists investigate why, and how much, Earth’s frozen and icy areas, called the cryosphere, are changing.
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Delta II ICESat-2 Fairing Cleaning and Sampling
2018-04-06
On Friday, April 6, 2018, in NASA’s Building 8337 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians and engineers check samples during cleaning of the payload fairing that will protect NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, satellite during launch. Liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is scheduled for Sept. 12, 2018, from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg. It will be the last for the venerable Delta II rocket. ICESat-2, which is being built and tested by Orbital ATK in Gilbert, Arizona, will carry a single instrument called the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System, or ATLAS. The ATLAS instrument is being built and tested at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland. Once in orbit, the satellite is designed to measure the height of a changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses a second. ICESat-2 will help scientists investigate why, and how much, Earth’s frozen and icy areas, called the cryosphere, are changing.
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2012-11-08
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39A to check out recently completed modifications to ensure its ability to carry launch vehicles such as the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/ Dimitri Gerondidakis
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2012-11-06
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39A to check out recently completed modifications to ensure its ability to carry launch vehicles such as the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles projects to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
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2012-11-08
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39A to check out recently completed modifications to ensure its ability to carry launch vehicles such as the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/ Dimitri Gerondidakis
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2012-11-08
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39A to check out recently completed modifications to ensure its ability to carry launch vehicles such as the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/ Dimitri Gerondidakis
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2012-11-08
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39A to check out recently completed modifications to ensure its ability to carry launch vehicles such as the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/ Dimitri Gerondidakis
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2012-11-08
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39A to check out recently completed modifications to ensure its ability to carry launch vehicles such as the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/ Dimitri Gerondidakis
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2012-11-08
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39A to check out recently completed modifications to ensure its ability to carry launch vehicles such as the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/ Dimitri Gerondidakis
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2012-11-06
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39A to check out recently completed modifications to ensure its ability to carry launch vehicles such as the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles projects to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
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2012-11-08
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39A to check out recently completed modifications to ensure its ability to carry launch vehicles such as the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/ Dimitri Gerondidakis
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2012-11-06
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39A to check out recently completed modifications to ensure its ability to carry launch vehicles such as the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles projects to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
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2012-11-08
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39A to check out recently completed modifications to ensure its ability to carry launch vehicles such as the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/ Dimitri Gerondidakis
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2012-11-08
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39A to check out recently completed modifications to ensure its ability to carry launch vehicles such as the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/ Dimitri Gerondidakis
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2012-11-08
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39A to check out recently completed modifications to ensure its ability to carry launch vehicles such as the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/ Dimitri Gerondidakis
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2012-11-08
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39A to check out recently completed modifications to ensure its ability to carry launch vehicles such as the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/ Dimitri Gerondidakis
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Internship at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Cryogenic Test laboratory
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Holland, Katherine
2013-01-01
NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is known for hosting all of the United States manned rocket launches as well as many unmanned launches at low inclinations. Even though the Space Shuttle recently retired, they are continuing to support unmanned launches and modifying manned launch facilities. Before a rocket can be launched, it has to go through months of preparation, called processing. Pieces of a rocket and its payload may come in from anywhere in the nation or even the world. The facilities all around the center help integrate the rocket and prepare it for launch. As NASA prepares for the Space Launch System, a rocket designed to take astronauts beyond Low Earth Orbit throughout the solar system, technology development is crucial for enhancing launch capabilities at the KSC. The Cryogenics Test Laboratory at Kennedy Space Center greatly contributes to cryogenic research and technology development. The engineers and technicians that work there come up with new ways to efficiently store and transfer liquid cryogens. NASA has a great need for this research and technology development as it deals with cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for rocket fuel, as well as long term space flight applications. Additionally, in this new era of space exploration, the Cryogenics Test Laboratory works with the commercial sector. One technology development project is the Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) Ground Operations Demonstration Unit (GODU). LH2 GODU intends to demonstrate increased efficiency in storing and transferring liquid hydrogen during processing, loading, launch and spaceflight of a spacecraft. During the Shuttle Program, only 55% of hydrogen purchased was used by the Space Shuttle Main Engines. GODU's goal is to demonstrate that this percentage can be increased to 75%. Figure 2 shows the GODU layout when I concluded my internship. The site will include a 33,000 gallon hydrogen tank (shown in cyan) with a heat exchanger inside the hydrogen tank attached to a refrigerator capable of removing 850 Watts at 20 Kelvin (shown in green). The refrigerator and most of its supporting equipment will be kept in a standard shipping container (shown in pink). Currently, GODU is in the fabrication process and some of the large components have already been purchased.
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2007-06-15
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The second stage of the Delta II launch vehicle for the Dawn spacecraft arrives on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station where it will be mated with the first stage. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy is the strongest rocket in the Delta II class. It will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
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2007-06-15
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers maneuver the second stage of the Delta II launch vehicle onto the first stage for mating. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy is the strongest rocket in the Delta II class. It will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
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2012-11-05
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 has been undergoing modifications inside high bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building in preparation to carry the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the launch pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles projects to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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2012-11-05
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, crawler-transporter No. 2 is parked outside of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The Crawler-transporter has been undergoing modifications to ensure its ability to carry the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket to the launch pad. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles projects to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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Pad Safety Personnel Launch Support For STS-200
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Guarino, Jennifer
2007-01-01
The launch of a space shuttle is a complex and lengthy procedure. There are many places and components to look at and prepare. The components are the orbiter, solid rocket boosters, external tank, and ground equipment. Some of the places are the launch pad, fuel locations, and surrounding structures. Preparations for a launch include equipment checks, system checks, sniff checks for hazardous commodities, and countless walkdowns. Throughout these preparations, pad safety personnel must always be on call. This requires three shifts of multiple people to be ready when needed. Also, the pad safety personnel must be available for the non-launch tasks that are always present for both launch pads
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2012-11-05
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the mobile launcher is being prepared to support the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion spacecraft. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles projects to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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2012-11-05
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida the mobile launcher is being prepared to support the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion spacecraft. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles projects to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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2007-06-15
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of the Delta II launch vehicle for the Dawn spacecraft is lowered into the hole toward the Delta first stage below. The two stages will be mated. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy is the strongest rocket in the Delta II class. It will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
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2007-06-15
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The second stage of the Delta II launch vehicle for the Dawn spacecraft is lifted alongside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It will be mated with the first stage already in the tower. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy is the strongest rocket in the Delta II class. It will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
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2007-06-15
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The second stage of the Delta II launch vehicle for the Dawn spacecraft is lifted alongside the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It will be mated with the first stage already in the tower. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy is the strongest rocket in the Delta II class. It will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
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2011-04-27
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first stage of a Falcon 9 built by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) sits on processing stands inside the company's hangar at Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This image shows the nine Merlin engines that power the first stage. Technicians are preparing the rocket for the second launch in the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, program to demonstrate private companies' ability to launch uncrewed spacecraft into orbit. A follow-on contract, Commercial Resupply Services, calls for SpaceX to launch 12 resupply missions to the International Space Station between 2011 and 2015. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
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Launching Payloads Into Orbit at Relatively Low Cost
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Wilcox, Brian
2007-01-01
A report proposes the development of a system for launching payloads into orbit at about one-fifth the cost per unit payload weight of current systems. The PILOT system was a solid-fuel, aerodynamically spun and spin-stabilized, five-stage rocket with onboard controls including little more than an optoelectronic horizon sensor and a timer for triggering the second and fifth stages, respectively. The proposal calls for four improvements over the PILOT system to enable control of orbital parameters: (1) the aerodynamic tipover of the rocket at the top of the atmosphere could be modeled as a nonuniform gyroscopic precession and could be controlled by selection of the initial rocket configuration and launch conditions; (2) the attitude of the rocket at the top of the first-stage trajectory could be measured by use of radar tracking or differential Global Positioning System receivers to determine when to trigger the second stage; (3) the final-stage engines could be configured around the payload to enhance spin stabilization during a half-orbit coast up to apoapsis where the final stage would be triggered; and (4) the final payload stage could be equipped with a "beltline" of small thrusters for correcting small errors in the trajectory as measured by an off-board tracking subsystem.
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2012-11-05
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a space shuttle era mobile launcher platform, on the left, sits on pedestals outside the Vehicle Assembly Building. To the right is the mobile launcher that will support the space agency's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion spacecraft. NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is leading the 20-year life-extension project for the crawler. A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-transporters has carried the load of taking rockets and spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 40 years at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each the size of a baseball infield and powered by locomotive and large electrical power generator engines, the crawler-transporters will stand ready to keep up the work for the next generation of launch vehicles projects to lift astronauts into space. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/ground/index.html Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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Parker Solar Probe Delta IV Heavy LVOS
2018-04-17
The first stage of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket is prepared to be lifted vertical at the Vertical Integration Facility near Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission in July 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.
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Parker Solar Probe Delta IV Heavy LVOS
2018-04-17
In this sunrise photograph, the first stage of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket is at the Vertical Integration Facility near Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission in July 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.
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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.
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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2007-06-15
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of the Delta II launch vehicle for the Dawn spacecraft arrives at the upper level of the mobile service tower. It will be moved inside the tower and mated with the first stage already in the tower. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy is the strongest rocket in the Delta II class. It will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
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Walter Thiel—Short life of a rocket scientist
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Thiel, Karen; Przybilski, Olaf
2013-10-01
In 2012 we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the first successful rocket launch that reached a height of 84.5 km and had a speed of 4.824 km/h (5x sonic speed). This rocket flew 190 km to the target location. One of the masterminds of this launch was Walter Thiel, a German chemist and rocket engineer. Thiel was highly talented, during his education from primary school until diploma exams he always received a grade of A in his exams. He was called "the student with the 7 A grades". In 1934 Thiel became Dr.-Ing. (chem.), with the highest possible honor (summa cum laude), when he was only 24 years old. He started to work for the rocket development department at Humboldt University, Berlin. Walter Dornberger asked him to leave the university research department and become head of rocket propulsion development in his team in Kummersdorf, near Berlin. Thiel's groundbreaking ideas for the rocket engine would lead to a significant reduction in material, weight and work processes, as well as a shortening in the length of the engine itself. Thiel and his team also defined the fuel itself and the best ratio of mixture between ethanol and liquid oxygen for the engine. In 1940 the propulsion team moved from Kummersdorf to Peenemünde after the launch sites were completed there. Thiel became deputy of Wernher von Braun at the R&D units. One of Thiel's team members was Konrad Dannenberg, who later became famous in the development of the Saturn program. On the night from August 17 to August 18, 1943, Thiel and his family (wife and two children) were killed during a Royal Air Force bombing raid (Operation Hydra). The Moon crater "Thiel" on the far side of the Moon is named after Walter Thiel. The research results of Walter Thiel had a strong impact on the United States' rocket program as well as the Russian rocket development program.
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ULA Delta IV Heavy Common Booster Cores for the Parker Solar Pro
2017-07-28
A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy common booster core arrives by truck at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37 Horizontal Processing Facility. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection. Liftoff atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 in summer 2018.
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ULA Delta IV Heavy Common Booster Cores for the Parker Solar Pro
2017-07-28
A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy common booster core is transported by truck inside Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37 Horizontal Processing Facility. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection. Liftoff atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 in summer 2018.
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2003-01-15
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The late afternoon sun highlights the external tank and solid rocket booster on Space Shuttle Columbia after rollback of the Rotating Service Structure on Launch Pad 39A. Visible are the orbiter access arm with the White Room extended to Columbia's cockpit, and at the top, the gaseous oxygen vent arm and cap, called the "beanie cap." Columbia is scheduled for launch Jan. 16 at 10:39 a.m. EST on mission STS-107, a research mission.
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2003-01-15
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The late afternoon sun highlights the external tank and solid rocket booster on Space Shuttle Columbia after rollback of the Rotating Service Structure on Launch Pad 39A. Visible are the orbiter access arm with the White Room extended to Columbia's cockpit, and at the top, the gaseous oxygen vent arm and cap, called the "beanie cap." Columbia is scheduled for launch Jan. 16 at 10:39 a.m. EST on mission STS-107, a research mission.
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Parker Solar Probe Antenna Deployment
2018-04-19
Antenna's on NASA's Parker Solar Probe are deployed for testing at the Astrotech processing facility in Titusville, Florida, near NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, April 19, 2018. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida no earlier than Aug. 4, 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.
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ULA Delta IV Heavy Common Booster Cores for the Parker Solar Pro
2017-07-27
The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy common booster core arrives aboard the company's Mariner ship at Port Canaveral in Florida. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection. Liftoff atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 in summer 2018.
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Parker Solar Probe Light Bar Test
2018-06-05
In the Astrotech processing facility in Titusville, Florida, near NASA's Kennedy Space Center, on Tuesday, June 5, 2018, technicians and engineers perform light bar testing on NASA's Parker Solar Probe. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida no earlier than Aug. 4, 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.
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ULA Delta IV Heavy Common Booster Cores for the Parker Solar Pro
2017-08-01
A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy common booster core is offloaded from the company's Mariner ship at Port Canaveral in Florida. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection. Liftoff atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 in summer 2018.
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Launch summary for 1978 - 1982. [sounding rockets, space probes, and satellites
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Hills, H. K.
1984-01-01
Data pertinent to the launching of space probes, soundings rockets, and satellites presented in tables include launch date, time, and site; agency rocket identification; sponsoring country or countries; instruments carried for experiments; the peak altitude achieved by the rockets; and the apoapsis and periapsis for satellites. The experimenter or institution involved in the launching is also cited.
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Orion EM-1 Crew Module Structural Test Article Move to Birdcage
2016-11-16
Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion crew module structural test article (STA) is secured on a test tool called the birdcage. The STA arrived aboard NASA's Super Guppy aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility operated by Space Florida. The test article will undergo further testing in the high bay. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.
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2011-01-11
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The latest Earth-observing satellite developed by NASA, called Glory, is moved into the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. An Orbital Sciences Taurus XL rocket is targeted to launch Glory into low Earth orbit Feb. 23 from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 576-E. Once in orbit, Glory will collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Photo credit: NASA/Ed Henry, VAFB
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2011-01-11
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The latest Earth-observing satellite developed by NASA, called Glory, arrives at the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California by tractor-trailer. An Orbital Sciences Taurus XL rocket is targeted to launch Glory into low Earth orbit Feb. 23 from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 576-E. Once in orbit, Glory will collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Photo credit: NASA/Ed Henry, VAFB
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2011-01-11
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The latest Earth-observing satellite developed by NASA, called Glory, arrives at the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California by tractor-trailer. An Orbital Sciences Taurus XL rocket is targeted to launch Glory into low Earth orbit Feb. 23 from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 576-E. Once in orbit, Glory will collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Photo credit: NASA/Ed Henry, VAFB
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High powered rocketry: design, construction, and launching experience and analysis
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Paulson, Pryce; Curtis, Jarret; Bartel, Evan; Owens Cyr, Waycen; Lamsal, Chiranjivi
2018-01-01
In this study, the nuts and bolts of designing and building a high powered rocket have been presented. A computer simulation program called RockSim was used to design the rocket. Simulation results are consistent with time variations of altitude, velocity, and acceleration obtained in the actual flight. The actual drag coefficient was determined by using altitude back-tracking method and found to be 0.825. Speed of the exhaust determined to be 2.5 km s-1 by analyzing the thrust curve of the rocket. Acceleration in the coasting phase of the flight, represented by the second-degree polynomial of a small leading coefficient, have been found to approach ‘-g’ asymptotically.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Stokes, Charles S.; Murphy, William J.
1987-07-01
Project BIME, a Spread F observation program involved the launching of two Nike-Black Brant rockets each containing a payload of Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO). The rockets were launched from Barriera Do Inferno Launch Site in Natal, Brazil in August of 1982. Project IMS, an F-layer modification experiment involved three launch vehicles, a Nike-Tomahawk and two Sonda III rockets. The Nike-Tomahawk carried a sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) payload. One of the Sonda III rockets carried a payload that consisted of an SF6 canister and a samarium/strontium thermite canister. The remaining Sonda III carried a trifluorobromo methane (CF3Br) canister and a samarium thermite canister. The rockets were launched from Wallops Island Launch Facility, Virginia in November of 1984. Project PIIE and Polar Arcs, a program to investigate polar ionospheric irregularities, involved a Nike-Black Brant rocket carrying one samarium thermite canister and six barium canisters. An attempted launch failed when launch criteria could not be met. The rocket was launched successfully from Sondrestrom Air Base, Greenland in March 1987.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vorobyov, A. M.; Abdurashidov, T. O.; Bakulev, V. L.; But, A. B.; Kuznetsov, A. B.; Makaveev, A. T.
2015-04-01
The present work experimentally investigates suppression of acoustic fields generated by supersonic jets of the rocket-launch vehicles at the initial period of launch by water injection. Water jets are injected to the combined jet along its perimeter at an angle of 0° and 60°. The solid rocket motor with the rocket-launch vehicles simulator case is used at tests. Effectiveness of reduction of acoustic loads on the rocket-launch vehicles surface by way of creation of water barrier was proved. It was determined that injection angle of 60° has greater effectiveness to reduce pressure pulsation levels.
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2013-06-13
VANDENBERG ABF, Calif. - The launch crew of the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft called "Stargazer" after arrival at Vandenberg Air Force Base for the upcoming launch of the company's Pegasus XL rocket lifting NASA's IRIS solar observatory into orbit. The aircraft will carry the winged rocket to an altitude of 39,000 feet before releasing the Pegasus so its own motors can ignite to send the IRIS into space. The L-1011 is a modified airliner equipped to hold the Pegasus under its body safely. IRIS, short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, is being prepared for launch from Vandenberg June 26. IRIS will open a new window of discovery by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the chromospheres and transition region into the sun’s corona using spectrometry and imaging. IRIS fills a crucial gap in our ability to advance studies of the sun-to-Earth connection by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the foundation of the corona and the region around the sun known as the heliosphere. Photo credit: VAFB/Randy Beaudoin
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2013-06-13
VANDENBERG ABF, Calif. - The launch crew of the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft called "Stargazer" after arrival at Vandenberg Air Force Base for the upcoming launch of the company's Pegasus XL rocket lifting NASA's IRIS solar observatory into orbit. The aircraft will carry the winged rocket to an altitude of 39,000 feet before releasing the Pegasus so its own motors can ignite to send the IRIS into space. The L-1011 is a modified airliner equipped to hold the Pegasus under its body safely. IRIS, short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, is being prepared for launch from Vandenberg June 26. IRIS will open a new window of discovery by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the chromospheres and transition region into the sun’s corona using spectrometry and imaging. IRIS fills a crucial gap in our ability to advance studies of the sun-to-Earth connection by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the foundation of the corona and the region around the sun known as the heliosphere. Photo credit: VAFB/Randy Beaudoin
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2013-06-13
VANDENBERG ABF, Calif. - The launch crew of the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft called "Stargazer" after arrival at Vandenberg Air Force Base for the upcoming launch of the company's Pegasus XL rocket lifting NASA's IRIS solar observatory into orbit. The aircraft will carry the winged rocket to an altitude of 39,000 feet before releasing the Pegasus so its own motors can ignite to send the IRIS into space. The L-1011 is a modified airliner equipped to hold the Pegasus under its body safely. IRIS, short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, is being prepared for launch from Vandenberg June 26. IRIS will open a new window of discovery by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the chromospheres and transition region into the sun’s corona using spectrometry and imaging. IRIS fills a crucial gap in our ability to advance studies of the sun-to-Earth connection by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the foundation of the corona and the region around the sun known as the heliosphere. Photo credit: VAFB/Randy Beaudoin
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2013-06-13
VANDENBERG ABF, Calif. - The launch crew of the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft called "Stargazer" after arrival at Vandenberg Air Force Base for the upcoming launch of the company's Pegasus XL rocket lifting NASA's IRIS solar observatory into orbit. The aircraft will carry the winged rocket to an altitude of 39,000 feet before releasing the Pegasus so its own motors can ignite to send the IRIS into space. The L-1011 is a modified airliner equipped to hold the Pegasus under its body safely. IRIS, short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, is being prepared for launch from Vandenberg June 26. IRIS will open a new window of discovery by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the chromospheres and transition region into the sun’s corona using spectrometry and imaging. IRIS fills a crucial gap in our ability to advance studies of the sun-to-Earth connection by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the foundation of the corona and the region around the sun known as the heliosphere. Photo credit: VAFB/Randy Beaudoin
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NASA TESS Prelaunch News Conference
2018-04-15
In Kennedy Space Center's Press Site auditorium, members of the media participate in a mission briefing on NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Omar Baez, launch director, NASA’s Launch Services Program, answers questions during the briefing. 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.
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ULA Delta IV Heavy Common Booster Cores for the Parker Solar Pro
2017-07-28
Framed by a series of cabbage palms, a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy common booster core is transported by truck to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37 Horizontal Processing Facility after arriving at Port Canaveral. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection. Liftoff atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 in summer 2018.
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GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate
2016-10-27
Inside the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the solid rocket motor is mated to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for its upcoming launch. NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) will launch aboard the Atlas V rocket this month. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites.
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GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate
2016-10-27
Inside the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the solid rocket motor is being mated to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for its upcoming launch. NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) will launch aboard the Atlas V rocket this month. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites.
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Launch Preparation and Rocket Launching
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
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1977-01-01
Principles of rocket engineering, flight dynamics, and trajectories are discussed in this summary of Soviet rocket development and technology. Topics include rocket engine design, propellants, propulsive efficiency, and capabilities required for orbital launch. The design of the RD 107, 108, 119, and 214 rocket engines and their uses in various satellite launches are described. NASA's Saturn 5 and Atlas Agena launch vehicles are used to illustrate the requirements of multistage rockets.
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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.
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1958-01-31
Launch of Jupiter-C/Explorer 1 at Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 31, 1958. After the Russian Sputnik 1 was launched in October 1957, the launching of an American satellite assumed much greater importance. After the Vanguard rocket exploded on the pad in December 1957, the ability to orbit a satellite became a matter of national prestige. On January 31, 1958, slightly more than four weeks after the launch of Sputnik.The ABMA (Army Ballistic Missile Agency) in Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama, in cooperation with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, launched a Jupiter from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket consisted of a modified version of the Redstone rocket's first stage and two upper stages of clustered Baby Sergeant rockets developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and later designated as Juno boosters for space launches
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Vostreys, R. W.
1981-01-01
Sounding rockets, artificial Earth satellites, and space probes launched betweeen January 1 and December 31, 1980 are listed. Data tabulated for the rocket launchings show launching site, instruments carried, date of launch, agency rocket identification, sponsoring country, experiment discipline, peak altitude, and the experimenter or institution responsible. Tables for satellites and space probes show COSPAR designation, spacecraft name, country, launch date, epoch date, orbit type, apoapsis, periapsis and inclination period. The functions and responsibilities of the World Data Center and the areas of scientific interest at the seven subcenters are defined. An alphabetical listing of experimenters using the sounding rockets is also provided.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Aleksandrov, V. A.; Vladimirov, V. V.; Dmitriev, R. D.; Osipov, S. O.
This book takes into consideration domestic and foreign developments related to launch vehicles. General information concerning launch vehicle systems is presented, taking into account details of rocket structure, basic design considerations, and a number of specific Soviet and American launch vehicles. The basic theory of reaction propulsion is discussed, giving attention to physical foundations, the various types of forces acting on a rocket in flight, basic parameters characterizing rocket motion, the effectiveness of various approaches to obtain the desired velocity, and rocket propellants. Basic questions concerning the classification of launch vehicles are considered along with construction and design considerations, aspects of vehicle control, reliability, construction technology, and details of structural design. Attention is also given to details of rocket motor design, the basic systems of the carrier rocket, and questions of carrier rocket development.
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Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical Installation onto Mobile Laun
2017-05-25
Construction workers assist as a crane lifts the Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals that will connect to the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The CSFSU will be located at about the 180-foot level on the tower, above the liquid oxygen tank. The CSFSU is an umbilical that will swing into position to provide connections to the core stage forward skirt of the SLS rocket, and then swing away before launch. Its main purpose is to provide conditioned air/GN2 to the SLS core stage forward skirt cavity. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical Installation onto Mobile Laun
2017-05-25
Cranes and rigging are being used to lift up the Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical (CSFSU) for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals that will connect to the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The CSFSU will be located at about the 180-foot level on the tower, above the liquid oxygen tank. The CSFSU is an umbilical that will swing into position to provide connections to the core stage forward skirt of the SLS rocket, and then swing away before launch. Its main purpose is to provide conditioned air/GN2 to the SLS core stage forward skirt cavity. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical Installation onto Mobile Laun
2017-05-25
A construction worker welds a metal part during installation of the Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals that will connect to the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The CSFSU will be located at about the 180-foot level on the tower, above the liquid oxygen tank. The CSFSU is an umbilical that will swing into position to provide connections to the core stage forward skirt of the SLS rocket, and then swing away before launch. Its main purpose is to provide conditioned air/GN2 to the SLS core stage forward skirt cavity. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical Installation onto Mobile Laun
2017-05-25
Construction workers assist as a crane lifts the Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical into position for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals that will connect to the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The CSFSU will be located at about the 180-foot level on the tower, above the liquid oxygen tank. The CSFSU is an umbilical that will swing into position to provide connections to the core stage forward skirt of the SLS rocket, and then swing away before launch. Its main purpose is to provide conditioned air/GN2 to the SLS core stage forward skirt cavity. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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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.
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Collaborative Sounding Rocket launch in Alaska and Development of Hybrid Rockets
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ono, Tomohisa; Tsutsumi, Akimasa; Ito, Toshiyuki; Kan, Yuji; Tohyama, Fumio; Nakashino, Kyouichi; Hawkins, Joseph
Tokai University student rocket project (TSRP) was established in 1995 for a purpose of the space science and engineering hands-on education, consisting of two space programs; the one is sounding rocket experiment collaboration with University of Alaska Fairbanks and the other is development and launch of small hybrid rockets. In January of 2000 and March 2002, two collaborative sounding rockets were successfully launched at Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska. In 2001, the first Tokai hybrid rocket was successfully launched at Alaska. After that, 11 hybrid rockets were launched to the level of 180-1,000 m high at Hokkaido and Akita in Japan. Currently, Tokai students design and build all parts of the rockets. In addition, they are running the organization and development of the project under the tight budget control. This program has proven to be very effective in providing students with practical, real-engineering design experience and this program also allows students to participate in all phases of a sounding rocket mission. Also students learn scientific, engineering subjects, public affairs and system management through experiences of cooperative teamwork. In this report, we summarize the TSRP's hybrid rocket program and discuss the effectiveness of the program in terms of educational aspects.
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2013-12-11
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from the left, Leandro James, rocket avionics lead, Gary Dahlke, high powered rocket subject matter expert, and Julio Najarro of Mechanical Systems make final adjustments to a small rocket prior to launch as part of Rocket University. The launch will test systems designed by the student engineers. As part of Rocket University, the engineers are given an opportunity to work a fast-track project to develop skills in developing spacecraft systems of the future. As NASA plans for future spaceflight programs to low-Earth orbit and beyond, teams of engineers at Kennedy are gaining experience in designing and flying launch vehicle systems on a small scale. Four teams of five to eight members from Kennedy are designing rockets complete with avionics and recovery systems. Launch operations require coordination with federal agencies, just as they would with rockets launched in support of a NASA mission. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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Low-Cost Propellant Launch From a Tethered Balloon
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Wilcox, Brian
2006-01-01
A document presents a concept for relatively inexpensive delivery of propellant to a large fuel depot in low orbit around the Earth, for use in rockets destined for higher orbits, the Moon, and for remote planets. The propellant is expected to be at least 85 percent of the mass needed in low Earth orbit to support the NASA Exploration Vision. The concept calls for the use of many small ( 10 ton) spin-stabilized, multistage, solid-fuel rockets to each deliver 250 kg of propellant. Each rocket would be winched up to a balloon tethered above most of the atmospheric mass (optimal altitude 26 2 km). There, the rocket would be aimed slightly above the horizon, spun, dropped, and fired at a time chosen so that the rocket would arrive in orbit near the depot. Small thrusters on the payload (powered, for example, by boil-off gases from cryogenic propellants that make up the payload) would precess the spinning rocket, using data from a low-cost inertial sensor to correct for small aerodynamic and solid rocket nozzle misalignment torques on the spinning rocket; would manage the angle of attack and the final orbit insertion burn; and would be fired on command from the depot in response to observations of the trajectory of the payload so as to make small corrections to bring the payload into a rendezvous orbit and despin it for capture by the depot. The system is low-cost because the small rockets can be mass-produced using the same techniques as those to produce automobiles and low-cost munitions, and one or more can be launched from a U.S. territory on the equator (Baker or Jarvis Islands in the mid-Pacific) to the fuel depot on each orbit (every 90 minutes, e.g., any multiple of 6,000 per year).
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14 CFR 417.125 - Launch of an unguided suborbital launch vehicle.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-01-01
... elevation angle setting that ensures the rocket will not fly uprange. A launch operator must set the... throughout each stage of powered flight. A caliber, for a rocket configuration, is defined as the distance... rocket configuration. (f) Tracking. A launch operator must track the flight of an unguided suborbital...
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14 CFR 417.125 - Launch of an unguided suborbital launch vehicle.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-01-01
... elevation angle setting that ensures the rocket will not fly uprange. A launch operator must set the... throughout each stage of powered flight. A caliber, for a rocket configuration, is defined as the distance... rocket configuration. (f) Tracking. A launch operator must track the flight of an unguided suborbital...
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14 CFR 417.125 - Launch of an unguided suborbital launch vehicle.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-01-01
... elevation angle setting that ensures the rocket will not fly uprange. A launch operator must set the... throughout each stage of powered flight. A caliber, for a rocket configuration, is defined as the distance... rocket configuration. (f) Tracking. A launch operator must track the flight of an unguided suborbital...
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14 CFR 417.125 - Launch of an unguided suborbital launch vehicle.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-01-01
... elevation angle setting that ensures the rocket will not fly uprange. A launch operator must set the... throughout each stage of powered flight. A caliber, for a rocket configuration, is defined as the distance... rocket configuration. (f) Tracking. A launch operator must track the flight of an unguided suborbital...
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14 CFR 417.125 - Launch of an unguided suborbital launch vehicle.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-01-01
... elevation angle setting that ensures the rocket will not fly uprange. A launch operator must set the... throughout each stage of powered flight. A caliber, for a rocket configuration, is defined as the distance... rocket configuration. (f) Tracking. A launch operator must track the flight of an unguided suborbital...
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Minkowski spacetime does not apply to a homogeneously accelerating medium
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Coleman, Brian
Home and comoving inertial frame parameters of an individual point of an idealized medium of launch length L uniformly co-accelerating between identical fixed-thrust rockets, are well known. This is not the case with the varying inter-rocket radar periods and related implications regarding a changing 'noninertial own-length' Λ which differs from a front rocket's retrospective separation L from the simultaneously relatively moving rear rocket. On the other hand, the nonhomogeneous acceleration case involving every comoving frame's unchanging perception of a contrived 'rigor mortis' medium (so-called 'rigid motion' traditionally associated with 'Rindler coordinates') whereby Λ = L = L , constitutes the sole extended accelerating medium scenario where the entrenched Minkowski metric is actually applicable. Paraphrasing Wolfgang Pauli, not only is Minkowski spacetime not correct [in the general sense], it is not even wrong [in the restricted sense].
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ULA Delta IV Heavy Second Stage & Port Common Booster Core for t
2017-08-28
A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy second stage, packaged in its shipping container, arrives at the Horizontal Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for preflight processing. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection. Liftoff atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 in summer 2018.
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ULA Delta IV Heavy Second Stage & Port Common Booster Core for t
2017-08-28
A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy second stage, packaged in its shipping container, is offloaded from the company's Mariner ship at Port Canaveral in Florida. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection. Liftoff atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 in summer 2018.
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ULA Delta IV Heavy Common Booster Cores for the Parker Solar Pro
2017-07-27
The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy common booster core arrives aboard the company's Mariner ship and prepared for offload at Port Canaveral in Florida. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection. Liftoff atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 in summer 2018.
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ULA Delta IV Heavy Second Stage & Port Common Booster Core for t
2017-08-30
A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy common booster core arrives at the Horizontal Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for preflight processing. The Delta IV Heavy will launch NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection. Liftoff atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 in summer 2018.
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2006-06-30
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At a press conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, NASA officials announced the names of the next-generation of rockets for future space exploration. Seated (left to right) are Dolores Beasley, with NASA Public Affairs; Scott Horowitz, NASA associate administrator of the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate; Jeff Hanley, manager of the Constellation Program at Johnson Space Center; and Steve Cook, manager of the Exploration Launch Office at Marshall Space Flight Center. The crew launch vehicle will be called Ares I, and the cargo launch vehicle will be known as Ares V. The name Ares is a pseudonym for Mars and appropriate for NASA's exploration mission. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
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2006-06-30
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At a press conference in at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, NASA officials announced the names of the next-generation of rockets for future space exploration. Seated at the dais are (left to right) Scott Horowitz, NASA associate administrator of the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate; Jeff Hanley, manager of the Constellation Program at Johnson Space Center; and Steve Cook, manager of the Exploration Launch Office at Marshall Space Flight Center. The crew launch vehicle will be called Ares I, and the cargo launch vehicle will be known as Ares V. The name Ares is a pseudonym for Mars and appropriate for NASA's exploration mission. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
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NiAl Coatings Investigated for Use in Reusable Launch Vehicles
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Raj, Sai V.; Ghosn, Louis J.; Barrett, Charles A.
2003-01-01
As part of its major investment in the area of advanced space transportation, NASA is developing new technologies for use in the second- and third-generation designs of reusable launch vehicles. Among the prototype rocket engines being considered for these launch vehicles are those designed to use liquid hydrogen as the fuel and liquid oxygen as the oxidizer. Advanced copper alloys, such as copper-chromium-niobium (Cu-8(at.%)Cr- 4(at.%)Nb, also referred to as GRCop-84), which was invented at the NASA Glenn Research Center, are being considered for use as liner materials in the combustion chambers and nozzle ramps of these engines. However, previous experience has shown that, in rocket engines using liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, copper alloys are subject to a process called blanching, where the material undergoes environmental attack under the action of the combustion gases. In addition, the copper alloy liners undergo thermomechanical fatigue, which often results in an initially square cooling channel deforming into a dog-house shape. Clearly, there is an urgent need to develop new coatings to protect copper liners from environmental attack inside rocket chambers and to lower the temperature of the liners to reduce the probability of deformation and failure by thermomechanical fatigue.
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Delta II ICESat-2 Booster Transport
2018-04-17
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on Tuesday, April 17, 2018, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II booster is transported to Space Launch Complex-2 where it will launch NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, satellite. This will be the last flight for the venerable Delta II rocket. ICESat-2, which is being built and tested by Orbital ATK in Gilbert, Arizona, will carry a single instrument called the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System, or ATLAS. The ATLAS instrument is being built and tested at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland. Once in orbit, the satellite is designed to measure the height of a changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses a second. ICESat-2 will help scientists investigate why, and how much, Earth’s frozen and icy areas, called the cryosphere, are changing.
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Delta II ICESat-2 Booster Transport
2018-04-17
At NASA's Building 836, the Spacecraft Labs Telemetry Station at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on Tuesday, April 17, 2018, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II booster is transported to Space Launch Complex-2 where it will launch NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, satellite. This will be the last flight for the venerable Delta II rocket. ICESat-2, which is being built and tested by Orbital ATK in Gilbert, Arizona, will carry a single instrument called the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System, or ATLAS. The ATLAS instrument is being built and tested at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland. Once in orbit, the satellite is designed to measure the height of a changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses a second. ICESat-2 will help scientists investigate why, and how much, Earth’s frozen and icy areas, called the cryosphere, are changing.
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Delta II ICESat-2 Booster Transport
2018-04-17
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on Tuesday, April 17, 2018, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II booster arrives at Space Launch Complex-2 where it will launch NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, satellite. This will be the last flight for the venerable Delta II rocket. ICESat-2, which is being built and tested by Orbital ATK in Gilbert, Arizona, will carry a single instrument called the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System, or ATLAS. The ATLAS instrument is being built and tested at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland. Once in orbit, the satellite is designed to measure the height of a changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses a second. ICESat-2 will help scientists investigate why, and how much, Earth’s frozen and icy areas, called the cryosphere, are changing.
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24 Inch Reusable Solid Rocket Motor Test
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2002-01-01
A scaled-down 24-inch version of the Space Shuttle's Reusable Solid Rocket Motor was successfully fired for 21 seconds at a Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Test Stand. The motor was tested to ensure a replacement material called Lycocel would meet the criteria set by the Shuttle's Solid Motor Project Office. The current material is a heat-resistant, rayon-based, carbon-cloth phenolic used as an insulating material for the motor's nozzle. Lycocel, a brand name for Tencel, is a cousin to rayon and is an exceptionally strong fiber made of wood pulp produced by a special 'solvent-spirning' process using a nontoxic solvent. It will also be impregnated with a phenolic resin. This new material is expected to perform better under the high temperatures experienced during launch. The next step will be to test the material on a 48-inch solid rocket motor. The test, which replicates launch conditions, is part of Shuttle's ongoing verification of components, materials, and manufacturing processes required by MSFC, which oversees the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor project. Manufactured by the ATK Thiokol Propulsion Division in Promontory, California, the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor measures 126 feet (38.4 meters) long and 12 feet (3.6 meters) in diameter. It is the largest solid rocket motor ever flown and the first designed for reuse. During its two-minute burn at liftoff, each motor generates an average thrust of 2.6 million pounds (1.2 million kilograms).
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2003-01-15
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After rollback of the Rotating Service Structure on Launch Pad 39A, the top of Space Shuttle Columbia's external tank and solid rocket booster are bathed in sunlight. Shadows from the Fixed Service Structure stretch across the Shuttle and landscape. Visible are the orbiter access arm with the White Room extended to Columbia's cockpit, and at the top, the gaseous oxygen vent arm and cap, called the "beanie cap." Columbia is scheduled for launch Jan. 16 at 10:39 a.m. EST on mission STS-107, a research mission.
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SpaceX CRS-11 "What's on Board?" Science Briefing
2017-05-31
Paul Galloway, program manager for an Earth imaging platform called the Multiple User System for Earth Sensing, or MUSES, speaks to members of social media in the Kennedy Space Center’s Press Site auditorium. The briefing focused on experiments and instruments to be delivered to the International Space Station on SpaceX CRS-11. A Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to be launched from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A on June 1 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the company's 11th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station.
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2018-04-15
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is rolled out to Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, with NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) secured in its payload fairing. TESS will launch on the Falcon 9 no earlier than 6:51 p.m. EDT on April 18. TESS will 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.
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The Stardust spacecraft is moved in the PHSF to mate it with the 3rd stage of a Delta II rocket
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1999-01-01
In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers help guide the overhead crane lifting the Stardust spacecraft. Stardust is being moved in order to mate it with the third stage of a Boeing Delta II rocket. Targeted for launch Feb. 6 from Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, aboard the Delta II rocket, the spacecraft is destined for a close encounter with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Using a silicon-based substance called aerogel, Stardust will capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet. The spacecraft also will bring back samples of interstellar dust. These materials consist of ancient pre- solar interstellar grains and other remnants left over from the formation of the solar system. Scientists expect their analysis to provide important insights into the evolution of the sun and planets and possibly into the origin of life itself. The collected samples will return to Earth in a sample return capsule to be jettisoned as Stardust swings by Earth in January 2006.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Thomas, N. L.; Chisel, D. M.
1976-01-01
The success of a rocket-borne experiment depends not only on the pointing of the attitude control system, but on the alignment of the attitude control system to the payload. To ensure proper alignment, special optical tools and alignment techniques are required. Those that were used in the SPARCS program are described and discussed herein. These tools include theodolites, autocollimators, a 38-cm diameter solar simulator, a high-performance 1-m heliostat to provide a stable solar source during the integration of the rocket payload, a portable 75-cm sun tracker for use at the launch site, and an innovation called the Solar Alignment Prism. Using the real sun as the primary reference under field conditions, the Solar Alignment Prism facilitates the coalignment of the attitude sun sensor with the payload. The alignment techniques were developed to ensure the precise alignment of the solar payloads to the SPARCS attitude sensors during payload integration and to verify the required alignment under field conditions just prior to launch.
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2002-08-01
A scaled-down 24-inch version of the Space Shuttle's Reusable Solid Rocket Motor was successfully fired for 21 seconds at a Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Test Stand. The motor was tested to ensure a replacement material called Lycocel would meet the criteria set by the Shuttle's Solid Motor Project Office. The current material is a heat-resistant, rayon-based, carbon-cloth phenolic used as an insulating material for the motor's nozzle. Lycocel, a brand name for Tencel, is a cousin to rayon and is an exceptionally strong fiber made of wood pulp produced by a special "solvent-spirning" process using a nontoxic solvent. It will also be impregnated with a phenolic resin. This new material is expected to perform better under the high temperatures experienced during launch. The next step will be to test the material on a 48-inch solid rocket motor. The test, which replicates launch conditions, is part of Shuttle's ongoing verification of components, materials, and manufacturing processes required by MSFC, which oversees the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor project. Manufactured by the ATK Thiokol Propulsion Division in Promontory, California, the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor measures 126 feet (38.4 meters) long and 12 feet (3.6 meters) in diameter. It is the largest solid rocket motor ever flown and the first designed for reuse. During its two-minute burn at liftoff, each motor generates an average thrust of 2.6 million pounds (1.2 million kilograms).
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Kilgore, Roger Martin; Soloboda, Alexander Joseph
Launching a rocket involves a controlled transition of the rocket subsystems from a quiescent state to the launch state (i.e., lift-off). In order to launch safely, with confidence that the rocket will successfully complete its mission, the state-of-health for all rocket subsystems and critical ground support equipment must be closely monitored throughout the launch process. This is accomplished by the ground support engineers using mission-specific ground support equipment. A subset of the GSE, the Remote Electrical Ground Interface System (REGIS), is located nearest the rocket to which it's connected via the Umbilical, a wiring harness providing power, sensor, and controlmore » lines. The REGIS also connects via Ethernet to the Ground Launch Computer (GLC).« less
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Infrared signature modelling of a rocket jet plume - comparison with flight measurements
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rialland, V.; Guy, A.; Gueyffier, D.; Perez, P.; Roblin, A.; Smithson, T.
2016-01-01
The infrared signature modelling of rocket plumes is a challenging problem involving rocket geometry, propellant composition, combustion modelling, trajectory calculations, fluid mechanics, atmosphere modelling, calculation of gas and particles radiative properties and of radiative transfer through the atmosphere. This paper presents ONERA simulation tools chained together to achieve infrared signature prediction, and the comparison of the estimated and measured signatures of an in-flight rocket plume. We consider the case of a solid rocket motor with aluminized propellant, the Black Brant sounding rocket. The calculation case reproduces the conditions of an experimental rocket launch, performed at White Sands in 1997, for which we obtained high quality infrared signature data sets from DRDC Valcartier. The jet plume is calculated using an in-house CFD software called CEDRE. The plume infrared signature is then computed on the spectral interval 1900-5000 cm-1 with a step of 5 cm-1. The models and their hypotheses are presented and discussed. Then the resulting plume properties, radiance and spectra are detailed. Finally, the estimated infrared signature is compared with the spectral imaging measurements. The discrepancies are analyzed and discussed.
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GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate
2016-10-27
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) technician inspects the solid rocket motor for the ULA Atlas V rocket on its transporter near the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The solid rocket motor will be lifted and mated to the rocket in preparation for the launch of NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) this month. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites.
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2013-12-11
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from the left, Leandro James, rocket avionics lead, and Julio Najarro of Mechanical Systems make final adjustments to a small rocket prior to launch as part of Rocket University. The launch will test systems designed by the student engineers. As part of Rocket University, the engineers are given an opportunity to work a fast-track project to develop skills in developing spacecraft systems of the future. As NASA plans for future spaceflight programs to low-Earth orbit and beyond, teams of engineers at Kennedy are gaining experience in designing and flying launch vehicle systems on a small scale. Four teams of five to eight members from Kennedy are designing rockets complete with avionics and recovery systems. Launch operations require coordination with federal agencies, just as they would with rockets launched in support of a NASA mission. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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Rocket measurements of electron density irregularities during MAC/SINE
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Ulwick, J. C.
1989-01-01
Four Super Arcas rockets were launched at the Andoya Rocket Range, Norway, as part of the MAC/SINE campaign to measure electron density irregularities with high spatial resolution in the cold summer polar mesosphere. They were launched as part of two salvos: the turbulent/gravity wave salvo (3 rockets) and the EISCAT/SOUSY radar salvo (one rocket). In both salvos meteorological rockets, measuring temperature and winds, were also launched and the SOUSY radar, located near the launch site, measured mesospheric turbulence. Electron density irregularities and strong gradients were measured by the rocket probes in the region of most intense backscatter observed by the radar. The electron density profiles (8 to 4 on ascent and 4 on descent) show very different characteristics in the peak scattering region and show marked spatial and temporal variability. These data are intercompared and discussed.
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Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical Installation onto Mobile Laun
2017-05-25
A crane has been attached to the Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical (CSFSU) to lift it up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals that will connect to the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The CSFSU will be located at about the 180-foot level on the tower, above the liquid oxygen tank. The CSFSU is an umbilical that will swing into position to provide connections to the core stage forward skirt of the SLS rocket, and then swing away before launch. Its main purpose is to provide conditioned air/GN2 to the SLS core stage forward skirt cavity. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical Installation onto Mobile Laun
2017-05-25
Cranes and rigging are being used to lift the Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical (CSFSU) into position for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals that will connect to the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The CSFSU will be located at about the 180-foot level on the tower, above the liquid oxygen tank. The CSFSU is an umbilical that will swing into position to provide connections to the core stage forward skirt of the SLS rocket, and then swing away before launch. Its main purpose is to provide conditioned air/GN2 to the SLS core stage forward skirt cavity. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical Installation onto Mobile Laun
2017-05-25
Seeming to hang in midair, the Core Stage Forward Skirt Umbilical (CSFSU) is lifted high up by crane for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The CSFSU will be located at about the 180-foot level on the tower, above the liquid oxygen tank. The CSFSU is an umbilical that will swing into position to provide connections to the core stage forward skirt of the SLS rocket, and then swing away before launch. Its main purpose is to provide conditioned air/GN2 to the SLS core stage forward skirt cavity. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1958-01-01
Launch of Jupiter-C/Explorer 1 at Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 31, 1958. After the Russian Sputnik 1 was launched in October 1957, the launching of an American satellite assumed much greater importance. After the Vanguard rocket exploded on the pad in December 1957, the ability to orbit a satellite became a matter of national prestige. On January 31, 1958, slightly more than four weeks after the launch of Sputnik.The ABMA (Army Ballistic Missile Agency) in Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama, in cooperation with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, launched a Jupiter from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket consisted of a modified version of the Redstone rocket's first stage and two upper stages of clustered Baby Sergeant rockets developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and later designated as Juno boosters for space launches
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Launch of Jupiter-C/Explorer 1
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1958-01-01
Launch of Jupiter-C/Explorer 1 at Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 31, 1958. After the Russian Sputnik 1 was launched in October 1957, the launching of an American satellite assumed much greater importance. After the Vanguard rocket exploded on the pad in December 1957, the ability to orbit a satellite became a matter of national prestige. On January 31, 1958, slightly more than four weeks after the launch of Sputnik.The ABMA (Army Ballistic Missile Agency) in Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama, in cooperation with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, launched a Jupiter from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket consisted of a modified version of the Redstone rocket's first stage and two upper stages of clustered Baby Sergeant rockets developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and later designated as Juno boosters for space launches
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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.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2004-01-01
Dr. von Braun is looking out from a 10th floor window of building 4200 at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). He was the first Center Director and served as the Director from July 1960 through February 1970. Following World War II, Dr. von Braun and his German colleagues arrived in the United States under the Project Paperclip (American acquisition of German rocket experts) to continue their rocket development work. In 1950, von Braun and his German Rocket Team (also called the Peenemuende Team) were transferred from Ft. Bliss, Texas to Huntsville, Alabama to work for the Army's rocket program at Redstone Arsenal and later, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Under Dr. von Braun's leadership, MSFC developed the Saturn V launch vehicle, which placed the first men, two American astronauts, on the Moon. Wernher von Braun's life was dedicated to expanding man's knowledge through the exploration of space.
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76 FR 62692 - Atlantic Ocean off Wallops Island and Chincoteague Inlet, Virginia; Danger Zone
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-10-11
... Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Flight Facility conducts rocket-launching operations. The proposed amendment is necessary to protect the public from hazards associated with the rocket-launching... permanent danger zone is necessary to protect the public from hazards associated with rocket-launching...
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50 CFR 217.75 - Requirements for monitoring and reporting.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... camera system designed to detect pinniped responses to rocket launches for at least the first five..., whenever a new class of rocket is flown from the Kodiak Launch Complex, a real-time sound pressure and...) Assess the cumulative impacts on pinnipeds and other marine mammals from multiple rocket launches. ...
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50 CFR 217.75 - Requirements for monitoring and reporting.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-10-01
... camera system designed to detect pinniped responses to rocket launches for at least the first five..., whenever a new class of rocket is flown from the Kodiak Launch Complex, a real-time sound pressure and...) Assess the cumulative impacts on pinnipeds and other marine mammals from multiple rocket launches. ...
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NASA Launches Rocket Into Active Auroras
2017-12-08
A test rocket is launched the night of Feb. 17 from the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska. Test rockets are launched as part of the countdown to test out the radar tracking systems. NASA is launching five sounding rockets from the Poker Range into active auroras to explore the Earth's magnetic environment and its impact on Earth’s upper atmosphere and ionosphere. The launch window for the four remaining rockets runs through March 3. Credit: NASA/Terry Zaperach NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram
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GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate
2016-10-27
The solid rocket motor is lifted on its transporter for mating to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) will launch aboard the Atlas V rocket this month. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites.
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On the history of the development of solid-propellant rockets in the Soviet Union
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Pobedonostsev, Y. A.
1977-01-01
Pre-World War II Soviet solid-propellant rocket technology is reviewed. Research and development regarding solid composite preparations of pyroxyline TNT powder is described, as well as early work on rocket loading calculations, problems of flight stability, and aircraft rocket launching and ground rocket launching capabilities.
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Parker Solar Probe Spacecraft Arrival, Offload and Transport
2018-04-03
A U.S. Air Force C-5 transport aircraft arrives at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida, with NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft aboard. The spacecraft will be offloaded and transported to the Astrotech processing facility near the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.
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Parker Solar Probe Spacecraft Arrival, Offload and Transport
2018-04-03
NASA's Parker Solar Probe, secured in its shipping container, arrives at the Astrotech processing facility near the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft arrived aboard a U.S. Air Force C-5 transport aircraft at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.
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Parker Solar Probe Spacecraft Arrival, Offload and Transport
2018-04-03
A U.S. Air Force C-5 transport aircraft touches down at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida, with NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft aboard. The spacecraft will be offloaded and transported to the Astrotech processing facility near the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.
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Parker Solar Probe Spacecraft Arrival, Offload and Transport
2018-04-03
NASA's Parker Solar Probe, secured in its shipping container, is offloaded from a U.S. Air Force C-5 transport aircraft at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida. The spacecraft will be transported to the Astrotech processing facility near the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.
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Parker Solar Probe Spacecraft Arrival, Offload and Transport
2018-04-03
A U.S. Air Force C-5 transport aircraft approaches the runway for landing at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida, with NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft aboard. The spacecraft will be offloaded and transported to the Astrotech processing facility near the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.
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Parker Solar Probe Spacecraft Arrival, Offload and Transport
2018-04-03
NASA's Parker Solar Probe, secured in its shipping container, has been offloaded from a U.S. Air Force C-5 transport aircraft at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida. The spacecraft will be transported to the Astrotech processing facility near the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.
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Parker Solar Probe Spacecraft Arrival, Offload and Transport
2018-04-03
NASA's Parker Solar Probe, secured in its shipping container, arrives aboard a U.S. Air Force C-5 transport aircraft at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida. The spacecraft will be offloaded and transported to the Astrotech processing facility near the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Installation
2017-03-16
A crane lifts the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) high up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate
2016-10-27
The solid rocket motor has been lifted to the vertical position and moved into the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida for mating to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) will launch aboard the Atlas V rocket this month. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites.
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GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate
2016-10-27
Preparations are underway to lift the solid rocket motor up from its transporter for mating to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) will launch aboard the Atlas V rocket this month. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites.
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GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate
2016-10-27
The solid rocket motor has been lifted to the vertical position for mating to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) will launch aboard the Atlas V rocket this month. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites.
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GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate
2016-10-27
Technicians with United Launch Alliance (ULA) assist as the solid rocket motor is mated to the ULA Atlas V rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) will launch aboard the Atlas V rocket this month. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites.
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GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate
2016-10-27
Technicians with United Launch Alliance (ULA) monitor the progress as the solid rocket motor is mated to the ULA Atlas V rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) will launch aboard the Atlas V rocket this month. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites.
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2006-07-14
A model of the new Aries I crew launch vehicle, for which NASA is designing, testing and evaluating hardware and related systems, is seen here on display at the Marshall Space Fight Center (MSFC), in Huntsville, Alabama. The Ares I crew launch vehicle is the rocket that will carry a new generation of space explorers into orbit. 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. These transportation systems will safely and reliably carry human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is led by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA’s MFSC. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module and a launch abort system. The launch vehicle’s first stage is a single, five-segment reusable solid rocket booster derived from the Space Shuttle Program’s reusable solid rocket motor that burns a specially formulated and shaped solid propellant called polybutadiene acrylonitrile (PBAN). The second or upper stage will be propelled by a J-2X main engine fueled with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. In addition to its primary mission of carrying crews of four to six astronauts to Earth orbit, the launch vehicle’s 25-ton payload capacity might be used for delivering cargo to space, bringing resources and supplies to the International Space Station or dropping payloads off in orbit for retrieval and transport to exploration teams on the moon. Crew transportation to the space station is planned to begin no later than 2014. The first lunar excursion is scheduled for the 2020 timeframe.
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2011-01-25
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Repair work to space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank begins to wrap up in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Technicians modified 94 support beams, called stringers, on the tank's intertank region by fitting pieces of metal, called radius blocks, over the stringers' edges. They also were re-applying foam to the modified areas of the tank. Attached to its fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters, Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A atop a giant crawler-transporter on Jan. 31. Discovery's next launch opportunity to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission is targeted for Feb. 24. For more information on STS-133, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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2011-01-25
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Repair work to space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank begins to wrap up in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Technicians modified 94 support beams, called stringers, on the tank's intertank region by fitting pieces of metal, called radius blocks, over the stringers' edges. They also were re-applying foam to the modified areas of the tank. Attached to its fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters, Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A atop a giant crawler-transporter on Jan. 31. Discovery's next launch opportunity to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission is targeted for Feb. 24. For more information on STS-133, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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2011-01-25
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Repair work to space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank begins to wrap up in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Technicians modified 94 support beams, called stringers, on the tank's intertank region by fitting pieces of metal, called radius blocks, over the stringers' edges. They also were re-applying foam to the modified areas of the tank. Attached to its fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters, Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A atop a giant crawler-transporter on Jan. 31. Discovery's next launch opportunity to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission is targeted for Feb. 24. For more information on STS-133, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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Sounding rockets in Antarctica
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Alford, G. C.; Cooper, G. W.; Peterson, N. E.
1982-01-01
Sounding rockets are versatile tools for scientists studying the atmospheric region which is located above balloon altitudes but below orbital satellite altitudes. Three NASA Nike-Tomahawk sounding rockets were launched from Siple Station in Antarctica in an upper atmosphere physics experiment in the austral summer of 1980-81. The 110 kg payloads were carried to 200 km apogee altitudes in a coordinated project with Arcas rocket payloads and instrumented balloons. This Siple Station Expedition demonstrated the feasibility of launching large, near 1,000 kg, rocket systems from research stations in Antarctica. The remoteness of research stations in Antarctica and the severe environment are major considerations in planning rocket launching expeditions.
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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. The Ares I effort includes multiple project element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the nation, and is managed by the Exploration Launch Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MFSC). ATK Launch Systems near Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Crew Capsule Project Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel. Together, these teams are developing vehicle hardware, evolving proven technologies, and testing components and systems. Their work builds on powerful, reliable space shuttle propulsion elements and nearly a half-century of NASA space flight experience and technological advances. Ares I is an inline, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Crew Exploration Vehicle, its service module, and a launch abort system. The launch vehicle's first stage is a single, five-segment reusable solid rocket booster derived from the Space Shuttle Program's reusable solid rocket motor that burns a specially formulated and shaped solid propellant called polybutadiene acrylonitrile (PBAN). The second or upper stage will be propelled by a J-2X main engine fueled with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. This HD video image depicts a test firing of a 40k subscale J2X injector at MSFC's test stand 115. (Highest resolution available)
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-09-20
... support Proton Rocket Launch Vehicle integration and launch of the Astra 2F commercial communications... support Proton Rocket Launch Vehicle integration and launch of the EchoStar 16 commercial communications...
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SLS Resource Reel Aug 2016 orig
2016-07-04
Space Launch System Resource Reel Description: This video includes launch animation of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), as well as work taking place across NASA centers and the country to build and test the various components that make up the rocket including: the 5-segment solid rocket boosters, the RS-25 rocket engines, the massive tanks that make up the Core Stage of the rocket that fuels the RS-25 engines, and upper portions of the rocket that connect the interim cryogenic propulsion stage to the Orion spacecraft. SLS, is an advanced launch vehicle for a new era of exploration beyond Earth’s orbit into deep space. SLS, the world’s most powerful rocket, will launch astronauts in the agency’s Orion spacecraft on missions to an asteroid and eventually to Mars, while opening new possibilities for other payloads including robotic scientific missions to places like Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. Graphic Information: PAO Name:Kim Henry Phone Number:256-544-1899 Email Address: kimberly.m.henry@nasa.gov
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Low-Cost Propellant Launch to Earth Orbit from a Tethered Balloon
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Wilcox, Brian H.
2006-01-01
Propellant will be more than 85% of the mass that needs to be lofted into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in the planned program of Exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. This paper describes a possible means for launching thousands of tons of propellant per year into LEO at a cost 15 to 30 times less than the current launch cost per kilogram. The basic idea is to mass-produce very simple, small and relatively low-performance rockets at a cost per kilogram comparable to automobiles, instead of the 25X greater cost that is customary for current launch vehicles that are produced in small quantities and which are manufactured with performance near the limits of what is possible. These small, simple rockets can reach orbit because they are launched above 95% of the atmosphere, where the drag losses even on a small rocket are acceptable, and because they can be launched nearly horizontally with very simple guidance based primarily on spin-stabilization. Launching above most of the atmosphere is accomplished by winching the rocket up a tether to a balloon. A fuel depot in equatorial orbit passes over the launch site on every orbit (approximately every 90 minutes). One or more rockets can be launched each time the fuel depot passes overhead, so the launch rate can be any multiple of 6000 small rockets per year, a number that is sufficient to reap the benefits of mass production.
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GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate
2016-10-27
The solid rocket motor has been lifted to the vertical position on its transporter for mating to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) will launch aboard the Atlas V rocket this month. GOES-R is the first satellite in a series of next-generation NOAA GOES Satellites.
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GOES-S Countdown to T-Zero, Episode 3: Rocket Science
2018-02-27
The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket reaches another major milestone on the road to T-Zero, as NOAA's GOES-S spacecraft prepares for launch. Stacking the rocket begins with the booster - the largest component - and continues with the addition of four solid rocket motors and the Centaur upper stage. GOES-S, the next in a series of advanced weather satellites, is slated to launch aboard the Atlas V from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
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Delta II JPSS-1 Solid Rocket Motor Hoist and Mate
2016-07-19
The United Launch Alliance/Orbital ATK Delta II solid rocket motor arrives at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Technicians and engineers lift and mate the solid rocket motor to a Delta II rocket in preparation for launch of the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) later this year. JPSS, a next-generation environmental satellite system, is a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA.
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Delta II JPSS-1 Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Installation
2017-04-04
The United Launch Alliance/Orbital ATK Delta II solid rocket motor arrives at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Technicians and engineers lift and mate the solid rocket motor to a Delta II rocket in preparation for launch of the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) later this year. JPSS, a next-generation environmental satellite system, is a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA.
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-10-01
... rocket launches, holders of Letters of Authorization must avoid launches during the harbor seal pupping... purposes related to missile or rocket launches. (3) All flights by fixed-wing aircraft associated with the...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
... rocket launches, holders of Letters of Authorization must avoid launches during the harbor seal pupping... purposes related to missile or rocket launches. (3) All flights by fixed-wing aircraft associated with the...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-10-01
... rocket launches, holders of Letters of Authorization must avoid launches during the harbor seal pupping... purposes related to missile or rocket launches. (3) All flights by fixed-wing aircraft associated with the...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
... rocket launches, holders of Letters of Authorization must avoid launches during the harbor seal pupping... purposes related to missile or rocket launches. (3) All flights by fixed-wing aircraft associated with the...
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77 FR 67269 - Voluntary Licensing of Amateur Rocket Operations; Withdrawal
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-11-09
...-0318; Amdt. No. 400-4] RIN 2120-AK16 Voluntary Licensing of Amateur Rocket Operations; Withdrawal... that conduct certain amateur rocket launches to voluntarily apply for a commercial space transportation... give operators of Class 3 advanced high-power rockets the option of applying for a chapter III launch...
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77 FR 61513 - Voluntary Licensing of Amateur Rocket Operations; Correction; Delay of Effective Date
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-10-10
...-0318; Notice No. 400-4] RIN 2120-AK16 Voluntary Licensing of Amateur Rocket Operations; Correction... allow launch operators that conduct certain amateur rocket launches an opportunity to voluntarily apply... final rule entitled, ``Voluntary Licensing of Amateur Rocket Operations'' (77 FR 50584). In this rule...
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2008-05-01
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room No. 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a worker maneuvers a panel to build another cabinet to hold equipment that will support the future Ares rocket launches as part of the Constellation Program. Future astronauts will ride to orbit on Ares I, which uses a single five-segment solid rocket booster, a derivative of the space shuttle's solid rocket booster, for the first stage. Ares will be launched from Pad 39B, which is being reconfigured from supporting space shuttle launches. The Launch Control Center firing rooms face the launch pads. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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2008-05-01
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room No. 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers line up the new equipment cabinets. The firing room will support the future Ares rocket launches as part of the Constellation Program. Future astronauts will ride to orbit on Ares I, which uses a single five-segment solid rocket booster, a derivative of the space shuttle's solid rocket booster, for the first stage. Ares will be launched from Pad 39B, which is being reconfigured from supporting space shuttle launches. The Launch Control Center firing rooms face the launch pads. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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2008-05-01
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room No. 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, cabinets are being erected to hold equipment that will support the future Ares rocket launches as part of the Constellation Program. Future astronauts will ride to orbit on Ares I, which uses a single five-segment solid rocket booster, a derivative of the space shuttle's solid rocket booster, for the first stage. Ares will be launched from Pad 39B, which is being reconfigured from supporting space shuttle launches. The Launch Control Center firing rooms face the launch pads. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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2008-05-01
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room No. 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers put together another cabinet to hold equipment that will support the future Ares rocket launches as part of the Constellation Program. Future astronauts will ride to orbit on Ares I, which uses a single five-segment solid rocket booster, a derivative of the space shuttle's solid rocket booster, for the first stage. Ares will be launched from Pad 39B, which is being reconfigured from supporting space shuttle launches. The Launch Control Center firing rooms face the launch pads. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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2008-05-01
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room No. 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, workers put together another cabinet to hold equipment that will support the future Ares rocket launches as part of the Constellation Program. Future astronauts will ride to orbit on Ares I, which uses a single five-segment solid rocket booster, a derivative of the space shuttle's solid rocket booster, for the first stage. Ares will be launched from Pad 39B, which is being reconfigured from supporting space shuttle launches. The Launch Control Center firing rooms face the launch pads. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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17. HISTORIC VIEW OF ROCKET & LAUNCH STAND DESIGNED BY ...
17. HISTORIC VIEW OF ROCKET & LAUNCH STAND DESIGNED BY HERMANN OBERTH AND RUDOLF NEBEL FOR THE MOVIE DIE FRAU IM MOND (THE WOMAN ON THE MOON). THE LAUNCH STAND WAS MODIFIED BY THE VFR FOR THE FIRST TEST STAND AT RAKETENFLUGPLATZ NEAR BERLIN. - Marshall Space Flight Center, Redstone Rocket (Missile) Test Stand, Dodd Road, Huntsville, Madison County, AL
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1958-01-31
Explorer 1 atop a Jupiter-C in gantry. Jupiter-C carrying the first American satellite, Explorer 1, was successfully launched on January 31, 1958. The Jupiter-C launch vehicle consisted of a modified version of the Redstone rocket's first stage and two upper stages of clustered Baby Sergeant rockets developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and later designated as Juno boosters for space launches
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Design of a 2000 lbf LOX/LCH4 Throttleable Rocket Engine for a Vertical Lander
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lopez, Israel
Liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid methane (LCH4) has been recognized as an attractive rocket propellant combination because of its in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) capabilities, namely in Mars. ISRU would allow launch vehicles to carry greater payloads and promote missions to Mars. This has led to an increasing interest to develop spacecraft technologies that employ this propellant combination. The UTEP Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR) has focused part of its research efforts to developing LOX/LCH4 systems. One of those projects includes the development of a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle called JANUS. This vehicle will employ a LOX/LCH 4 propulsion system. The main propulsion engine is called CROME-X and is currently being developed as part of this project. This rocket engine will employ LOX/LCH4 propellants and is intended to operate from 2000-500 lbf thrust range. This thesis describes the design and development of CROME-X. Specifically, it describes the design process for the main engine components, the design criteria for each, and plans for future engine development.
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Solutions Remediate Contaminated Groundwater
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2010-01-01
During the Apollo Program, NASA workers used chlorinated solvents to clean rocket engine components at launch sites. These solvents, known as dense non-aqueous phase liquids, had contaminated launch facilities to the point of near-irreparability. Dr. Jacqueline Quinn and Dr. Kathleen Brooks Loftin of Kennedy Space Center partnered with researchers from the University of Central Florida's chemistry and engineering programs to develop technology capable of remediating the area without great cost or further environmental damage. They called the new invention Emulsified Zero-Valent Iron (EZVI). The groundwater remediation compound is cleaning up polluted areas all around the world and is, to date, NASA's most licensed technology.
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Orion EM-1 Crew Module Structural Test Article Move to Birdcage
2016-11-16
Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians attach lines from a crane to the Orion crew module structural test article (STA). The STA arrived aboard NASA's Super Guppy aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility operated by Space Florida. The test article will be lifted out of its container and moved to a test tool called the birdcage for further testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.
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Orion EM-1 Crew Module Structural Test Article Move to Birdcage
2016-11-16
Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians prepare to attach lines from a crane to the Orion crew module structural test article (STA). The STA arrived aboard NASA's Super Guppy aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility operated by Space Florida. The test article will be lifted out of its container and moved to a test tool called the birdcage for further testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.
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Orion EM-1 Crew Module Structural Test Article Move to Birdcage
2016-11-16
Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians monitor the progress as a crane begins to lift the Orion crew module structural test article (STA) up from the base of its transport container. The STA arrived aboard NASA's Super Guppy aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility operated by Space Florida. The test article will be moved to a test tool called the birdcage for further testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.
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Orion EM-1 Crew Module Structural Test Article Move to Birdcage
2016-11-16
Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians monitor the progress as a crane moves the Orion crew module structural test article (STA) along the center aisle of the high bay. The STA arrived aboard NASA's Super Guppy aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility operated by Space Florida. The test article will be moved to a test tool called the birdcage for further testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.
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Orion EM-1 Crew Module Structural Test Article Move to Birdcage
2016-11-16
Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians monitor the progress as a crane lowers the Orion crew module structural test article (STA) toward a test tool called the birdcage. The STA arrived aboard NASA's Super Guppy aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility operated by Space Florida. The test article will be secured on the birdcage for further testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.
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Orion EM-1 Crew Module Structural Test Article Move to Birdcage
2016-11-16
Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians monitor the progress as a crane lowers the Orion crew module structural test article (STA) onto a test tool called the birdcage. The STA arrived aboard NASA's Super Guppy aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility operated by Space Florida. The test article will be secured on the birdcage for further testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.
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Orion EM-1 Crew Module Structural Test Article Move to Birdcage
2016-11-16
Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians monitor the progress as a crane lifts the Orion crew module structural test article (STA) up from the base of its transport container. The STA arrived aboard NASA's Super Guppy aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility operated by Space Florida. The test article will be moved to a test tool called the birdcage for further testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.
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Orion EM-1 Crew Module Structural Test Article Move to Birdcage
2016-11-16
Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians check the lines attached from a crane to the Orion crew module structural test article (STA). The STA arrived aboard NASA's Super Guppy aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility operated by Space Florida. The test article will be lifted out of its container and moved to a test tool called the birdcage for further testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.
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Orion EM-1 Crew Module Structural Test Article Move to Birdcage
2016-11-16
Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Lockheed Martin technicians monitor the progress as a crane lifts the Orion crew module structural test article (STA) away from the base of its transport container. The STA arrived aboard NASA's Super Guppy aircraft at the Shuttle Landing Facility operated by Space Florida. The test article will be moved to a test tool called the birdcage for further testing. The Orion spacecraft will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on EM-1, its first deep space mission, in late 2018.
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1999-01-11
In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers look over the solar panels on the Stardust spacecraft that are deployed for lighting tests. Stardust is scheduled to be launched aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, on Feb. 6, 1999, for a rendezvous with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Stardust will use a substance called aerogel to capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet, plus collect interstellar dust for later analysis. The collected samples will return to Earth in a sample return capsule to be jettisoned as it swings by Earth in January 2006
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1999-01-11
In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers adjust the solar panels of the Stardustspacecraft before performing lighting tests. Stardust is scheduled to be launched aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, on Feb. 6, 1999, for a rendezvous with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Stardust will use a substance called aerogel to capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet, plus collect interstellar dust for later analysis. The collected samples will return to Earth in a sample return capsule to be jettisoned as it swings by Earth in January 2006
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1999-01-11
Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility deploy a solar panel on the Stardust spacecraft before performing lighting tests. Stardust is scheduled to be launched aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, on Feb. 6, 1999, for a rendezvous with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Stardust will use a substance called aerogel to capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet, plus collect interstellar dust for later analysis. The collected samples will return to Earth in a sample return capsule to be jettisoned as it swings by Earth in January 2006
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1999-01-11
In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, a worker (left) conducts lighting tests on the fully extended solar panels of the Stardustspacecraft. Stardust is scheduled to be launched aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, on Feb. 6, 1999, for a rendezvous with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Stardust will use a substance called aerogel to capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet, plus collect interstellar dust for later analysis. The collected samples will return to Earth in a sample return capsule to be jettisoned as it swings by Earth in January 2006
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2018-04-16
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is ready to roll out to Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, with NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) secured in its payload fairing. TESS will launch on the Falcon 9 no earlier than 6:51 p.m. EDT on April 18. TESS will 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.
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Arrival of the ULA Delta IV Heavy Common Booster Cores for the P
2017-07-26
The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Mariner arrives at Port Canaveral in Florida carrying two of the three Delta IV Heavy Common Booster Cores for NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection. Liftoff atop the Delta IV rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 in summer 2018.
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ULA Delta IV Heavy Second Stage & Port Common Booster Core for t
2017-08-30
The United Launch Alliance Mariner arrives at Port Canaveral's Army Warf carrying the third Delta IV Heavy common booster core and second stage for NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe spacecraft. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection. Liftoff atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 in summer 2018.
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Arrival of the ULA Delta IV Heavy Common Booster Cores for the P
2017-07-26
The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Mariner docks at Port Canaveral in Florida carrying two of the three Delta IV Heavy Common Booster Cores for NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection. Liftoff atop the Delta IV rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 in summer 2018.
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ULA Delta IV Heavy Second Stage & Port Common Booster Core for t
2017-08-26
The United Launch Alliance Mariner arrives at Port Canaveral's Army Warf carrying the third Delta IV Heavy common booster core and second stage for NASA's upcoming Parker Solar Probe spacecraft. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection. Liftoff atop the Delta IV Heavy rocket is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 37 in summer 2018.
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1958-01-01
The modified Jupiter C (sometimes called Juno I), used to launch Explorer I, had minimum payload lifting capabilities. Explorer I weighed slightly less than 31 pounds. Juno II was part of America's effort to increase payload lifting capabilities. Among other achievements, the vehicle successfully launched a Pioneer IV satellite on March 3, 1959, and an Explorer VII satellite on October 13, 1959. Responsibility for Juno II passed from the Army to the Marshall Space Flight Center when the Center was activated on July 1, 1960. On November 3, 1960, a Juno II sent Explorer VIII into a 1,000-mile deep orbit within the ionosphere.
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Small Payload Launch Integrated Testing Services (SPLITS) - SPSDL
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Plotner, Benjamin
2013-01-01
My experience working on the Small Payload Launch Integrated Testing Services project has been both educational and rewarding. I have been given the opportunity to work on and experiment with a number of exciting projects and initiatives, each offering different challenges and opportunities for teamwork and collaboration. One of my assignments is to aid in the design and construction of a small-scale two stage rocket as part of a Rocket University initiative. My duties include programming a microcontroller to control the various sensors on the rocket as well as process and transmit data. Additionally, I am writing a graphical user interface application for the ground station that will receive the transmitted data from the rocket and display the information on screen along with a 3D rendering displaying the rocket orientation. Another project I am working on is to design and develop the avionics that will be used to control a high altitude balloon flight that will test a sensor called a Micro Dosimeter that will measure the total ionizing dose absorbed by electrical components during a flight. This includes assembling and soldering the various sensors and components, programming a microcontroller to input and process data from the Micro Dosimeter, and transmitting the data down to a ground station as well as save the data to an on-board SD card. Additionally, I am aiding in the setup and development of ITOS (Integrated Test and Operations System) capability in the SPSDL (Spaceport Processing System Development Lab).
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Flame Deflector Complete at Launch Complex 39B
2018-05-16
Construction is complete on the main flame deflector in the flame trench at Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The flame deflector will safely deflect the plume exhaust from NASA's Space Launch System rocket during launch. It will divert the rocket's exhaust, pressure and intense heat to the north at liftoff. The Exploration Ground Systems Program at Kennedy is refurbishing the pad to support the launch of the SLS rocket and Orion on Exploration Mission-1, and helping to transform the space center into a multi-user spaceport.
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NSSDC index of international scientific rocket launches ordered by sponsering country/agency
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1972-01-01
International scientific rocket launches are listed by discipline codes and by sponsoring country/agencies identifications. Launch sites, experiments, approximate apogee, success and principle experimenters are also shown.
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Overview of GX launch services by GALEX
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sato, Koji; Kondou, Yoshirou
2006-07-01
Galaxy Express Corporation (GALEX) is a launch service company in Japan to develop a medium size rocket, GX rocket and to provide commercial launch services for medium/small low Earth orbit (LEO) and Sun synchronous orbit (SSO) payloads with a future potential for small geo-stationary transfer orbit (GTO). It is GALEX's view that small/medium LEO/SSO payloads compose of medium scaled but stable launch market due to the nature of the missions. GX rocket is a two-stage rocket of well flight proven liquid oxygen (LOX)/kerosene booster and LOX/liquid natural gas (LNG) upper stage. This LOX/LNG propulsion under development by Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is robust with comparable performance as other propulsions and have future potential for wider application such as exploration programs. GX rocket is being developed through a joint work between the industries and GX rocket is applying a business oriented approach in order to realize competitive launch services for which well flight proven hardware and necessary new technology are to be introduced as much as possible. It is GALEX's goal to offer “Easy Access to Space”, a highly reliable and user-friendly launch services with a competitive price. GX commercial launch will start in Japanese fiscal year (JFY) 2007 2008.
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The SRBs for the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander arrive on Pad 17B, CCAS
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1998-01-01
On Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, a solid rocket booster hangs in place between two other rocket boosters waiting to be mated with the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998.
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Vostreys, R. W.
1980-01-01
Spacecraft launching for 1979 are identified and listed under the categories of (1) sounding rockets, and (2) artificial Earth satellites and space probes. The sounding rockets section includes a listing of the experiments, index of launch sites and tables of the meanings and codes used in the launch listing.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Testing Complete
2016-10-19
Testing of the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) was completed at the Launch Equipment Test Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The OSMU was attached to Vehicle Motion Simulator 1 for a series of simulated launch tests to validate it for installation on the mobile launcher. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. Kennedy's Engineering Directorate is providing support to the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program for testing of the OSMU. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018.
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2008-05-01
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room No. 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the number of new equipment cabinets increases as workers put the elements together. The firing room will support the future Ares rocket launches as part of the Constellation Program. Future astronauts will ride to orbit on Ares I, which uses a single five-segment solid rocket booster, a derivative of the space shuttle's solid rocket booster, for the first stage. Ares will be launched from Pad 39B, which is being reconfigured from supporting space shuttle launches. The Launch Control Center firing rooms face the launch pads. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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2008-05-01
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A near-empty Firing Room No. 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center is ready for the installation of racks of equipment. The firing room will support the future Ares rocket launches as part of the Constellation Program. Future astronauts will ride to orbit on Ares I, which uses a single five-segment solid rocket booster, a derivative of the space shuttle's solid rocket booster, for the first stage. Ares will be launched from Pad 39B, which is being reconfigured from supporting space shuttle launches. The Launch Control Center firing rooms face the launch pads. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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2008-05-01
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room No. 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a worker holds on to a cabinet being put together to hold equipment that will support the future Ares rocket launches as part of the Constellation Program. Future astronauts will ride to orbit on Ares I, which uses a single five-segment solid rocket booster, a derivative of the space shuttle's solid rocket booster, for the first stage. Ares will be launched from Pad 39B, which is being reconfigured from supporting space shuttle launches. The Launch Control Center firing rooms face the launch pads. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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2008-05-01
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Firing Room No. 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, panels stretch across the floor in preparation for erecting equipment racks. The firing room will support the future Ares rocket launches as part of the Constellation Program. Future astronauts will ride to orbit on Ares I, which uses a single five-segment solid rocket booster, a derivative of the space shuttle's solid rocket booster, for the first stage. Ares will be launched from Pad 39B, which is being reconfigured from supporting space shuttle launches. The Launch Control Center firing rooms face the launch pads. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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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.
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X-33 Combustion-Wave Ignition System Tested
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Liou, Larry C.
1999-01-01
The NASA Lewis Research Center, in cooperation with Rocketdyne, the Boeing Company, tested a novel rocket engine ignition system, called the combustion-wave ignition system, in its Research Combustion Laboratory. This ignition system greatly simplifies ignition in rocket engines that have a large number of combustors. The particular system tested was designed and fabricated by Rocketdyne for the national experimental spacecraft, X-33, which uses Rocketdyne s aerospike rocket engines. The goal of the tests was to verify the system design and define its operational characteristics. Results will contribute to the eventual successful flight of X-33. Furthermore, the combustion-wave ignition system, after it is better understood and refined on the basis of the test results and, later, flight-proven onboard X-33, could become an important candidate engine ignition system for our Nation s next-generation reusable launch vehicle.
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ASCANS Class of 2013 Tour the O&C with Cabana
2014-03-03
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, astronaut candidate Christina Hammock listens to a briefing on preparations for the launch the Orion spacecraft on Exploration Flight Test EFT-1. Plans call for the Lockheed Martin-built Orion to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The astronaut class of 2013 was selected by NASA after an extensive year-and-a-half search. The new group will help the agency push the boundaries of exploration and travel to new destinations in the solar system. To learn more about the astronaut class of 2013, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/2013astroclass.html Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
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.
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NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
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.
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ASCANS Class of 2013 Tour the O&C with Cabana
2014-03-03
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, agency astronaut candidates are briefed on preparations for the launch the Orion spacecraft on Exploration Flight Test EFT-1. Plans call for the Lockheed Martin-built Orion to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The astronaut class of 2013 was selected by NASA after an extensive year-and-a-half search. The new group will help the agency push the boundaries of exploration and travel to new destinations in the solar system. To learn more about the astronaut class of 2013, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/2013astroclass.html Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
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.
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Parker Solar Probe Spacecraft Arrival, Offload and Transport
2018-04-03
Preparations are underway to offload NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft, secured in its shipping container, from a U.S. Air Force C-5 transport aircraft at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida. The spacecraft will be transported to the Astrotech processing facility near the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.
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Parker Solar Probe Spacecraft Arrival, Offload and Transport
2018-04-03
A forklift operator latches onto the shipping container with NASA's Parker Solar Probe inside, after it was offloaded from a U.S. Air Force C-5 transport aircraft at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida. The spacecraft will be transported to the Astrotech processing facility near the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The Parker Solar Probe will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2018. The mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun's atmosphere, called the corona. The probe will rely on measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and the Sun-Earth connection.
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NASA Science Review of Next Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
2018-04-15
NASA and science investigators from MIT participate in a science briefing for the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Felicia Chou, NASA Communications, asks questions from online participants during the briefing. 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.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Installation on Mobile Launcher (ML)
2017-03-13
Cranes and rigging are being used to lift the bracket for the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) up for installation on the mobile launcher tower. The tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
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.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Lift & Preparation for Ins
2017-03-13
Preparations are underway to lift the bracket for the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Installation
2017-03-16
A crane and rigging are used to lift the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Installation
2017-03-16
Preparations are underway to lift the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Installation
2017-03-16
Seeming to hang in midair, the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) is lifted high up by crane for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Installation
2017-03-16
A crane and rigging are used to position the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) for installation high up on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Lift & Preparation for Ins
2017-03-13
A crane positions the bracket for the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Installation
2017-03-16
A crane and rigging are used to lift the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) high up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Lift & Preparation for Ins
2017-03-13
A crane lifts the bracket for the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) high up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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NASA Science Review of Next Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
2018-04-15
NASA and science investigators from MIT participate in a science briefing for the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Claire Saravia, NASA Communications, moderated the briefing. 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.
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NASA Science Review of Next Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
2018-04-15
NASA and science investigators from MIT participate in a science briefing for the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Paul Hertz, Astrophysics Division director, NASA Headquarters, answered questions during the briefing. 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.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Green, Rebecca
2017-01-01
Solid rockets are of interest to the space program because they are commonly used as boosters that provide the additional thrust needed for the space launch vehicle to escape the gravitational pull of the Earth. Larger, more advanced solid rockets allow for space launch vehicles with larger payload capacities, enabling mankind to reach new depths of space. This presentation will discuss, in detail, the history of solid rockets. The history begins with the invention and origin of the solid rocket, and then goes into the early uses and design of the solid rocket. The evolution of solid rockets is depicted by a description of how solid rockets changed and improved and how they were used throughout the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Modern uses of the solid rocket include the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) on the Space Shuttle and the solid rockets used on current space launch vehicles. The functions and design of the SRB and the advancements in solid rocket technology since the use of the SRB are discussed as well. Common failure modes and design difficulties are discussed as well.
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Rocket Science in 60 Seconds: Insulating NASA's New Deep-space Rocket
2018-02-09
Rocket Science in 60 Seconds gives you an inside look at work being done at NASA to explore deep space like never before. In the first episode, we take a look at the thermal protection application on the launch vehicle stage adapter for the first flight of NASA's new rocket, the Space Launch System. Engineer Amy Buck takes us behind the scenes at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for a peek at how she is helping build the rocket and protect it as extreme hot and cold collide during launch! For more information about SLS and the OSA, visit nasa.gov/sls.
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Encyclopedia: Satellites and Sounding Rockets, August 1959 - December 1969
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1970-01-01
Major space missions utilizing satellites or sounding rockets managed by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center between August 1959 and December 1969 were documented. The information was presented in the following form: (1) description of each satellite project where Goddard was responsible for the spacecraft or the successful launch or both, with data such as launch characteristics, objectives, etc.; (2) description of each Goddard sounding rocket project, with the following data: sounding rocket type, vehicle number, experimental affiliation, and type of experiment; (3) brief description of current sounding rockets and launch vehicles; (4) table of tracking and data acquisition stations. Summary tables are also provided.
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2007-05-29
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the 1st stage of the Delta II rocket awaits solid rocket booster attachment. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the Dawn spacecraft, scheduled to launch June 30. Dawn's mission is to explore two of the asteroid belt's most intriguing and dissimilar occupants: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2011-11-15
... regarding the types and amounts of missile and rocket launches that the USAF conducts. DATES: Comments and... missiles and rockets that could be launched over the course of the 5-year rule and indicated that marine... flexibility in the types and amounts of missile and rocket launches that they conduct. NMFS now proposes to...
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-02-01
... missile and rocket launches that the USAF conducts. DATES: Effective on February 1, 2012. ADDRESSES... rockets that could be launched over the course of the 5-year rule and indicated that marine mammal take... flexibility in the types and amounts of missile and rocket launches that they conduct. NMFS now amends the...
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Pressure-Equalizing Cradle for Booster Rocket Mounting
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Rutan, Elbert L. (Inventor)
2015-01-01
A launch system and method improve the launch efficiency of a booster rocket and payload. A launch aircraft atop which the booster rocket is mounted in a cradle, is flown or towed to an elevation at which the booster rocket is released. The cradle provides for reduced structural requirements for the booster rocket by including a compressible layer, that may be provided by a plurality of gas or liquid-filled flexible chambers. The compressible layer contacts the booster rocket along most of the length of the booster rocket to distribute applied pressure, nearly eliminating bending loads. Distributing the pressure eliminates point loading conditions and bending moments that would otherwise be generated in the booster rocket structure during carrying. The chambers may be balloons distributed in rows and columns within the cradle or cylindrical chambers extending along a length of the cradle. The cradle may include a manifold communicating gas between chambers.
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50 CFR 216.120 - Specified activity and specified geographical region.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
... to 150 missiles and rockets over the 5-year period of the regulations in this subpart, (2) Launching up to 20 rockets each year from Vandenberg Air Force Base, for a total of up to 100 rocket launches...
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50 CFR 216.120 - Specified activity and specified geographical region.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-10-01
... to 150 missiles and rockets over the 5-year period of the regulations in this subpart, (2) Launching up to 20 rockets each year from Vandenberg Air Force Base, for a total of up to 100 rocket launches...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-01-01
... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Restrictions on Certain Rocket Systems (including ballistic missile systems and space launch vehicles and sounding rockets) and Unmanned Air...: END-USER AND END-USE BASED § 744.3 Restrictions on Certain Rocket Systems (including ballistic missile...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-01-01
... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Restrictions on Certain Rocket Systems (including ballistic missile systems and space launch vehicles and sounding rockets) and Unmanned Air...: END-USER AND END-USE BASED § 744.3 Restrictions on Certain Rocket Systems (including ballistic missile...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-01-01
... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Restrictions on Certain Rocket Systems (including ballistic missile systems and space launch vehicles and sounding rockets) and Unmanned Air...: END-USER AND END-USE BASED § 744.3 Restrictions on Certain Rocket Systems (including ballistic missile...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-01-01
... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Restrictions on Certain Rocket Systems (including ballistic missile systems and space launch vehicles and sounding rockets) and Unmanned Air...: END-USER AND END-USE BASED § 744.3 Restrictions on Certain Rocket Systems (including ballistic missile...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-01-01
... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Restrictions on Certain Rocket Systems (including ballistic missile systems and space launch vehicles and sounding rockets) and Unmanned Air...: END-USER AND END-USE BASED § 744.3 Restrictions on Certain Rocket Systems (including ballistic missile...
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Orion is Lifted for Mating with Delta IV
2014-11-12
At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians mate the agency's Orion spacecraft to its Delta IV Heavy rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.
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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.
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50 CFR 216.230 - Specified activity and specified geographical region.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
... TAKING AND IMPORTING OF MARINE MAMMALS Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental to Rocket Launches from the... paragraph (b) of this section by U.S. citizens engaged in rocket launch activities (up to nine launches per...
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1998-10-07
This photograph depicts an air-breathing rocket engine prototype in the test bay at the General Applied Science Lab facility in Ronkonkoma, New York. Air-breathing engines, known as rocket based, combined-cycle engines, get their initial take-off power from specially designed rockets, called air-augmented rockets, that boost performance about 15 percent over conventional rockets. When the vehicle's velocity reaches twice the speed of sound, the rockets are turned off and the engine relies totally on oxygen in the atmosphere to burn hydrogen fuel, as opposed to a rocket that must carry its own oxygen, thus reducing weight and flight costs. Once the vehicle has accelerated to about 10 times the speed of sound, the engine converts to a conventional rocket-powered system to propel the craft into orbit or sustain it to suborbital flight speed. NASA's Advanced Space Transportation Program at Marshall Space Flight Center, along with several industry partners and collegiate forces, is developing this technology to make space transportation affordable for everyone from business travelers to tourists. The goal is to reduce launch costs from today's price tag of $10,000 per pound to only hundreds of dollars per pound. NASA's series of hypersonic flight demonstrators currently include three air-breathing vehicles: the X-43A, X-43B and X-43C.
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STS-103 Discovery reaches to Launch Pad 39B
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1999-01-01
Space Shuttle Discovery approaches Launch Pad 39B where the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the STS-103 launch. The mission is a 'call-up' due to the need to replace and repair portions of the Hubble Space Telescope. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working properly. Four EVA's are planned to make the necessary repairs and replacements on the telescope. The STS-103 crew members are Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), and Claude Nicollier of Switzerland and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France, both with the European Space Agency. The mission is targeted for launch Dec. 6 at 2:37 a.m. EST.
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Rocket Launch-Induced Vibration and Ignition Overpressure Response
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Caimi, Raoul; Margasahayam, Ravi; Nayfeh, Jamal; Thompson, Karen (Technical Monitor)
2001-01-01
Rocket-induced vibration and ignition overpressure response environments are predicted in the low-frequency (5 to 200 hertz) range. The predictions are necessary to evaluate their impact on critical components, structures, and facilities in the immediate vicinity of the rocket launch pad.
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Safety Practices Followed in ISRO Launch Complex- An Overview
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Krishnamurty, V.; Srivastava, V. K.; Ramesh, M.
2005-12-01
The spaceport of India, Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is located at Sriharikota, a spindle shaped island on the east coast of southern India.SDSC SHAR has a unique combination of facilities, such as a solid propellant production plant, a rocket motor static test facility, launch complexes for different types of rockets, telemetry, telecommand, tracking, data acquisition and processing facilities and other support services.The Solid Propellant Space Booster Plant (SPROB) located at SDSC SHAR produces composite solid propellant for rocket motors of ISRO. The main ingredients of the propellant produced here are ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer), fine aluminium powder (fuel) and hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene (binder).SDSC SHAR has facilities for testing solid rocket motors, both at ambient conditions and at simulated high altitude conditions. Other test facilities for the environmental testing of rocket motors and their subsystems include Vibration, Shock, Constant Acceleration and Thermal / Humidity.SDSC SHAR has the necessary infrastructure for launching satellites into low earth orbit, polar orbit and geo-stationary transfer orbit. The launch complexes provide complete support for vehicle assembly, fuelling with both earth storable and cryogenic propellants, checkout and launch operations. Apart from these, it has facilities for launching sounding rockets for studying the Earth's upper atmosphere and for controlled reentry and recovery of ISRO's space capsule reentry missions.Safety plays a major role at SDSC SHAR right from the mission / facility design phase to post launch operations. This paper presents briefly the infrastructure available at SDSC SHAR of ISRO for launching sounding rockets, satellite launch vehicles, controlled reentry missions and the built in safety systems. The range safety methodology followed as a part of the real time mission monitoring is presented. The built in safety systems provided onboard the launch vehicle are automatic shut off the propulsion system based on real time mission performance and a passivation system incorporated in the orbit insertion stage are highlighted.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Karabeyoglu, Arif; Tuncer, Onur; Inalhan, Gokhan
2016-07-01
Mankind is relient on chemical propulsion systems for space access. Nevertheless, this has been a stagnant area in terms of technological development and the technology base has not changed much almost for the past forty years. This poses a vicious circle for launch applications such that high launch costs constrain the demand and low launch freqencies drive costs higher. This also has been a key limiting factor for small and micro satellites that are geared towards planetary science. Rather this be because of the launch frequencies or the costs, the access of small and micro satellites to orbit has been limited. With today's technology it is not possible to escape this circle. However the emergence of cost effective and high performance propulsion systems such as advanced hybrid rockets can decrease launch costs by almost an order or magnitude. This paper briefly introduces the timeline and research challenges that were overcome during the development of advanced hybrid LOX/paraffin based rockets. Experimental studies demonstrated effectiveness of these advanced hybrid rockets which incorporate fast burning parafin based fuels, advanced yet simple internal balistic design and carbon composite winding/fuel casting technology that enables the rocket motor to be built from inside out. A feasibility scenario is studied using these rocket motors as building blocks for a modular launch vehicle capable of delivering micro satellites into low earth orbit. In addition, the building block rocket motor can be used further solar system missions providing the ability to do standalone small and micro satellite missions to planets within the solar system. This enabling technology therefore offers a viable alternative in order to escape the viscous that has plagued the space launch industry and that has limited the small and micro satellite delivery for planetary science.
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Infrasound and Seismic Recordings of Rocket Launches from Kennedy Space Center, 2016-2017
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
McNutt, S. R.; Thompson, G.; Brown, R. G.; Braunmiller, J.; Farrell, A. K.; Mehta, C.
2017-12-01
We installed a temporary 3-station seismic-infrasound network at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in February 2016 to test sensor calibrations and train students in field deployment and data acquisitions techniques. Each station featured a single broadband 3-component seismometer and a 3-element infrasound array. In May 2016 the network was scaled back to a single station due to other projects competing for equipment. To date 8 rocket launches have been recorded by the infrasound array, as well as 2 static tests, 1 aborted launch and 1 rocket explosion (see next abstract). Of the rocket launches recorded 4 were SpaceX Falcon-9, 2 were ULA Atlas-5 and 2 were ULA Delta-IV. A question we attempt to answer is whether the rocket engine type and launch trajectory can be estimated with appropriate travel-time, amplitude-ratio and spectral techniques. For example, there is a clear Doppler shift in seismic and infrasound spectrograms from all launches, with lower frequencies occurring later in the recorded signal as the rocket accelerates away from the array. Another question of interest is whether there are relationships between jet noise frequency, thrust and/or nozzle velocity. Infrasound data may help answer these questions. We are now in the process of deploying a permanent seismic and infrasound array at the Astronaut Beach House. 10 more rocket launches are schedule before AGU. NASA is also conducting a series of 33 sonic booms over KSC beginning on Aug 21st. Launches and other events at KSC have provided rich sources of signals that are useful to characterize and gain insight into physical processes and wave generation from man-made sources.
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1999-01-26
In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers help guide the overhead crane lifting the Stardust spacecraft. Stardust is being moved in order to mate it with the third stage of a Boeing Delta II rocket. Targeted for launch Feb. 6 from Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, aboard the Delta II rocket, the spacecraft is destined for a close encounter with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Using a silicon-based substance called aerogel, Stardust will capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet. The spacecraft also will bring back samples of interstellar dust. These materials consist of ancient pre-solar interstellar grains and other remnants left over from the formation of the solar system. Scientists expect their analysis to provide important insights into the evolution of the sun and planets and possibly into the origin of life itself. The collected samples will return to Earth in a sample return capsule to be jettisoned as Stardust swings by Earth in January 2006
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Advanced Space Transportation Program (ASTP)
2006-12-05
The NASA developed Ares rockets, named for the Greek god associated with Mars, will return humans to the moon and later take them to Mars and other destinations. This is an illustration of the Ares V with call outs. The Ares V is a heavy lift launch vehicle that will use five RS-68 liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen engines mounted below a larger version of the space shuttle external tank, and two five-segment solid propellant rocket boosters for the first stage. The upper stage will use the same J-2X engine as the Ares I and past Apollo vehicles. The Ares V can lift more than 286,000 pounds to low Earth orbit and stands approximately 360 feet tall. This versatile system will be used to carry cargo and the components into orbit needed to go to the moon and later to Mars. Ares V is subject to configuration changes before it is actually launched. This illustration reflects the latest configuration as of January 2007.
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2013-06-13
VANDENBERG ABF, Calif. - The Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft called "Stargazer" arrives at Vandenberg Air Force Base for the upcoming launch of the company's Pegasus XL rocket lifting NASA's IRIS solar observatory into orbit. The aircraft will carry the winged rocket to an altitude of 39,000 feet before releasing the Pegasus so its own motors can ignite to send the IRIS into space. The L-1011 is a modified airliner equipped to hold the Pegasus under its body safely. IRIS, short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, is being prepared for launch from Vandenberg June 26. IRIS will open a new window of discovery by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the chromospheres and transition region into the sun’s corona using spectrometry and imaging. IRIS fills a crucial gap in our ability to advance studies of the sun-to-Earth connection by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the foundation of the corona and the region around the sun known as the heliosphere. Photo credit: VAFB/Randy Beaudoin
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2013-06-13
VANDENBERG ABF, Calif. - The Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft called "Stargazer" arrives at Vandenberg Air Force Base for the upcoming launch of the company's Pegasus XL rocket lifting NASA's IRIS solar observatory into orbit. The aircraft will carry the winged rocket to an altitude of 39,000 feet before releasing the Pegasus so its own motors can ignite to send the IRIS into space. The L-1011 is a modified airliner equipped to hold the Pegasus under its body safely. IRIS, short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, is being prepared for launch from Vandenberg June 26. IRIS will open a new window of discovery by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the chromospheres and transition region into the sun’s corona using spectrometry and imaging. IRIS fills a crucial gap in our ability to advance studies of the sun-to-Earth connection by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the foundation of the corona and the region around the sun known as the heliosphere. Photo credit: VAFB/Randy Beaudoin
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2013-06-13
VANDENBERG ABF, Calif. - The cockpit of the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft called "Stargazer" after arrival at Vandenberg Air Force Base for the upcoming launch of the company's Pegasus XL rocket lifting NASA's IRIS solar observatory into orbit. The aircraft will carry the winged rocket to an altitude of 39,000 feet before releasing the Pegasus so its own motors can ignite to send the IRIS into space. The L-1011 is a modified airliner equipped to hold the Pegasus under its body safely. IRIS, short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, is being prepared for launch from Vandenberg June 26. IRIS will open a new window of discovery by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the chromospheres and transition region into the sun’s corona using spectrometry and imaging. IRIS fills a crucial gap in our ability to advance studies of the sun-to-Earth connection by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the foundation of the corona and the region around the sun known as the heliosphere. Photo credit: VAFB/Randy Beaudoin
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2013-06-13
VANDENBERG ABF, Calif. - The Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft called "Stargazer" arrives at Vandenberg Air Force Base for the upcoming launch of the company's Pegasus XL rocket lifting NASA's IRIS solar observatory into orbit. The aircraft will carry the winged rocket to an altitude of 39,000 feet before releasing the Pegasus so its own motors can ignite to send the IRIS into space. The L-1011 is a modified airliner equipped to hold the Pegasus under its body safely. IRIS, short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, is being prepared for launch from Vandenberg June 26. IRIS will open a new window of discovery by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the chromospheres and transition region into the sun’s corona using spectrometry and imaging. IRIS fills a crucial gap in our ability to advance studies of the sun-to-Earth connection by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the foundation of the corona and the region around the sun known as the heliosphere. Photo credit: VAFB/Randy Beaudoin
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2014-11-11
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency's Orion is transported to Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. After arrival at the launch pad, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians will lift Orion and mount it atop its Delta IV Heavy rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.
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2011-05-15
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Water bags, called red water sausages, are revealed on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida following the move of the rotating service structure (RSS). RSS "rollback," as it's called, began at 11:44 a.m. EDT on May 15 and was completed at 12:24 p.m. The bags will dampen the wave of sound energy that is reflected back up toward space shuttle Endeavour when the solid rocket boosters ignite during launch. They suppress the powerful pulse of pressure to prevent dangerous stress on the wings of the shuttle. STS-134 will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), Express Logistics Carrier-3, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper to the International Space Station. May 16 at 8:56 a.m. will be the second launch attempt for Endeavour. The first attempt on April 29 was scrubbed because of an issue associated with a faulty power distribution box called the aft load control assembly-2 (ALCA-2). STS-134 will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
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2011-05-15
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Water bags, called red water sausages, are revealed on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida following the move of the rotating service structure (RSS). RSS "rollback," as it's called, began at 11:44 a.m. EDT on May 15 and was completed at 12:24 p.m. The bags will dampen the wave of sound energy that is reflected back up toward space shuttle Endeavour when the solid rocket boosters ignite during launch. They suppress the powerful pulse of pressure to prevent dangerous stress on the wings of the shuttle. STS-134 will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), Express Logistics Carrier-3, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper to the International Space Station. May 16 at 8:56 a.m. will be the second launch attempt for Endeavour. The first attempt on April 29 was scrubbed because of an issue associated with a faulty power distribution box called the aft load control assembly-2 (ALCA-2). STS-134 will be the final spaceflight for Endeavour. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
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SLS launched missions concept studies for LUVOIR mission
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Stahl, H. Philip; Hopkins, Randall C.
2015-09-01
NASA's "Enduring Quests Daring Visions" report calls for an 8- to 16-m Large UV-Optical-IR (LUVOIR) Surveyor mission to enable ultra-high-contrast spectroscopy and coronagraphy. AURA's "From Cosmic Birth to Living Earth" report calls for a 12-m class High-Definition Space Telescope to pursue transformational scientific discoveries. The multi-center ATLAST Team is working to meet these needs. The MSFC Team is examining potential concepts that leverage the advantages of the SLS (Space Launch System). A key challenge is how to affordably get a large telescope into space. The JWST design was severely constrained by the mass and volume capacities of its launch vehicle. This problem is solved by using an SLS Block II-B rocket with its 10-m diameter x 30-m tall fairing and estimated 45 mt payload to SE-L2. Previously, two development study cycles produced a detailed concept called ATLAST-8. Using ATLAST-8 as a point of departure, this paper reports on a new ATLAST-12 concept. ATLAST-12 is a 12-m class segmented aperture LUVOIR with an 8-m class center segment. Thus, ATLAST-8 is now a de-scope option.
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SLS Launched Missions Concept Studies for LUVOIR Mission
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Stahl, H. Philip; Hopkins, Randall C.
2015-01-01
NASA's "Enduring Quests Daring Visions" report calls for an 8- to 16-meter Large UV-Optical-IR (LUVOIR) Surveyor mission to enable ultra-high-contrast spectroscopy and coronagraphy. AURA's "From Cosmic Birth to Living Earth" report calls for a 12-meter class High-Definition Space Telescope to pursue transformational scientific discoveries. The multi-center ATLAST Team is working to meet these needs. The MSFC Team is examining potential concepts that leverage the advantages of the SLS (Space Launch System). A key challenge is how to affordably get a large telescope into space. The JWST design was severely constrained by the mass and volume capacities of its launch vehicle. This problem is solved by using an SLS Block II-B rocket with its 10-m diameter x 30-m tall fairing and 45 mt payload to SE-L2. Previously, two development study cycles produced a detailed concept called ATLAST-8. Using ATLAST-8 as a point of departure, this paper reports on a new ATLAST-12 concept. ATLAST-12 is a 12-meter class segmented aperture LUVOIR with an 8-m class center segment. Thus, ATLAST-8 is now a de-scope option.
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Delta II JPSS-1 Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Hoist and Mate
2016-07-19
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a solid rocket motor is attached to a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket at Space Launch Complex 2. Preparations are continuing for launch of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1) spacecraft on March 27, 2017. JPSS-1 is part of the next-generation environmental satellite system, a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA.
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2011-09-10
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Fire and smoke light up the sky as a United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket propels NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission into space. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 17B on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida was at 9:08:52 a.m. EDT Sept.10. GRAIL-A will separate from the second stage of the rocket at about one hour, 21 minutes after liftoff, followed by GRAIL-B at 90 minutes after launch. The spacecraft are embarking on a three-month journey to reach the moon. GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem around the moon to precisely measure and map variations in the moon's gravitational field. The mission will provide the most accurate global gravity field to date for any planet, including Earth. This detailed information will reveal differences in the density of the moon's crust and mantle and will help answer fundamental questions about the moon's internal structure, thermal evolution, and history of collisions with asteroids. The aim is to map the moon's gravity field so completely that future moon vehicles can safely navigate anywhere on the moon’s surface. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/grail. Photo credit: NASA/Darrell McCall
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Engineering Models Ease and Speed Prototyping
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2008-01-01
NASA astronauts plan to return to the Moon as early as 2015 and establish a lunar base, from which 6-month flights to Mars would be launched by 2030. Essential to this plan is the Ares launch vehicle, NASA s next-generation spacecraft that will, in various iterations, be responsible for transporting all equipment and personnel to the Moon, Mars, and beyond for the foreseeable future. The Ares launch vehicle is powered by the J-2X propulsion system, with what will be the world s largest rocket nozzles. One of the conditions that engineers carefully consider in designing rocket nozzles particularly large ones is called separation phenomenon, which occurs when outside ambient air is sucked into the nozzle rim by the relatively low pressures of rapidly expanding exhaust gasses. This separation of exhaust gasses from the side-wall imparts large asymmetric transverse loads on the nozzle, deforming the shape and thus perturbing exhaust flow to cause even greater separation. The resulting interaction can potentially crack the nozzle or break actuator arms that control thrust direction. Side-wall loads are extremely difficult to measure directly, and, until now, techniques were not available for accurately predicting the magnitude and frequency of the loads. NASA researchers studied separation phenomenon in scale-model rocket nozzles, seeking to use measured vibration on these nozzle replicas to calculate the unknown force causing the vibrations. Key to this approach was the creation of a computer model accurately representing the nozzle as well as the test cell.
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1999-01-11
Bright white light (left) and blue light (upper right) appear on the solar panels of the Stardust spacecraft during lighting tests in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. Stardust is scheduled to be launched aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, on Feb. 6, 1999, for a rendezvous with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Stardust will use a substance called aerogel to capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet, plus collect interstellar dust for later analysis. The collected samples will return to Earth in a sample return capsule to be jettisoned as it swings by Earth in January 2006
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1999-01-11
In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers get ready to rotate the Stardust spacecraft before deploying the solar panels (at left and right) for lighting tests. Stardust is scheduled to be launched aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, on Feb. 6, 1999, for a rendezvous with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Stardust will use a substance called aerogel to capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet, plus collect interstellar dust for later analysis. The collected samples will return to Earth in a sample return capsule to be jettisoned as it swings by Earth in January 2006
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1999-01-11
In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers raise the Stardust spacecraft from its workstand to move it to another area for lighting tests on the solar panels. Stardust is scheduled to be launched aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, on Feb. 6, 1999, for a rendezvous with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Stardust will use a substance called aerogel to capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet, plus collect interstellar dust for later analysis. The collected samples will return to Earth in a sample return capsule to be jettisoned as it swings by Earth in January 2006
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1999-01-11
Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility watch as the Stardust spacecraft is rotated and lowered before deploying the solar panels for lighting tests. Stardust is scheduled to be launched aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, on Feb. 6, 1999, for a rendezvous with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Stardust will use a substance called aerogel to capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet, plus collect interstellar dust for later analysis. The collected samples will return to Earth in a sample return capsule (seen on top of the spacecraft) to be jettisoned as it swings by Earth in January 2006
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1999-01-11
In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, a worker looks over the solar panels of the Stardust spacecraft before it undergoes lighting tests. Stardust is scheduled to be launched aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, on Feb. 6, 1999, for a rendezvous with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Stardust will use a substance called aerogel to capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet, plus collect interstellar dust for later analysis. The collected samples will return to Earth in a sample return capsule (its white cap is seen on the left) to be jettisoned as it swings by Earth in January 2006
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NASA TESS Prelaunch News Conference
2018-04-15
In Kennedy Space Center's Press Site auditorium, members of the media participate in a mission briefing on NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Josh Finch, NASA Communications, moderates the briefing. 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.
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2013-11-17
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the News Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Andrew Petro, the agency's acting director of the Early Stage Innovation Division of the Office of the Chief Technologist, discusses the agency’s CubeSat Launch initiative. CubeSats provide opportunities for small satellite payloads to fly on rockets planned for upcoming launches. CubeSats, a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites, are flown as auxiliary payloads on previously planned missions. The cube-shaped satellites are approximately four inches long, have a volume of about one quart and weigh about three pounds. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative.html Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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2013-11-17
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the News Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Andrew Petro, the agency's acting director of the Early Stage Innovation Division of the Office of the Chief Technologist, discusses the agency’s CubeSat Launch initiative. CubeSats provide opportunities for small satellite payloads to fly on rockets planned for upcoming launches. CubeSats, a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites, are flown as auxiliary payloads on previously planned missions. The cube-shaped satellites are approximately four inches long, have a volume of about one quart and weigh about three pounds. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative.html Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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2013-11-17
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the News Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Andrew Petro, the agency's acting director of the Early Stage Innovation Division of the Office of the Chief Technologist, discusses the agency’s CubeSat Launch initiative. CubeSats provide opportunities for small satellite payloads to fly on rockets planned for upcoming launches. CubeSats, a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites, are flown as auxiliary payloads on previously planned missions. The cube-shaped satellites are approximately four inches long, have a volume of about one quart and weigh about three pounds. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative.html Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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2013-11-17
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the News Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Andrew Petro, the agency's acting director of the Early Stage Innovation Division of the Office of the Chief Technologist, discusses the agency’s CubeSat Launch initiative. CubeSats provide opportunities for small satellite payloads to fly on rockets planned for upcoming launches. CubeSats, a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites, are flown as auxiliary payloads on previously planned missions. The cube-shaped satellites are approximately four inches long, have a volume of about one quart and weigh about three pounds. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative.html Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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Rockot Launch Vehicle Commercial Operations for Grace and Iridium Program
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Viertel, Y.; Kinnersley, M.; Schumacher, I.
2002-01-01
The GRACE mission and the IRIDIUM mission on ROCKOT launch vehicle are presented. Two identical GRACE satellites to measure in tandem the gravitational field of the earth with previously unattainable accuracy - it's called the Gravity Research and Climate Experiment, or and is a joint project of the U.S. space agency, NASA and the German Centre for Aeronautics and Space Flight, DLR. In order to send the GRACE twins into a 500x500 km , 89deg. orbit, the Rockot launch vehicle was selected. A dual launch of two Iridium satellites was scheduled for June 2002 using the ROCKOT launch vehicle from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Northern Russia. This launch will inject two replacement satellites into a low earth orbit (LEO) to support the maintenance of the Iridium constellation. In September 2001, Eurockot successfully carried out a "Pathfinder Campaign" to simulate the entire Iridium mission cycle at Plesetsk. The campaign comprised the transport of simulators and related equipment to the Russian port-of-entry and launch site and also included the integration and encapsulation of the simulators with the actual Rockot launch vehicle at Eurockot's dedicated launch facilities at Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The pathfinder campaign lasted four weeks and was carried out by a joint team that also included Khrunichev, Russian Space Forces and Eurockot personnel on the contractors' side. The pathfinder mission confirmed the capability of Eurockot Launch Services to perform the Iridium launch on cost and on schedule at Plesetsk following Eurockot's major investment in international standard preparation, integration and launch facilities including customer facilities and a new hotel. In 2003, Eurockot will also launch the Japanese SERVI'S-1 satellite for USEF. The ROCKOT launch vehicle is a 3 stage liquid fuel rocket whose first 2 stages have been adapted from the Russian SS-19. A third stage, called "Breeze", can be repeatedly ignited and is extraordinarily capable of manoeuvre. Rockot can place 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)
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2007-06-26
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians lower the upper canister over the Dawn spacecraft. After enclosure, Dawn will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B and lifted into the mobile service tower for mating with the Delta II launch vehicle. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
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2007-06-26
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, the Dawn spacecraft has been wrapped with a protective cover before it is enclosed in a canister. Dawn will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B and lifted into the mobile service tower for mating with the Delta II launch vehicle. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
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2007-06-26
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians secure the upper canister over the Dawn spacecraft. Dawn will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B and lifted into the mobile service tower for mating with the Delta II launch vehicle. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
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2007-06-26
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians begin lowering the upper canister over the Dawn spacecraft. After enclosure, Dawn will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B and lifted into the mobile service tower for mating with the Delta II launch vehicle. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
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Orion EFT-1 Wet Dress Rehearsal
2014-11-05
In the Hangar A&E control room, displays are seen during a dress rehearsal for the launch of the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket for the upcoming Orion Flight Test. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.
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Orion is Lifted for Mating with Delta IV
2014-11-12
At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians prepare to mate the agency's Orion spacecraft to its Delta IV Heavy rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.
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Orion is Lifted for Mating with Delta IV
2014-11-12
At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians prepare to lift the agency's Orion spacecraft for mounting atop its Delta IV Heavy rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.
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Orion is Lifted for Mating with Delta IV
2014-11-12
At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians begin lifting the agency's Orion spacecraft for mounting atop its Delta IV Heavy rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.
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Pressure And Thermal Modeling Of Rocket Launches
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Smith, Sheldon D.; Myruski, Brian L.; Farmer, Richard C.; Freeman, Jon A.
1995-01-01
Report presents mathematical model for use in designing rocket-launching stand. Predicts pressure and thermal environment, as well as thermal responses of structures to impinging rocket-exhaust plumes. Enables relatively inexperienced analyst to determine time-varying distributions and absolute levels of pressure and heat loads on structures.
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1998-12-02
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, a solid rocket booster hangs in place between two other rocket boosters waiting to be mated with the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998
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The SRBs for the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander arrive on Pad 17B, CCAS
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1998-01-01
On Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, a solid rocket booster is raised to a vertical position for mating with the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar- powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998.
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The SRBs for the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander arrive on Pad 17B, CCAS
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1998-01-01
On Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, a solid rocket booster waits for mating with the Delta II rocket (in background) carrying the Mars Polar Lander. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar- powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998.
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The SRBs for the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander arrive on Pad 17B, CCAS
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1998-01-01
On Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, workers monitor the solid rocket booster before its being lifted to mate with the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998.
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The SRBs for the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander arrive on Pad 17B, CCAS
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1998-01-01
On Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, the gantry holding the solid rocket boosters is moved into place next to the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998.
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Delta II JPSS-1 Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Hoist and Mate
2016-07-19
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a solid rocket motor is lifted at Space Launch Complex 2 to be attached to a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. Preparations are continuing for launch of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1) spacecraft on March 27, 2017. JPSS-1 is part of the next-generation environmental satellite system, a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA.
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Delta II JPSS-1 Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Hoist and Mate
2016-07-19
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians inspect a solid rocket motor at Space Launch Complex 2 as it is attached to a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. Preparations are continuing for launch of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1) spacecraft on March 27, 2017. JPSS-1 is part of the next-generation environmental satellite system, a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA.
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High Dynamic Range Digital Imaging of Spacecraft
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Karr, Brian A.; Chalmers, Alan; Debattista, Kurt
2014-01-01
The ability to capture engineering imagery with a wide degree of dynamic range during rocket launches is critical for post launch processing and analysis [USC03, NNC86]. Rocket launches often present an extreme range of lightness, particularly during night launches. Night launches present a two-fold problem: capturing detail of the vehicle and scene that is masked by darkness, while also capturing detail in the engine plume.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Williams, R. W. (Compiler)
1996-01-01
This conference publication includes various abstracts and presentations given at the 13th Workshop for Computational Fluid Dynamic Applications in Rocket Propulsion and Launch Vehicle Technology held at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center April 25-27 1995. The purpose of the workshop was to discuss experimental and computational fluid dynamic activities in rocket propulsion and launch vehicles. The workshop was an open meeting for government, industry, and academia. A broad number of topics were discussed including computational fluid dynamic methodology, liquid and solid rocket propulsion, turbomachinery, combustion, heat transfer, and grid generation.
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2014-04-14
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., announces that NASA has just signed a lease agreement with SpaceX for use and operation of Launch Complex 39A. SpaceX will use Launch Complex 39A for rockets such as the Falcon Heavy, currently under development. Both launch pad 39A and 39B were originally built for the Apollo/Saturn V rockets that launched American astronauts on their historic journeys to the moon and later modified to support the 30-year shuttle program. Pad 39B is now being modified by NASA to support the Space Launch System SLS rocket boosting the Orion spacecraft part of the agency’s plan to explore beyond low-Earth orbit. To learn more about Launch Pad 39A visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/launch-complex39-toc.html Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper
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2014-04-14
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39A, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden announces that NASA has just signed a lease agreement with Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for use and operation of Launch Complex 39A. SpaceX will use Launch Complex 39A for rockets such as the Falcon Heavy, currently under development. Both launch pad 39A and 39B were originally built for the Apollo/Saturn V rockets that launched American astronauts on their historic journeys to the moon and later modified to support the 30-year shuttle program. Pad 39B is now being modified by NASA to support the Space Launch System SLS rocket boosting the Orion spacecraft part of the agency’s plan to explore beyond low-Earth orbit. To learn more about Launch Pad 39A visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/launch-complex39-toc.html Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper
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2014-04-14
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39A, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden announces that NASA has just signed a lease agreement with Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for use and operation of Launch Complex 39A. SpaceX will use Launch Complex 39A for rockets such as the Falcon Heavy, currently under development. Both launch pad 39A and 39B were originally built for the Apollo/Saturn V rockets that launched American astronauts on their historic journeys to the moon and later modified to support the 30-year shuttle program. Pad 39B is now being modified by NASA to support the Space Launch System SLS rocket boosting the Orion spacecraft part of the agency’s plan to explore beyond low-Earth orbit. To learn more about Launch Pad 39A visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/launch-complex39-toc.html Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2013-01-31
... revise Category IV (launch vehicles, guided missiles, ballistic missiles, rockets, torpedoes, bombs, and... revises USML Category IV (launch vehicles, guided missiles, ballistic missiles, rockets, torpedoes, bombs... missiles, rockets, torpedoes, bombs, and mines whose jurisdiction would be in doubt based on this revision...
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ASCANS Class of 2013 Tour the O&C with Cabana
2014-03-03
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, astronaut candidates Tyler Nick Hague, left, Christina Hammock, center, and Victor Glover listen to a briefing on preparations for the launch the Orion spacecraft on Exploration Flight Test EFT-1. Plans call for the Lockheed Martin-built Orion to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The astronaut class of 2013 was selected by NASA after an extensive year-and-a-half search. The new group will help the agency push the boundaries of exploration and travel to new destinations in the solar system. To learn more about the astronaut class of 2013, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/2013astroclass.html Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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ASCANS Class of 2013 Tour the O&C with Cabana
2014-03-03
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, astronaut candidates Jessica Meir, left, Andrew Morgan, center, and Anne McClain listen to a briefing on preparations for the launch the Orion spacecraft on Exploration Flight Test EFT-1. Plans call for the Lockheed Martin-built Orion to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The astronaut class of 2013 was selected by NASA after an extensive year-and-a-half search. The new group will help the agency push the boundaries of exploration and travel to new destinations in the solar system. To learn more about the astronaut class of 2013, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/2013astroclass.html Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
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 Jessie Christiansen, staff scientiest, NASA Exoplaneet Science Institute, California 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.
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NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
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, at left is Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of Build and Flight Reliability at SpaceX. 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.
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NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
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 Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of Build and Flight Reliability at SpaceX. 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.
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ASCANS Class of 2013 Tour the O&C with Cabana
2014-03-03
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, associate center director Kelvin Manning, left, briefs astronaut candidates Nicole Mann, center, and Tyler Nick Hague on preparations for the launch the Orion spacecraft on Exploration Flight Test EFT-1. Plans call for the Lockheed Martin-built Orion to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The astronaut class of 2013 was selected by NASA after an extensive year-and-a-half search. The new group will help the agency push the boundaries of exploration and travel to new destinations in the solar system. To learn more about the astronaut class of 2013, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/2013astroclass.html Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Lift & Preparation for Ins
2017-03-13
Crane specialists monitor the progress as the bracket for the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) is lifted up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Long Exposure Photos of Mobile Launcher
2017-03-14
A long-exposure view of the mobile launcher at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Cranes and rigging are being used to lift the bracket for the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) up for installation on the mobile launcher tower. The tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Installation
2017-03-16
Construction workers assist as a crane and rigging are used to position the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) for installation high up on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Lift & Preparation for Ins
2017-03-13
A view from below the mobile launcher shows a crane positioning the bracket for the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) high up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Lift & Preparation for Ins
2017-03-13
Crane specialists monitor the progress as the bracket for the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) is lifted high up for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Lift & Preparation for Ins
2017-03-13
In this view looking down from high up on the mobile launcher, a crane positions the bracket for the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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NASA Science Review of Next Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
2018-04-15
NASA and science investigators from MIT participate in a science briefing for the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Padi Boyd, TESS Guest Investigator Program lead, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, answered questions during the briefing. 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.
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NASA Science Review of Next Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
2018-04-15
NASA and science investigators from MIT participate in a science briefing for the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Diana Dragomir, NASA Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, answered questions during the briefing. 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.
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NASA Science Review of Next Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
2018-04-15
NASA and science investigators from MIT participate in a science briefing for the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Stephen Rinehart, TESS Project scientist, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, answered questions during the briefing. 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.
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NASA Science Review of Next Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
2018-04-15
NASA and science investigators from MIT participate in a science briefing for the agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in the Press Site auditorium at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. George Ricker, TESS principal investigator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, answered questions during the briefing. 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.
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International Space Station (ISS)
1997-01-01
This photograph, taken by the Boeing Company,shows Boeing technicians preparing to install one of six hatches or doors to the Node 1 (also called Unity), the first U.S. Module for the International Space Station (ISS). The Node 1, or Unity, serves as a cornecting passageway to Space Station modules and was manufactured by the Boeing Company at the Marshall Space Flight Center from 1994 to 1997. The U.S. built Unity module was launched aboard the orbiter Endeavour (STS-88 mission) on December 4, 1998 and connected to the Zarya, the Russian-built Functional Energy Block (FGB). The Zarya was launched on a Russian proton rocket prior to the launch of the Unity. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.
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International Space Station (ISS)
1997-01-01
This photograph, taken by the Boeing Company, shows Boeing technicians preparing to install one of six hatches or doors to the Node 1 (also called Unity), the first U.S. Module for the International Space Station (ISS). The Node 1, or Unity, serves as a cornecting passageway to Space Station modules and was manufactured by the Boeing Company at the Marshall Space Flight Center from 1994 to 1997. The U.S. built Unity module was launched aboard the orbiter Endeavour (STS-88 mission) on December 4, 1998 and connected to the Zarya, the Russian-built Functional Energy Block (FGB). The Zarya was launched on a Russian proton rocket prior to the launch of the Unity. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.
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The Node 1 (or Unity) Module for the International Space Station
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1997-01-01
This photograph, taken by the Boeing Company, shows Node 1 (also called Unity), the first U.S. Module for the International Space Station (ISS), with its hatch door installed. The Node 1, or Unity, serves as a cornecting passageway to Space Station modules and was manufactured by the Boeing Company at the Marshall Space Flight Center from 1994 to 1997. The U.S. built Unity module was launched aboard the orbiter Endeavour (STS-88 mission) on December 4, 1998 and connected to the Zarya, the Russian-built Functional Energy Block (FGB). The Zarya was launched on a Russian proton rocket prior to the launch of the Unity. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.
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Obama sets out NASA's new mission to Mars
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gwynne, Peter
2010-05-01
US President Barack Obama has announced a new direction for NASA that includes plans to send astronauts to an asteroid by 2025. Speaking last month at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, the launching location for US manned spaceflights, Obama also called for a new "heavy-lift" rocket design to take astronauts on a mission to orbit Mars by the mid-2030s that will "eventually" be used to transport humans to the Martian surface.
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Mars Polar Lander is mated with Boeing Delta II rocket
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1998-01-01
Workers mate the Mars Polar Lander (top) to the Boeing Delta II rocket at Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The rocket is scheduled to launch Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern- most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars Surveyor '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, which was launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A on Dec. 11, 1998.
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STS-103 Discovery reaches to Launch Pad 39B
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1999-01-01
Space Shuttle Discovery arrives at Launch Pad 39B where the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the STS-103 launch. The mission is a 'call-up' due to the need to replace and repair portions of the Hubble Space Telescope. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working properly. Four EVA's are planned to make the necessary repairs and replacements on the telescope. The STS-103 crew members are Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), and Claude Nicollier of Switzerland and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France, both with the European Space Agency. The mission is targeted for launch Dec. 6 at 2:37 a.m. EST aboard Space Shuttle Discovery.
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STS-103 Discovery reaches to Launch Pad 39B
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1999-01-01
At Launch Pad 39B, Space Shuttle Discovery towers against the hazy blue sky after a seven-hour trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the STS-103 launch. The mission is a 'call-up' due to the need to replace and repair portions of the Hubble Space Telescope. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working properly. Four EVA's are planned to make the necessary repairs and replacements on the telescope. The STS-103 crew members are Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), and Claude Nicollier of Switzerland and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France, both with the European Space Agency. The mission is targeted for launch Dec. 6 at 2:37 a.m. EST.
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2003-07-18
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of a Delta II rocket is lifted up the mobile service tower. Below the rocket is the flame trench, and in the foreground is the overflow pool. The rocket is being erected to launch the Space InfraRed Telescope Facility (SIRTF). Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. 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.
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2003-07-22
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Delta II Heavy rocket (background) is framed by the solid rocket boosters (foreground) suspended in the mobile service tower. The SRBs will be added to those already attached to the rocket. The Delta II Heavy will launch the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). 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. 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.
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1998-09-17
A solid rocket booster (left) is raised for installation onto the Boeing Delta 7326 rocket that will launch Deep Space 1 at Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. Delta II rockets are medium capacity expendable launch vehicles derived from the Delta family of rockets built and launched since 1960. Since then there have been more than 245 Delta launches. Delta's origins go back to the Thor intermediate-range ballistic missile, which was developed in the mid-1950s for the U.S. Air Force. The Thor a single-stage, liquid-fueled rocket later was modified to become the Delta launch vehicle. The Delta 7236 has three solid rocket boosters and a Star 37 upper stage. Delta IIs are manufactured in Huntington Beach, Calif. Rocketdyne, a division of The Boeing Company, builds Delta II's main engine in Canoga Park, Calif. Final assembly takes place at the Boeing facility in Pueblo, Colo. Deep Space 1, the first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Onboard experiments include an ion propulsion engine and software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but may also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999
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1998-09-17
A solid rocket booster is maneuvered into place for installation on the Boeing Delta 7326 rocket that will launch Deep Space 1 at Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. Delta II rockets are medium capacity expendable launch vehicles derived from the Delta family of rockets built and launched since 1960. Since then there have been more than 245 Delta launches. Delta's origins go back to the Thor intermediate-range ballistic missile, which was developed in the mid-1950s for the U.S. Air Force. The Thor a single-stage, liquid-fueled rocket later was modified to become the Delta launch vehicle. The Delta 7236 has three solid rocket boosters and a Star 37 upper stage. Delta IIs are manufactured in Huntington Beach, Calif. Rocketdyne, a division of The Boeing Company, builds Delta II's main engine in Canoga Park, Calif. Final assembly takes place at the Boeing facility in Pueblo, Colo. Deep Space 1, the first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Onboard experiments include an ion propulsion engine and software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but may also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999
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1998-09-17
A Boeing Delta 7326 rocket with two solid rocket boosters attached sits on Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. Delta II rockets are medium capacity expendable launch vehicles derived from the Delta family of rockets built and launched since 1960. Since then there have been more than 245 Delta launches. Delta's origins go back to the Thor intermediate-range ballistic missile, which was developed in the mid-1950s for the U.S. Air Force. The Thor a single-stage, liquid-fueled rocket later was modified to become the Delta launch vehicle. Delta IIs are manufactured in Huntington Beach, Calif. Rocketdyne, a division of The Boeing Company, builds Delta II's main engine in Canoga Park, Calif. Final assembly takes place at the Boeing facility in Pueblo, Colo. The Delta 7236, which has three solid rocket boosters and a Star 37 upper stage, will launch Deep Space 1, the first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program. It is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Onboard experiments include an ion propulsion engine and software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but may also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999
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1998-09-17
(Left) A solid rocket booster is lifted for installation onto the Boeing Delta 7326 rocket that will launch Deep Space 1 at Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. Delta II rockets are medium capacity expendable launch vehicles derived from the Delta family of rockets built and launched since 1960. Since then there have been more than 245 Delta launches. Delta's origins go back to the Thor intermediate-range ballistic missile, which was developed in the mid-1950s for the U.S. Air Force. The Thor a single-stage, liquid-fueled rocket later was modified to become the Delta launch vehicle. The Delta 7236 has three solid rocket boosters and a Star 37 upper stage. Delta IIs are manufactured in Huntington Beach, Calif. Rocketdyne, a division of The Boeing Company, builds Delta II's main engine in Canoga Park, Calif. Final assembly takes place at the Boeing facility in Pueblo, Colo. Deep Space 1, the first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Onboard experiments include an ion propulsion engine and software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but may also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999
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Russian Meteorological and Geophysical Rockets of New Generation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yushkov, V.; Gvozdev, Yu.; Lykov, A.; Shershakov, V.; Ivanov, V.; Pozin, A.; Afanasenkov, A.; Savenkov, Yu.; Kuznetsov, V.
2015-09-01
To study the process in the middle and upper atmosphere, ionosphere and near-Earth space, as well as to monitor the geophysical environment in Russian Federal Service for Hydrology and Environmental Monitoring (ROSHYDROMET) the development of new generation of meteorological and geophysical rockets has been completed. The modern geophysical research rocket system MR-30 was created in Research and Production Association RPA "Typhoon". The basis of the complex MR-30 is a new geophysical sounding rocket MN-300 with solid propellant, Rocket launch takes place at an angle of 70º to 90º from the launcher, which is a farm with a guide rail type required for imparting initial rotation rocket. The Rocket is spin stabilized with a spin rate between 5 and 7 Hz. Launch weight is 1564 kg, and the mass of the payload of 50 to 150 kg. MR-300 is capable of lifting up to 300 km, while the area of dispersion points for booster falling is an ellipse with parameters 37x 60 km. The payload of the rocket MN-300 consists of two sections: a sealed, located below the instrument compartment, and not sealed, under the fairing. Block of scientific equipment is formed on the platform in a modular layout. This makes it possible to solve a wide range of tasks and conduct research and testing technologies using a unique environment of space, as well as to conduct technological experiments testing and research systems and spacecraft equipment. New Russian rocket system MERA (MEteorological Rocket for Atmospheric Research) belongs to so called "dart" technique that provide lifting of small scientific payload up to altitude 100 km and descending with parachute. It was developed at Central Aerological Observatory jointly with State Unitary Enterprise Instrument Design Bureau. The booster provides a very rapid acceleration to about Mach 5. After the burning phase of the buster the dart is separated and continues ballistic flight for about 2 minutes. The dart carries the instrument payload+ parachute and an ejection charge, but does not include additional propellant. Time to apogee is 151 seconds. Launch weight is 67 kg. Payload is 54 mm dia. x 400 mm long with max payload weight 2-3 kg. Initial acceleration (vertical): 200g's (up). GPS/GLONASS position system with be used for tracking the payload. 30 channel telemetry system will provide data transition. Temperature, pressure, wind, electron density will be measured during the ascent (from 60 km) and descent lags as a basic atmospheric parameters. Portable rocket system MERA can be widely used in the frame of international collaboration. The main technical specifications of MERA and MN-300 are described and results of test flights are presented.
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Study of Required Thrust Profile Determination of a Three Stages Small Launch Vehicle
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fariz, A.; Sasongko, R. A.; Poetro, R. E.
2018-04-01
The effect of solid rocket motor specifications, i.e. specific impulse and mass flow rate, and coast time on the thrust profile of three stages small launch vehicle is studied. Solid rocket motor specifications are collected from various small launch vehicle that had ever been in operation phase, and also from previous study. Comparison of orbital parameters shows that the radius of apocenter targeted can be approached using one combination of solid rocket motor specifications and appropriate coast time. However, the launch vehicle designed is failed to achieve the targeted orbit nor injecting the satellite to any orbit.
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Development and Short-Range Testing of a 100 kW Side-Illuminated Millimeter-Wave Thermal Rocket
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Bruccoleri, Alexander; Eilers, James A.; Lambot, Thomas; Parkin, Kevin
2015-01-01
The objective of the phase described here of the Millimeter-Wave Thermal Launch System (MTLS) Project was to launch a small thermal rocket into the air using millimeter waves. The preliminary results of the first MTLS flight vehicle launches are presented in this work. The design and construction of a small thermal rocket with a planar ceramic heat exchanger mounted along the axis of the rocket is described. The heat exchanger was illuminated from the side by a millimeter-wave beam and fed propellant from above via a small tank containing high pressure argon or nitrogen. Short-range tests where the rocket was launched, tracked, and heated with the beam are described. The rockets were approximately 1.5 meters in length and 65 millimeters in diameter, with a liftoff mass of 1.8 kilograms. The rocket airframes were coated in aluminum and had a parachute recovery system activated via a timer and Pyrodex. At the rocket heat exchanger, the beam distance was 40 meters with a peak power intensity of 77 watts per square centimeter. and a total power of 32 kilowatts in a 30 centimeter diameter circle. An altitude of approximately 10 meters was achieved. Recommendations for improvements are discussed.
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GPS Sounding Rocket Developments
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Bull, Barton
1999-01-01
Sounding rockets are suborbital launch vehicles capable of carrying scientific payloads several hundred miles in altitude. These missions return a variety of scientific data including; chemical makeup and physical processes taking place In the atmosphere, natural radiation surrounding the Earth, data on the Sun, stars, galaxies and many other phenomena. In addition, sounding rockets provide a reasonably economical means of conducting engineering tests for instruments and devices used on satellites and other spacecraft prior to their use in more expensive activities. The NASA Sounding Rocket Program is managed by personnel from Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Flight Facility (GSFC/WFF) in Virginia. Typically around thirty of these rockets are launched each year, either from established ranges at Wallops Island, Virginia, Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska; White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico or from Canada, Norway and Sweden. Many times launches are conducted from temporary launch ranges in remote parts of the world requi6ng considerable expense to transport and operate tracking radars. An inverse differential GPS system has been developed for Sounding Rocket. This paper addresses the NASA Wallops Island history of GPS Sounding Rocket experience since 1994 and the development of a high accurate and useful system.
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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.
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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.
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Solid Rocket ...
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
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77 FR 50956 - Exclusion of Tethered Launches From Licensing Requirements
Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2012-08-23
..., but do not apply to amateur rocket activities or to space activities carried out by the United States... hitting the ground. Some of these tethered launches met the FAA's amateur rocket activity criteria,\\1\\ and thus were excluded from chapter III requirements. Those that did not meet the amateur rocket criteria...
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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.
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Expedition 32 Soyuz Rocket Rollout
2012-07-12
A dragonfly lights on a tree branch near the launch pad after the Soyuz TMA-05M is rolled to its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Thursday, July 12, 2012 in Kazakhstan. The launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for the morning of July 15 local time. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)
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2014-11-11
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agency's Orion spacecraft passes the spaceport's iconic Vehicle Assembly Building as it is transported to Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. After arrival at the launch pad, United Launch Alliance engineers and technicians will lift Orion and mount it atop its Delta IV Heavy rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted flight test of Orion is scheduled to launch Dec. 4, 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.
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2003-05-15
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Delta II rocket on Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, is having solid rocket boosters (SRBs) installed that will help launch Mars Exploration Rover 2 (MER-2) on June 5. In the center are three more solid rocket boosters that will be added to the Delta, which will carry nine in all. NASA’s twin Mars Exploration Rovers are designed to study the history of water on Mars. These robotic geologists are equipped with a robotic arm, a drilling tool, three spectrometers, and four pairs of cameras that allow them to have a human-like, 3D view of the terrain. Each rover could travel as far as 100 meters in one day to act as Mars scientists' eyes and hands, exploring an environment where humans can’t yet go. MER-2 is scheduled to launch as MER-A. MER-1 (MER-B) will launch June 25.
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Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) research highlights, September--October 1998
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
NONE
New AFOSR-sponsored research shows that exhausts from solid-fueled rocket motors have very limited impact on stratospheric ozone. The research provides the Air Force with hard data to support continued access to space using the existing fleet of rockets and rocket technology. This basic research data allows the Air Force to maintain a strongly proactive environmental stance, and to meet federal guidelines regarding environmental impacts. Long-standing conjecture within the international rocket community suggests that chlorine compounds and alumina particulates produced in solid rocket motor (SRM) exhausts could create localized, temporary ozone toss in rocket plumes following launches. The extent of amore » local depletion of ozone and its environmental impact depends on details of the composition and chemistry in these plumes. Yet direct measurements of plume composition and plume chemistry in the stratosphere had never been made. Uncertainty about these details left the Air Force and commercial space launch capability potentially vulnerable to questions about the environmental impact of rocket launches. In 1995, APOSR and the Space and Missiles Systems Center Launch Programs Office (SMC/CL) jointly began the Rocket Impacts on Stratospheric Ozone (RISO) program to make the first-ever detailed measurements of rocket exhaust plumes. These measurements were aimed at understanding how the exhaust from large rocket motors effect the Earth`s stratospheric ozone layer. The studies determined: the size distribution of alumina particles in these exhausts, the amount of reactive chlorine in SRM exhaust, and the size and duration of localized ozone toss in the rocket plumes.« less
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-01-01
... for the launch or reentry of a reusable suborbital rocket. Permitted activity means the launch or reentry of a reusable suborbital rocket conducted under a permit issued by the FAA. Property damage means...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-01-01
... for the launch or reentry of a reusable suborbital rocket. Permitted activity means the launch or reentry of a reusable suborbital rocket conducted under a permit issued by the FAA. Property damage means...
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Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR
2014-01-01
... for the launch or reentry of a reusable suborbital rocket. Permitted activity means the launch or reentry of a reusable suborbital rocket conducted under a permit issued by the FAA. Property damage means...
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Prediction of Launch Vehicle Ignition Overpressure and Liftoff Acoustics
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Casiano, Matthew
2009-01-01
The LAIOP (Launch Vehicle Ignition Overpressure and Liftoff Acoustic Environments) program predicts the external pressure environment generated during liftoff for a large variety of rocket types. These environments include ignition overpressure, produced by the rapid acceleration of exhaust gases during rocket-engine start transient, and launch acoustics, produced by turbulence in the rocket plume. The ignition overpressure predictions are time-based, and the launch acoustic predictions are frequency-based. Additionally, the software can predict ignition overpressure mitigation, using water-spray injection into the rocket exhaust stream, for a limited number of configurations. The framework developed for these predictions is extensive, though some options require additional relevant data and development time. Once these options are enabled, the already extensively capable code will be further enhanced. The rockets, or launch vehicles, can either be elliptically or cylindrically shaped, and up to eight strap-on structures (boosters or tanks) are allowed. Up to four engines are allowed for the core launch vehicle, which can be of two different types. Also, two different sizes of strap-on structures can be used, and two different types of booster engines are allowed. Both tabular and graphical presentations of the predicted environments at the selected locations can be reviewed by the user. The output includes summaries of rocket-engine operation, ignition overpressure time histories, and one-third octave sound pressure spectra of the predicted launch acoustics. Also, documentation is available to the user to help him or her understand the various aspects of the graphical user interface and the required input parameters.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Testing Complete
2016-10-19
Testing of the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) was completed at the Launch Equipment Test Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The OSMU was attached to Vehicle Motion Simulator 1 for a series of simulated launch tests to validate it for installation on the mobile launcher. The test team gathered for an event to mark the end of testing. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. Kennedy's Engineering Directorate is providing support to the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program for testing of the OSMU. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Testing Complete
2016-10-19
Testing of the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) was completed at the Launch Equipment Test Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The OSMU was attached to Vehicle Motion Simulator 1 for a series of simulated launch tests to validate it for installation on the mobile launcher. Patrick Simpkins, director of Engineering, speaks to the test team during an event to mark the end of testing. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. Kennedy's Engineering Directorate is providing support to the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program for testing of the OSMU. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Testing Complete
2016-10-19
Testing of the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) was completed at the Launch Equipment Test Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The OSMU was attached to Vehicle Motion Simulator 1 for a series of simulated launch tests to validate it for installation on the mobile launcher. The test team gathered with a special banner during an event to mark the end of testing. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. Kennedy's Engineering Directorate is providing support to the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program for testing of the OSMU. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Testing Complete
2016-10-19
Testing of the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) was completed at the Launch Equipment Test Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The OSMU was attached to Vehicle Motion Simulator 1 for a series of simulated launch tests to validate it for installation on the mobile launcher. One of the test team members signs a banner during an event to mark the end of testing. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. Kennedy's Engineering Directorate is providing support to the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program for testing of the OSMU. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Testing Complete
2016-10-19
Testing of the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) was completed at the Launch Equipment Test Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The OSMU was attached to Vehicle Motion Simulator 1 for a series of simulated launch tests to validate it for installation on the mobile launcher. The test team signed a special banner during an event to mark the end of testing. The mobile launcher tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. Kennedy's Engineering Directorate is providing support to the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program for testing of the OSMU. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018.
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NASA Launches Five Rockets in Five Minutes
2017-12-08
NASA image captured March 27, 2012 NASA successfully launched five suborbital sounding rockets this morning from its Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia as part of a study of the upper level jet stream. The first rocket was launched at 4:58 a.m. EDT and each subsequent rocket was launched 80 seconds apart. Each rocket released a chemical tracer that created milky, white clouds at the edge of space. Tracking the way the clouds move can help scientists understand the movement of the winds some 65 miles up in the sky, which in turn will help create better models of the electromagnetic regions of space that can damage man-made satellites and disrupt communications systems. The launches and clouds were reported to be seen from as far south as Wilmington, N.C.; west to Charlestown, W. Va.; and north to Buffalo, N.Y. Credit: NASA/Wallops To watch a video of the launch and to read more go to: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/atrex-launch... NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram
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NASA Launches Five Rockets in Five Minutes
2012-03-27
NASA image captured March 27, 2012 NASA successfully launched five suborbital sounding rockets this morning from its Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia as part of a study of the upper level jet stream. The first rocket was launched at 4:58 a.m. EDT and each subsequent rocket was launched 80 seconds apart. Each rocket released a chemical tracer that created milky, white clouds at the edge of space. Tracking the way the clouds move can help scientists understand the movement of the winds some 65 miles up in the sky, which in turn will help create better models of the electromagnetic regions of space that can damage man-made satellites and disrupt communications systems. The launches and clouds were reported to be seen from as far south as Wilmington, N.C.; west to Charlestown, W. Va.; and north to Buffalo, N.Y. Credit: NASA/Wallops To watch a video of the launch and to read more go to: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/atrex-launch... NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram
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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.
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Observation of rocket pollution with overhead sensors
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fisher, Annette
2011-12-01
The objective of this thesis is to study the dispersal of rocket pollution through remote sensing techniques. Substantial research with remote sensors has been dedicated to observation of volcanic plumes, particulate dispersion, and aircraft contrails with less emphasis on observing rocket launches and the effects on the surrounding environment. This research focuses on observation of rocket exhaust constituents, particularly carbon soot, alumina, and water vapor. The sensors utilized in this thesis have unique capabilities that provide measurements that are likely capable of detecting the rocket exhaust constituents. Methodology and analysis included choosing an appropriate launch vehicle with obtainable launch data and various booster combinations of liquid propellant only or a combination of liquid and solid propellant, prioritizing the data based on launch time versus sensor passing, processing the data, and applying known constituent properties to the data sets where key areas of work in this endeavor. Results of this work demonstrate a unique capability in monitoring man-made pollution and the extent the pollution can spread to surrounding areas.
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2014-04-14
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., speaks to members of the news media announcing that NASA has just signed a lease agreement with SpaceX for use and operation of Launch Complex 39A. SpaceX will use Launch Complex 39A for rockets such as the Falcon Heavy, currently under development. Both launch pad 39A and 39B were originally built for the Apollo/Saturn V rockets that launched American astronauts on their historic journeys to the moon and later modified to support the 30-year shuttle program. Pad 39B is now being modified by NASA to support the Space Launch System SLS rocket boosting the Orion spacecraft part of the agency’s plan to explore beyond low-Earth orbit. To learn more about Launch Pad 39A visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/launch-complex39-toc.html Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper
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2014-04-14
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, center director Bob Cabana announces that NASA has just signed a lease agreement with Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., for use and operation of Launch Complex 39A. NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, left, and Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, look on. SpaceX will use Launch Complex 39A for rockets such as the Falcon Heavy, currently under development. Both launch pad 39A and 39B were originally built for the Apollo/Saturn V rockets that launched American astronauts on their historic journeys to the moon and later modified to support the 30-year shuttle program. Pad 39B is now being modified by NASA to support the Space Launch System SLS rocket boosting the Orion spacecraft part of the agency’s plan to explore beyond low-Earth orbit. To learn more about Launch Pad 39A visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/launch-complex39-toc.html Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper
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2014-04-14
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., announces that NASA has just signed a lease agreement with SpaceX for use and operation of Launch Complex 39A. NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, left, and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana listen. SpaceX will use Launch Complex 39A for rockets such as the Falcon Heavy, currently under development. Both launch pad 39A and 39B were originally built for the Apollo/Saturn V rockets that launched American astronauts on their historic journeys to the moon and later modified to support the 30-year shuttle program. Pad 39B is now being modified by NASA to support the Space Launch System SLS rocket boosting the Orion spacecraft part of the agency’s plan to explore beyond low-Earth orbit. To learn more about Launch Pad 39A visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/launch-complex39-toc.html Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper
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SpaceX Falcon Heavy Post Launch News Conference
2018-02-06
Media gather for a news conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after the successful liftoff of the company’s Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A. The demonstration flight is a significant milestone for the world's premier multi-user spaceport. In 2014, NASA signed a property agreement with SpaceX for the use and operation of the center's pad 39A, where the company has launched Falcon 9 rockets and is preparing for the first Falcon Heavy. NASA also has Space Act Agreements in place with partners, such as SpaceX, to provide services needed to process and launch rockets and spacecraft.
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2013-06-07
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare the launch abort motor for connection to the attitude control motor. Both are segments of Orion’s Launch Abort System, which is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
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2013-06-07
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the launch abort motor has been prepared for connection to the attitude control motor. Both are segments of Orion’s Launch Abort System, which is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
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2013-06-07
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician prepares the launch abort motor for connection to the attitude control motor. Both are segments of Orion’s Launch Abort System, which is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
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2013-06-07
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician prepares the launch abort motor for connection to the attitude control motor. Both are segments of Orion’s Launch Abort System, which is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
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2013-06-07
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician prepares the launch abort motor for connection to the attitude control motor. Both are segments of Orion’s Launch Abort System, which is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
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2017-05-30
A view of the mobile launcher (ML) taken from the "eyebrow" of the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ML tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The Orion Service Module Umbilical and Core State Forward Skirt Umbilical were recently installed on the ML. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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2018-04-18
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Liftoff was at 6:51 p.m. EDT. TESS will 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.
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1998-12-02
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, a solid rocket booster waits for mating with the Delta II rocket (in background) carrying the Mars Polar Lander. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998
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Rockets Launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility
2015-02-24
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility supported the successful launch of three Terrier-Oriole suborbital rockets for the Department of Defense between 2:30 and 2:31 a.m. today, Feb. 24, from NASA’s launch range on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The next launch from the Wallops Flight Facility is a NASA Terrier-Improved Malemute suborbital sounding rocket between 6 and 9 a.m. on March 27. The rocket will be carrying the Rocksat-X payload carrying university student developed experiments. Credit: NASA/Alison Stancil NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram
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2010-12-29
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Inside the intertank of space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank, a technician holds the film used to project computed radiography scans. The shuttle stack, consisting of the shuttle, external tank and solid rocket boosters, was moved from Launch Pad 39A to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida so technicians could examine 21-foot-long support beams, called stringers, on the outside of the tank's intertank and re-apply foam insulation. Discovery's next launch opportunity to the International Space Station on the STS-133 mission is no earlier than Feb. 3, 2011. For more information on STS-133, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts133/. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin
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Artist's Concept of X-37 Re-entry
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1999-01-01
Pictured is an artist's concept of the experimental X-37 Reusable Launch Vehicle re-entering Earth`s atmosphere. NASA and the Boeing Company entered a cooperative agreement to develop and fly a new experimental space plane called the X-37 that would be ferried into orbit to test new technologies. The reusable space plane incorporated technologies aimed at significantly cutting the cost of space flight. The X-37 would be carried into orbit by the Space Shuttle or be launched by an expendable rocket. After the X-37 was deployed, it would remain in orbit up to 21 days, performing a variety of experiments before re-entering the Earth's atmosphere and landing. The X-37 program was discontinued in 2003.
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NASA TESS Prelaunch News Conference
2018-04-15
In Kennedy Space Center's Press Site auditorium, members of the media participate in a mission briefing on NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Robert Lockwood, TESS spacecraft program manager, Orbital ATK, answers questions during the briefing. 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.
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1999-08-13
Pictured is an artist's concept of the experimental X-37 Reusable Launch Vehicle re-entering Earth‘s atmosphere. NASA and the Boeing Company entered a cooperative agreement to develop and fly a new experimental space plane called the X-37 that would be ferried into orbit to test new technologies. The reusable space plane incorporated technologies aimed at significantly cutting the cost of space flight. The X-37 would be carried into orbit by the Space Shuttle or be launched by an expendable rocket. After the X-37 was deployed, it would remain in orbit up to 21 days, performing a variety of experiments before re-entering the Earth's atmosphere and landing. The X-37 program was discontinued in 2003.
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State Machine Modeling of the Space Launch System Solid Rocket Boosters
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Harris, Joshua A.; Patterson-Hine, Ann
2013-01-01
The Space Launch System is a Shuttle-derived heavy-lift vehicle currently in development to serve as NASA's premiere launch vehicle for space exploration. The Space Launch System is a multistage rocket with two Solid Rocket Boosters and multiple payloads, including the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. Planned Space Launch System destinations include near-Earth asteroids, the Moon, Mars, and Lagrange points. The Space Launch System is a complex system with many subsystems, requiring considerable systems engineering and integration. To this end, state machine analysis offers a method to support engineering and operational e orts, identify and avert undesirable or potentially hazardous system states, and evaluate system requirements. Finite State Machines model a system as a finite number of states, with transitions between states controlled by state-based and event-based logic. State machines are a useful tool for understanding complex system behaviors and evaluating "what-if" scenarios. This work contributes to a state machine model of the Space Launch System developed at NASA Ames Research Center. The Space Launch System Solid Rocket Booster avionics and ignition subsystems are modeled using MATLAB/Stateflow software. This model is integrated into a larger model of Space Launch System avionics used for verification and validation of Space Launch System operating procedures and design requirements. This includes testing both nominal and o -nominal system states and command sequences.
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Students Participate in Rocket Launch Project
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2002-01-01
Filled with anticipation, students from two local universities, the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), and Alabama Agricultural Mechanical University (AM), counted down to launch the rockets they designed and built at the Army test site on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The projected two-mile high launch culminated more than a year's work and demonstrated the student team's ability to meet the challenge set by the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Student Launch Initiative (SLI) Program to apply science and math to experience, judgment, and common sense, and proved to NASA officials that they have successfully built reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), another challenge set by NASA's SLI program. MSFC's SLI program is an educational effort that aims to motivate students to pursue careers in science, math, and engineering. It provides the students with hands-on, practical aerospace experience. In this picture, the university students prepare their rocket for flight on the launch pad. Students at UAH built the rocket and AM students developed its scientific payload, an experiment that measures the amount of hydrogen produced during electroplating with nickel in a brief period of micrgravity.
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Students Participate in Rocket Launch Project
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2002-01-01
Filled with anticipation, students from two local universities, the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), and Alabama Agricultural Mechanical University (AM), counted down to launch the rockets they designed and built at the Army test site on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The projected two-mile high launch culminated more than a year's work and demonstrated the student team's ability to meet the challenge set by the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Student Launch Initiative (SLI) program to apply science and math to experience, judgment, and common sense, and proved to NASA officials that they have successfully built reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), another challenge set by NASA's SLI program. MSFC's SLI program is an educational effort that aims to motivate students to pursue careers in science, math, and engineering. It provides the students with hands-on, practical aerospace experience. In this picture, the University students prepare their rocket for launch. Students at UAH built the rocket and AM students developed its scientific payload, an experiment that measures the amount of hydrogen produced during electroplating with nickel in a brief period of micrgravity.
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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.
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Air-Breathing Rocket Engine Test
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2000-01-01
This photograph depicts an air-breathing rocket engine that completed an hour or 3,600 seconds of testing at the General Applied Sciences Laboratory in Ronkonkoma, New York. Referred to as ARGO by its design team, the engine is named after the mythological Greek ship that bore Jason and the Argonauts on their epic voyage of discovery. Air-breathing engines, known as rocket based, combined-cycle engines, get their initial take-off power from specially designed rockets, called air-augmented rockets, that boost performance about 15 percent over conventional rockets. When the vehicle's velocity reaches twice the speed of sound, the rockets are turned off and the engine relies totally on oxygen in the atmosphere to burn hydrogen fuel, as opposed to a rocket that must carry its own oxygen, thus reducing weight and flight costs. Once the vehicle has accelerated to about 10 times the speed of sound, the engine converts to a conventional rocket-powered system to propel the craft into orbit or sustain it to suborbital flight speed. NASA's Advanced SpaceTransportation Program at Marshall Space Flight Center, along with several industry partners and collegiate forces, is developing this technology to make space transportation affordable for everyone from business travelers to tourists. The goal is to reduce launch costs from today's price tag of $10,000 per pound to only hundreds of dollars per pound. NASA's series of hypersonic flight demonstrators currently include three air-breathing vehicles: the X-43A, X-43B and X-43C.
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Ground cloud related weather modification effects. [heavy lift launch vehicles
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Lee, J.
1980-01-01
The principal concerns about inadvertent weather modification by the solar power satellite system rocket effluents are discussed, namely the possibility that the ground cloud might temporarily modify local weather and the cumulative effects of nearly 500 launches per year. These issues are discussed through the consideration of (1) the possible alteration of the microphysical processes of clouds in the general area due to rocket effluents and debris and cooling water entrained during the launch and (2) the direct dynamical and thermodynamical responses to the inputs of thermal energy and moisture from the rocket exhaust for given ambient meteorological conditions. The huge amount of thermal energy contained in the exhaust of the proposed launch vehicle would in some situations induce a saturated, wet convective cloud or enhance an existing convective activity. Nevertheless, the effects would be limited to the general area of the launch site. The observed long lasting high concentrations of cloud condensation nuclei produced during and after a rocket launch may appreciably affect the frequency of occurrence and persistence of fogs and haze. In view of the high mission frequency proposed for the vehicle launches, a potential exists for a cumulative effect.
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SRB Processing Facilities Media Event
2016-03-01
Inside the Booster Fabrication Facility (BFF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media view a forward skirt that will be used on a solid rocket booster for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Orbital ATK is a contractor for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and operates the BFF to prepare aft booster segments and hardware for the SLS solid rocket boosters. Rick Serfozo, Orbital ATK Florida site director, talks to the media. The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will launch on Exploration Mission-1 in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is preparing the infrastructure to process and launch spacecraft for deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.
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NASA’s Space Launch System Engine Testing Heats Up
2017-05-23
NASA engineers successfully conducted the second in a series of RS-25 flight controller tests on May 23, 2017, for the world’s most-powerful rocket. The 500-second test on the A-1 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi marked another milestone toward launch of NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on its inaugural flight, the Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The SLS rocket, powered by four RS-25 engines, will provide 2 million pounds of thrust and work in conjunction with two solid rocket boosters. These are former space shuttle main engines, modified to perform at a higher level and with a new controller.
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Contrail formation in the tropopause region caused by emissions from an Ariane 5 rocket
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Voigt, Ch.; Schumann, U.; Graf, K.
2016-07-01
Rockets directly inject water vapor and aerosol into the atmosphere, which promotes the formation of ice clouds in ice supersaturated layers of the atmosphere. Enhanced mesospheric cloud occurrence has frequently been detected near 80-kilometer altitude a few days after rocket launches. Here, unique evidence for cirrus formation in the tropopause region caused by ice nucleation in the exhaust plume from an Ariane 5-ECA rocket is presented. Meteorological reanalysis data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts show significant ice supersaturation at the 100-hectopascal level in the American tropical tropopause region on November 26, 2011. Near 17-kilometer altitudes, the temperatures are below the Schmidt-Appleman threshold temperature for rocket condensation trail formation on that day. Immediately after the launch from the Ariane 5-ECA at 18:39 UT (universal time) from Kourou, French Guiana, the formation of a rocket contrail is detected in the high resolution visible channel from the SEVIRI (Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager) on the METEOSAT9 satellite. The rocket contrail is transported to the south and its dispersion is followed in SEVIRI data for almost 2 h. The ice crystals predominantly nucleated on aluminum oxide particles emitted by the Ariane 5-ECA solid booster and further grow by uptake of water vapor emitted from the cryogenic main stage and entrained from the ice supersaturated ambient atmosphere. After rocket launches, the formation of rocket contrails can be a frequent phenomenon under ice supersaturated conditions. However, at present launch rates, the global climate impact from rocket contrail cirrus in the tropopause region is small.
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NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
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, from left are Tom Barclay, TESS scientist, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and Jenn Burt, Torres Postdoctoral Fellow, 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.
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NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
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 from left are Tom Barclay, TESS scientist, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and Jenn Burt, Torres Postdoctoral Fellow, 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.
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NASA Social Briefing on Planet-Hunting Mission Launch
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, from left are Natalia Guerrero, TESS researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Robert Lockwood, TESS Spacecraft Program Manager, Orbital ATK. 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.
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Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) Lift & Preparation for Ins
2017-03-13
Construction workers and crane specialists high up on the mobile launcher tower monitor the progress as a crane positions the bracket for the Orion Service Module Umbilical (OSMU) for installation on the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tower will be equipped with a number of lines, called umbilicals, that will connect to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). The OSMU will be located high on the mobile launcher tower and, prior to launch, will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and air for the Environmental Control System to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. EM-1 is scheduled to launch in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of the umbilicals.
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The Node 1 (or Unity) Module for the International Space Station
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1997-01-01
This photograph, taken by the Boeing Company,shows Boeing technicians preparing to install one of six hatches or doors to the Node 1 (also called Unity), the first U.S. Module for the International Space Station (ISS). The Node 1, or Unity, serves as a cornecting passageway to Space Station modules and was manufactured by the Boeing Company at the Marshall Space Flight Center from 1994 to 1997. The U.S. built Unity module was launched aboard the orbiter Endeavour (STS-88 mission) on December 4, 1998 and connected to the Zarya, the Russian-built Functional Energy Block (FGB). The Zarya was launched on a Russian proton rocket prior to the launch of the Unity. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.
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The Node 1 (or Unity) Module for the International Space Station
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1997-01-01
This photograph, taken by the Boeing Company, shows Boeing technicians preparing to install one of six hatches or doors to the Node 1 (also called Unity), the first U.S. Module for the International Space Station (ISS). The Node 1, or Unity, serves as a cornecting passageway to Space Station modules and was manufactured by the Boeing Company at the Marshall Space Flight Center from 1994 to 1997. The U.S. built Unity module was launched aboard the orbiter Endeavour (STS-88 mission) on December 4, 1998 and connected to the Zarya, the Russian-built Functional Energy Block (FGB). The Zarya was launched on a Russian proton rocket prior to the launch of the Unity. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation.
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2009-06-03
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – STS-127 crew members gather at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A for a question-and-answer session with the media. From left are Mission Specialist Christopher Cassidy, Tim Kopra, Julie Payette and Dave Wolf, Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialist Tom Marshburn. Payette represents the Canadian Space Agency. In the background is the fixed service structure with the solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to space shuttle Endeavour. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency egress training and equipment familiarization. Space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex on the International Space Station. Endeavour's launch is targeted for June 13. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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Animation: What makes up the Space Launch System’s massive core stage
2017-04-24
NASA’s new rocket, the Space Launch System, will be the most powerful rocket ever built for deep-space missions. The 212-foot core stage is the largest rocket stage ever built and will fuel four RS-25 engines that will help launch SLS. This animation depicts the parts that make up the core stage and how these parts will be joined to form the entire stage. The five major parts include: the engine section, the hydrogen tank, the intertank, the liquid oxygen tank and the forward skirt.
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2005-12-05
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket (center) undergoes a tanking test on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rocket was fully fueled with liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP 1 kerosene fuel. Seen surrounding the rocket are lightning towers that support the catenary wire that provides lightning protection. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, scheduled to launch during a 35-day window that opens Jan. 11, and fly through the Pluto system as early as summer 2015.
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2005-12-05
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket (center) undergoes a tanking test on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rocket was fully fueled with liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and RP 1 kerosene fuel. Seen surrounding the rocket are lightning towers that support the catenary wire that provides lightning protection. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, scheduled to launch during a 35-day window that opens Jan. 11, and fly through the Pluto system as early as summer 2015.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vasant, Gowarikar; Suresh, B. N.
2009-12-01
The Indian Space programme took birth on November 21, 1963, with the launch of Nike-Apache, an American sounding rocket from the shores of Thumba near Thiruvananthapuram on the west coast of India. From a family of operational sounding rockets known as the Rohini Sounding Rockets, India's launch vehicles have now grown up through SLV-3 and Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) to the current gigantic satellite launchers, PSLV and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). Though we had failures in the initial launches of SLV-3, ASLV and PSLV, these failures gave Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) a thorough and in depth understanding of the nuances of launch vehicle technology that later led to successful missions. An entirely new dimension was added to the Indian space programme when a space capsule was recovered very precisely after it had orbited the Earth for 12 days. The future for launch vehicles in ISRO looks bright with the GSLV MKIII, which is currently under development and the pursuit of cutting edge technologies such as reusable launch vehicles and air-breathing propulsion.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Williams, R. W. (Compiler)
1996-01-01
The purpose of the workshop was to discuss experimental and computational fluid dynamic activities in rocket propulsion and launch vehicles. The workshop was an open meeting for government, industry, and academia. A broad number of topics were discussed including computational fluid dynamic methodology, liquid and solid rocket propulsion, turbomachinery, combustion, heat transfer, and grid generation.
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A new one-man submarine is tested as vehicle for solid rocket booster retrieval
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2000-01-01
From the deck of Liberty Star, one of two KSC solid rocket booster recovery ships, a crane lowers a one-man submarine into the ocean near Cape Canaveral, Fla. Called DeepWorker 2000, the sub is being tested on its ability to duplicate the sometimes hazardous job United Space Alliance (USA) divers perform to recover the expended boosters in the ocean after a launch. The boosters splash down in an impact area about 140 miles east of Jacksonville and after recovery are towed back to KSC for refurbishment by the specially rigged recovery ships. DeepWorker 2000 will be used in a demonstration during retrieval operations after the upcoming STS-101 launch. The submarine pilot will demonstrate capabilities to cut tangled parachute riser lines using a manipulator arm and attach a Diver Operator Plug to extract water and provide flotation for the booster. DeepWorker 2000 was built by Nuytco Research Ltd., North Vancouver, British Columbia. It is 8.25 feet long, 5.75 feet high, and weighs 3,800 pounds. USA is a prime contractor to NASA for the Space Shuttle program.
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2013-06-13
VANDENBERG ABF, Calif. – A look through the inside of the fuselage of the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft called "Stargazer" after arrival at Vandenberg Air Force Base for the upcoming launch of the company's Pegasus XL rocket lifting NASA's IRIS solar observatory into orbit. The aircraft will carry the winged rocket to an altitude of 39,000 feet before releasing the Pegasus so its own motors can ignite to send the IRIS into space. The L-1011 is a modified airliner equipped to hold the Pegasus under its body safely. IRIS, short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, is being prepared for launch from Vandenberg June 26. IRIS will open a new window of discovery by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the chromospheres and transition region into the sun’s corona using spectrometry and imaging. IRIS fills a crucial gap in our ability to advance studies of the sun-to-Earth connection by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the foundation of the corona and the region around the sun known as the heliosphere. Photo credit: VAFB/Randy Beaudoin
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2013-06-13
VANDENBERG ABF, Calif. – A look through the inside of the fuselage of the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft called "Stargazer" after arrival at Vandenberg Air Force Base for the upcoming launch of the company's Pegasus XL rocket lifting NASA's IRIS solar observatory into orbit. The aircraft will carry the winged rocket to an altitude of 39,000 feet before releasing the Pegasus so its own motors can ignite to send the IRIS into space. The L-1011 is a modified airliner equipped to hold the Pegasus under its body safely. IRIS, short for Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, is being prepared for launch from Vandenberg June 26. IRIS will open a new window of discovery by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the chromospheres and transition region into the sun’s corona using spectrometry and imaging. IRIS fills a crucial gap in our ability to advance studies of the sun-to-Earth connection by tracing the flow of energy and plasma through the foundation of the corona and the region around the sun known as the heliosphere. Photo credit: VAFB/Randy Beaudoin
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Raj, Sai V.; Robinson, Raymond C.; Ghosn, Louis J.
2005-01-01
The design of the next generation of reusable launch vehicles calls for using GRCop-84 copper alloy liners based on a composition1 invented at the NASA Glenn Research Center: Cu-8(at.%)Cr-4%Nb. Many of the properties of this alloy have been shown to be far superior to those of other conventional copper alloys, such as NARloy-Z. Despite this considerable advantage, it is expected that GRCop-84 will suffer from some type of environmental degradation depending on the type of rocket fuel utilized. In a liquid hydrogen (LH2), liquid oxygen (LO2) booster engine, copper alloys undergo repeated cycles of oxidation of the copper matrix and subsequent reduction of the copper oxide, a process termed "blanching". Blanching results in increased surface roughness and poor heat-transfer capabilities, local hot spots, decreased engine performance, and premature failure of the liner material. This environmental degradation coupled with the effects of thermomechanical stresses, creep, and high thermal gradients can distort the cooling channel severely, ultimately leading to its failure.
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2014-04-14
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, from the left, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of Space Exploration Technologies SpaceX and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana pose in from the of the historic launch complex after announcing that NASA has just signed a lease agreement with SpaceX for use and operation of Launch Complex 39A. SpaceX will use Launch Complex 39A for rockets such as the Falcon Heavy, currently under development. Both launch pad 39A and 39B were originally built for the Apollo/Saturn V rockets that launched American astronauts on their historic journeys to the moon and later modified to support the 30-year shuttle program. Pad 39B is now being modified by NASA to support the Space Launch System SLS rocket boosting the Orion spacecraft part of the agency’s plan to explore beyond low-Earth orbit. To learn more about Launch Pad 39A visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/launch-complex39-toc.html Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper
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NASA/Boeing Orbital Test Flight Simulation
2018-03-07
NASA, Boeing and United Launch Alliance (ULA) conduct a simulation of launch procedures for Boeing’s Orbital Test Flight, the first uncrewed test of the company’s CST-100 Starliner and a ULA Atlas V rocket. Launch teams participated in the simulation across the country, including inside the Launch Vehicle Data Center at Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Starliner will launch on an Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
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Space Launch System Resource Reel 2017
2017-12-01
NASA's new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System, will be the most powerful rocket every built, launching astronauts in NASA's Orion spacecraft on missions into deep space. Two solid rocket boosters and four RS-25 engines will power the massive rocket, providing 8 million pounds of thrust during launch. Production and testing are underway for much of the rocket's critical hardware. With major welding complete on core stage hardware for the first integrated flight of SLS and Orion, the liquid hydrogen tank, intertank and liquid oxygen tank are ready for further outfitting. NASA's barge Pegasus has transported test hardware the first SLS hardware, the engine section to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for testing. In preparation for testing and handling operations, engineers have built the core stage pathfinder, to practice transport without the risk of damaging flight hardware. Integrated structural testing is complete on the top part of the rocket, including the Orion stage adapter, launch vehicle stage adapter and interim cryogenic propulsion stage. The Orion Stage Adapter for SLS's first flight, which will carry 13 CubeSats as secondary payloads, is ready to be outfitted with wiring and brackets. Once structural testing and flight hardware production are complete, the core stage will undergo "green run" testing in the B-2 test stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. For more information about SLS, visit nasa.gov/sls.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hammock, Frank M.
1988-01-01
Shows how model rocketry can be included in physics curricula. Describes rocket construction, a rocket guide sheet, calculations and launch teams. Discusses the relationships of basic mechanics with rockets. (CW)
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1999-01-01
Noted author and previous Marshall Space Flight Center employee Mr. Homer Hickam Jr. poses in front of a placque commemorating his achievement in realizing his dreams of becoming a rocket scientist. The dedication site is located at the U. S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL, and is used by amature rocket builders attending the Space Camp to launch their self-made rockets like Mr. Hickam did as a youth growing up in rural West Virginia. Posing with Mr. Hickam is the Madison County Commissioner Mr. Mike Gillispie.
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2008-05-02
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Artist's rendering of the Constellation Program's Ares V rocket on the mobile launcher platform (left) and the Ares I rocket on the platform (right) with the space shuttle in between for comparison. The tower of the mobile launcher will have multiple platforms for personnel access and will be approximately 390 feet tall. The tower will be used in the assembly, testing and servicing of the Ares rockets at Kennedy and will also transport the Ares rockets to the launch pad and provide ground support for launches.
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2007-06-26
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians move another segment of the lower canister onto the workstand holding the Dawn spacecraft. When enclosed in the canister, Dawn will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B and lifted into the mobile service tower for mating with the Delta II launch vehicle. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
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2007-06-26
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians move the partially enclosed Dawn spacecraft into another room to complete the canning. When enclosed in the canister, Dawn will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B and lifted into the mobile service tower for mating with the Delta II launch vehicle. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
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2007-06-26
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians move the first segment of the lower canister around the upper stage booster below the Dawn spacecraft. When enclosed in the canister, Dawn will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B and lifted into the mobile service tower for mating with the Delta II launch vehicle. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
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2007-06-26
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians place another segment of the canister around the upper stage booster below the Dawn spacecraft. When enclosed in the canister, Dawn will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B and lifted into the mobile service tower for mating with the Delta II launch vehicle. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
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2007-06-26
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians examine the lower canister they placed around the bottom of the Dawn spacecraft. When enclosed in the canister, Dawn will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B and lifted into the mobile service tower for mating with the Delta II launch vehicle. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
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2007-06-26
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians move the first segment of the lower canister toward the stand holding the Dawn spacecraft. When enclosed in the canister, Dawn will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B and lifted into the mobile service tower for mating with the Delta II launch vehicle. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
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2007-06-26
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Astrotech, technicians move the first segment of the lower canister around the upper stage booster below the Dawn spacecraft. When enclosed in the canister, Dawn will be transported to Launch Pad 17-B and lifted into the mobile service tower for mating with the Delta II launch vehicle. The Delta II-Heavy, manufactured by the United Launch Alliance, is scheduled to launch the Dawn spacecraft on its 4-year flight to the asteroid belt. The Delta II-Heavy will use three stages and nine solid-fueled booster rockets to propel Dawn on its way. A 9.5-foot payload fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and stresses of launch. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail the largest protoplanets that have remained intact since their formations: asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. They reside in the extensive zone between Mars and Jupiter together with many other smaller bodies, called the asteroid belt. Dawn is scheduled to launch July 7. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton
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50 CFR 217.75 - Requirements for monitoring and reporting.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR
2013-10-01
..., during, and 2 hours after launch; (2) Ensure a remote camera system will be in place and operating in a..., whenever a new class of rocket is flown from the Kodiak Launch Complex, a real-time sound pressure and... camera system designed to detect pinniped responses to rocket launches for at least the first five...
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50 CFR 217.75 - Requirements for monitoring and reporting.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR
2012-10-01
..., during, and 2 hours after launch; (2) Ensure a remote camera system will be in place and operating in a..., whenever a new class of rocket is flown from the Kodiak Launch Complex, a real-time sound pressure and... camera system designed to detect pinniped responses to rocket launches for at least the first five...
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2018 NASA Student Launch event, Bragg Farms, Toney, Al
2018-04-10
After eight months of designing, building and testing, the middle school, high school and college and university teams launched their rockets as part of NASA Student Launch on Sunday, April 8. The rockets and their payloads are designed to fly to 1-mile in altitude before deploying recovery systems that brings them safely to the ground.
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2018 NASA Student Launch event, Bragg Farms, Toney, Al
2018-04-09
After eight months of designing, building and testing, the middle school, high school and college and university teams launched their rockets as part of NASA Student Launch on Sunday, April 8. The rockets and their payloads are designed to fly to 1-mile in altitude before deploying recovery systems that brings them safely to the ground.
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Aft Skirt Electrical Umbilical (ASEU) and Vehicle Support Post (
2016-12-09
A view from underneath one of the vertical support posts for NASA's Space Launch System rocket. Two after skirt electrical umbilicals (ASEUs) and the first of the vertical support post were transported by flatbed truck from the Launch Equipment Test Facility to the Mobile Launcher Yard as NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ASEUs and the VSP underwent a series of tests to confirm they are functioning properly and ready to support the SLS for launch. The ASEUs will connect to the SLS rocket at the bottom outer edge of each booster and provide electrical power and data connections to the rocket until it lifts off from the launch pad. The eight VSPs will support the load of the solid rocket boosters, with four posts for each of the boosters. The center’s Engineering Directorate and the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program are overseeing processing and testing of the umbilicals.
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Direct launch using the electric rail gun
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Barber, J. P.
1983-01-01
The concept explored involves using a large single stage electric rail gun to achieve orbital velocities. Exit aerodynamics, launch package design and size, interior ballistics, system and component sizing and design concepts are treated. Technology development status and development requirements are identified and described. The expense of placing payloads in Earth orbit using conventional chemical rockets is considerable. Chemical rockets are very inefficient in converting chemical energy into payload kinetic energy. A rocket motor is relatively expensive and is usually expended on each launch. In addition specialized and expensive forms of fuel are required. Gun launching payloads directly to orbit from the Earth's surface is a possible alternative. Guns are much more energy efficient than rockets. The high capital cost of the gun installation can be recovered by reusing it over and over again. Finally, relatively inexpensive fuel and large quantities of energy are readily available to a fixed installation on the Earth's surface.
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Launching rockets and small satellites from the lunar surface
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Anderson, K. A.; Dougherty, W. M.; Pankow, D. H.
1985-01-01
Scientific payloads and their propulsion systems optimized for launch from the lunar surface differ considerably from their counterparts for use on earth. For spin-stabilized payloads, the preferred shape is a large diameter-to-length ratio to provide stability during the thrust phase. The rocket motor required for a 50-kg payload to reach an altitude of one lunar radius would have a mass of about 41 kg. To place spin-stabilized vehicles into low altitude circular orbits, they are first launched into an elliptical orbit with altitude about 840 km at aposelene. When the spacecraft crosses the desired circular orbit, small retro-rockets are fired to attain the appropriate direction and speed. Values of the launch angle, velocity increments, and other parameters for circular orbits of several altitudes are tabulated. To boost a 50-kg payload into a 100-km altitude circular orbit requires a total rocket motor mass of about 90 kg.
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Launching rockets and small satellites from the lunar surface
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Anderson, K. A.; Dougherty, W. M.; Pankow, D. H.
Scientific payloads and their propulsion systems optimized for launch from the lunar surface differ considerably from their counterparts for use on earth. For spin-stabilized payloads, the preferred shape is a large diameter-to-length ratio to provide stability during the thrust phase. The rocket motor required for a 50-kg payload to reach an altitude of one lunar radius would have a mass of about 41 kg. To place spin-stabilized vehicles into low altitude circular orbits, they are first launched into an elliptical orbit with altitude about 840 km at aposelene. When the spacecraft crosses the desired circular orbit, small retro-rockets are fired to attain the appropriate direction and speed. Values of the launch angle, velocity increments, and other parameters for circular orbits of several altitudes are tabulated. To boost a 50-kg payload into a 100-km altitude circular orbit requires a total rocket motor mass of about 90 kg.
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1998-12-02
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, a solid rocket booster is raised to a vertical position for mating with the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998
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The fairing for the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander arrives on Pad 17B, CCAS
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1998-01-01
The fairing for the upper stages of the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander arrives at Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern- most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998.
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1998-12-02
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, workers monitor the solid rocket booster before its being lifted to mate with the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998
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1998-12-02
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, the gantry holding the solid rocket boosters is moved into place next to the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998
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The fairing for the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander arrives on Pad 17B, CCAS
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1998-01-01
On Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, the fairing for the upper stages of the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander is lowered toward the rocket waiting below. The lander, which will be launched on Jan. 3, 1999, is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern- most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998.
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The fairing for the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander arrives on Pad 17B, CCAS
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1998-01-01
On Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, the fairing for the upper stages of the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander is prepared for lowering toward the rocket below. The lander, which will be launched on Jan. 3, 1999, is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern- most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998.
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The fairing for the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander arrives on Pad 17B, CCAS
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1998-01-01
The fairing for the upper stages of the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander is lifted to a vertical position on Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998.
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1998-12-02
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station, a solid rocket booster is raised to a vertical position for mating with the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998
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The fairing for the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander arrives on Pad 17B, CCAS
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1998-01-01
The fairing for the upper stages of the Delta II rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander is lifted to the top of the gantry on Pad 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A in December 1998.
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1998-11-28
The first stage of a Delta II rocket is lifted up the gantry at Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A on Dec. 10, 1998
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1998-11-28
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The first stage of a Delta II rocket arrives at Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A on Dec. 10, 1998
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1998-12-21
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers mate the Mars Polar Lander (top) to the Boeing Delta II rocket at Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The rocket is scheduled to launch Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars Surveyor '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, which was launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A on Dec. 11, 1998
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Determination of the Trajectory of Ballistic Missiles Using a Dense GPS Array
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Heki, K.; Ozeki, M.
2009-12-01
The dense array of ~1000 Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers in Japan provides useful information on atmosphere and ionosphere in terms of delays of microwaves in propagation media. Here we introduce its brand-new application, determination of the trajectories of ballistic missiles by using their electron depletion signatures in ionosphere. Booker (1961) first detected F-region ion depletion associated with a missile passage. Later, formation of an ionospheric hole by the launch of Skylab was observed, and Mendillo et al. (1975) attributed the electron depletion to the water molecules in the rocket exhaust. In Japan, ionospheric depletion after the launch of the H-IIA rocket was observed at GPS receivers in southern Japan using differences in phases between the two carrier frequencies L1 and L2 (Furuya & Heki, 2008). The so-called Taepodong-1, and -2 (the North Korean government claims that they successfully launched satellites), ballistic missiles with liquid fuel engines, were launched from Musudanri, North Korea, in August 1998, and April 2009, respectively. Their first stage engines splashed down onto the Japan Sea, and their second stage engines flew over northeastern Japan and reached the Pacific Ocean. We investigated GPS data before and after the launches, and detected that linear electron depletion areas appear in the northern part of the Japan Sea (~300 km east of the launch pad) approximately six minutes after the launch. Such electron depletion occurs as a result of exchange of positive charges between oxygen ions and water molecules, and dissociative recombination of water with electrons. The ionospheric hole rapidly grows and gradually decays as the water molecules diffuse. By comparing the numerical simulation results of ionospheric hole formation (water diffusion and chemical reaction) and the observed change in ionospheric total electron content (TEC), we conclude that the Taepodong-1 exhaust included water molecules ~0.5 percent of those in the H-IIA rocket. Taepodong-2, on the other hand, made a larger and longer-lasting hole and water molecules in its exhaust appear to be eight times as many as in Taepodong-1. This perhaps reflects improvement in thrust of the Taepodong series. We estimated the most likely trajectory of the Taepodong-2 constraining the coordinates of the launch pad and splashdown point. The missile reached the ionospheric F region in six minutes after the launch and flew above northeastern Japan about 9-10 minutes after the launch.
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2013-12-19
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A solid rocket motor is moved on a transporter to the Solid Rocket Motor Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The motor will be attached to the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket slated to launch NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, or OCO-2, spacecraft in July 2014. Space Launch Complex-2, where the mission will launch from, can be seen in the background. OCO-2 will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze this data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important atmospheric gas. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin
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2000-03-27
Workers at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station prepare to erect the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket in the launch gantry on pad 36A. Shown are the rocket thrusters. Atlas II is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the NASA/Lockheed Martin GOES-L satellite, part of the NOAA National Weather Service system in weather imagery and atmospheric sounding information. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing
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2000-03-27
Workers at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station prepare to erect the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket in the launch gantry on pad 36A. Shown are the rocket thrusters. Atlas II is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the NASA/Lockheed Martin GOES-L satellite, part of the NOAA National Weather Service system in weather imagery and atmospheric sounding information. The primary objective of the GOES-L is to provide a full capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition, to assure NOAA continuity in services from a two-satellite constellation. Launch services are being provided by the 45th Space Wing
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SpaceX Falcon Heavy Demo Flight Launch - Press Site
2018-02-06
The parking area at the NASA News Center is filled with media vehicles and guest buses in anticipation of the liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The demonstration flight will be a significant milestone for the world's premier multi-user spaceport. In 2014, NASA signed a property agreement with SpaceX for the use and operation of the center's pad 39A, where the company has launched Falcon 9 rockets and is preparing for the first Falcon Heavy. NASA also has Space Act Agreements in place with partners, such as SpaceX, to provide services needed to process and launch rockets and spacecraft.
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SpaceX Falcon Heavy Post Launch News Conference
2018-02-06
Elon Musk, SpaceX chief executive officer and lead designer, speaks to the news media during a news conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after the successful liftoff of the company’s Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A. The demonstration flight is a significant milestone for the world's premier multi-user spaceport. In 2014, NASA signed a property agreement with SpaceX for the use and operation of the center's pad 39A, where the company has launched Falcon 9 rockets and is preparing for the first Falcon Heavy. NASA also has Space Act Agreements in place with partners, such as SpaceX, to provide services needed to process and launch rockets and spacecraft.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Measurement and Characterization of Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor Plume Acoustics
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Kenny, Jeremy; Hobbs, Chris; Plotkin, Ken; Pilkey, Debbie
2009-01-01
Lift-off acoustic environments generated by the future Ares I launch vehicle are assessed by the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) acoustics team using several prediction tools. This acoustic environment is directly caused by the Ares I First Stage booster, powered by the five-segment Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRMV). The RSRMV is a larger-thrust derivative design from the currently used Space Shuttle solid rocket motor, the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM). Lift-off acoustics is an integral part of the composite launch vibration environment affecting the Ares launch vehicle and must be assessed to help generate hardware qualification levels and ensure structural integrity of the vehicle during launch and lift-off. Available prediction tools that use free field noise source spectrums as a starting point for generation of lift-off acoustic environments are described in the monograph NASA SP-8072: "Acoustic Loads Generated by the Propulsion System." This monograph uses a reference database for free field noise source spectrums which consist of subscale rocket motor firings, oriented in horizontal static configurations. The phrase "subscale" is appropriate, since the thrust levels of rockets in the reference database are orders of magnitude lower than the current design thrust for the Ares launch family. Thus, extrapolation is needed to extend the various reference curves to match Ares-scale acoustic levels. This extrapolation process yields a subsequent amount of uncertainty added upon the acoustic environment predictions. As the Ares launch vehicle design schedule progresses, it is important to take every opportunity to lower prediction uncertainty and subsequently increase prediction accuracy. Never before in NASA s history has plume acoustics been measured for large scale solid rocket motors. Approximately twice a year, the RSRM prime vendor, ATK Launch Systems, static fires an assembled RSRM motor in a horizontal configuration at their test facility in Utah. The remaining RSRM static firings will take place on elevated terrain, with the nozzle exit plume being mostly undeflected and the landscape allowing placement of microphones within direct line of sight to the exhaust plume. These measurements will help assess the current extrapolation process by direct comparison between subscale and full scale solid rocket motor data.
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Public Watches IRIS Launch Broadcast at NASA Ames (Reporter Pkg)
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.
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Students Participate in Rocket Launch Project
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2002-01-01
Filled with anticipation, students from three Huntsville area high schools: Randolph, Sparkman, and Johnson High Schools, counted down to launch the rockets they designed and built at the Army test site on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The projected two-mile high launch culminated more than a year's work and demonstrated the student team's ability to meet the challenge set by the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Student Launch Initiative (SLI) program to apply science and math to experience, judgment, and common sense, and proved to NASA officials that they have successfully built reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), another challenge set by NASA's SLI program. MSFC's SLI program is an educational effort that aims to motivate students to pursue careers in science, math, and engineering. It provides hands-on, practical aerospace experience. In this picture, Randolph High School students are assembling their rocket in preparation for launch.
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1998-09-29
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, KSC workers place insulating blankets on Deep Space 1 to prepare it for launch. The first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, Deep Space 1 is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Onboard experiments include an ion propulsion engine and software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but may also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999. Deep Space 1 will be launched aboard a Boeing Delta 7326 rocket from Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, in October. Delta II rockets are medium capacity expendable launch vehicles derived from the Delta family of rockets built and launched since 1960. Since then there have been more than 245 Delta launches
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Concentric traveling ionospheric disturbances triggered by the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lin, Charles C. H.; Shen, Ming-Hsueh; Chou, Min-Yang; Chen, Chia-Hung; Yue, Jia; Chen, Po-Cheng; Matsumura, Mitsuru
2017-08-01
We report the first observation of concentric traveling ionospheric disturbances (CTIDs) triggered by the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 17 January 2016. The rocket-triggered ionospheric disturbances show shock acoustic wave signature in the time rate change (time derivative) of total electron content (TEC), followed by CTIDs in the 8-15 min band-pass filtering of TEC. The CTIDs propagated northward with phase velocity of 241-617 m/s and reached distances more than 1000 km away from the source on the rocket trajectory. The wave characteristics of CTIDs with periods of 10.5-12.7 min and wavelength 200-400 km agree well with the gravity wave dispersion relation. The optimal wave source searching and gravity wave ray tracing technique suggested that the CTIDs have multiple sources which are originated from 38-120 km altitude before and after the ignition of the second-stage rocket, 200 s after the rocket was launched.
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Micro-Rockets for the Classroom.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Huebner, Jay S.; Fletcher, Alice S.; Cato, Julia A.; Barrett, Jennifer A.
1999-01-01
Compares micro-rockets to commercial models and water rockets. Finds that micro-rockets are more advantageous because they are constructed with inexpensive and readily available materials and can be safely launched indoors. (CCM)
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A View From Space. NASA Systems Engineering and Test
2014-12-01
rocket ship called Atlantis came alive. Technology was ubiquitous. There were so many critical components that had to be harmonized. If it weren’t for...notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a...July 8, 2011, affirmed whether every key compo- nent could safely “go for launch.” If any component operated outside its performance enve- lope
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1998-11-12
In the Payload Hazardous Service Facility, the Stardust spacecraft sits wrapped in plastic covering. Built by Lockheed Martin Astronautics near Denver, Colo., for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and NASA, the spacecraft Stardust will use a unique medium called aerogel to capture comet particles and interstellar dust for later analysis. Stardust will be launched aboard a Boeing Delta 7426 rocket targeted for Feb. 6, 1999. The collected samples will return to Earth in a re-entry capsule to be jettisoned from Stardust as it swings by Earth in January 2006
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1998-12-02
In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers install a science panel on the spacecraft Stardust. Scheduled to be launched aboard a Boeing Delta 7426 rocket from Complex 17, Cape Canaveral Air Station, on Feb. 6, 1999, Stardust will use a unique medium called aerogel to capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of comet Wild 2 in January 2004, plus collect interstellar dust for later analysis. The collected samples will return to Earth in a re-entry capsule to be jettisoned as it swings by Earth in January 2006
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2013-05-10
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Students from Merritt Island High School in Florida perform integration tests a cubesat called StangSat they will fly on a suborbital mission in the summer. The satellite will work inside a small rocket to measure vibration and other data during launch. NASA engineers are acting as mentors for the project and some of the space agency's labs at Kennedy Space Center, including this one inside the Operations and Checkout Building, are being used by the teams. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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2018-04-18
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Liftoff was at 6:51 p.m. EDT. TESS will 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.
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blessing ceremony for the rocket
2014-02-27
The H-IIA No. 23 rocket that will carry the GPM Core Observatory into space arrived at Tanegashima Space Center on Jan. 20, 2014. The rocket has two stages, an lower first stage that, with the help of two solid rocket boosters gets them off the ground, and an upper second stage that lights up a few minutes after launch to boost the satellite the rest of the way to orbit. The launch services provider, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), immediately began assembling the rocket. On Jan. 22, the GPM team in Tanegashima was invited to participate in a blessing ceremony for the rocket. Lynette Marbley, the Instruments Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Officer for GPM, represented the NASA team.
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SRB Processing Facilities Media Event
2016-03-01
Inside the Booster Fabrication Facility (BFF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media view the right-hand aft skirt that will be used on a solid rocket booster for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Orbital ATK is contractor for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and operates the BFF to prepare aft booster segments and hardware for the SLS solid rocket boosters. At far right, in the royal blue shirt, Rick Serfozo, Orbital ATK Florida site director, talks to the media. The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will launch on Exploration Mission-1 in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is preparing the infrastructure to process and launch spacecraft for deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.
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Sharp and the Jules Verne Launcher
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hunter, John; Cartland, Harry
1996-03-01
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has built the worlds largest hydrogen gas gun called SHARP, (Super High Altitude Research Project). Originally designed to launch 5 kg to a 450 km altitude, SHARP is configured horizontally at Site 300 in Tracy, California. SHARP is successfully delivering 5 kg scramjets at Mach 9 in aerophysics tests. Some of the results of the scramjet tests are enlightening and are presented insofar as they are relevant to future launches into space. Using a light gas gun to launch payloads into orbit has been analyzed. We look at LEO (Low Earth Orbit), GEO (Geosynchronous Earth Orbit), and LO (Lunar Orbit). We present a conceptual design for a large light gas gun called the Jules Verne Launcher (JVL). The JVL can deliver 3.3 metric tons to a 500 km low earth orbit. We anticipate one launch per day. We present the history of light gas guns, the SHARP design and performance, and the JVL design. Another section is devoted to the vehicle environment and resultant design. Lastly, we present a cost analysis. Our results indicated that the JVL will be able to deliver 1000 metric tons of payload to LEO yearly. The cost will be 5% of the best US rocket delivery cost. This technology will enable the next phase of man's exploration of space.
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NASA Tests RS-25 Flight Engine for Space Launch System
2017-10-19
Engineers at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi on Oct. 19 completed a hot-fire test of RS-25 rocket engine E2063, a flight engine for NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Engine E2063 is scheduled to help power SLS on its Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2), the first flight of the new rocket to carry humans.
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1957-10-03
America’s first scientific satellite, the Explorer I, carried the radiation detection experiment designed by Dr. James Van Allen and discovered the Van Allen Radiation Belt. It was launched aboard a modified redstone rocket known as the Jupiter C, developed by Dr. von Braun’s rocket team at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The satellite launched on January 31, 1958, just 3 months after the the von Braun team received the go-ahead.
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Optical Phenomena Observed upon Some Launches of Russian Rockets
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kozlov, S. I.; Nilolaishvili, S. Sh.; Platov, Yu. V.
2018-01-01
In this paper, unusual optical phenomena observed in our country and abroad upon launches of Russian rockets are discussed and interpreted: they are regarded as the aftereffects of sunlight scattering by gas-dust clouds created by rocket fuel combustion products in different modes of engine operation. The results of instrumental observations of the clouds can be used to study physical processes in the upper atmosphere.
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Analyses of Noise from Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) Firings
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Gee, Kent L.; Kenny, R. Jeremy; Jerome, Trevor W.; Neilsen, Tracianne B.; Hobbs, Christopher M.; James, Michael M.
2012-01-01
NASA s Space Launch Vehicle (SLS) program has chosen the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor V (RSRMV) as the booster system for initial flights. Lift off acoustics continue to be a consideration in overall vehicle vibroacoustic evaluations and launch pad modifications. Work started with the Ares program to understand solid rocket noise mechanisms is continuing through SLS program in conjunction with BYU/Blue Ridge Research Consulting.
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2000-05-01
This photograph depicts an air-breathing rocket engine that completed an hour or 3,600 seconds of testing at the General Applied Sciences Laboratory in Ronkonkoma, New York. Referred to as ARGO by its design team, the engine is named after the mythological Greek ship that bore Jason and the Argonauts on their epic voyage of discovery. Air-breathing engines, known as rocket based, combined-cycle engines, get their initial take-off power from specially designed rockets, called air-augmented rockets, that boost performance about 15 percent over conventional rockets. When the vehicle's velocity reaches twice the speed of sound, the rockets are turned off and the engine relies totally on oxygen in the atmosphere to burn hydrogen fuel, as opposed to a rocket that must carry its own oxygen, thus reducing weight and flight costs. Once the vehicle has accelerated to about 10 times the speed of sound, the engine converts to a conventional rocket-powered system to propel the craft into orbit or sustain it to suborbital flight speed. NASA's Advanced SpaceTransportation Program at Marshall Space Flight Center, along with several industry partners and collegiate forces, is developing this technology to make space transportation affordable for everyone from business travelers to tourists. The goal is to reduce launch costs from today's price tag of $10,000 per pound to only hundreds of dollars per pound. NASA's series of hypersonic flight demonstrators currently include three air-breathing vehicles: the X-43A, X-43B and X-43C.
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Infrasound from the 2009 and 2017 DPRK rocket launches
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Evers, L. G.; Assink, J. D.; Smets, P. SM
2018-06-01
Supersonic rockets generate low-frequency acoustic waves, that is, infrasound, during the launch and re-entry. Infrasound is routinely observed at infrasound arrays from the International Monitoring System, in place for the verification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Association and source identification are key elements of the verification system. The moving nature of a rocket is a defining criterion in order to distinguish it from an isolated explosion. Here, it is shown how infrasound recordings can be associated, which leads to identification of the rocket. Propagation modelling is included to further constrain the source identification. Four rocket launches by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 2009 and 2017 are analysed in which multiple arrays detected the infrasound. Source identification in this region is important for verification purposes. It is concluded that with a passive monitoring technique such as infrasound, characteristics can be remotely obtained on sources of interest, that is, infrasonic intelligence, over 4500+ km.
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Three PhoneSats Hitch Ride on Inaugural Antares Launch (Reporter Pkg)
2013-04-10
Package created for JSC's launch coverage of Antares rocket launch from Wallops Flight Facility on April 17, 2013. The Orbital Sciences Corporation test flight of the Antares rocket will be carrying a very small secondary payload into space. Onboard are three nano-satellites that were designed and built at NASA Ames Research Center, the lead Center for Small Spacecraft Development.
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2013-09-27
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the launch abort system, or LAS, components are horizontally stacked as processing continues for the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 mission. Components of the LAS are the launch abort motor, the attitude control motor, the jettison motor and the fairing. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The LAS is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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2013-09-27
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the launch abort system, or LAS, components are horizontally stacked as processing continues for the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 mission. Components of the LAS are the launch abort motor, the attitude control motor, the jettison motor and the fairing. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry crews to space beyond low Earth orbit. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. The LAS is designed to safely pull the Orion crew module away from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during the initial ascent of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on the SLS rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
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2003-07-22
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A solid rocket booster (SRB) for the Delta II Heavy rocket that will launch the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) arrives at Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Delta II Heavy features nine 46-inch-diameter, stretched SRBs. 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. 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.
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2003-07-18
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers on Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, prepare the first stage of a Delta II rocket for its lift up the mobile service tower. The rocket is being erected to launch the Space InfraRed Telescope Facility (SIRTF). Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. 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.
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2003-07-18
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of a Delta II rocket arrives at the pad. The rocket is being erected to launch the Space InfraRed Telescope Facility (SIRTF). Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. 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.
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2003-07-18
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of a Delta II rocket is moved into the mobile service tower. The rocket is being erected to launch the Space InfraRed Telescope Facility (SIRTF). Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. 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.
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2003-07-18
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of a Delta II rocket is nearly erect for its move into the mobile service tower. The rocket is being erected to launch the Space InfraRed Telescope Facility (SIRTF). Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. 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.
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2003-07-18
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of a Delta II rocket waits to be lifted up into the mobile service tower. The rocket is being erected to launch the Space InfraRed Telescope Facility (SIRTF). Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. 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.
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Atmospheric Mining in the Outer Solar System: Outer Planet Orbital Transfer and Lander Analyses
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Palaszewski, Bryan
2016-01-01
High energy propellants for human lunar missions are analyzed, focusing on very advanced ozone and atomic hydrogen. One of the most advanced launch vehicle propulsion systems, such as the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME), used hydrogen and oxygen and had a delivered specific impulse of 453 seconds. In the early days of the space program, other propellants (or so called metapropellants) were suggested, including atomic hydrogen and liquid ozone. Theoretical and experimental studies of atomic hydrogen and ozone were conducted beginning in the late 1940s. This propellant research may have provided screenwriters with the idea of an atomic hydrogen-ozone rocket engine in the 1950 movie, Rocketship X-M. This paper presents analyses showing that an atomic hydrogen-ozone rocket engine could produce a specific impulse over a wide range of specific impulse values reaching as high as 1,600 seconds. A series of single stage and multistage rocket vehicle analyses were conducted to find the minimum specific impulse needed to conduct high energy round trip lunar missions.
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Propulsion Estimates for High Energy Lunar Missions Using Future Propellants
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Palaszewski, Bryan A.; Bennett, Gary L.
2016-01-01
High energy propellants for human lunar missions are analyzed, focusing on very advanced ozone and atomic hydrogen. One of the most advanced launch vehicle propulsion systems, such as the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME), used hydrogen and oxygen and had a delivered specific impulse of 453 seconds. In the early days of the space program, other propellants (or so called metapropellants) were suggested, including atomic hydrogen and liquid ozone. Theoretical and experimental studies of atomic hydrogen and ozone were conducted beginning in the late 1940s. This propellant research may have provided screenwriters with the idea of an atomic hydrogen-ozone rocket engine in the 1950 movie, Rocketship X-M. This paper presents analyses showing that an atomic hydrogen-ozone rocket engine could produce a specific impulse over a wide range of specific impulse values reaching as high as 1,600 s. A series of single stage and multistage rocket vehicle analyses were conducted to find the minimum specific impulse needed to conduct high energy round trip lunar missions.
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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
2010-06-30
... or man-made infrasound sources including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, rocket launch, and/or... rocket launch and/or nuclear explosions, or whether the parameters are overly broad. If the controls are...
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SRB Processing Facilities Media Event
2016-03-01
Members of the news media view forward booster segments (painted green) for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket boosters inside the Booster Fabrication Facility (BFF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orbital ATK is a contractor for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and operates the BFF to prepare aft booster segments and hardware for the SLS rocket boosters. The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will launch on Exploration Mission-1 in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is preparing the infrastructure to process and launch spacecraft for deep-space missions and the journey to Mars.
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SpaceX Falcon Heavy Demo Flight - Liftoff
2018-02-06
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket begins its demonstration flight with liftoff at 3:45 p.m. EST from from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is a significant milestone for the world's premier multi-user spaceport. In 2014, NASA signed a property agreement with SpaceX for the use and operation of the center's pad 39A, where the company has launched Falcon 9 rockets and prepared for the first Falcon Heavy. NASA also has Space Act Agreements in place with partners, such as SpaceX, to provide services needed to process and launch rockets and spacecraft.
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OA-7 Atlas V Centaur mate to Booster
2017-02-23
The Centaur upper stage of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket arrives at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Centaur stage is lifted and mated to the first stage booster. The rocket is being prepared for Orbital ATK's seventh commercial resupply mission, CRS-7, to the International Space Station. Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module is scheduled to launch atop ULA's Atlas V rocket from Pad 41 on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver 7,600 of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station
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Atlas V OA-7 LVOS Atlas Booster on Stand
2017-02-22
The first stage of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket is lifted by crane to vertical as it is moved into the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rocket is being prepared for Orbital ATK's seventh commercial resupply mission, CRS-7, to the International Space Station. Orbital ATK's CYGNUS pressurized cargo module is scheduled to launch atop ULA's Atlas V rocket from Pad 41 on March 19, 2017. CYGNUS will deliver thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station
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2001-05-25
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Delta II rocket waits to be mated to four solid rocket boosters (behind the Delta). The rocket will launch the MAP instrument into a lunar-assisted trajectory to the Sun-Earth for a 27-month mission. The MAP mission will examine conditions in the early universe by measuring temperature differences in cosmic microwave background radiation, which is the radiant heat left over from the Big Bang. The properties of this radiation directly reflect conditions in the early universe. MAP is scheduled to launch June 30 at 3:46:46 p.m. EDT
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Telemetry Boards Interpret Rocket, Airplane Engine Data
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2009-01-01
For all the data gathered by the space shuttle while in orbit, NASA engineers are just as concerned about the information it generates on the ground. From the moment the shuttle s wheels touch the runway to the break of its electrical umbilical cord at 0.4 seconds before its next launch, sensors feed streams of data about the status of the vehicle and its various systems to Kennedy Space Center s shuttle crews. Even while the shuttle orbiter is refitted in Kennedy s orbiter processing facility, engineers constantly monitor everything from power levels to the testing of the mechanical arm in the orbiter s payload bay. On the launch pad and up until liftoff, the Launch Control Center, attached to the large Vehicle Assembly Building, screens all of the shuttle s vital data. (Once the shuttle clears its launch tower, this responsibility shifts to Mission Control at Johnson Space Center, with Kennedy in a backup role.) Ground systems for satellite launches also generate significant amounts of data. At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, across the Banana River from Kennedy s location on Merritt Island, Florida, NASA rockets carrying precious satellite payloads into space flood the Launch Vehicle Data Center with sensor information on temperature, speed, trajectory, and vibration. The remote measurement and transmission of systems data called telemetry is essential to ensuring the safe and successful launch of the Agency s space missions. When a launch is unsuccessful, as it was for this year s Orbiting Carbon Observatory satellite, telemetry data also provides valuable clues as to what went wrong and how to remedy any problems for future attempts. All of this information is streamed from sensors in the form of binary code: strings of ones and zeros. One small company has partnered with NASA to provide technology that renders raw telemetry data intelligible not only for Agency engineers, but also for those in the private sector.
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InSight MARCO Installation Cubesats
2018-03-17
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, twin communications-relay CubeSats, called Mars Cube One (MarCO) are installed on an Atlas V rocket. MarCO constitutes a technology demonstration being built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena in California. They will launch in on the same United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket as NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, spacecraft to land on Mars. CubeSats are a class of spacecraft based on a standardized small size and modular use of off-the-shelf technologies. Many have been made by university students, and dozens have been launched into Earth orbit using extra payload mass available on launches of larger spacecraft. InSight is the first mission to explore the Red Planet's deep interior. InSight is scheduled for liftoff May 5, 2018. 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. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the InSight mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. Several European partners, including France's space agency, the Centre National d'Étude Spatiales, and the German Aerospace Center, are supporting the mission. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is providing the Atlas V launch service. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at its Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.
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InSight Atlas V MARCO Cubesats Installation
2018-03-17
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, twin communications-relay CubeSats, called Mars Cube One (MarCO) are installed on an Atlas V rocket. MarCO constitutes a technology demonstration being built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena in California. They will launch in on the same United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket as NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, spacecraft to land on Mars. CubeSats are a class of spacecraft based on a standardized small size and modular use of off-the-shelf technologies. Many have been made by university students, and dozens have been launched into Earth orbit using extra payload mass available on launches of larger spacecraft. InSight is the first mission to explore the Red Planet's deep interior. InSight is scheduled for liftoff May 5, 2018. 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. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the InSight mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver. Several European partners, including France's space agency, the Centre National d'Étude Spatiales, and the German Aerospace Center, are supporting the mission. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is providing the Atlas V launch service. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at its Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.
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2003-07-22
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A solid rocket booster (SRB) for the Delta II Heavy rocket that will launch the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) is lifted off its transporter on Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The SRB will be added to the launch vehicle in the background. The Delta II Heavy features nine 46-inch-diameter, stretched SRBs. SIRTF, consisting of three cryogenically cooled science instruments and an 0.85-meter telescope, is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. 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.
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Students Participate in Rocket Launch Project
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2002-01-01
Filled with anticipation, students from three Huntsville area high schools: Randolph, Sparkman, and Johnson High Schools, counted down to launch the rockets they designed and built at the Army test site on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The projected two-mile high launch culminated more than a year's work and demonstrated the student team's ability to meet the challenge set by the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Student Launch Initiative (SLI) program to apply science and math to experience, judgment, and common sense, and proved to NASA officials that they have successfully built reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), another challenge set by NASA's SLI program. MSFC's SLI program is an educational effort that aims to motivate students to pursue careers in science, math, and engineering. It provides them with hands-on, practical aerospace experience. In this picture, three Sparkman High School students pose with their rocket.
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Students Participate in Rocket Launch Project
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2002-01-01
Filled with anticipation, students from three Huntsville area high schools: Randolph, Sparkman and Johnson High Schools, counted down to launch the rockets they designed and built at the Army test site on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The projected two-mile high launch culminated more than a year's work and demonstrated the student team's ability to meet the challenge set by the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Student Launch Initiative (SLI) program to apply science and math to experience, judgment, and common sense, and proved to NASA officials that they have successfully built reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), another challenge set by NASA's SLI program. MSFC's SLI program is an educational effort that aims to motivate students to pursue careers in science, math, and engineering. It provides them with hands-on, practical aerospace experience. In this picture, two Johnson High School students pose with their rocket.
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1998-11-28
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The first stage of a Delta II rocket hangs in place in the gantry at Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A on Dec. 10, 1998
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1998-11-28
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers guide the lifting of the first stage of a Delta II rocket up the gantry at Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The rocket will be used to launch the Mars Polar Lander on Jan. 3, 1999. The lander is a solar-powered spacecraft designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. It is the second spacecraft to be launched in a pair of Mars '98 missions. The first is the Mars Climate Orbiter, to be launched aboard a Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17A on Dec. 10, 1998
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2015-01-29
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Operations are underway at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to enclose the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket in the launch gantry. Aboard the rocket is NOAA's Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite, or SMAP, designed to produce the highest-resolution maps of soil moisture ever obtained from space. Launch was postponed today due to violation of upper-level wind shear constraints. Launch now is targeted for Jan. 31. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/smap. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin
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2015-01-29
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Operations are underway at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to enclose the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket in the launch gantry. Aboard the rocket is NOAA's Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite, or SMAP, designed to produce the highest-resolution maps of soil moisture ever obtained from space. Launch was postponed today due to violation of upper-level wind shear constraints. Launch now is targeted for Jan. 31. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/smap. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin
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Students Participate in Rocket Launch Project
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
2002-01-01
Filled with anticipation, students from two local universities, the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), and Alabama Agricultural Mechanical University (AM), counted down to launch the rockets they designed and built at the Army test site on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The projected two-mile high launch culminated more than a year's work and demonstrated the student team's ability to meet the challenge set by the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Student Launch Initiative (SLI) program to apply science and math to experience, judgment, and common sense, and proved to NASA officials that they have successfully built reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), another challenge set by NASA's SLI program. MSFC's SLI program is an educational effort that aims to motivate students to pursue careers in science, math, and engineering. It provides the students with hands-on, practical aerospace experience. In this picture, the combined efforts of students from UAH and AM sent this rocket soaring into flight. Students at UAH built the rocket and AM students developed its scientific payload, an experiment that measures the amount of hydrogen produced during electroplating with nickel in a brief period of micrgravity.
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1998-09-17
A booster is raised off a truck bed and prepared for lifting to the Boeing Delta 7326 rocket that will launch Deep Space 1 at Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. Delta II rockets are medium capacity expendable launch vehicles derived from the Delta family of rockets built and launched since 1960. Since then there have been more than 245 Delta launches. The Delta 7236 has three solid rocket boosters and a Star 37 upper stage. Delta IIs are manufactured in Huntington Beach, Calif. Rocketdyne, a division of The Boeing Company, builds Delta II's main engine in Canoga Park, Calif. Deep Space 1, the first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Onboard experiments include an ion propulsion engine and software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but may also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999
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1998-09-17
A booster is lifted for installation onto the Boeing Delta 7326 rocket that will launch Deep Space 1 at Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. Delta II rockets are medium capacity expendable launch vehicles derived from the Delta family of rockets built and launched since 1960. Since then there have been more than 245 Delta launches. The Delta 7236 has three solid rocket boosters and a Star 37 upper stage. Delta IIs are manufactured in Huntington Beach, Calif. Rocketdyne, a division of The Boeing Company, builds Delta II's main engine in Canoga Park, Calif. Deep Space 1, the first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Onboard experiments include an ion propulsion engine and software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but may also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999
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1998-09-17
Three boosters are lifted into place at Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, for installation onto the Boeing Delta 7326 rocket that will launch Deep Space 1. Delta II rockets are medium capacity expendable launch vehicles derived from the Delta family of rockets built and launched since 1960. Since then there have been more than 245 Delta launches. The Delta 7236 has three solid rocket boosters and a Star 37 upper stage. Delta IIs are manufactured in Huntington Beach, Calif. Rocketdyne, a division of The Boeing Company, builds Delta II's main engine in Canoga Park, Calif. Deep Space 1, the first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Onboard experiments include an ion propulsion engine and software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but may also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999
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1998-09-17
A booster is lifted off a truck for installation onto the Boeing Delta 7326 rocket that will launch Deep Space 1 at Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. Delta II rockets are medium capacity expendable launch vehicles derived from the Delta family of rockets built and launched since 1960. Since then there have been more than 245 Delta launches. The Delta 7236 has three solid rocket boosters and a Star 37 upper stage. Delta IIs are manufactured in Huntington Beach, Calif. Rocketdyne, a division of The Boeing Company, builds Delta II's main engine in Canoga Park, Calif. Deep Space 1, the first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Onboard experiments include an ion propulsion engine and software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but may also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999
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1998-09-17
Two boosters are lifted into place, while a third waits on the ground, for installation onto the Boeing Delta 7326 rocket that will launch Deep Space 1 at Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. Delta II rockets are medium capacity expendable launch vehicles derived from the Delta family of rockets built and launched since 1960. Since then there have been more than 245 Delta launches. The Delta 7236 has three solid rocket boosters and a Star 37 upper stage. Delta IIs are manufactured in Huntington Beach, Calif. Rocketdyne, a division of The Boeing Company, builds Delta II's main engine in Canoga Park, Calif. Deep Space 1, the first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Onboard experiments include an ion propulsion engine and software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but may also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999
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STS-87 Post Flight Presentation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1998-01-01
The flight crew, Cmdr. Kevin R. Kregel, Pilot Steven W. Lindsey, Mission Specialists Winston E. Scott, Kalpana Chawla, and Takao Doi, and Payload Specialist Leonid K. Kadenyuk present an overview of their mission. In the first part they can be seen performing pre-launch activities such as eating the traditional breakfast, crew suit-up, and the ride out to the launch pad. Also, included are various panoramic views of the shuttle on the pad. The crew is seen being readied in the 'white room' for their mission. After the closing of the hatch and arm retraction, launch activities are shown including countdown, engine ignition, launch, and the separation of the Solid Rocket Boosters. In the second part of the video the crew turn their attention to a variety of experiments inside the Shuttle's cabin. These experiments include the processing of several samples of materials in the glovebox facility in Columbia's middeck; the experiment called PEP, which involves heating samples and then recording the mixture as it resolidifies; and the study of plant growth in space.
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STS-90 Post Flight Presentation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
1998-01-01
The flight crew of the STS-90 mission, Cmdr. Richard A. Searfoss, Pilot Scott D. Altman, and Mission Specialists Richard M. Linnehan, Dafydd Rhys Williams and Kathryn P. Hire, and Payload Specialists Jay C. Buckey and James A. Pawelczyk can be seen performing pre-launch activities such as eating the traditional breakfast, crew suit-up, and the ride out to the launch pad. Also, included are various panoramic views of the shuttle on the pad. The crew is readied in the 'white room' for their mission. After the closing of the hatch and arm retraction, launch activities are shown including countdown, engine ignition, launch, and the separation of the Solid Rocket Boosters. In the second part of the video the crew turns its attention to a variety of experiments inside the Shuttle's cabin. These experiments include the processing of several samples of materials in the glovebox facility in Columbia's middeck; the experiment called PEP, which involves heating samples as they resolidify; and the study of plant growth in space.