15 CFR 744.3 - Restrictions on Certain Rocket Systems (including ballistic missile systems and space launch...

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...

15 CFR 744.3 - Restrictions on Certain Rocket Systems (including ballistic missile systems and space launch...

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...

15 CFR 744.3 - Restrictions on Certain Rocket Systems (including ballistic missile systems and space launch...

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...

15 CFR 744.3 - Restrictions on Certain Rocket Systems (including ballistic missile systems and space launch...

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...

Sounding Rocket Launches Successfully from Alaska

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-01-28

Caption: Time lapse photo of the NASA Oriole IV sounding rocket with Aural Spatial Structures Probe as an aurora dances over Alaska. All four stages of the rocket are visible in this image. Credit: NASA/Jamie Adkins More info: On count day number 15, the Aural Spatial Structures Probe, or ASSP, was successfully launched on a NASA Oriole IV sounding rocket at 5:41 a.m. EST on Jan. 28, 2015, from the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska. Preliminary data show that all aspects of the payload worked as designed and the principal investigator Charles Swenson at Utah State University described the mission as a “raging success.” “This is likely the most complicated mission the sounding rocket program has ever undertaken and it was not easy by any stretch," said John Hickman, operations manager of the NASA sounding rocket program office at the Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. "It was technically challenging every step of the way.” “The payload deployed all six sub-payloads in formation as planned and all appeared to function as planned. Quite an amazing feat to maneuver and align the main payload, maintain the proper attitude while deploying all six 7.3-pound sub payloads at about 40 meters per second," said Hickman. Read more: www.nasa.gov/content/assp-sounding-rocket-launches-succes... 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

Rocket noise - A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McInerny, S. A.

1990-10-01

This paper reviews what is known about far-field rocket noise from the controlled studies of the late 1950s and 1960s and from launch data. The peak dimensionless frequency, the dependence of overall sound power on exhaust parameters, and the directivity of the overall sound power of rockets are compared to those of subsonic jets and turbo-jets. The location of the dominant sound source in the rocket exhaust plume and the mean flow velocity in this region are discussed and shown to provide a qualitative explanation for the low peak Strouhal number, fD(e)/V(e), and large angle of maximum directivity. Lastly, two empirical prediction methods are compared with data from launches of a Titan family vehicle (two, solid rocket motors of 5.7 x 10 to the 6th N thrust each) and the Saturn V (five, liquid oxygen/rocket propellant engines of 6.7 x 10 to the 6th N thrust, each). The agreement is favorable. In contrast, these methods appear to overpredict the far-field sound pressure levels generated by the Space Shuttle.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Sounding Rockets and Instrumentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christe, Steven; Zeiger, Ben; Pfaff, Rob; Garcia, Michael

2016-03-01

Rocket technology, originally developed for military applications, has provided a low-cost observing platform to carry critical and rapid-response scientific investigations for over 70 years. Even with the development of launch vehicles that could put satellites into orbit, high altitude sounding rockets have remained relevant. In addition to science observations, sounding rockets provide a unique technology test platform and a valuable training ground for scientists and engineers. Most importantly, sounding rockets remain the only way to explore the tenuous regions of the Earth’s atmosphere (the upper stratosphere, mesosphere, and lower ionosphere/thermosphere) above balloon altitudes (˜40km) and below satellite orbits (˜160km). They can lift remote sensing telescope payloads with masses up to 400kg to altitudes of 350km providing observing times of up to 6min above the blocking influence of Earth’s atmosphere. Though a number of sounding rocket research programs exist around the world, this article focuses on the NASA Sounding Rocket Program, and particularly on the astrophysical and solar sounding rocket payloads.

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. This paper addresses the NASA Wallops Island history of GPS Sounding Rocket experience since 1994 and the development of highly accurate and useful system.

Launch summary for 1978

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vostreys, R. W.

1978-01-01

Sounding rocket, satellite, and space probe launchings are presented. Time, date, and location of the launches are provided. The sponsoring countries and the institutions responsible for the launch are listed.

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...

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...

An Overview of the NASA Sounding Rocket and Balloon Programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eberspeaker, Philip J.; Smith, Ira S.

2003-01-01

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Sounding Rockets and Balloon Programs conduct a total of 50 to 60 missions per year in support of the NASA scientific community. These missions support investigations sponsored by NASA's Offices of Space Science, Life and Microgravity Sciences & Applications, and Earth Science. The Goddard Space Flight Center has management and implementation responsibility for these programs. The NASA Sounding Rockets Program provides the science community with payload development support, environmental testing, launch vehicles, and launch operations from fixed and mobile launch ranges. Sounding rockets continue to provide a cost-effective way to make in situ observations from 50 to 1500 km in the near-earth environment and to uniquely cover the altitude regime between 50 km and 130 km above the Earth's surface. New technology efforts include GPS payload event triggering, tailored trajectories, new vehicle configuration development to expand current capabilities, and the feasibility assessment of an ultra high altitude sounding rocket vehicle. The NASA Balloon Program continues to make advancements and developments in its capabilities for support of the scientific ballooning community. The Long Duration Balloon (LDB) is capable of providing flight durations in excess of two weeks and has had many successful flights since its development. The NASA Balloon Program is currently engaged in the development of the Ultra Long Duration Balloon (ULDB), which will be capable of providing flight times up to 100-days. Additional development efforts are focusing on ultra high altitude balloons, station keeping techniques and planetary balloon technologies.

Design of Sounding Rocket Payloads.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-07-01

AD-AlB 271 NORTHEASTERN UNIV BOSTON MASS ELECTRONICS RESEARCH LAB F/6 19/7 DESIGN OF SOUNDING ROCKET PAYLOADS. (U) JUL Al R L MORIN, L .J O’CONNOR...Morin Lawrence J. O’Connor NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY Electronics Research Laboratory D T I Boston, Massachusetts 02115 ELECTE S DEC 9 19813 FINAL REPORT... Research Range on 21 February 1978. The payload was re-assembled, checked and mated to the launch vehicle on 27 February. Launch -8- criteria were

Infrared Imagery of Solid Rocket Exhaust Plumes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moran, Robert P.; Houston, Janice D.

2011-01-01

The Ares I Scale Model Acoustic Test program consisted of a series of 18 solid rocket motor static firings, simulating the liftoff conditions of the Ares I five-segment Reusable Solid Rocket Motor Vehicle. Primary test objectives included acquiring acoustic and pressure data which will be used to validate analytical models for the prediction of Ares 1 liftoff acoustics and ignition overpressure environments. The test article consisted of a 5% scale Ares I vehicle and launch tower mounted on the Mobile Launch Pad. The testing also incorporated several Water Sound Suppression Systems. Infrared imagery was employed during the solid rocket testing to support the validation or improvement of analytical models, and identify corollaries between rocket plume size or shape and the accompanying measured level of noise suppression obtained by water sound suppression systems.

NASA Launches Rocket Into Active Auroras

NASA Image and Video Library

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

GREECE Mission Launching Into Aurora

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-04

Caption: A NASA-funded sounding rocket launches into an aurora in the early morning of March 3, 2014, over Venetie, Alaska. The GREECE mission studies how certain structures – classic curls like swirls of cream in coffee -- form in the aurora. Credit: NASA/Christopher Perry More info: On March 3, 2014, at 6:09 a.m. EST, a NASA-funded sounding rocket launched straight into an aurora over Venetie, Alaska. The Ground-to-Rocket Electrodynamics – Electron Correlative Experiment, or GREECE, sounding rocket mission, which launched from Poker Flat Research Range in Poker Flat, Alaska, will study classic curls in the aurora in the night sky. The GREECE instruments travel on a sounding rocket that launches for a ten-minute ride right through the heart of the aurora reaching its zenith over the native village of Venetie, Alaska. To study the curl structures, GREECE consists of two parts: ground-based imagers located in Venetie to track the aurora from the ground and the rocket to take measurements from the middle of the aurora itself. At their simplest, auroras are caused when particles from the sun funnel over to Earth's night side, generate electric currents, and trigger a shower of particles that strike oxygen and nitrogen some 60 to 200 miles up in Earth's atmosphere, releasing a flash of light. But the details are always more complicated, of course. Researchers wish to understand the aurora, and movement of plasma in general, at much smaller scales including such things as how different structures are formed there. This is a piece of information, which in turn, helps paint a picture of the sun-Earth connection and how energy and particles from the sun interact with Earth's own magnetic system, the magnetosphere. GREECE is a collaborative effort between SWRI, which developed particle instruments and the ground-based imaging, and the University of California, Berkeley, measuring the electric and magnetic fields. The launch is supported by a sounding rocket team from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va. The Poker Flat Research Range is operated by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. “The conditions were optimal,” said Marilia Samara, principal investigator for the mission at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. “We can’t wait to dig into the data.” For more information on the GREECE mission visit: www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-funded-sounding-rocket- .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

World Data Center A (rockets and satellites) catalogue of data. Volume 1, part A: Sounding rockets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

A cumulative listing of all scientifically successful rockets that have been identified from various sources is presented. The listing starts with the V-2 rocket launched on 7 March 1947 and contains all rockets identified up to 31 December 1971.

The Adaptable, Deployable Entry and Placement Technology (ADEPT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wercinski, Paul

2017-01-01

The initial system-level development of the nano-ADEPT architecture will culminate in the launch of a 0.7 meter deployed diameter ADEPT sounding rocket flight experiment named, SR-1. Launch is planned for August 2017. The test will utilize the NASA Flight Opportunities Program sounding rocket platform provided by UP Aerospace to launch SR-1 to an apogee over 100 km and achieve re-entry conditions with a peak velocity near Mach 3. The SR-1 flight experiment will demonstrate most of the primary end-to-end mission stages including: launch in a stowed configuration, separation and deployment in exo-atmospheric conditions, and passive ballistic re-entry of a 70-degree half-angle faceted cone geometry.

Results of the measurement of the vertical profile of ozone up to a height of 70 km by means of the MR-12 and M-100 sounding rockets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brezgin, N. I.; Kuznetsov, G. I.; Chizhov, A. F.; Shtyrkov, O. V.

1979-01-01

The photometers used and methods of calculation of the vertical ozone concentration profile are described. The results obtained in several series of MR-12 and M-100 sounding rocket launchings are presented and discussed.

NASA Successfully Launches Suborbital Rocket from Wallops with Student Experiments

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-06-25

NASA successfully launched a NASA Terrier-Improved Orion suborbital sounding rocket carrying student experiments with the RockOn/RockSat-C programs at 6 a.m., today More than 200 middle school and university students and instructors participating in Rocket Week at Wallops were on hand to witness the launch. Through RockOn and RockSat-C students are learning and applying skills required to develop experiments for suborbital rocket flight. In addition, middle school educators through the Wallops Rocket Academy for Teachers (WRATS) are learning about applying rocketry basics in their curriculum. The payload flew to an altitude of 71.4 miles and descended by parachute into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Wallops. Payload recovery is in progress. The next launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility is a Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket currently scheduled between 6 and 10 a.m., July 7. For more information on NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, visit: www.nasa.gov/wallops 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

Student experimenters successfully launch suborbital rocket from NASA Wallops

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-06-25

NASA successfully launched a NASA Terrier-Improved Orion suborbital sounding rocket carrying student experiments with the RockOn/RockSat-C programs at 6 a.m., today. More than 200 middle school and university students and instructors participating in Rocket Week at Wallops were on hand to witness the launch. Through RockOn and RockSat-C students are learning and applying skills required to develop experiments for suborbital rocket flight. In addition, middle school educators through the Wallops Rocket Academy for Teachers (WRATS) are learning about applying rocketry basics in their curriculum. The payload flew to an altitude of 71.4 miles and descended by parachute into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Wallops. Payload recovery is in progress. The next launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility is a Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket currently scheduled between 6 and 10 a.m., July 7. Credits: NASA Wallops Optics Lab 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

NASA EVEX Experiment Launches from the Marshall Islands

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Red and white vapor clouds filled the skies over the Marshall Islands as part of NASA’s Equatorial Vortex Experiment (EVEX). The red cloud was formed by the release of lithium vapor and the white tracer clouds were formed by the release of trimethyl aluminum (TMA). These clouds allowed scientists on the ground from various locations in the Marshall Islands to observe the neutral winds in the ionosphere. Credit: NASA/Jon Grant --- The Equatorial Vortex Experiment (EVEX) was successfully conducted during the early morning hours (eastern time) May 7 from Roi Namur, Republic of the Marshall Islands. A NASA Terrier-Oriole sounding rocket was launched at 3:39 a.m. EDT and was followed by a launch of Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket 90 seconds later. Preliminary indications are that both rockets released their vapor clouds of lithium or trimethyl aluminum, which were observed from various locations in the area, and all science instruments on the rockets worked as planned. More information on EVEX can be found at www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sounding-rockets/news/evex.html These were the second and third rockets of four planned for launch during this year’s campaign in the Marshall Islands. The first and fourth rockets are supporting the Metal Oxide Space Cloud experiment (MOSC), which is studying radio frequency propagation. 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

Recent sounding rocket highlights and a concept for melding sounding rocket and space shuttle activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lane, J. H.; Mayo, E. E.

1980-01-01

Highlights include launching guided vehicles into the African Solar Eclipse, initiation of development of a Three-Stage Black Brant to explore the dayside polar cusp, large payload Aries Flights at White Sands Missile Range, and an active program with the Orion vehicle family using surplus motors. Sounding rocket philosophy and experience is being applied to the shuttle in a Get Away Special and Experiments of Opportunity Payloads Programs. In addition, an orbit selection and targeting software system to support shuttle pallet mounted experiments is under development.

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.

Determination of the center of brightness of the lunar crescent. [through use of a sounding rocket payload

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rose, C.

1975-01-01

The operational characteristics of the lunar sensor which was used to point the sounding rocket are discussed briefly. The associated mathematical model of the system is developed and the computer programs which were written to implement the model are described. Data pertinent to the two launches is presented.

A Space Based Internet Protocol System for Launch Vehicle Tracking and Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bull, Barton; Grant, Charles; Morgan, Dwayne; Streich, Ron; Bauer, Frank (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Personnel from the Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Flight Facility (GSFC/WFF) in Virginia are responsible for the overall management of the NASA Sounding Rocket and Scientific Balloon Programs. Payloads are generally in support of NASA's Space Science Enterprise's missions and return a variety of scientific data as well as providing a reasonably economical means of conducting engineering tests for instruments and devices used on satellites and other spacecraft. Sounding rockets used by NASA can carry payloads of various weights to altitudes from 50 km to more than 1,300 km. Scientific balloons can carry a payload weighing as much as 3,630 Kg to an altitude of 42 km. Launch activities for both are conducted not only from established ranges, but also from remote locations worldwide requiring mobile tracking and command equipment to be transported and set up at considerable expense. The advent of low earth orbit (LEO) commercial communications satellites provides an opportunity to dramatically reduce tracking and control costs of these launch vehicles and Unpiloted Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) by reducing or eliminating this ground infrastructure. Additionally, since data transmission is by packetized Internet Protocol (IP), data can be received and commands initiated from practically any location. A low cost Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) system is currently under development for sounding rockets that also has application to UAVs and scientific balloons. Due to relatively low data rate (9600 baud) currently available, the system will first be used to provide GPS data for tracking and vehicle recovery. Range safety requirements for launch vehicles usually stipulate at least two independent tracking sources. Most sounding rockets flown by NASA now carry GP receivers that output position data via the payload telemetry system to the ground station. The Flight Modem can be configured as a completely separate link thereby eliminating the requirement for tracking radar. The system architecture that integrates antennas, GPS receiver, commercial satellite packet data modem, and a single board computer with custom software is described along with the technical challenges and the plan for their resolution. These include antenna development, high Doppler rates, reliability, environmental ruggedness, hand over between satellites, and data security. An aggressive test plan is included which, in addition to environmental testing, measures bit error rate, latency and antenna patterns. Actual launches on a sounding rocket and various aircraft flights have taken place. Flight tests are planned for the near future on aircraft, long duration balloons and sounding rockets. These results, as well as the current status of the project, are reported.

27 CFR 447.21 - The U.S. Munitions Import List.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...—launch vehicles, guided missiles, ballistic missiles, rockets, torpedoes, bombs and mines (a) Rockets (including but not limited to meteorological and other sounding rockets), bombs, grenades, torpedoes, depth..., the following: Fuses and components for the items in this category, bomb racks and shackles, bomb...

NASA Successfully Conducts Wallops Rocket Launch with Technology Experiments

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-07

NASA successfully launched a NASA Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket carrying two space technology demonstration projects at 6:15 a.m. today. The rocket carried the SOAREX-8 Exo-Brake Flight Test from NASA’s Ames Research Center in California and the Radial Core Heat Spreader from NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Ohio. Preliminary analysis shows that data was received on both projects. The payload flew to an altitude of 206 miles and impacted in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 10 minutes after launch. The payload will not be recovered. The flight was conducted through NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. The next launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility is a Terrier-Improved Malemute suborbital sounding rocket early in the morning on August 11 carrying the RockSat-X university student payload. For more information on NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, visit: www.nasa.gov/wallops 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

Rocket and laboratory studies in aeronomy and astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feldman, P. D.

1983-01-01

Data extracted from semi-annual status reports presented include: a list of all sounding rocket launches performed under NASA sponsorship; a list of Ph.D. and M.A. degrees awarded to students who worked in these programs; a summary bibliography of all publications through 1983; the most recent list of the publications from the IUE program; a summary of instrument development supported by the Johns Hopkins sounding rocket program; and a list of faculty and post-doctoral research associates whose work was supported by this grant.

Sounding rocket/ground-based observation campaign to study Medium-Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (MSTID)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Mamoru; Otsuka, Yuichi; Abe, Takumi; Yokoyama, Tatsuhiro; Bernhardt, Paul; Watanabe, Shigeto; Yamamoto, Masa-yuki; Larsen, Miguel; Saito, Akinori; Pfaff, Robert; Ishisaka, Keigo

2012-07-01

An observation campaign is under preparation. It is to launch sounding rockets S-520-27 and S-310-42 from Uchinoura Space Center of JAXA, while ground-based instruments measure waves in the ionosphere. The main purpose of the study is to reveal seeding mechanism of Medium-Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (MSTID). The MSTID is enhanced in the summer nighttime of the mid-latitude ionosphere. The MSTID is not only a simple reflection of atmospheric waves to the ionosphere, but includes complicated processes including the electromagnetic coupling of the F- and E-regions, and inter-hemisphere coupling of the ionosphere. We will measure ionospheric parameters such as electron density and electric fields together with neutral winds in the E- and F-regions. TMA and Lithium release experiment will be conducted with S-310-42 and S-520-27 rockets, respectively. The observation campaign is planned in summer 2012 or 2013. In the presentation we will overview characteristics of MSTID, and show plan and current status of the project. We also touch results from the sounding rocket S-520-26 that was launched on January 12, 2012. We will show results of the rocket-ground dual-band beacon experiment.

Taiwan Space Programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jann-Yenq

Taiwan space programs consist of FORMOSAT-1, -2, and -3, sounding rockets, and international cooperation. FORMOSAT-1, a low-earth-orbit (LEO) scientific experimental satellite, was launched on January 26, 1999. It circulates with an altitude of 600 km and 35 degree inclination around the Earth every 97 minutes, transmitting collected data to Taiwan's receiving stations approximately six times a day. The major mission of FORMOSAT-1 includes three scientific experiments for measuring the effects of ionospheric plasma and electrodynamics, taking the ocean color image and conducting Ka-band communication experiment. The FORMOSAT- 1 mission was ended by June 15, 2004. FORMOSAT-2, launched on May 21, 2004 onto the Sun-synchronous orbit located at 891 km above ground. The main mission of FORMOSAT-2 is to conduct remote sensing imaging over Taiwan and on terrestrial and oceanic regions of the entire earth. The images captured by FORMOSAT-2 during daytime can be used for land distribution, natural resources research, environmental protection, disaster prevention and rescue work etc. When the satellite travels to the eclipsed zone, it observes natural phenomena of lighting in the upper atmosphere. FORMOSAT-3 is an international collaboration project between Taiwan and the US to develop advanced technology for the real-time monitoring of the global climate. This project is also named Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate, or FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC for short. Six micro-satellites were launched on 15 April 2007 and eventually placed into six different orbits at 700 800 kilometer above the earth ground. These satellites orbit around the earth to form a LEO constellation that receives signals transmitted by the 24 US GPS satellites. The satellite observation covers the entire global atmosphere and ionosphere, providing over 2,500 global sounding data per day. These data distribute uniformly over the earth's atmosphere. The global climate information collection and analysis can be completed in three hours while the sounding data is updated every 90 minutes for updating weather forecast. In addition, this system can also be used as the long-term climate change research, interactive ionosphere monitoring, global space weather forecast, and earth gravity research. From 1997 to 2003, there are three launches of sounding rockets. To compliment the second phase of Taiwan's national space technology long-term development plan, the sounding rocket space exploration project was established. The timeframe of the second phase sounding rocket project is 15 years, from January 2004 to December 2018, and 10 15 sounding rockets will be launched during this time period. In this paper, the current status and results of the programs are presented in detail.

KSC-00pp0413

NASA Image and Video Library

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

KSC00pp0413

NASA Image and Video Library

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

Examination of Cross-Scale Coupling During Auroral Events using RENU2 and ISINGLASS Sounding Rocket Data.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kenward, D. R.; Lessard, M.; Lynch, K. A.; Hysell, D. L.; Hampton, D. L.; Michell, R.; Samara, M.; Varney, R. H.; Oksavik, K.; Clausen, L. B. N.; Hecht, J. H.; Clemmons, J. H.; Fritz, B.

2017-12-01

The RENU2 sounding rocket (launched from Andoya rocket range on December 13th, 2015) observed Poleward Moving Auroral Forms within the dayside cusp. The ISINGLASS rockets (launched from Poker Flat rocket range on February 22, 2017 and March 2, 2017) both observed aurora during a substorm event. Despite observing very different events, both campaigns witnessed a high degree of small scale structuring within the larger auroral boundary, including Alfvenic signatures. These observations suggest a method of coupling large-scale energy input to fine scale structures within aurorae. During RENU2, small (sub-km) scale drivers persist for long (10s of minutes) time scales and result in large scale ionospheric (thermal electron) and thermospheric response (neutral upwelling). ISINGLASS observations show small scale drivers, but with short (minute) time scales, with ionospheric response characterized by the flight's thermal electron instrument (ERPA). The comparison of the two flights provides an excellent opportunity to examine ionospheric and thermospheric response to small scale drivers over different integration times.

Sound from apollo rockets in space.

PubMed

Cotten, D; Donn, W L

1971-02-12

Low-frequency sound has been recorded on at least two occasions in Bermuda with the passage of Apollo rocket vehicles 188 kilometers aloft. The signals, which are reminiscent of N-waves from sonic booms, are (i) horizontally coherent; (ii) have extremely high (supersonic) trace velocities across the tripartite arrays; (iii) have nearly identical appearance and frequencies; (iv) have essentially identical arrival times after rocket launch; and (v) are the only coherent signals recorded over many hours. These observations seem to establish that the recorded sound comes from the rockets at high elevation. Despite this high elevation, the values of surface pressure appear to be explainable on the basis of a combination of a kinetic theory approach to shock formation in rarefied atmospheres with established gas-dynamics shock theory.

Feasibility of a low-cost sounding rockoon platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2016-10-01

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

A Real Time Differential GPS Tracking System for NASA Sounding Rockets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bull, Barton; Bauer, Frank (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Sounding rockets are suborbital launch vehicles capable of carrying scientific payloads to 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 to be used on satellites and other spacecraft prior to their use in these more expensive missions. Typically around thirty of these rockets are launched each year, from established ranges at Wallops Island, Virginia; Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska; White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico and from a number of ranges outside the United States. Many times launches are conducted from temporary launch ranges in remote parts of the world requiring considerable expense to transport and operate tracking radars. In order to support these missions, an inverse differential GPS system has been developed. The flight system consists of a small, inexpensive receiver, a preamplifier and a wrap-around antenna. A rugged, compact, portable ground station extracts GPS data from the raw payload telemetry stream, performs a real time differential solution and graphically displays the rocket's path relative to a predicted trajectory plot. In addition to generating a real time navigation solution, the system has been used for payload recovery, timing, data timetagging, precise tracking of multiple payloads and slaving of optical tracking systems for over the horizon acquisition. This paper discusses, in detail, the flight and ground hardware, as well as data processing and operational aspects of the system, and provides evidence of the system accuracy.

Rockets Launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility

NASA Image and Video Library

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

Lymphocytes on sounding rocket flights.

PubMed

Cogoli-Greuter, M; Pippia, P; Sciola, L; Cogoli, A

1994-05-01

Cell-cell interactions and the formation of cell aggregates are important events in the mitogen-induced lymphocyte activation. The fact that the formation of cell aggregates is only slightly reduced in microgravity suggests that cells are moving and interacting also in space, but direct evidence was still lacking. Here we report on two experiments carried out on a flight of the sounding rocket MAXUS 1B, launched in November 1992 from the base of Esrange in Sweden. The rocket reached the altitude of 716 km and provided 12.5 min of microgravity conditions.

Project Centaur. [for earth dayside magnetic cleft investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brence, W. A.; Hardin, J. W.; Crook, E. D.; Roberts, H.

1982-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Canada Centre for Space Science, National Research Council of Canada (NRCC), conducted a cooperative sounding rocket campaign in the Canadian Arctic during November/December 1981. The objective of the campaign was to investigate the earth's dayside magnetic cleft region. The project was named CENTAUR for Cleft Energetics Transport and Ultraviolet Radiation. Remote launch support facilities were established at Cape Parry, NWT, Canada (70 deg 10 min N latitude, 124 deg 40 min W longitude). The cleft region is accessible from this location when launched poleward during reasonably quiet magnetic activity. Five large sounding rockets were launched (3 NASA, 2 NRCC). About 30 scientific experiments were launched, and an extensive array of ground based experiments was established at Cape Parry and at Sachs Harbour, Banks Island, 130 miles poleward. This paper discusses the unique organization, planning, facilities, instrumentation, and operation required to support the campaign, and looks briefly at the results.

Status Update Report for the Peregrine 100km Sounding Rocket Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dyer, Jonny; Zilliac, Greg; Doran, Eric; Marzona, Mark Thadeus; Lohner, Kevin; Karlik, Evan; Cantwell, Brian; Karabeyoglu, Arif

2008-01-01

The Peregrine Sounding Rocket Program is a joint basic research program of NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Wallops, Stanford University and the Space Propulsion Group, Inc. (SPG). The goal is to determine the applicability of liquifying hybrid technology to a small launch system. The approach is to design, build, test and y a stable, efficient liquefying fuel hybrid rocket vehicle to an altitude of 100 km. The program was kicked o in October of 2006 and has seen considerable progress in the subsequent 18 months. Two virtually identical vehicles will be constructed and own out of the NASA Sounding Rocket Facility at Wallops Island. This paper presents the current status of the project as of June 2008. For background on the project, the reader is referred to last year's paper.

KSC00pp0540

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-04-21

The GOES-L satellite arrives on pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Atlas IIA rocket is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the 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. Launch is scheduled for May 3

KSC-00pp0540

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-04-21

The GOES-L satellite arrives on pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Atlas IIA rocket is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the 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. Launch is scheduled for May 3

Research in extreme ultraviolet and far ultraviolet astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowyer, C. S.

1985-01-01

The Far Ultraviolet imager (FUVI) was flown on the Aries class sounding rocket 24.015, producing outstanding results. The diffuse extreme ultraviolet (EUV) background spectrometer which is under construction is described. It will be launched on the Black Brant sounding rocket flight number 27.086. Ongoing design studies of a high resolution spectrometer are discussed. This instrument incorporates a one meter normal incidence mirror and will be suitable for an advanced Spartan mission.

Vibration Isolation Design for the Micro-X Rocket Payload

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heine, S. N. T.; Figueroa-Feliciano, E.; Rutherford, J. M.; Wikus, P.; Oakley, P.; Porter, Frederick S.; McCammon, D.

2014-01-01

Micro-X is a NASA-funded, sounding rocket-borne X-ray imaging spectrometer that will allow high precision measurements of velocity structure, ionization state and elemental composition of extended astrophysical systems. One of the biggest challenges in payload design is to maintain the temperature of the detectors during launch. There are several vibration damping stages to prevent energy transmission from the rocket skin to the detector stage, which causes heating during launch. Each stage should be more rigid than the outer stages to achieve vibrational isolation. We describe a major design effort to tune the resonance frequencies of these vibration isolation stages to reduce heating problems prior to the projected launch in the summer of 2014.

DARTFire Sees Microgravity Fires in a New Light--Large Data Base of Images Obtained

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olson, Sandra L.; Hegde, Uday; Altenkirch, Robert A.; Bhatacharjee, Subrata

1999-01-01

The recently completed DARTFire sounding rocket microgravity combustion experiment launched a new era in the imaging of flames in microgravity. DARTFire stands for "Diffusive and Radiative Transport in Fires," which perfectly describes the two primary variables--diffusive flow and radiation effects--that were studied in the four launches of this program (June 1996 to September 1997). During each launch, two experiments, which were conducted simultaneously during the 6 min of microgravity, obtained results as the rocket briefly exited the Earth s atmosphere.

Operation of a swept Langmuir probe on a sounding rocket

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, S. H.; Dickson, S.; Friedrich, M.; Sternovsky, Z.

2012-12-01

A swept cylindrical Langmuir probe was operated on two sounding rockets from ~ 60-120 km for the purpose of determining both the ambient electron density and the payload potential relative to the ambient plasma. The rockets were part of the CHAMPS (CHarge And mass of Meteoritic smoke ParticleS) rocket campaign and carried mass analyzers and various plasma probes to study charged meteoritic dust in the mesopause region. The payload potential is an important parameter for data interpretation. The rockets were launched in October of 2011 from Andøya Rocket Range, Norway. The launches were a few days apart with one taking place during the day and the other at night. The swept Langmuir probe data provided a current-voltage characteristic that had a distinct "knee" indicating the onset of electron collection; the probe voltage at this "knee" corresponds to the ambient plasma potential. The data indicate a payload potential of about -2 V to -1 V for both launches. The payload potential becomes less negative for altitudes above 80 km on the day launch due to photoemission. The probe current-voltage data are also compared with ion and electron density measurements from ion probes and Faraday rotation antennas, respectively. The data from the various instruments are in general agreement. Further consideration of the Langmuir probe performance shows that if the probe had been operated with feedback control to continuously collect electrons with a current of order 1 microamp, the probe potential would be an accurate, continuous indicator of the payload potential without the need for sweeping which could periodically alter the payload potential.

Project Hermes 'Use of Smartphones for Receiving Telemetry and Commanding a Satellite'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maharaja, Rishabh (Principal Investigator)

2016-01-01

TCPIP protocols can be applied for satellite command, control, and data transfer. Project Hermes was an experiment set-up to test the use of the TCPIP protocol for communicating with a space bound payload. The idea was successfully demonstrated on high altitude balloon flights and on a sub-orbital sounding rocket launched from NASAs Wallops Flight Facility. TCPIP protocols can be applied for satellite command, control, and data transfer. Project Hermes was an experiment set-up to test the use of the TCPIP protocol for communicating with a space bound payload. The idea was successfully demonstrated on high altitude balloon flights and on a sub-orbital sounding rocket launched from NASAs Wallops Flight Facility.

Use of a personal computer for the real-time reception and analysis of data from a sounding rocket experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herrick, W. D.; Penegor, G. T.; Cotton, D. M.; Kaplan, G. C.; Chakrabarti, S.

1990-01-01

In September 1988 the Earth and Planetary Atmospheres Group of the Space Sciences Laboratory of the University of California at Berkeley flew an experiment on a high-altitude sounding rocket launched from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The experiment, BEARS (Berkeley EUV Airglow Rocket Spectrometer), was designed to obtain spectroscopic data on the composition and structure of the earth's upper atmosphere. Consideration is given to the objectives of the BEARS experiment; the computer interface and software; the use of remote data transmission; and calibration, integration, and flight operations.

Flight Investigation of the Performance of a Two-stage Solid-propellant Nike-deacon (DAN) Meteorological Sounding Rocket

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heitkotter, Robert H

1956-01-01

A flight investigation of two Nike-Deacon (DAN) two-stage solid-propellant rocket vehicles indicated satisfactory performance may be expected from the DAN meteorological sounding rocket. Peak altitudes of 356,000 and 350,000 feet, respectively, were recorded for the two flight tests when both vehicles were launched from sea level at an elevation angle of 75 degrees. Performance calculations based on flight-test results show that altitudes between 358,000 feet and 487,000 feet may be attained with payloads varying between 60 pounds and 10 pounds.

15 CFR 742.5 - Missile technology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Country Chart (see supplement No. 1 to part 738 of the EAR). (2) The term “missiles” is defined as rocket systems (including ballistic missile systems, space launch vehicles, and sounding rockets) and unmanned... missile and space programs of the recipient country; (iv) The nonproliferation credentials of the...

KSC-2009-2537

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-04-06

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The sound suppression system is tested on the mobile launcher platform on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X flight test that is targeted for summer 2009. The mobile launcher platform was handed over to the Constellation Program and modified for the Ares I-X flight test. It is being tested before being moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building for assembly of the Ares I-X rocket. A sound suppression water system is in¬stalled on the pads to protect against damage by acoustical energy and rocket exhaust reflected from the flame trench and mobile launcher plat¬form during a launch. The sound suppression system includes an elevated 290-foot-high water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The water releases just prior to the ignition of the rocket and flows through 7-foot-diameter pipes for about 20 seconds. A torrent of water will flow onto the mobile launcher platform from six large quench nozzles, or “rainbirds,” mounted on its surface. The rainbirds are 12 feet high. The two in the center are 42 inches in diameter; the other four have a 30-inch diameter. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2009-2538

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-04-06

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The sound suppression system is tested on the mobile launcher platform on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X flight test that is targeted for summer 2009. The mobile launcher platform was handed over to the Constellation Program and modified for the Ares I-X flight test. It is being tested before being moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building for assembly of the Ares I-X rocket. A sound suppression water system is in¬stalled on the pads to protect against damage by acoustical energy and rocket exhaust reflected from the flame trench and mobile launcher plat¬form during a launch. The sound suppression system includes an elevated 290-foot-high water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The water releases just prior to the ignition of the rocket and flows through 7-foot-diameter pipes for about 20 seconds. A torrent of water will flow onto the mobile launcher platform from six large quench nozzles, or “rainbirds,” mounted on its surface. The rainbirds are 12 feet high. The two in the center are 42 inches in diameter; the other four have a 30-inch diameter. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-00pp0412

NASA Image and Video Library

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. 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

KSC-00pp0417

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-27

The first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket stands erect in the launch gantry on pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. 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

KSC00pp0416

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-27

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket is nearing erection in the launch gantry on pad 36A. 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

KSC-00pp0415

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-27

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket is slowly raised in the launch gantry on pad 36A. 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

KSC00pp0417

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-27

The first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket stands erect in the launch gantry on pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. 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

KSC-00pp0416

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-27

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket is nearing erection in the launch gantry on pad 36A. 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

KSC-00pp0414

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-27

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket begins erection in the launch gantry on pad 36A. 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

KSC00pp0412

NASA Image and Video Library

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. 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

KSC-00pp0543

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-04-23

The GOES-L satellite is about midway in its journey up the gantry on pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Atlas IIA rocket is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the 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. Launch is scheduled for May 3

KSC00pp0415

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-27

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket is slowly raised in the launch gantry on pad 36A. 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

KSC00pp0414

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-27

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket begins erection in the launch gantry on pad 36A. 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

KSC00pp0543

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-04-23

The GOES-L satellite is about midway in its journey up the gantry on pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Atlas IIA rocket is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the 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. Launch is scheduled for May 3

MUSIC Successfully Launched from NASA Wallops

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The Multiple User Suborbital Instrument Carrier or MUSIC payload was successfully launched at 9:50 a.m. today on a Terrier-Improved Malemute suborbital sounding rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. The payload flew to approximately 115 miles apogee and preliminary analysis shows good data was received. Payload recovery is in progress. The next launch from Wallops is between 7 and 10 a.m. EST, Monday, March 7. Three space technology payloads will be carried on a Terrier-Improved Orion suborbital sounding rocket. Credit: NASA/Wallops/Allison 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

Improved Background Removal in Sounding Rocket Neutral Atom Imaging Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, M. R.; Rowland, D. E.

2017-12-01

The VISIONS sounding rocket, launched into a substorm on Feb 7, 2013 from Poker Flat, Alaska had a novel miniaturized energetic neutral atom (ENA) imager onboard. We present further analysis of the ENA data from this rocket flight, including improved removal of ultraviolet and electron contamination. In particular, the relative error source contributions due to geocoronal, auroral, and airglow UV, as well as energetic electrons from 10 eV to 3 keV were assessed. The resulting data provide a more clear understanding of the spatial and temporal variations of the ion populations that are energized to tens or hundreds of eV.

MAIMIK: A high current electron beam experiment on a sounding rocket from Andoya rocket range (Norway)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maehlum, B. N.; Denig, W. F.; Egeland, A. A.; Friedrich, M.; Hansen, T.; Holmgren, G. K.; Maaseide, K.; Maynard, N. C.; Narheim, B. T.; Svenes, K.

1987-08-01

Two payloads (mother-daughter) connected by a tether were launched by sounding rocket to study the interactions between the electron beam and the environment for various boundary conditions and to study the physical processes associated with the neutralization of electrically charged vehicles in an ionospheric plasma. The daughter payload carried an accelerator which emitted pulses of electrons of 8 keV energies. The rocket instruments and results related to vehicle charging and neutralization are summarized. Results indicate extremely high charging of the daughter (several kV) for beam current greater than or = 80 mA. The reason may be the low plasma density (10 billion/cu m) in the F region during the experiment.

KSC-00pp0426

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-29

At launch pad 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, cables help guide the second stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket as it is lifted up the gantry (behind it) for mating with the first stage. 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 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

KSC-00pp0424

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-29

At launch pad 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers check over the second stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket before it is lifted up the gantry (behind it) for mating with the first stage. 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 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

KSC-00pp0544

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-04-23

The GOES-L satellite approaches the end of its journey up the gantry on pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, for mating with the Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. The Atlas IIA is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the 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. Launch is scheduled for May 3

KSC00pp0424

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-29

At launch pad 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers check over the second stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket before it is lifted up the gantry (behind it) for mating with the first stage. 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 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

KSC-00pp0542

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-04-21

The GOES-L satellite is ready for mating with the lower stages of the Atlas IIA rocket on pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. 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 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. Launch is scheduled for May 3

KSC-00pp0425

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-29

At launch pad 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket is lifted up the gantry (behind it) for mating with the first stage. 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 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

KSC00pp0425

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-29

At launch pad 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket is lifted up the gantry (behind it) for mating with the first stage. 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 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

KSC00pp0544

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-04-23

The GOES-L satellite approaches the end of its journey up the gantry on pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, for mating with the Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. The Atlas IIA is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the 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. Launch is scheduled for May 3

KSC00pp0542

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-04-21

The GOES-L satellite is ready for mating with the lower stages of the Atlas IIA rocket on pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. 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 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. Launch is scheduled for May 3

Preliminary results of rocket attitude and auroral green line emission rate in the DELTA campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwagami, Naomoto; Komada, Sayaka; Takahashi, Takao

2006-09-01

The attitude of a sounding rocket launched in the DELTA (Dynamics and Energetics of the Lower Thermosphere in Aurora) campaign was determined with IR horizon sensors and geomagnetic sensors. Since the payload was separated into two portions, two sets of attitude sensors were needed. A new IR sensor was developed for the present experiment, and found the zenith-angle of the spin-axis of the rocket with an accuracy of 2°. By combining information obtained by both type of sensors, the absolute attitudes were determined. The auroral green line emission rate was measured by a photometer on board the same rocket launched under active auroral conditions, and the energy flux of the auroral particle precipitation was estimated.

KSC-2009-2539

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-04-06

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Water cascades over the side of the mobile launcher platform on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The sound suppression system is being tested on the platform. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X flight test that is targeted for summer 2009. The mobile launcher platform was handed over to the Constellation Program and modified for the Ares I-X flight test. It is being tested before being moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building for assembly of the Ares I-X rocket. A sound suppression water system is in¬stalled on the pads to protect against damage by acoustical energy and rocket exhaust reflected from the flame trench and mobile launcher plat¬form during a launch. The sound suppression system includes an elevated 290-foot-high water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The water releases just prior to the ignition of the rocket and flows through 7-foot-diameter pipes for about 20 seconds. A torrent of water will flow onto the mobile launcher platform from six large quench nozzles, or “rainbirds,” mounted on its surface. The rainbirds are 12 feet high. The two in the center are 42 inches in diameter; the other four have a 30-inch diameter. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

NASA Launches Five Rockets in Five Minutes

NASA Image and Video Library

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

NASA Launches Five Rockets in Five Minutes

NASA Image and Video Library

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

Two Amazing Rocket Launches That Began My Career

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rothschild, Richard E.

2013-01-01

I began my X-ray astronomy career by being given the responsibility for the Goddard rocket program by Frank MacDonald in the early 70's. I am forever grateful to him and Elihu Boldt for the opportunity. The rocket's observing program was three compact binary X-ray sources that could not have been more different: Cyg X-1, Cyg X-3, and Her X-1. A sounding rocket launch is nothing like a satellite launch with its large booster, Cape Canaveral experience, and lots of procedures and no touching of the hardware. First of all, one can walk up to the sounding rocket tower (at least you used to be able to) and go up in it to fix or adjust something with the yet-to-be-fueled rocket, booster, and payload just sitting there. At launch, you can see it up close 100 m) and personal, and it is spectacular. There is an explosion (the Nike booster igniting), a bright flash of light, and it is gone in a second or two. And back in the block house, I watched Her X-1 pulse in real time, after Chuck Glasser calmed me down and explained that the detectors were not arcing but it was Her X-1. The Cyg X-1 observations resulted in the discovery of millisecond temporal structure in the flux from a cosmic source -- 13 1-ms bursts over a total of two minutes of observing in the 2 flights. Cyg X-3 was seen in a high state in the first flight and in a lower harder state in the second, where we detected the iron line for the first time in a Galactic source. The Her X-1 observation clearly showed the high energy roll-over of the spectrum for the first time. The light curves of the first flight found their way into many presentations, including Ricardo Giacconi's Nobel lecture. The Goddard rocket program was an amazing beginning to my career.

CANSAT: Design of a Small Autonomous Sounding Rocket Payload

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berman, Joshua; Duda, Michael; Garnand-Royo, Jeff; Jones, Alexa; Pickering, Todd; Tutko, Samuel

2009-01-01

CanSat is an international student design-build-launch competition organized by the American Astronautical Society (AAS) and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The competition is also sponsored by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), AGI, Orbital Sciences Corporation, Praxis Incorporated, and SolidWorks. Specifically, the 2009 Virginia Tech CanSat Team is funded by BAE Systems, Incorporated of Manassas, Virginia. The objective of the 2009 CanSat competition is to complete remote sensing missions by designing a small autonomous sounding rocket payload. The payload designed will follow and perform to a specific set of mission requirements for the 2009 competition. The competition encompasses a complete life-cycle of one year which includes all phases of design, integration, testing, reviews, and launch.

Performance analysis of an IMU-augmented GNSS tracking system on board the MAIUS-1 sounding rocket

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braun, Benjamin; Grillenberger, Andreas; Markgraf, Markus

2018-05-01

Satellite navigation receivers are adequate tracking sensors for range safety of both orbital launch vehicles and suborbital sounding rockets. Due to high accuracy and its low system complexity, satellite navigation is seen as well-suited supplement or replacement of conventional tracking systems like radar. Having the well-known shortcomings of satellite navigation like deliberate or unintentional interferences in mind, it is proposed to augment the satellite navigation receiver by an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to enhance continuity and availability of localization. The augmented receiver is thus enabled to output at least an inertial position solution in case of signal outages. In a previous study, it was shown by means of simulation using the example of Ariane 5 that the performance of a low-grade microelectromechanical IMU is sufficient to bridge expected outages of some ten seconds, and still meeting the range safety requirements in effect. In this publication, these theoretical findings shall be substantiated by real flight data that were recorded on MAIUS-1, a sounding rocket launched from Esrange, Sweden, in early 2017. The analysis reveals that the chosen representative of a microelectromechanical IMU is suitable to bridge outages of up to thirty seconds.

KSC00pp0421

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-29

The second stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket arrives on pad 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, for mating with the first stage. 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 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

KSC-00pp0421

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-29

The second stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket arrives on pad 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, for mating with the first stage. 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 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

ADEPT SR-1 Flight Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wercinski, Paul F.

2017-01-01

The ADEPT architecture represents a completely new approach for entry vehicle design using a high-performance carbon fabric to serve as the primary drag surface of the mechanically deployed decelerator and to protect the payload from hypersonic aerothermal heating during entry. The initial system-level development of the nano-ADEPT architecture will culminate in the launch of a 0.7-m deployed diameter ADEPT sounding rocket flight experiment. The SR-1 sounding rocket flight experiment is a critical milestone in the technology maturation plan for ADEPT and will generate performance data on in-space deployment and aerodynamic stability.

A normal incidence, high resolution X-ray telescope for solar coronal observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golub, L.

1984-01-01

A Normal Incidence high resolution X-ray Telescope is reported. The design of a telescope assembly which, after fabrication, will be integrated with the mirror fabrication process is described. The assembly is engineered to fit into the Black Brant rocket skin to survive sounding rocket launch conditions. A flight ready camera is modified and tested.

A telescopic cinema sound camera for observing high altitude aerospace vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, Dan

2014-09-01

Rockets and other high altitude aerospace vehicles produce interesting visual and aural phenomena that can be remotely observed from long distances. This paper describes a compact, passive and covert remote sensing system that can produce high resolution sound movies at >100 km viewing distances. The telescopic high resolution camera is capable of resolving and quantifying space launch vehicle dynamics including plume formation, staging events and payload fairing jettison. Flight vehicles produce sounds and vibrations that modulate the local electromagnetic environment. These audio frequency modulations can be remotely sensed by passive optical and radio wave detectors. Acousto-optic sensing methods were primarily used but an experimental radioacoustic sensor using passive micro-Doppler radar techniques was also tested. The synchronized combination of high resolution flight vehicle imagery with the associated vehicle sounds produces a cinema like experience that that is useful in both an aerospace engineering and a Hollywood film production context. Examples of visual, aural and radar observations of the first SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket launch are shown and discussed.

Research in X-ray Astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

This research grant supported an active sounding rocket program at Penn State University over a period of over 10 years. During this period, the grant supported at least 8 graduate students in Astronomy & Astrophysics for at least a portion of their research. During the same period, our group was involved in seven sounding rocket flights, launched from White Sands, New Mexico, and from Woomera, Australia. Most of these rocket flights, and most of the work supported by this grant, involved the use of X-ray CCD cameras. The first X-ray CCD camera ever flown in space was our sounding rocket observation of SN1987A (flight 36.030 in 1987). Subsequent flights utilized improved CCD detectors, culminating in the'state-of-the-art EEV detector developed for our CUBIC mission, which was flown on 36.093 last May. Data from the last three flights, which observed the diffuse X-ray background with CCDS, include detection of the OVII He(alpha) line in the high latitude diffuse background and detection of the Mg XI He(alpha) line in the North Polar Spur. These results have been reported at meetings of the American Astronomical Society and the SPIE. The analysis of flights 36.092 and 36.106 is part of Jeff Mendenhall's PhD thesis and will be published in the Astrophysical Journal next year. The 36.093 data are currently being analyzed by PhD student Laura Cawley. From 1990 to 1996 this grant supported our development and launch of the CUBIC instrument on the SAC-B satellite, which was designed to measure the spectrum of the soft X-ray diffuse background with moderate energy resolution and high S/N ratio. Unfortunately, this mission terminated shortly after launch due to a failure of the Pegasus XL launch vehicle. This work resulted in publication of 4 papers in the SPIE Proceedings and four others in refereed journals, in addition to several other conference proceedings and contributed papers. In addition to the CCD flights described above, this grant has supported preliminary development of a new sounding rocket payload utilizing a replicated Ni mirror that is being developed at PSU in collaboration with MSFC. Initial testing of the coating technology has produced promising results.

Sounding rocket study of auroral electron precipitation

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

McFadden, J.P.

1985-01-01

Measurement of energetic electrons in the auroral zone have proved to be one of the most useful tools in investigating the phenomena of auroral arc formation. This dissertation presents a detailed analysis of the electron data from two sounding rocket campaigns and interprets the measurements in terms of existing auroral models. The Polar Cusp campaign consisted of a single rocket launched from Cape Parry, Canada into the afternoon auroral zone at 1:31:13 UT on January 21, 1982. The results include the measurement of a narrow, magnetic field aligned electron flux at the edge of an arc. This electron precipitation wasmore » found to have a remarkably constant 1.2 eV temperature perpendicular to the magnetic field over a 200 to 900 eV energy range. The payload also made simultaneous measurements of both energetic electrons and 3-MHz plasma waves in an auroral arc. Analysis has shown that the waves are propagating in the upper hybrid band and should be generated by a positive slope in the parallel electron distribution. A correlation was found between the 3-MHz waves and small positive slopes in the parallel electron distribution but experimental uncertainties in the electron measurement were large enough to influence the analysis. The BIDARCA campaign consisted of two sounding rockets launched from Poker Flat and Fort Yukon, Alaska at 9:09:00 UT and 9:10:40 UT on February 7, 1984.« less

KSC00pp0545

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-04-23

The GOES-L satellite, after being lifted up to the top of the gantry on pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, is ready for mating with the Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. Atlas IIA is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the 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. Launch is scheduled for May 3

KSC-00pp0545

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-04-23

The GOES-L satellite, after being lifted up to the top of the gantry on pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, is ready for mating with the Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket. Atlas IIA is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the 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. Launch is scheduled for May 3

Launch Environment Water Flow Simulations Using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vu, Bruce T.; Berg, Jared J.; Harris, Michael F.; Crespo, Alejandro C.

2015-01-01

This paper describes the use of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) to simulate the water flow from the rainbird nozzle system used in the sound suppression system during pad abort and nominal launch. The simulations help determine if water from rainbird nozzles will impinge on the rocket nozzles and other sensitive ground support elements.

Automatic fixation facility for plant seedlings in the TEXUS Sounding Rocket Programme.

PubMed

Tewinkel, M; Burfeindt, J; Rank, P; Volkmann, D

1991-10-01

Automatic chemical fixation of plant seedlings within a 6 min period of reduced gravity (10(-4)g) was performed on three ballistic rocket flights provided by the German Sounding Rocket Programme TEXUS (Technologische Experimente unter Schwerelosigkeit = Technological Experiments in Microgravity). The described TEXUS experiment module consists of a standard experiment housing with batteries, cooling and heating systems, timer, and a data recording unit. Typically, 60 min before launch an experiment plug-in unit containing chambers with the plant material, the fixation system, and the temperature sensors is installed into the module which is already integrated in the payload section of the sounding rocket (late access). During the ballistic flight plant chambers are rapidly filled at pre-selected instants to preserve the cell structure of gravity sensing cells. After landing the plant material is processed for transmission electron microscopy. Up to now three experiments were successfully performed with cress roots (Lepidium sativum L.). Detailed improvements resulted in an automatic fixation facility which in principle can be used in unmanned missions.

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.

Modeling of "Stripe" Wave Phenomena Seen by the CHARM II and ACES Sounding Rockets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dombrowski, M. P.; Labelle, J. W.

2010-12-01

Two recent sounding-rocket missions—CHARM II and ACES—have been launched from Poker Flat Research Range, carrying the Dartmouth High-Frequency Experiment (HFE) among their primary instruments. The HFE is a receiver system which effectively yields continuous (100% duty cycle) E-field waveform measurements up to 5 MHz. The CHARM II sounding rocket was launched 9:49 UT on 15 February 2010 into a substorm, while the ACES mission consisted of two rockets, launched into quiet aurora at 9:49 and 9:50 UT on 29 January 2009. At approximately 350 km on CHARM II and the ACES High-Flyer, the HFE detected short (~2s) bursts of broadband (200-500 kHz) noise with a 'stripe' pattern of nulls imposed on it. These nulls have 10 to 20 kHz width and spacing, and many show a regular, non-linear frequency-time relation. These events are different from the 'stripes' discussed by Samara and LaBelle [2006] and Colpitts et al. [2010], because of the density of the stripes, the non-linearity, and the appearance of being an absorptive rather than emissive phenomenon. These events are similar to 'stripe' features reported by Brittain et al. [1983] in the VLF range, explained as an interference pattern between a downward-traveling whistler-mode wave and its reflection off the bottom of the ionosphere. Following their analysis method, we modeled our stripes as higher-frequency interfering whistlers reflecting off of a density gradient. This model predicts the near-hyperbolic frequency-time curves and high density of the nulls, and therefore shows promise at explaining the new observations.

A Space Based Internet Protocol System for Sub-Orbital Tracking and Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bull, Barton; Grant, Charles; Morgan, Dwayne; Streich, Ron; Bauer, Frank (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Personnel from the Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Flight Facility (GSFC/WFF) in Virginia are responsible for the overall management of the NASA Sounding Rocket Program. Payloads are generally in support of NASA's Space Science Enterprise's missions and return a variety of scientific data as well as providing a reasonably economical means of conducting engineering tests for instruments and devices used on satellites and other spacecraft. The fifteen types of sounding rockets used by NASA can carry payloads of various weights to altitudes from 50 km to more than 1,300 km. Launch activities are conducted not only from established missile ranges, but also from remote locations worldwide requiring mobile tracking and command equipment to be transported and set up at considerable expense. The advent of low earth orbit (LEO) commercial communications satellites provides an opportunity to dramatically reduce tracking and control costs of launch vehicles and Unpiloted Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) by reducing or eliminating this ground infrastructure. Additionally, since data transmission is by packetized Internet Protocol (IP), data can be received and commands initiated from practically any location. A low cost Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) system is currently under development for sounding rockets which also has application to UAVs and scientific balloons. Due to relatively low data rate (9600 baud) currently available, the system will first be used to provide GPS data for tracking and vehicle recovery. Range safety requirements for launch vehicles usually stipulate at least two independent tracking sources. Most sounding rockets flown by NASA now carry GPS receivers that output position data via the payload telemetry system to the ground station. The Flight Modem can be configured as a completely separate link thereby eliminating requirement for tracking radar. The system architecture which integrates antennas, GPS receiver, commercial satellite packet data modem, and a single board computer with custom software is described along with the technical challenges and the plan for their resolution. These include antenna development, high Doppler rates, reliability, environmental ruggedness, hand over between satellites and data security. An aggressive test plan is included which in addition to environmental testing measures bit error rate, latency and antenna patterns. Actual flight tests are planned for the near future on aircraft, long duration balloons and sounding rockets and these results as well as the current status of the project are reported.

The Dual-channel Extreme Ultraviolet Continuum Experiment: Sounding Rocket EUV Observations of Local B Stars to Determine Their Potential for Supplying Intergalactic Ionizing Radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, Nicholas; Green, James C.; France, Kevin; Stocke, John T.; Nell, Nicholas

2018-06-01

We describe the scientific motivation and technical development of the Dual-channel Extreme Ultraviolet Continuum Experiment (DEUCE). DEUCE is a sounding rocket payload designed to obtain the first flux-calibrated spectra of two nearby B stars in the EUV 650-1150Å bandpass. This measurement will help in understanding the ionizing flux output of hot B stars, calibrating stellar models and commenting on the potential contribution of such stars to reionization. DEUCE consists of a grazing incidence Wolter II telescope, a normal incidence holographic grating, and the largest (8” x 8”) microchannel plate detector ever flown in space, covering the 650-1150Å band in medium and low resolution channels. DEUCE will launch on December 1, 2018 as NASA/CU sounding rocket mission 36.331 UG, observing Epsilon Canis Majoris, a B2 II star.

KSC-00pp0422

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-29

The second stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket is raised to a vertical position in front of the gantry on pad 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, for mating with the first stage. 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 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

KSC00pp0422

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-29

The second stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket is raised to a vertical position in front of the gantry on pad 36-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, for mating with the first stage. 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 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

KSC00pp0423

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-29

Workers at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station watch as the second stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket is raised to a vertical position in front of the gantry on pad 36-A. 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 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

KSC-00pp0423

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-29

Workers at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station watch as the second stage of an Atlas II/Centaur rocket is raised to a vertical position in front of the gantry on pad 36-A. 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 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

Nano-Electric Field TechnologY (NEFTY)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kintner, Paul M.

2000-01-01

The NEFTY SR&T grant was focused on the development of novel electric field boom systems for sounding rocket applications. A "yo-yo"-type boom that unwraps from a rotating and damped axel was analyzed through a simulation with Prof. Psiaki of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University. The basic parameters of the analysis were evaluated and validated on a spinning platform prototyping system developed at Cornell University. The full "yo-yo"-type boom system is being developing for the SIERRA sounding rocket flight scheduled for a January 2002 launch. The principal results from this study were published.

Sounding rockets shot from the Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruddace, R.; Fritz, G.; Glaab, J.; Shrewsberry, D.

1985-01-01

The Space Shuttle-launched sounding rocket Spartan-1 will map the structure of two extended X-ray sources: the hot gas pervading the Perseus cluster of galaxies, and the central core of the Milky Way. Spartan-1 contains two large X-ray proportional counter detectors sensitive to the 1-15 A wavelength range. A new generation of instruments destined for X-ray telescope focal planes will yield high resolution imaging and spectroscopy, over observation times sometimes exceeding one day/source, in the course of a long-term Spartan research program that will encompass planetary, solar, and UV astronomy missions.

Field refurbishment of recoverable sounding rocket payloads.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Needleman, H. C.; Tackett, C. D.

1973-01-01

Sounding rocket payload field refurbishment has been shown to be an effective means for obtaining additional scientific data with substantial time and monetary savings. In a recent campaign three successful missions were flown using two payloads. Field refurbished hardware from two previously flown and recovered payloads were field integrated to form a third payload. Although this operational method may result in compromises in the refurbished system, it allows for quick turn around when the mission requires it. This paper describes the recent success of this approach with the Dudley Observatory Nike-Apache micrometeorite collection experiments launched from Kiruna, Sweden, in October 1972.

KSC-2011-7535

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the camera captures NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) one last time before an Atlas V rocket payload fairing is secured around it. Next, the lab will be transported to the launch pad. by dampening the sound created by the rocket during liftoff. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is planned for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

The hydrogen coma of Comet P/Halley observed in Lyman-alpha using sounding rockets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccoy, R. P.; Meier, R. R.; Keller, H. U.; Opal, C. B.; Carruthers, G. R.

1992-01-01

Hydrogen Lyman-alpha (121.6 nm) images of Comet P/Halley were obtained using sounding rockets launched from White Sands Missile Range on 24.5 February and 13.5 March 1986. The second rocket was launched 13 hours before the fly-by of the Giotto spacecraft. An electrographic camera on both flights provided Lyman-alpha images covering a 20 field of view with 3 arcmin resolution. The data from both flights have been compared with a time-dependent model of hydrogen kinetics. To match the measured isophote contours, hydrogen sources with velocity components of 8 km/s and 20 km/s (from OH and H2O respectively) as well as a low velocity component (about 2 km/s) are required. This low velocity component is thought to result from thermalization of fast hydrogen atoms within the collision zone, providing an important diagnostic of temperature and density near the nucleus. Hydrogen production rates of 3.8 x 10 exp 30/s and 1.7 x 10 exp 30/s have been obtained for the two observations.

JPL-20140817-LDSDf-0001-Flying Saucer Test Flight

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-17

Ian Clark, Low Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) Principal Investigator, narrates balloon launch, rocket firing and parachute testing on June 28, 2014. The LDSD is a concept for slowing a spacecraft entering Mars' atmosphere at supersonic speeds. For this test, the goal was to slow the test vehicle from four times the speed of sound to 2.5 times the speed of sound.

Supersonic Retropropulsion Flight Test Concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Post, Ethan A.; Dupzyk, Ian C.; Korzun, Ashley M.; Dyakonov, Artem A.; Tanimoto, Rebekah L.; Edquist, Karl T.

2011-01-01

NASA's Exploration Technology Development and Demonstration Program has proposed plans for a series of three sub-scale flight tests at Earth for supersonic retropropulsion, a candidate decelerator technology for future, high-mass Mars missions. The first flight test in this series is intended to be a proof-of-concept test, demonstrating successful initiation and operation of supersonic retropropulsion at conditions that replicate the relevant physics of the aerodynamic-propulsive interactions expected in flight. Five sub-scale flight test article concepts, each designed for launch on sounding rockets, have been developed in consideration of this proof-of-concept flight test. Commercial, off-the-shelf components are utilized as much as possible in each concept. The design merits of the concepts are compared along with their predicted performance for a baseline trajectory. The results of a packaging study and performance-based trade studies indicate that a sounding rocket is a viable launch platform for this proof-of-concept test of supersonic retropropulsion.

An introduction to the water recovery x-ray rocket

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miles, Drew M.; McEntaffer, Randall L.; Schultz, Ted B.; Donovan, Benjamin D.; Tutt, James H.; Yastishock, Daniel; Steiner, Tyler; Hillman, Christopher R.; McCoy, Jake A.; Wages, Mitchell; Hull, Sam; Falcone, Abe; Burrows, David N.; Chattopadhyay, Tanmoy; Anderson, Tyler; McQuaide, Maria

2017-08-01

The Water Recovery X-ray Rocket (WRXR) is a sounding rocket payload that will launch from the Kwajalein Atoll in April 2018 and seeks to be the first astrophysics sounding rocket payload to be water recovered by NASA. WRXR's primary instrument is a grating spectrometer that consists of a mechanical collimator, X-ray reflection gratings, grazing-incidence mirrors, and a hybrid CMOS detector. The instrument will obtain a spectrum of the diffuse soft X-ray emission from the northern part of the Vela supernova remnant and is optimized for 3rd and 4th order OVII emission. Utilizing a field of view of 3.25° × 3.25° and resolving power of λ/δλ ≍40-50 in the lines of interest, the WRXR spectrometer aims to achieve the most highly-resolved spectrum of Vela's diffuse soft X-ray emission. This paper presents introductions to the payload and the science target.

An Overview of Research Activity at the Launch Systems Testbed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vu, Bruce; Kandula, Max

2003-01-01

This paper summarizes the acoustic testing and analysis activities at the Launch System Testbed (LST) of Kennedy Space Center (KSC). A major goal is to develop passive methods of mitigation of sound from rocket exhaust jets with ducted systems devoid of traditional water injection. Current testing efforts are concerned with the launch-induced vibroacoustic behavior of scaled exhaust jets. Numerical simulations are also developed to study the sound propagation from supersonic jets in free air and through enclosed ducts. Scaling laws accounting for the effects of important parameters such as jet Mach number, jet velocity, and jet temperature on the far-field noise are investigated in order to deduce full-scale environment from small-scale tests.

The Hotel Payload, plans for the period 2003-2006

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, Gudmund; Mikalsen, Per-Arne

2003-08-01

The cost and complexity of scientific experiments, carried by traditional sounding rocket payloads, are increasing. At the same time the scientific environment faces declining funding for this basic research. In order to meet the invitation from the science community, Andøya Rocket Range runs a programme for developing a sounding rocket payload, in order to achieve an inexpensive and cost-effective tool for atmosphere research and educational training. The Hotel Payload is a new technological payload concept in the sounding rocket family. By means of standardized mechanical structures and electronics, flexibility in data collection and transmission, roomy vehicles are affordable to most of the scientific research environments as well as for educational training. A complete vehicle - ready for installation of scientific experiments - is offered to the scientists to a fixed price. The fixed price service also includes launch services. This paper describes the Hotel Payload concept and its technology. In addition the three year plan for the development project is discussed. The opportunity of using the Hotel Payload as a platform for a collaborative triangle between research, education and industry is also discussed.

In situ analysis of measurements of auroral dynamics and structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mella, Meghan R.

Two auroral sounding rocket case studies, one in the dayside and one in the nightside, explore aspects of poleward boundary aurora. The nightside sounding rocket, Cascades-2 was launched on 20 March 2009 at 11:04:00 UT from the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska, and flew across a series of poleward boundary intensifications (PBIs). Each of the crossings have fundamentally different in situ electron energy and pitch angle structure, and different ground optics images of visible aurora. The different particle distributions show signatures of both a quasistatic acceleration mechanism and an Alfvenic acceleration mechanism, as well as combinations of both. The Cascades-2 experiment is the first sounding rocket observation of a PBI sequence, enabling a detailed investigation of the electron signatures and optical aurora associated with various stages of a PBI sequence as it evolves from an Alfvenic to a more quasistatic structure. The dayside sounding rocket, Scifer-2 was launched on 18 January 2008 at 7:30 UT from the Andoya Rocket Range in Andenes, Norway. It flew northward through the cleft region during a Poleward Moving Auroral Form (PMAF) event. Both the dayside and nightside flights observe dispersed, precipitating ions, each of a different nature. The dispersion signatures are dependent on, among other things, the MLT sector, altitude, source region, and precipitation mechanism. It is found that small changes in the shape of the dispersion have a large influence on whether the precipitation was localized or extended over a range of altitudes. It is also found that a single Maxwellian source will not replicate the data, but rather, a sum of Maxwellians of different temperature, similar to a Kappa distribution, most closely reproduces the data. The various particle signatures are used to argue that both events have similar magnetospheric drivers, that is, Bursty Bulk Flows in the magnetotail.

SM91: Observations of interchange between acceleration and thermalization processes in auroral electrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pongratz, M.

1972-01-01

Results from a Nike-Tomahawk sounding rocket flight launched from Fort Churchill are presented. The rocket was launched into a breakup aurora at magnetic local midnight on 21 March 1968. The rocket was instrumented to measure electrons with an electrostatic analyzer electron spectrometer which made 29 measurements in the energy interval 0.5 KeV to 30 KeV. Complete energy spectra were obtained at a rate of 10/sec. Pitch angle information is presented via 3 computed average per rocket spin. The dumped electron average corresponds to averages over electrons moving nearly parallel to the B vector. The mirroring electron average corresponds to averages over electrons moving nearly perpendicular to the B vector. The average was also computed over the entire downward hemisphere (the precipitated electron average). The observations were obtained in an altitude range of 10 km at 230 km altitude.

Identification of Noise Sources During Rocket Engine Test Firings and a Rocket Launch Using a Microphone Phased-Array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, Jayanta; Mosher, Robert N.; Porter, Barry J.

2013-01-01

A 70 microphone, 10-foot by 10-foot, microphone phased array was built for use in the harsh environment of rocket launches. The array was setup at NASA Wallops launch pad 0A during a static test firing of Orbital Sciences' Antares engines, and again during the first launch of the Antares vehicle. It was placed 400 feet away from the pad, and was hoisted on a scissor lift 40 feet above ground. The data sets provided unprecedented insight into rocket noise sources. The duct exit was found to be the primary source during the static test firing; the large amount of water injected beneath the nozzle exit and inside the plume duct quenched all other sources. The maps of the noise sources during launch were found to be time-dependent. As the engines came to full power and became louder, the primary source switched from the duct inlet to the duct exit. Further elevation of the vehicle caused spilling of the hot plume, resulting in a distributed noise map covering most of the pad. As the entire plume emerged from the duct, and the ondeck water system came to full power, the plume itself became the loudest noise source. These maps of the noise sources provide vital insight for optimization of sound suppression systems for future Antares launches.

NASA Launches Parachute Test Platform from Wallops

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-10-04

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

NASA Sounding Rocket Program Educational Outreach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosanova, G.

2013-01-01

Educational and public outreach is a major focus area for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The NASA Sounding Rocket Program (NSRP) shares in the belief that NASA plays a unique and vital role in inspiring future generations to pursue careers in science, mathematics, and technology. To fulfill this vision, the NSRP engages in a variety of educator training workshops and student flight projects that provide unique and exciting hands-on rocketry and space flight experiences. Specifically, the Wallops Rocket Academy for Teachers and Students (WRATS) is a one-week tutorial laboratory experience for high school teachers to learn the basics of rocketry, as well as build an instrumented model rocket for launch and data processing. The teachers are thus armed with the knowledge and experience to subsequently inspire the students at their home institution. Additionally, the NSRP has partnered with the Colorado Space Grant Consortium (COSGC) to provide a "pipeline" of space flight opportunities to university students and professors. Participants begin by enrolling in the RockOn! Workshop, which guides fledgling rocketeers through the construction and functional testing of an instrumentation kit. This is then integrated into a sealed canister and flown on a sounding rocket payload, which is recovered for the students to retrieve and process their data post flight. The next step in the "pipeline" involves unique, user-defined RockSat-C experiments in a sealed canister that allow participants more independence in developing, constructing, and testing spaceflight hardware. These experiments are flown and recovered on the same payload as the RockOn! Workshop kits. Ultimately, the "pipeline" culminates in the development of an advanced, user-defined RockSat-X experiment that is flown on a payload which provides full exposure to the space environment (not in a sealed canister), and includes telemetry and attitude control capability. The RockOn! and RockSat-C elements of the "pipeline" have been successfully demonstrated by five annual flights thus far from Wallops Flight Facility. RockSat-X has successfully flown twice, also from Wallops. The NSRP utilizes launch vehicles comprised of military surplus rocket motors (Terrier-Improved Orion and Terrier-Improved Malemute) to execute these missions. The NASA Sounding Rocket Program is proud of its role in inspiring the "next generation of explorers" and is working to expand its reach to all regions of the United States and the international community as well.

DXL: A Sounding Rocket Mission for the Study of Solar Wind Charge Exchange and Local Hot Bubble X-Ray Emission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Galeazzi, M.; Prasai, K.; Uprety, Y.; Chiao, M.; Collier, M. R.; Koutroumpa, D.; Porter, F. S.; Snowden, S.; Cravens, T.; Robertson, I.;

The Solar Ultraviolet Magnetograph Investigation Sounding Rocket Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

West, E. A.; Kobayashi, K.; Davis, J. M.; Gary, G. A.

2007-01-01

This paper will describe the objectives of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Solar Ultraviolet Magnetograph Investigation (SUMI) and the unique optical components that have been developed to meet those objectives. A sounding rocket payload has been developed to test the feasibility of magnetic field measurements in the Sun's transition region. The optics have been optimized for simultaneous measurements of two magnetic sensitive lines formed in the transition region (CIV at 1550 A and MgII at 2800 A). This paper will concentrate on the polarization properties SUMI's toroidal varied-line-space (TVLS) gratings and its system level testing as we prepare to launch in the Summer of 2008.

Sounding Rocket Instrument Development at UAHuntsville/NASA MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kobayashi, Ken; Cirtain, Jonathan; Winebarger, Amy; Savage, Sabrina; Golub, Leon; Korreck, Kelly; Kuzin, Sergei; Walsh, Robert; DeForest, Craig; DePontieu, Bart;

The Extended Duration Sounding Rocket (EDSR): Low Cost Science and Technology Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruddace, R. G.; Chakrabarti, S.; Cash, W.; Eberspeaker, P.; Figer, D.; Figueroa, O.; Harris, W.; Kowalski, M.; Maddox, R.; Martin, C.; McCammon, D.; Nordsieck, K.; Polidan, R.; Sanders, W.; Wilkinson, E.; Asrat

2011-12-01

The 50-year old NASA sounding rocket (SR) program has been successful in launching scientific payloads into space frequently and at low cost with a 85% success rate. In 2008 the NASA Astrophysics Sounding Rocket Assessment Team (ASRAT), set up to review the future course of the SR program, made four major recommendations, one of which now called Extended Duration Sounding Rocket (EDSR). ASRAT recommended a system capable of launching science payloads (up to 420 kg) into low Earth orbit frequently (1/yr) at low cost, with a mission duration of approximately 30 days. Payload selection would be based on meritorious high-value science that can be performed by migrating sub-orbital payloads to orbit. Establishment of this capability is a essential for NASA as it strives to advance technical readiness and lower costs for risk averse Explorers and flagship missions in its pursuit of a balanced and sustainable program and achieve big science goals within a limited fiscal environment. The development of a new generation of small, low-cost launch vehicles (SLV), primarily the SpaceX Falcon 1 and the Orbital Sciences Minotaur I has made this concept conceivable. The NASA Wallops Flight Facility (WFF)conducted a detailed engineering concept study, aimed at defining the technical characteristics of all phases of a mission, from design, procurement, assembly, test, integration and mission operations. The work was led by Dr. Raymond Cruddace, a veteran of the SR program and the prime mover of the EDSR concept. The team investigated details such as, the "FAA licensed contract" for launch service procurement, with WFF and NASA SMD being responsible for mission assurance which results in a factor of two cost savings over the current approach. These and other creative solutions resulted in a proof-of-concept Class D mission design that could have a sustained launch rate of at least 1/yr, a mission duration of up to about 3 months, and a total cost of $25-30 million for each mission. The payload includes a pointing system with arc second precision, a command and data system which can be configured to meet the unique requirements of a particular mission, and a solar cell-battery power system. Anticipating the tremendous need of access to space, Cruddace and his team included a capability of inclusion of a number of smaller secondary instruments, ranging in size from CubeSats to instruments weighing up to 100 lb. These secondary payloads could be ejected as needed by P-PODs. In this talk, we will summarize EDSR, a legacy of Ray Cruddace.

The Water Recovery X-ray Rocket (WRX-R)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miles, Drew

2017-08-01

The Water Recovery X-ray Rocket (WRX-R) is a diffuse soft X-ray spectrometer that will launch on a sounding rocket from the Kwajalein Atoll. WRX-R has a field of view of >10 deg2 and will observe the Vela supernova remnant. A mechanical collimator, state-of-the-art off-plane reflection grating array and hybrid CMOS detector will allow WRX to achieve the most highly-resolved spectrum of the Vela SNR ever recorded. In addition, this payload will fly a hard X-ray telescope that is offset from the soft X-ray spectrometer in order to observe the pulsar at the center of the remnant. We present here an introduction to the instrument, the expected science return, and an update on the state of the payload as we work towards launch.

Rocket observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1984-05-01

The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) sounding rocket experiments were carried out during the periods of August to September, 1982, January to February and August to September, 1983 and January to February, 1984 with sounding rockets. Among 9 rockets, 3 were K-9M, 1 was S-210, 3 were S-310 and 2 were S-520. Two scientific satellites were launched on February 20, 1983 for solar physics and on February 14, 1984 for X-ray astronomy. These satellites were named as TENMA and OHZORA and designated as 1983-011A and 1984-015A, respectively. Their initial orbital elements are also described. A payload recovery was successfully carried out by S-520-6 rocket as a part of MINIX (Microwave Ionosphere Non-linear Interaction Experiment) which is a scientific study of nonlinear plasma phenomena in conjunction with the environmental assessment study for the future SPS project. Near IR observation of the background sky shows a more intense flux than expected possibly coming from some extragalactic origin and this may be related to the evolution of the universe. US-Japan cooperative program of Tether Experiment was done on board US rocket.

Analysis and modeling of infrasound from a four-stage rocket launch.

PubMed

Blom, Philip; Marcillo, Omar; Arrowsmith, Stephen

2016-06-01

Infrasound from a four-stage sounding rocket was recorded by several arrays within 100 km of the launch pad. Propagation modeling methods have been applied to the known trajectory to predict infrasonic signals at the ground in order to identify what information might be obtained from such observations. There is good agreement between modeled and observed back azimuths, and predicted arrival times for motor ignition signals match those observed. The signal due to the high-altitude stage ignition is found to be low amplitude, despite predictions of weak attenuation. This lack of signal is possibly due to inefficient aeroacoustic coupling in the rarefied upper atmosphere.

The Properties of the Diffuse X-ray Background from the DXL sounding rocket mission (plus ROSAT, XMM-Newton and Suzaku data)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galeazzi, Massimiliano

2017-08-01

Understanding the properties of the different components of the Diffuse X-ray Background (DXB) is made particularly difficult by their similar spectral signature.The University of Miami has been working on disentangling the different DXB components for many years, using a combination of proprietary and archival data from XMM-Newton, Suzaku, and Chandra, and a sounding rocket mission (DXL) specifically designed to study the properties of Local Hot Bubble (LHB) and Solar Wind Charge eXchange (SWCX) using their spatial signature. In this talk we will present:(a) Results from the DXL mission, specifically launch #2, to study the properties of the SWCX and LHB (and GH) and their contribution to the ROSAT All Sky Survey Bands(b) Results from a Suzaku key project to characterize the SWCX and build a semi-empirical model to predict the SWCX line emission for any time, any direction. A publicly available web portal for the model will go online by the end of the year(c) Results from XMM-Newton deep surveys to study the angular correlation of the Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM) in the direction of the Chandra Deep Field South.DXL launch #3, schedule for January 2018 and the development of the DXG sounding rocket mission to characterize the GH-CGM emission using newly developed micropore optics will also be discussed.

Design and qualification of an UHV system for operation on sounding rockets

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

Grosse, Jens, E-mail: jens.grosse@dlr.de; Braxmaier, Claus; Seidel, Stephan Tobias

The sounding rocket mission MAIUS-1 has the objective to create the first Bose–Einstein condensate in space; therefore, its scientific payload is a complete cold atom experiment built to be launched on a VSB-30 sounding rocket. An essential part of the setup is an ultrahigh vacuum system needed in order to sufficiently suppress interactions of the cooled atoms with the residual background gas. Contrary to vacuum systems on missions aboard satellites or the international space station, the required vacuum environment has to be reached within 47 s after motor burn-out. This paper contains a detailed description of the MAIUS-1 vacuum system, asmore » well as a description of its qualification process for the operation under vibrational loads of up to 8.1 g{sub RMS} (where RMS is root mean square). Even though a pressure rise dependent on the level of vibration was observed, the design presented herein is capable of regaining a pressure of below 5 × 10{sup −10} mbar in less than 40 s when tested at 5.4 g{sub RMS}. To the authors' best knowledge, it is the first UHV system qualified for operation on a sounding rocket.« less

KSC-2014-4382

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Orion spacecraft sits inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ogive panels have been installed around the launch abort system. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The spacecraft is being readied for its move to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for its 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Jim Grossman

KSC-2014-4379

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Orion spacecraft sits inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ogive panels have been installed around the launch abort system. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The spacecraft is being readied for its move to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for its 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Jim Grossman

KSC-2014-4380

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Orion spacecraft sits inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ogive panels have been installed around the launch abort system. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The spacecraft is being readied for its move to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for its 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Jim Grossman

KSC-2014-4384

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Orion spacecraft sits inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ogive panels have been installed around the launch abort system. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The spacecraft is being readied for its move to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for its 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Jim Grossman

KSC-2014-4381

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Orion spacecraft sits inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ogive panels have been installed around the launch abort system. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The spacecraft is being readied for its move to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for its 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Jim Grossman

KSC-2014-4385

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Orion spacecraft sits inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ogive panels have been installed around the launch abort system. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The spacecraft is being readied for its move to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for its 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Jim Grossman

KSC-2014-4249

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-12

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Installation of four Ogive panels on Orion's Launch Abort System continues inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November. 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-4383

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-11-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Orion spacecraft sits inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ogive panels have been installed around the launch abort system. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The spacecraft is being readied for its move to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for its 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Jim Grossman

Space Technology Demo at NASA Wallops

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

A vapor cloud is seen after launch of a Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket, launched at 7:07 p.m., Wednesday October 7, 2015. (NASA Photo/J. Adkins) A Black Brant IX suborbital rocket was launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The launch occurred at 7:07 p.m. The primary purpose of the flight was to test the performance of the second-stage Black Brant motor. Preliminary indications are that the motor performed as planned. Preliminary data analysis of the technology experiments (vapor tracer deployments) on the payload is in progress. 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

ATK Launch Vehicle (ALV-X1) Liftoff Acoustic Environments: Prediction vs. Measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Houston, J.; Counter, Douglas; Kenny, Jeremy; Murphy, John

2010-01-01

Launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) Pad 01B on August 22, 2008, the ATK Launch Vehicle (ALV-X1) provided an opportunity to measure liftoff acoustic noise data. Predicted lift-off acoustic environments were developed by both NASA MSFC and ATK engineers. ATK engineers developed predictions for use in determining vibro-acoustic loads using the method described in the monograph NASA SP-8072. The MSFC ALV-X1 lift-off acoustic prediction was made with the Vehicle Acoustic Environment Prediction Program (VAEPP). The VAEPP and SP-8072 methods predict acoustic pressures of rocket systems generally scaled to existing rocket motor data based upon designed motor or engine characteristics. The predicted acoustic pressures are sound-pressure spectra at specific positions on the vehicle. This paper presents the measured liftoff acoustics on the vehicle and tower. This data is useful for the ALV-X1 in validating the pre-launch environments and loads predictions.

Development Status of Reusable Rocket Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, Makoto; Takada, Satoshi; Naruo, Yoshihiro; Niu, Kenichi

A 30-kN rocket engine, a pilot engine, is being developed in Japan. Development of this pilot engine has been initiated in relation to a reusable sounding rocket, which is also being developed in Japan. This rocket takes off vertically, reaches an altitude of 100 km, lands vertically at the launch site, and is launched again within several days. Due to advantage of reusability, successful development of this rocket will mean that observation missions can be carried out more frequently and economically. In order to realize this rocket concept, the engines installed on the rocket should be characterized by reusability, long life, deep throttling and health monitoring, features which have not yet been established in Japanese rocket engines. To solve the engineering factors entitled by those features, a new design methodology, advanced engine simulations and engineering testing are being focused on in the pilot engine development stage. Especially in engineering testing, limit condition data is acquired to facilitate development of new diagnostic techniques, which can be applied by utilizing the mobility of small-size hardware. In this paper, the development status of the pilot engine is described, including fundamental design and engineering tests of the turbopump bearing and seal, turbine rig, injector and combustion chamber, and operation and maintenance concepts for one hundred flights by a reusable rocket are examined.

Compendium of meteorological data for the Titan 3C (AF-777) launch in May 1975

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stephens, J. B.; Adelfang, S. I.; Goldford, A. I.

1976-01-01

Meteorological data for the 26-hour period prior to launch are recorded. Data were collected in support of the NASA rocket exhaust effluent prediction and monitoring program. Soundings were made approximately every 2 hours from T-14 hours to T-O; therefore, high temporal resolution is provided. All supporting data, such as synoptic charts and wind tower data, are also included.

Status of the Micro-X Sounding Rocket X-Ray Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldfinger, D. C.; Adams, J. S.; Baker, R.; Bandler, S. R.; Danowski, M. E.; Doriese, W. B.; Eckart, M. E.; Figueroa-Feliciano, E.; Hilton, G. C.; Hubbard, A. J. F.;

The Rocket Balloon (Rocketball): Applications to Science, Technology, and Education

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Esper, Jaime

2009-01-01

Originally envisioned to study upper atmospheric phenomena, the Rocket Balloon system (or Rocketball for short) has utility in a range of applications, including sprite detection and in-situ measurements, near-space measurements and calibration correlation with orbital assets, hurricane observation and characterization, technology testing and validation, ground observation, and education. A salient feature includes the need to reach space and near-space within a critical time-frame and in adverse local meteorological conditions. It can also provide for the execution of technology validation and operational demonstrations at a fraction of the cost of a space flight. In particular, planetary entry probe proof-of-concepts can be examined. A typical Rocketball operational scenario consists of a sounding rocket launch and subsequent deployment of a balloon above a desired location. An obvious advantage of this combination is the additional mission 'hang-time' rendered by the balloon once the sounding rocket flight is completed. The system leverages current and emergent technologies at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and other organizations.

Payload charging events in the mesosphere and their impact on Langmuir type electric probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bekkeng, T. A.; Barjatya, A.; Hoppe, U.-P.; Pedersen, A.; Moen, J. I.; Friedrich, M.; Rapp, M.

2013-02-01

Three sounding rockets were launched from Andøya Rocket Range in the ECOMA campaign in December 2010. The aim was to study the evolution of meteoric smoke particles during a major meteor shower. Of the various instruments onboard the rocket payload, this paper presents the data from a multi-Needle Langmuir Probe (m-NLP) and a charged dust detector. The payload floating potential, as observed using the m-NLP instrument, shows charging events on two of the three flights. These charging events cannot be explained using a simple charging model, and have implications towards the use of fixed bias Langmuir probes on sounding rockets investigating mesospheric altitudes. We show that for a reliable use of a single fixed bias Langmuir probe as a high spatial resolution relative density measurement, each payload should also carry an additional instrument to measure payload floating potential, and an instrument that is immune to spacecraft charging and measures absolute plasma density.

The Academy of Sciences stakes a claim

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The establishment of the National Committe for the International Geophysical year is described. Post-war development of the 1950's in the areas of upper atmosphere research reviewed and included: the further development of satellites; sounding rocket research; and the launching of the Sputnik Satellites.

ADEPT Sounding Rocket One (SR-1)Flight Experiment Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wercinski, Paul; Smith, B.; Yount, B.; Cassell, A.; Kruger, C.; Brivkalns, C.; Makino, A.; Duttta, S.; Ghassemieh, S.; Wu, S.;

Sounding rocket flight report: MUMP 9 and MUMP 10

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grassl, H. J.

1971-01-01

The results of the launching of two Marshall-University of Michigan Probes (MUMP 9 and MUMP 10), Nike-Tomahawk sounding rocket payloads, are summarized. The MUMP 9 paylaod included an omegatron mass analyzer, a molecular fluorescence densitometer, a mini-tilty filter, and a lunar position sensor. This complement of instruments permitted the determination of the molecular nitrogen density and temperature in the altitude range from approximately 143 to 297 km over Wallops Island, Virginia, during January 1971. The MUMP 10 payload included an omegatron mass analyzer, an electron temperature probe (Spencer, Brace, and Carignan, 1962), a cryogenic densitometer, and a solar position sensor. This complement of instruments permitted the determination of the molecular nitrogen density and temperature and the charged particle density and temperature in the altitude range from approximately 145 to 290 km over Wallops Island, Virginia, during the afternoon preceding the MUMP 9 launch in January 1971. A general description of the payload kinematics, orientation analysis, and the technique for the reduction and analysis of the data is given.

Sounding rocket flight report, MUMP 9 and MUMP 10

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grassl, H. J.

1971-01-01

The results of the launching of two-Marshall-University of Michigan Probes (MUMP 9 and MUMP 10), Nike-Tomahawk sounding rocket payloads, are summarized. The MUMP is similar to the thermosphere probe, an ejectable instrument package for studying the variability of the earth's atmospheric parameters. The MUMP 9 payload included an omegatron mass analyzer, a molecular fluorescence densitometer, a mini-tilty filter, and a lunar position sensor. This complement of instruments permitted the determination of the molecular nitrogen density and temperature in the altitude range from approximately 143 to 297 km over Wallops Island, Virginia, during January 1971. The MUMP 10 payload included an omegatron mass analyzer, an electron temperature probe, a cryogenic densitometer, and a solar position sensor. These instruments permitted the determination of the molecular nitrogen density and temperature and the charged particle density and temperature in the altitude range from approximately 145 to 290 km over Wallops Island during the afternoon preceding the MUMP 9 launch.

Rocket experiments for spectral estimation of electron density fine structure in the auroral and equatorial ionosphere and preliminary results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tomei, B. A.; Smith, L. G.

1986-01-01

Sounding rockets equipped to monitor electron density and its fine structure were launched into the auroral and equatorial ionosphere in 1980 and 1983, respectively. The measurement electronics are based on the Langmuir probe and are described in detail. An approach to the spectral analysis of the density irregularities is addressed and a software algorithm implementing the approach is given. Preliminary results of the analysis are presented.

Pegasus Rocket Booster Being Prepared for X-43A/Hyper-X Flight Test

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-08-25

Technicians prepare a Pegasus rocket booster for flight tests with the X-43A "Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle," or "Hyper-X." The X-43A, which will be attached to the Pegasus booster and drop launched from NASA's B-52 mothership, was developed to research dual-mode ramjet/scramjet propulsion system at speeds from Mach 7 up to Mach 10 (7 to 10 times the speed of sound, which varies with temperature and altitude).

The Rocket Electric Field Sounding (REFS) Program: Prototype Design and Successful First Launch

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-15

insulators surrounding the stators, and stator edges themselves, are fully covered by the rotor , so that any effects of charge on the insulators are...Jumper performed a separate analysis of the aerodynamics (primarily the " Magnus effect ") induced by the relative rotation of rocket body and shell. The...significant advantages over an aircraft in simplicity and calibration. A single cylindrical rotor covering most of the payload acts as the shutter for all

NASA rocket to display artificial clouds in space

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

A NASA sounding rocket to be launched from the Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska, between February 13 and March 3, 2017, will form white artificial clouds during its brief, 10-minute flight. The rocket is one of five being launched January through March, each carrying instruments to explore the aurora and its interactions with Earth’s upper atmosphere and ionosphere. Scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, explain that electric fields drive the ionosphere, which, in turn, are predicted to set up enhanced neutral winds within an aurora arc. This experiment seeks to understand the height-dependent processes that create localized neutral jets within the aurora. For this mission, two 56-foot long Black Brant IX rockets will be launched nearly simultaneously. One rocket is expected to fly to an apogee of about 107 miles while the other is targeted for 201 miles apogee. Only the lower altitude rocket will form the white luminescent clouds during its flight. Read more: go.nasa.gov/2kYaBgV 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

Analysis and modeling of infrasound from a four-stage rocket launch

DOE PAGES

Blom, Philip Stephen; Marcillo, Omar Eduardo; Arrowsmith, Stephen

2016-06-17

Infrasound from a four-stage sounding rocket was recorded by several arrays within 100 km of the launch pad. Propagation modeling methods have been applied to the known trajectory to predict infrasonic signals at the ground in order to identify what information might be obtained from such observations. There is good agreement between modeled and observed back azimuths, and predicted arrival times for motor ignition signals match those observed. The signal due to the high-altitude stage ignition is found to be low amplitude, despite predictions of weak attenuation. As a result, this lack of signal is possibly due to inefficient aeroacousticmore » coupling in the rarefied upper atmosphere.« less

1301253

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-12-12

JASON ELDRIDGE, AN ERC INCORPORATED EMPLOYEE SUPPORTING THE MATERIALS & PROCESSES LABORATORY AT NASA'S MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, SIGNS HIS NAME ON THE INTERIOR OF THE ADAPTER THAT WILL CONNECT THE ORION SPACECRAFT TO A UNITED LAUNCH ALLIANCE DELTA IV ROCKET FOR EXPLORATION FLIGHT TEST (EFT)-1. MARSHALL CENTER TEAM MEMBERS WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THE DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND TESTING OF THE ADAPTER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO AUTOGRAPH IT BEFORE THE HARDWARE IS SHIPPED TO NASA'S KENNEDY SPACE CENTER IN FEBRUARY. ELDRIDGE WAS ON A TEAM THAT PERFORMED ULTRASONIC INSPECTIONS ON THE ADAPTER'S WELDS -- ENSURING THEY ARE STRUCTURALLY SOUND. EFT-1, SCHEDULED FOR 2014, WILL PROVIDE EARLY EXPERIENCE FOR NASA SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM (SLS) HARDWARE AHEAD OF THE ROCKET'S FIRST FLIGHT IN 2017.

Analysis and modeling of infrasound from a four-stage rocket launch

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

Blom, Philip Stephen; Marcillo, Omar Eduardo; Arrowsmith, Stephen

Infrasound from a four-stage sounding rocket was recorded by several arrays within 100 km of the launch pad. Propagation modeling methods have been applied to the known trajectory to predict infrasonic signals at the ground in order to identify what information might be obtained from such observations. There is good agreement between modeled and observed back azimuths, and predicted arrival times for motor ignition signals match those observed. The signal due to the high-altitude stage ignition is found to be low amplitude, despite predictions of weak attenuation. As a result, this lack of signal is possibly due to inefficient aeroacousticmore » coupling in the rarefied upper atmosphere.« less

-----SPACE TRANSPORTATION

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

M-TeX and MIST Experiments Launched from Alaska

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Caption: Composite shot of all four rockets for the M-TeX and MIST experiments is made up of 30 second exposures. The rocket salvo began at 4:13 a.m. EST, Jan. 26, 2015, from the Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska. Credit: NASA/Jamie Adkins More info: The Mesosphere-Lower Thermosphere Turbulence Experiment, or M-TeX, and the Mesospheric Inversion-layer Stratified Turbulence, or MIST, experiment were successfully conducted the morning of Jan. 26, 2015, from the Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska. The first M-Tex rocket, a NASA Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket, was launched at 4:13 a.m. EST and was followed one-minute later by the first MIST experiment payload on a NASA Terrier-Improved Orion. The second M-TeX payload was launched at 4:46 a.m. EST and also was followed one minute later by the second MIST payload. Preliminary data show that all four payloads worked as planned and the trimethyl aluminum, or TMA, vapor trails were seen at the various land-based observation sites in Alaska. A fifth rocket carrying the Auroral Spatial Structures Probe remains ready on the launch pad. The launch window for this experiment runs through Jan. 27. 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

Mesospheric dust observations during the MAXIDUSTY campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonsen, Tarjei; Havnes, Ove; Fredriksen, Åshild; Friedrich, Martin; Sternovsky, Zoltan; Plane, John; Hartquist, Tom; Olsen, Sveinung; Eilertsen, Yngve; Trondsen, Espen; Mann, Ingrid; Hedin, Jonas; Gumbel, Jörg; Moen, Jøran; Latteck, Ralph; Baumgarten, Gerd; Höffner, Josef; Williams, Bifford; Hoppe, Ulf-Peter; Karlberg, Jan-Ove

2017-04-01

The MAXIDUSTY rocket payloads, launched from Andøya June 30 and July 8 2016, were equipped with dust impact detectors aiming to characterize mesospheric dust charge state, mass distribution of impact fragments and NLC/PMSE structure. One of the main scientific objectives for the campaign was to confirm that material of meteoric origin is abundant inside the icy mesospheric dust particles. The rockets were launched simultaneously with PMSE and NLC (MAXIDUSTY-1) and PMSE (MAXIDUSTY-1B) respectively, and radar measurements were made coincident with the rocket flight path. We report here on the initial results from the rocket probes and remote soundings, with emphasis on the dust impact detector results. Results from the Multiple Dust Detector (MUDD) confirm that NLC ice particles probably have a relatively high content of meteoric smoke particles with a filling factor of up to several percent. Comparisons of the DUSTY faraday bucket and PMSE show that there is no simple correlation between the two.

Vehicle Charging on the 29.036 and 29.037 Rockets of the EQUIS II Campaign.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barjatya, A.; Swenson, C.; Fish, C.; Hummel, A.; Hysell, D.

2004-12-01

The rocket investigation "Scattering Layer in the Bottomside Equatorial F-region Ionosphere", was part of the NASA EQUIS II campaign. Two salvos of sounding rockets were launched from Roi Namur in Kwajalein on August 7th and 15th of 2004. The project's mission was to investigate the thin scattering layers in the post sunset equatorial F region ionosphere that act as precursors to a fully developed equatorial spread F. Each of the salvos consisted of one instrumented and two chemical release payloads. The instrumented rockets were launched westward into equatorial spread F precursor that was first observed from ground using the Altair radar. The instrumented rockets reached an apogee of ~450 km. The instruments consisted of a Sweeping Langmuir Probe (SLP), a fixed bias DC Probe (DCP), a Plasma Impedance Probe consisting of a Plasma Frequency Probe and a Plasma Sweeping Probe built at Utah State University. The instrument suite also included an Electric Field Probe built by Penn State University. This poster presents observations of vehicle charging and preliminary data from the SLP and DCP.

Space Technology Demo at NASA Wallops

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

A Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket is launched at 7:07 p.m., Wednesday October 7, 2015. (NASA Photo/A. Stancil) A Black Brant IX suborbital rocket was launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The launch occurred at 7:07 p.m. The primary purpose of the flight was to test the performance of the second-stage Black Brant motor. Preliminary indications are that the motor performed as planned. Preliminary data analysis of the technology experiments (vapor tracer deployments) on the payload is in progress. 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

Space Technology Demo at NASA Wallops

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

A Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket is launched at 7:07 p.m., Wednesday October 7, 2015. (NASA Photo/T. Zaperach) A Black Brant IX suborbital rocket was launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The launch occurred at 7:07 p.m. The primary purpose of the flight was to test the performance of the second-stage Black Brant motor. Preliminary indications are that the motor performed as planned. Preliminary data analysis of the technology experiments (vapor tracer deployments) on the payload is in progress. 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

An Overview of the NASA Sounding Rockets and Balloon Programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flowers, Bobby J.; Needleman, Harvey C.

1999-01-01

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Sounding Rockets and Balloon Programs conduct a combined total of approximately fifty to sixty missions per year in support of the NASA scientific community. These missions are provided in support of investigations sponsored by NASA'S Offices of Space Science, Life and Microgravity Sciences & Applications, and Earth Science. The Goddard Space Flight Center has management and implementation responsibility for these programs. The NASA Sounding Rockets Program has continued to su,pport the science community by integrating their experiments into the sounding rocket payload and providing the rocket vehicle and launch operations necessary to provide the altitude/time required obtain the science objectives. The sounding rockets continue to provide a cost-effective way to make in situ observations from 50 to 1500 km in the near-earth environment and to uniquely cover the altitude regime between 50 km and 130 km above the Earth's surface, which is physically inaccessible to either balloons or satellites. A new architecture for providing this support has been introduced this year with the establishment of the NASA Sounding Rockets Contract. The Program has continued to introduce improvements into their operations and ground and flight systems. An overview of the NASA Sounding Rockets Program with special emphasis on the new support contract will be presented. The NASA Balloon Program continues to make advancements and developments in its capabilities for support of the scientific ballooning community. Long duration balloon (LDB) is a prominent aspect of the program with two campaigns scheduled for this calendar year. Two flights are scheduled in the Northern Hemisphere from Fairbanks, Alaska, in June and two flights are scheduled from McMurdo, Antarctica, in the Southern Hemisphere in December. The comprehensive balloon research and development (R&D) effort has continued with advances being made across the spectrum of balloon related disciplines. As a result of these technology advancements a new ultra long duration balloon project (ULDB) for the development of a 100- day duration balloon capability has been initiated. The ULDB will rely upon new balloon materials and designs to accomplish its goals. The Program has also continued to introduce new technology and improvements into flights systems, ground systems and operational techniques. An overview of the various aspects of the NASA Balloon Program will be presented.

The Rocket Electric Field Sounding (REFS) program: Prototype design and successful first launch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willett, J. C.; Curtis, D. C.; Driesman, A. R.; Longstreth, R. K.; Rison, W.; Winn, W. P.; Jones, J. J.

1992-01-01

The motivation, design, and successful first flight of a sounding rocket to measure profiles of vector electrostatic field in the lower troposphere are described. The design employs eight shutter field mills amd a corona-charging system in a manner similar to aircraft previously instrumented for the measurement of electric fields. A rocket offers significant advantages over an aircraft in simplicity and calibration. A single cylindrical rotor covering most of the payload acts as the shutter for all eight mills in this design. The cylindrical symmetry and circular cross sections of the vehicle facilitate straightforward calibration. Also included in the payload are a pressure sensor, a longitudinal accelerometer, a transverse magnometer, and a novel cloud-penetration detector. A fair-weather test flight at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility demonstrated the workability of the basic design and identified a few necessary modifications.

Modeling of Mutiscale Electromagnetic Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Interactions near Discrete Auroral Arcs Observed by the MICA Sounding Rocket

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Streltsov, A. V.; Lynch, K. A.; Fernandes, P. A.; Miceli, R.; Hampton, D. L.; Michell, R. G.; Samara, M.

2012-12-01

The MICA (Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling in the Alfvén Resonator) sounding rocket was launched from Poker Flat on February 19, 2012. The rocket was aimed into the system of discrete auroral arcs and during its flight it detected small-scale electromagnetic disturbances with characteristic features of dispersive Alfvén waves. We report results from numerical modeling of these observations. Our simulations are based on a two-fluid MHD model describing multi-scale interactions between magnetic field-aligned currents carried by shear Alfven waves and the ionosphere. The results from our simulations suggest that the small-scale electromagnetic structures measured by MICA indeed can be interpreted as dispersive Alfvén waves generated by the active ionospheric response (ionopspheric feedback instability) inside the large-scale downward magnetic field-aligned current interacting with the ionosphere.

Coronal Heating Observed with Hi-C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winebarger, Amy R.

2013-01-01

The recent launch of the High-Resolution Coronal Imager (Hi-C) as a sounding rocket has offered a new, different view of the Sun. With approx 0.3" resolution and 5 second cadence, Hi-C reveals dynamic, small-scale structure within a complicated active region, including coronal braiding, reconnection regions, Alfven waves, and flows along active region fans. By combining the Hi-C data with other available data, we have compiled a rich data set that can be used to address many outstanding questions in solar physics. Though the Hi-C rocket flight was short (only 5 minutes), the added insight of the small-scale structure gained from the Hi-C data allows us to look at this active region and other active regions with new understanding. In this talk, I will review the first results from the Hi-C sounding rocket and discuss the impact of these results on the coronal heating problem.

Performance enhancement of existing two-stage sounding rocket vehicles through the use of tandem booster systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flores, C. C.; Gurkin, L. W.

1982-01-01

The three-stage Taurus-Nike-Tomahawk launch vehicle is being considered for performance enhancement of the existing Taurus-Tomahawk flight system. In addition, performance enhancement of other existing two-stage launch vehicles is being considered through the use of tandem booster systems. Aeroballistic characteristics of the proposed Taurus-Nike-Tomahawk vehicle are presented, as are overall performance capabilities of other potential three-stage flight systems.

Flight demonstration of flight termination system and solid rocket motor ignition using semiconductor laser initiated ordnance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulze, Norman R.; Maxfield, B.; Boucher, C.

1995-01-01

Solid State Laser Initiated Ordnance (LIO) offers new technology having potential for enhanced safety, reduced costs, and improved operational efficiency. Concerns over the absence of programmatic applications of the technology, which has prevented acceptance by flight programs, should be abated since LIO has now been operationally implemented by the Laser Initiated Ordnance Sounding Rocket Demonstration (LOSRD) Program. The first launch of solid state laser diode LIO at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) occurred on March 15, 1995 with all mission objectives accomplished. This project, Phase 3 of a series of three NASA Headquarters LIO demonstration initiatives, accomplished its objective by the flight of a dedicated, all-LIO sounding rocket mission using a two-stage Nike-Orion launch vehicle. LIO flight hardware, made by The Ensign-Bickford Company under NASA's first Cooperative Agreement with Profit Making Organizations, safely initiated three demanding pyrotechnic sequence events, namely, solid rocket motor ignition from the ground and in flight, and flight termination, i.e., as a Flight Termination System (FTS). A flight LIO system was designed, built, tested, and flown to support the objectives of quickly and inexpensively putting LIO through ground and flight operational paces. The hardware was fully qualified for this mission, including component testing as well as a full-scale system test. The launch accomplished all mission objectives in less than 11 months from proposal receipt. This paper concentrates on accomplishments of the ordnance aspects of the program and on the program's implementation and results. While this program does not generically qualify LIO for all applications, it demonstrated the safety, technical, and operational feasibility of those two most demanding applications, using an all solid state safe and arm system in critical flight applications.

DC and Wave Electric Fields and Other Plasma Parameters Observed on Two Sounding Rockets in the Dark Cusp during IMF Bz North and South Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfaff, R. F.; Acuna, M.; Bounds, S.; Farrell, W.; Freudenreich, W.; Lepping, R.; Vondrak, R.; Maynard, N. C.; Moen, J.; Egeland, A.

1999-01-01

Two Black Brant IX sounding rockets were launched into the dark, dayside cusp near magnetic noon on December 2 and 3, 1997, from Ny Alesund, Spitzbergen at 79 deg N reaching altitudes of about 450 km. Real-time ground-based and Wind IMF data were used to determine the launch conditions. The first launch, with Bz north conditions, crossed into and back out of an open field region with merging poleward of the projected trajectory. The second flight, into Bz south conditions, was timed to coincide with an enhancement in the merging rate from a increase in the negative Bz, while the DMSP Fl 3 satellite was situated slightly to the north of the rocket trajectory. Each payload returned DC electric and magnetic fields, plasma waves, energetic particles, photometer data, and thermal plasma data. Data from both flights will be shown, with an emphasis on the DC electric field results. In particular, the data gathered on December 2, 1997 will be used to discuss ionospheric signatures of merging and the open/closed character of the the cusp/low latitude boundary layer. In contrast, the data gathered on December 3, 1997 shows evidence of pulsed electric field structures which will be examined in the context of cusp plasma entry processes. Both data sets returned a rich variety of plasma waves, as well as optical emissions and thermal plasma data.

DC and Wave Electric Fields and Other Plasma Parameters Observed on Two Sounding Rockets in the Dark Cusp during IMF BZ North and South Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfaff, R. F.; Bounds, S.; Acuna, M.; Maynard, N. C.; Moen, J.; Egeland, A.; Holtet, J.; Maseide, K.; Sandholt, P. E.; Soraas, F.

1999-01-01

Two Black Brant IX sounding rockets were launched into the dark, dayside cusp near magnetic noon on December 2 and 3, 1997, from Ny Alesund, Spitzbergen at 79degN reaching altitudes of approximately 450 km. Real-time ground-based and Wind (interplanetary magnetic field) IMF data were used to determine the launch conditions. The first launch, with Bz north conditions, crossed into and back out of an open field region with merging poleward of the projected trajectory. The second flight, into Bz south conditions, was timed to coincide with an enhancement in the merging rate from a increase in the negative Bz, while the (Defense Meteorological Satellite Program) DMSP F13 satellite was situated slightly to the north of the rocket trajectory. Each payload returned DC electric and magnetic fields, plasma waves, energetic particles, photometer data, and thermal plasma data. Data from both flights will be shown, with an emphasis on the DC electric field results. In particular, the data gathered on December 2, 1997 will be used to discuss ionospheric signatures of merging and the open/closed character of the the cusp/low latitude boundary layer. In contrast, the data gathered on December 3, 1997 shows evidence of pulsed electric field structures which will be examined in the context of cusp plasma entry processes. Both data sets returned a rich variety of plasma waves, as well as optical emissions and thermal plasma data.

DC and Wave Electric Fields and Other Plasma Parameters Observed on Two Sounding Rockets in the Dark Cusp During IMF Bz North and South Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfaff, R. F.; Acuna, M.; Bounds, S.; Farrell, W.; Freudenreich, H.; Lepping, R.; Vondrak, R.; Maynard, N. C.; Moen, J.; Egeland, A.

1997-01-01

Two Black Brant IX sounding rockets were launched into the dark, dayside cusp near magnetic noon on December 2 and 3, 1997, from Ny Alesund, Spitzbergen at 79 N reaching altitudes of approximately 450 km. Real-time ground-based and Wind IMF data were used to determine the launch conditions. The first launch, with Bz north conditions, crossed into and back out of an open field region with merging poleward of the projected trajectory. The second flight, into Bz south conditions, was timed to coincide with an enhancement in the merging rate from a increase in the negative Bz, while the DMSP F13 satellite was situated slightly to the north of the rocket trajectory. Each payload returned DC electric and magnetic fields, plasma waves, energetic particles, photometer data, and thermal plasma data. Data from both flights will be shown, with an emphasis on the DC electric field results. In particular, the data gathered on December 2, 1997 will be used to discuss ionospheric signatures of merging and the open/closed character of the the cusp/low latitude boundary layer. In contrast, the data gathered on December 3, 1997 shows evidence of pulsed electric field structures which will be examined in the context of cusp plasma entry processes. Both data sets returned a rich variety of plasma waves, as well as optical emissions and thermal plasma data.

KSC-2014-4397

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are underway to remove the window covers on Orion before the fourth and final Ogive panel is installed around the spacecraft and Launch Abort System. The Ogive panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November. 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Ben Smegelsky

KSC-2014-4259

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane brings the fourth and final Ogive panel closer for installation on Orion's Launch Abort System. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November. 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-4251

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-12

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians have installed two of the four Ogive panels on Orion's Launch Abort System. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November. 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-4247

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-11

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first of four Ogive panels is lifted by crane for installation on Orion's Launch Abort System inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November. 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-4400

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a window cover has been carefully removed from the Orion spacecraft before the fourth and final Ogive panel is installed around the spacecraft and Launch Abort System. The Ogive panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November. 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Ben Smegelsky

KSC-2014-4256

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Technicians on work platforms monitor the progress as a crane brings the third of four Ogive panels closer for installation on Orion's Launch Abort System inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November. 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Ben Smegelsky

KSC-2014-4250

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-12

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Technicians on work platforms continue the installation of four Ogive panels on Orion's Launch Abort System inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November. 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-4248

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-11

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians monitor the progress as a crane moves the first of four Ogive panels closer for installation on Orion's Launch Abort System. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November. 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Kim Shiflett

KSC-2014-4255

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane brings the third of four Ogive panels closer for installation on Orion's Launch Abort System. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November. 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Ben Smegelsky

KSC-2014-4258

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians attach the third of four Ogive panels on Orion's Launch Abort System. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November. 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Ben Smegelsky

KSC-2014-4257

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians attach the third of four Ogive panels on Orion's Launch Abort System. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November. 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Ben Smegelsky

KSC-2014-4399

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician carefully removes the window covers on Orion before the fourth and final Ogive panel is installed around the spacecraft and Launch Abort System. The Ogive panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November. 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Ben Smegelsky

KSC-2014-4246

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-11

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first of four Ogive panels is lifted by crane for installation on Orion's Launch Abort System inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November. 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Kim Shiflett

Channel electron multiplier operated on a sounding rocket without a cryogenic vacuum pump from 120 - 75 km altitude

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dickson, S.; Gausa, M. A.; Robertson, S. H.; Sternovsky, Z.

2012-12-01

We demonstrate that a channel electron multiplier (CEM) can be operated on a sounding rocket in the pulse-counting mode from 120 km to 75 km altitude without the cryogenic evacuation used in the past. Evacuation of the CEM is provided only by aerodynamic flow around the rocket. This demonstration is motivated by the need for additional flights of mass spectrometers to clarify the fate of metallic compounds and ions ablated from micrometeorites and their possible role in the nucleation of noctilucent clouds. The CEMs were flown as guest instruments on the two sounding rockets of the CHAMPS (CHarge And mass of Meteoritic smoke ParticleS) rocket campaign which were launched into the mesosphere in October 2011 from Andøya Rocket Range, Norway. Modeling of the aerodynamic flow around the payload with Direct Simulation Monte-Carlo (DSMC) code showed that the pressure is reduced below ambient in the void beneath an aft-facing surface. An enclosure containing the CEM was placed above an aft-facing deck and a valve was opened on the downleg to expose the CEM to the aerodynamically evacuated region below. The CEM operated successfully from apogee down to ~75 km. A Pirani gauge confirmed pressures reduced to as low as 20% of ambient with the extent of reduction dependent upon altitude and velocity. Additional DSMC simulations indicate that there are alternate payload designs with improved aerodynamic pumping for forward mounted instruments such as mass spectrometers.

Spartan service module finite element modeling technique and analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindenmoyer, A. J.

1985-01-01

Sounding rockets have served as a relatively inexpensive and easy method of carrying experiments into the upper atmosphere. Limited observation time and pointing capabilities suggested the development of a new sounding rocket type carrier compatible with NASA's Space Transportation System. This concept evolved into the Spartan program, now credited with a successful Spartan 101 mission launched in June 1985. The next series of Spartans will use a service module primary structure. This newly designed reusable and universal component in the Spartan carrier system required thorough analysis and evaluation for flight certification. Using advanced finite element modeling techniques, the structure was analyzed and determined acceptable by meeting strict design goals and will be tested for verification of the analytical results.

KSC-2011-7532

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spacecraft technicians prepare to enclose NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) in an Atlas V rocket payload fairing. The blocks on the interior of the fairing are components of the fairing acoustic protection (FAP) system, designed to protect the payload by dampening the sound created by the rocket during liftoff. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is planned for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-7534

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sections of an Atlas V rocket payload fairing obscure NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) from view as they close in around it. The blocks on the interior of the fairing are components of the fairing acoustic protection (FAP) system, designed to protect the payload by dampening the sound created by the rocket during liftoff. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is planned for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-7531

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is ready to be enclosed in the Atlas V rocket payload fairing in the background. The blocks on the interior of the fairing are components of the fairing acoustic protection (FAP) system, designed to protect the payload by dampening the sound created by the rocket during liftoff. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is planned for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-7533

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sections of an Atlas V rocket payload fairing engulf NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) as they close in around it. The blocks on the interior of the fairing are components of the fairing acoustic protection (FAP) system, designed to protect the payload by dampening the sound created by the rocket during liftoff. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is planned for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

KSC-2011-7530

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are under way to enclose NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) in an Atlas V rocket payload fairing. The blocks on the interior of the fairing are components of the fairing acoustic protection (FAP) system, designed to protect the payload by dampening the sound created by the rocket during liftoff. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is planned for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

NASA Wallops Rocket Launch Lights up the Mid-Atlantic Coast

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-06-29

July 4 fireworks came early when a NASA Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket was successfully launched at 4:25 a.m., Thursday, June 29, from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. During the 8-minute flight, 10 canisters about the size of a soft drink can were ejected in space, 6 to 12 miles away from the 670-pound main payload. The canisters deployed blue-green and red vapor that formed artificial clouds visible from New York to North Carolina. During an ionosphere or aurora science mission, these clouds, or vapor tracers, allow scientists on the ground to visually track particle motions in space. The development of the multi-canister ampoule ejection system will allow scientists to gather information over a much larger area than previously possible when deploying the tracers just from the main payload. Read more here: www.nasa.gov/feature/wallops/2017/nasa-sounding-rocket-wi... 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

MASERATI: a RocketBorne tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer.

PubMed

Lübken, F J; Dingler, F; von Lucke, H; Anders, J; Riedel, W J; Wolf, H

1999-09-01

The MASERATI (middle-atmosphere spectrometric experiment on rockets for analysis of trace-gas influences) instrument is, to our knowledge, the first rocket-borne tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer that was developed for in situ measurements of trace gases in the middle atmosphere. Infrared absorption spectroscopy with lead salt diode lasers is applied to measure water vapor and carbon dioxide in the altitude range from 50 to 90 km and 120 km, respectively. The laser beams are directed into an open multiple-pass absorption setup (total path length 31.7 m) that is mounted on top of a sounding rocket and that is directly exposed to ambient air. The two species are sampled alternately with a sampling time of 7.37 ms, each corresponding to an altitude resolution of approximately 15 m. Frequency-modulation and lock-in techniques are used to achieve high sensitivity. Tests in the laboratory have shown that the instrument is capable of detecting a very small relative absorbance of 10(-4)-10(-5) when integrating spectra for 1 s. The instrument is designed and qualified to resist the mechanical stress occurring during the start of a sounding rocket and to be operational during the cruising phase of the flight when accelerations are very small. Two almost identical versions of the MASERATI instrument were built and were launched on sounding rockets from the Andøya Rocket Range (69 degrees N) in northern Norway on 12 October 1997 and on 31 January 1998. The good technical performance of the instruments during these flights has demonstrated that MASERATI is indeed a new suitable tool to perform rocket-borne in situ measurements in the upper atmosphere.

Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) locomotion during a sounding rocket flight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Mark S.; Keller, Tony S.

2008-05-01

The locomotor activity of young Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) was studied during a Nike-Orion sounding rocket flight, which included a short-duration microgravity exposure. An infrared monitoring system was used to determine the activity level, instantaneous velocity, and continuous velocity of 240 (120 male, 120 female) fruit flies. Individual flies were placed in chambers that limit their motion to walking. Chambers were oriented both vertically and horizontally with respect to the rocket's longitudinal axis. Significant changes in Drosophila locomotion patterns were observed throughout the sounding rocket flight, including launch, microgravity exposure, payload re-entry, and after ocean impact. During the microgravity portion of the flight (3.8 min), large increases in all locomotion measurements for both sexes were observed, with some measurements doubling compared to pad (1 G) data. Initial effects of microgravity were probably delayed due to large accelerations from the payload despining immediately before entering microgravity. The results indicate that short-duration microgravity exposure has a large effect on locomotor activity for both males and females, at least for a short period of time. The locomotion increases may explain the increased male aging observed during long-duration exposure to microgravity. Studies focusing on long-duration microgravity exposure are needed to confirm these findings, and the relationship of increased aging and locomotion.

NASA launches student experiments from Wallops

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-08-12

NASA launched a Terrier-Improved Malemute suborbital sounding rocket carrying the RockSat-X payload with university and community college student experiments at 6:04 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Aug. 12, from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facilityin Virginia. More than 60 students and instructors from across the continental United States, Hawaii and Puerto Rico were on hand to witness the launch of their experiments. The payload flew to an altitude of about 97 miles and descended via parachute into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Wallops. Payload recovery operations began after lift-off. Developed by students from seven higher education programs, the experiments flew through the RockSat-X program in conjunction with the Colorado Space Grant Consortium. Participating institutions in this flight are the University of Colorado, Boulder; Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho; the University of Puerto Rico; the University of Nebraska, Lincoln; Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg; Capitol Technology University, Laurel, Maryland; and University of Hawai'i Community Colleges at the Honolulu, Kapi'olani, Kaua'i, and Windward campuses. The next launch scheduled from Wallops is a NASA Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket carrying several technology development instruments. The launch is scheduled between 7 and 7:41 p.m. Sept. 29. The backup launch days are Sept. 30 through Oct. 12. 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

X-1 launch from B-29 mothership

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1947-01-01

The first of the rocket-powered research aircraft, the X-1 (originally designated the XS-1), was a bullet-shaped airplane that was built by the Bell Aircraft Company for the US Air Force and the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA). The mission of the X-1 was to investigate the transonic speed range (speeds from just below to just above the speed of sound) and, if possible, to break the 'sound barrier'. The first of the three X-1s was glide-tested at Pinecastle Air Force Base, FL, in early 1946. The first powered flight of the X-1 was made on Dec. 9, 1946, at Edwards Air Force Base with Chalmers Goodlin, a Bell test pilot, at the controls. On Oct. 14, 1947, with USAF Captain Charles 'Chuck' Yeager as pilot, the aircraft flew faster than the speed of sound for the first time. Captain Yeager ignited the four-chambered XLR-11 rocket engines after being air-launched from under the bomb bay of a B-29 at 21,000 ft. The 6,000-lb thrust ethyl alcohol/liquid oxygen burning rockets, built by Reaction Motors, Inc., pushed him up to a speed of 700 mph in level flight. Captain Yeager was also the pilot when the X-1 reached its maximum speed of 957 mph. Another USAF pilot. Lt. Col. Frank Everest, Jr., was credited with taking the X-1 to its maximum altitude of 71,902 ft. Eighteen pilots in all flew the X-1s. The number three plane was destroyed in a fire before ever making any powered flights. A single-place monoplane, the X-1 was 31 ft long, 10 ft high, and had a wingspan of 29 ft. It weighed 4,900 lb and carried 8,200 lb of fuel. It had a flush cockpit with a side entrance and no ejection seat. This roughly 30-second video clip shows the X-1 launched from a B-29, ignition of the XLR-11 rocket engine, and the succeeding flight, including a roll. At one point, the video shows observers of the flight from the ground.

KSC-00pp0541

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-04-21

The GOES-L satellite is lifted up the gantry on pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. the Atlas IIA is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the 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. Launch is scheduled for May 3

KSC00pp0541

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-04-21

The GOES-L satellite is lifted up the gantry on pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. the Atlas IIA is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the 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. Launch is scheduled for May 3

Modulations of MLT turbulence by waves observed during the WADIS sounding rocket project.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strelnikov, Boris; Latteck, Ralph; Strelnikova, Irina; Lübken, Franz-Josef; Baumgarten, Gerd; Rapp, Markus

2017-04-01

The WADIS project (WAve propagation and DISsipation in the middle atmosphere) aimed at studying waves, their dissipation, and effects on trace constituents. Among other things, it addressed the question of the variability of MLT turbulence, both in time and space. A unique feature of the WADIS project was multi-point turbulence sounding applying different measurement techniques including rocket-borne ionization gauges, VHF MAARSY radar, and VHF EISCAT radar in Tromsø. The project comprised two sounding rocket campaigns conducted at the Andøya Space Center (69 °N, 16 °E). One sounding rocket was launched in summer 2013 and one in winter 2015. The joint in-situ and ground-based observations showed horizontal variability of the turbulence field in the MLT at scales from a few to 100 km. We found that the turbulence dissipation rate varied in space in a wave-like manner both horizontally and in the vertical direction. This wave-like modulation reveals the same vertical wavelengths as those seen in gravity waves. We also found that vertical mean value of radar turbulence observations reveals wave-like modulation in time domain. This time variability results in up to two orders of magnitude change of the energy dissipation values with periods of 24 h. It also shows 12 h and shorter ( hours) modulations resulting in one decade variation. In this paper we present recent measurement results of turbulence-mean flow interaction and discuss possible reasons of the observed modulations.

Four Decades of Space-Borne Radio Sounding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benson, Robert F.

2010-01-01

A review is given of the 38 rocket, satellite, and planetary payloads dedicated to ionospheric/magnetospheric radio sounding since 1961. Between 1961 and 1995, eleven sounding-rocket payloads from four countries evolved from proof-of-concept flights to sophisticated instruments. Some involved dual payloads, with the sounder transmitter on one and the sounder receiver on the other. The rocket sounders addressed specific space-plasma-wave questions, and provided improved measurements of ionospheric electron-density (N(sub e)) field-aligned irregularities (FAI). Four countries launched 12 ionospheric topside-sounder satellites between 1962 and 1994, and an ionospheric sounder was placed on the Mir Space Station in 1998. Eleven magnetospheric radio sounders, most of the relaxation type, were launched from 1977 to 2000. The relaxation sounders used low-power transmitters, designed to stimulate plasma resonances for accurate local Ne determinations. The latest magnetospheric sounder designed for remote sensing incorporated long antennas and digital signal processing techniques to overcome the challenges posed by low Ne values and large propagation distances. Three radio sounders from three countries were included on payloads to extraterrestrial destinations from 1990 to 2003. The scientific accomplishments of space-borne radio sounders included (1) a wealth of global N(sub e) information on the topside ionosphere and magnetosphere, based on vertical and magnetic-field-aligned N(sub e) profiles; (2) accurate in-situ N(sub e) values, even under low-density conditions; and (3) fundamental advances in our understanding of the excitation and propagation of plasma waves, which have even led to the prediction of a new plasma-wave mode.

Saturn Apollo Program

NASA Image and Video Library

1965-01-01

Workers at the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Dynamic Test Stand install S-IB-200D, a dynamic test version of the Saturn IB launch vehicle's first stage, on January 11, 1965. MSFC Test Laboratory persornel assembled a complete Saturn IB to test the launch vehicle's structural soundness. Developed by the MSFC as an interim vehicle in MSFC's "building block" approach to the Saturn rocket development, the Saturn IB utilized Saturn I technology to further develop and refine the larger boosters and the Apollo spacecraft capabilities required for the manned lunar missions.

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.

Far-ultraviolet spectral images of comet Halley from sounding rockets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccoy, R. P.; Carruthers, G. R.; Opal, C. B.

1986-01-01

Far-ultraviolet images of comet Halley obtained from sounding rockets launched from White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, on 24 February and 13 March, 1986, are presented. Direct electrographic images of the hydrogen coma of the comet were obtained at the Lyman-alpha wavelength along with objective spectra containing images of the coma at the oxygen, carbon, and sulfur resonance multiplets. Analysis of the Lyman-alpha images yields hydrogen atom production rates of 1.9 x 10 to the 30th/s and 1.4 x 120 to the 30th/s for the two observations. Images of oxygen, carbon, and sulfur emissions obtained with the objective grating spectrograph are presented for the first set of observations and preliminary production rates are derived for these elements.

Feasibility study on the ultra-small launch vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashi, T.; Matsuo, H.; Yamamoto, H.; Orii, T.; Kimura, A.

1986-10-01

An idea for a very small satellite launcher and a very small satellite is presented. The launcher is a three staged solid rocket based on a Japanese single stage sounding rocket S-520. Its payload capability is estimated to be 17 kg into 200 x 1000 km elliptical orbit. The spin-stabilized satellite with sun-pointing capability, though small, has almost all functions necessary for usual satellites. In its design, universality is stressed to meet various kinds of mission interface requirements; it can afford 5 kg to mission instruments.

Pegasus Rocket Booster Being Prepared for X-43A/Hyper-X Flight Test

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-08-25

A close-up view of the front end of a Pegasus rocket booster being prepared by technicians at the Dryden Flight Research Center for flight tests with the X-43A "Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle," or "Hyper-X." The X-43A, which will be attached to the Pegasus booster and drop launched from NASA's B-52 mothership, was developed to research dual-mode ramjet/scramjet propulsion system at speeds from Mach 7 up to Mach 10 (7 to 10 times the speed of sound, which varies with temperature and altitude).

HF propagation results from the Metal Oxide Space Cloud (MOSC) experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Dev; Groves, Keith M.; McNeil, William; Carrano, Charles; Caton, Ronald G.; Parris, Richard T.; Pederson, Todd R.; Cannon, Paul S.; Angling, Matthew; Jackson-Booth, Natasha

2017-06-01

With support from the NASA sounding rocket program, the Air Force Research Laboratory launched two sounding rockets in the Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands in May 2013 known as the Metal Oxide Space Cloud experiment. The rockets released samarium metal vapor at preselected altitudes in the lower F region that ionized forming a plasma cloud. Data from Advanced Research Project Agency Long-range Tracking and Identification Radar incoherent scatter radar and high-frequency (HF) radio links have been analyzed to understand the impacts of the artificial ionization on radio wave propagation. The HF radio wave ray-tracing toolbox PHaRLAP along with ionospheric models constrained by electron density profiles measured with the ALTAIR radar have been used to successfully model the effects of the cloud on HF propagation. Up to three new propagation paths were created by the artificial plasma injections. Observations and modeling confirm that the small amounts of ionized material injected in the lower F region resulted in significant changes to the natural HF propagation environment.

NASA sounding rockets, 1958 - 1968: A historical summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corliss, W. R.

1971-01-01

The development and use of sounding rockets is traced from the Wac Corporal through the present generation of rockets. The Goddard Space Flight Center Sounding Rocket Program is discussed, and the use of sounding rockets during the IGY and the 1960's is described. Advantages of sounding rockets are identified as their simplicity and payload simplicity, low costs, payload recoverability, geographic flexibility, and temporal flexibility. The disadvantages are restricted time of observation, localized coverage, and payload limitations. Descriptions of major sounding rockets, trends in vehicle usage, and a compendium of NASA sounding rocket firings are also included.

Foam formation in low gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wessling, Francis C.; Mcmanus, Samuel P.; Matthews, John; Patel, Darayas

1990-01-01

An apparatus that produced the first polyurethane foam in low gravity has been described. The chemicals were mixed together in an apparatus designed for operation in low gravity. Mixing was by means of stirring the chemicals with an electric motor and propeller in a mixing chamber. The apparatus was flown on Consort 1, the first low-gravity materials payload launched by a commercial rocket launch team. The sounding rocket flight produced over 7 min of low gravity during which a polyurethane spheroidal foam of approximately 2300 cu cm was formed. Photographs of the formation of the foam during the flight show the development of the spheroidal form. This begins as a small sphere and grows to approximately a 17-cm-diam spheroid. The apparatus will be flown again on subsequent low-gravity flights.

Bacillus subtilis spores on artificial meteorites survive hypervelocity atmospheric entry: implications for Lithopanspermia.

PubMed

Fajardo-Cavazos, Patricia; Link, Lindsey; Melosh, H Jay; Nicholson, Wayne L

2005-12-01

An important but untested aspect of the lithopanspermia hypothesis is that microbes situated on or within meteorites could survive hypervelocity entry from space through Earth's atmosphere. The use of high-altitude sounding rockets to test this notion was explored. Granite samples permeated with spores of Bacillus subtilis strain WN511 were attached to the exterior telemetry module of a sounding rocket and launched from White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico into space, reaching maximum atmospheric entry velocity of 1.2 km/s. Maximum recorded temperature during the flight was measured at 145 degrees C. The surfaces of the post-flight granite samples were swabbed and tested for recovery and survival of WN511 spores, using genetic markers and the unique DNA fingerprint of WN511 as recovery criteria. Spore survivors were isolated at high frequency, ranging from 1.2% to 4.4% compared with ground controls, from all surfaces except the forward-facing surface. Sporulation-defective mutants were noted among the spaceflight survivors at high frequency (4%). These experiments constitute the first report of spore survival to hypervelocity atmospheric transit, and indicate that sounding rocket flights can be used to model the high-speed atmospheric entry of bacteria-laden artificial meteorites.

Bacillus subtilis Spores on Artificial Meteorites Survive Hypervelocity Atmospheric Entry: Implications for Lithopanspermia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fajardo-Cavazos, Patricia; Link, Lindsey; Melosh, H. Jay; Nicholson, Wayne L.

2005-12-01

An important but untested aspect of the lithopanspermia hypothesis is that microbes situated on or within meteorites could survive hypervelocity entry from space through Earth's atmosphere. The use of high-altitude sounding rockets to test this notion was explored. Granite samples permeated with spores of Bacillus subtilis strain WN511 were attached to the exterior telemetry module of a sounding rocket and launched from White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico into space, reaching maximum atmospheric entry velocity of 1.2 km/s. Maximum recorded temperature during the flight was measured at 145°C. The surfaces of the post-flight granite samples were swabbed and tested for recovery and survival of WN511 spores, using genetic markers and the unique DNA fingerprint of WN511 as recovery criteria. Spore survivors were isolated at high frequency, ranging from 1.2% to 4.4% compared with ground controls, from all surfaces except the forward-facing surface. Sporulation-defective mutants were noted among the spaceflight survivors at high frequency (4%). These experiments constitute the first report of spore survival to hypervelocity atmospheric transit, and indicate that sounding rocket flights can be used to model the high-speed atmospheric entry of bacteria-laden artificial meteorites.

KSC-2014-4398

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-10-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician on a work platform carefully removes the window covers on Orion before the fourth and final Ogive panel is installed around the spacecraft and Launch Abort System. The Ogive panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration, which will make for a much smoother ride for the astronauts who will ride inside Orion in the future. The work marked the final major assembly steps for the spacecraft before it is transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November. 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 in December 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, and in 2018 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: Ben Smegelsky

Bulgarian singer Dyana presents PA Director Dickinson with her new CD on STS-90 launch day

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

David Dickinson, the acting director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Public Affairs Office at Kennedy Space Center, accepts a copy of Bulgarian singer Dyana Dafova's latest compact disc (CD) from her on behalf of NASA. The 525-foot tall Vehicle Assembly Building, where Space Shuttle orbiters are mated to their external tank/solid rocket booster stacks, looms in the background. Dyana is touring the United States to promote her CD, entitled 'Sounds of the Earth,' and was an invited guest of NASA for the launch of Columbia on STS-90, the Neurolab mission, earlier in the day. Columbia lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at 2:19 p.m. EDT. Dyana characterized the music on her CD as a new sound, incorporating jazz and new age classics, sung in a newly created language comprised of Bulgarian, English, Sanskrit, Aramski and Hebrew.

Small Space Launch: Origins & Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freeman, T.; Delarosa, J.

2010-09-01

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

Self-absorption theory applied to rocket measurements of the nitric oxide (1, 0) gamma band in the daytime thermosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eparvier, F. G.; Barth, C. A.

1992-01-01

Observations of the UV fluorescent emissions of the NO (1, 0) and (0, 1) gamma bands in the lower-thermospheric dayglow, made with a sounding rocket launched on March 7, 1989 from Poker Flat, Alaska, were analyzed. The resonant (1, 0) gamma band was found to be attenuated below an altitude of about 120 km. A self-absorption model based on Holstein transmission functions was developed for the resonant (1, 0) gamma band under varying conditions of slant column density and temperature and was applied for the conditions of the rocket flight. The results of the model agreed with the measured attenuation of the band, indicating the necessity of including self-absorption theory in the analysis of satellite and rocket limb data of NO.

-----SPACE TRANSPORTATION

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

The Fourth Flight of CHESS: Analysis of Interstellar H2 on the γ Ara Sightline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruczek, Nick E.; France, Kevin; Nell, Nicholas; Fleming, Brian

2018-06-01

In this talk, we describe the scientific motivation and technical development of the Colorado High-resolution Echelle Stellar Spectrograph (CHESS) sounding rocket, focusing on the preliminary science results for the fourth launch of the payload (CHESS-4). CHESS is a far ultraviolet rocket-borne instrument designed to study the atomic-to-molecular transitions within translucent cloud regions in the interstellar medium. CHESS-4 launched on 13 April 2018 aboard NASA/CU sounding rocket mission 36.333 UG. The target for this flight was γ Ara, a B1I star that is known to display a variable and equatorially enhanced stellar wind. We present flight results of interstellar molecular hydrogen excitation, including initial measurements of the column density and temperature, on the sightline. These results are compared to previous values that were calculated using the damping wings of low-J H2 absorption features in Copernicus spectra. We also present analogous flight data for the sightline toward β Sco, finding that the derived column density of the J” = 1 rotational level differs by a factor of ~2 when compared to the previous observations. We discuss the discrepancies between the two measurements and show that the source of the difference is likely due to the opacity of higher rotational levels contributing to the J” = 1 absorption wing, increasing the inferred column density in the previous work.

Water Flow Test at Launch Complex 39B

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-20

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

ARIM-1: The Atmospheric Refractive Index Measurements Sounding Rocket Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruiz, B. Ian (Editor)

1995-01-01

A conceptual design study of the ARIM-1 sounding rocket mission, whose goal is to study atmospheric turbulence in the tropopause region of the atmosphere, is presented. The study was conducted by an interdisciplinary team of students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks who were enrolled in a Space Systems Engineering course. The implementation of the ARIM-1 mission will be carried out by students participating in the Alaska Student Rocket Program (ASRP), with a projected launch date of August 1997. The ARIM-1 vehicle is a single stage sounding rocket with a 3:1 ogive nose cone, a payload diameter of 8 in., a motor diameter of 7.6 in., and an overall height of 17.0 ft including the four fins. Emphasis is placed on standardization of payload support systems. The thermosonde payload will measure the atmospheric turbulence by direct measurement of the temperature difference over a distance of one meter using two 3.45-micron 'hot-wire' probes. The recovery system consists of a 6 ft. diameter ribless guide surface drogue chute and a 33 ft. diameter main cross parachute designed to recover a payload of 31 pounds and slow its descent rate to 5 m/s through an altitude of 15 km. This document discusses the science objectives, mission analysis, payload mechanical configuration and structural design, recovery system, payload electronics, ground station, testing plans, and mission implementation.

KSC-2009-1623

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-02-06

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket carrying NASA's NOAA-N Prime satellite lifts off Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 2:22 a.m. PST Feb. 6, 2009. The countdown and launch were managed by Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Services Program. Built for NASA by Lockheed Martin, the satellite will improve weather forecasting and monitor the world for environmental events, as well as for distress signals for the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System. NOAA-N Prime is the fifth and last in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s current series of five polar-orbiting satellites with improved imaging and sounding capabilities. Photo credit: NASA/Carleton Bailie, VAFB-ULA

Wet Flow Test at Launch Complex 39B

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-20

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

DC Electric Field measurement in the Mid-latitude Ionosphere during MSTID by S-520-27 Sounding Rocket Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishisaka, K.; Yamamoto, M.; Yokoyama, T.; Tanaka, M.; Abe, T.; Kumamoto, A.

2015-12-01

In the middle latitude ionospheric F region, mainly in summer, wave structures of electron density that have wave length of 100-200 km and period of one hour are observed. This phenomena is called Medium Scale Traveling Ionosphiric Disturbance; MSTID. MSTID has been observed by GPS receiving network, and its characteristic were studied. In the past, MSTID was thought to be generated by the Perkins instability, but its growth ratio was too small to be effective so far smaller than the real. Recently coupling process between ionospheric E and F regions are studied by using two radars and by computer simulations. Through these studies, we now have hypothesis that MSTID is generated by the combination of E-F region coupling and Perkins instability. The S-520-27 sounding rocket experiment on E-layer and F-layer was planned in order to verify this hypothesis. S-520-27 sounding rocket was launched at 23:57 JST on 20th July, 2013 from JAXA Uchinoura Space Center. S-520-27 sounding rocket reached 316km height. The S-520-27 payload was equipped with Electric Field Detector (EFD) with a two set of orthogonal double probes to measure DC electric field in the spin plane of the payload. The electrodes of two double probe antennas were used to gather the potentials which were detected with high impedance pre-amplifier using the floating (unbiased) double probe technique. As a results of measurements of DC electric fields by the EFD, the natural electric field was about +/-5mV/m, and varied the direction from southeast to east. Then the electric field was mapped to the horizontal plane at 280km height along the geomagnetic field line. In this presentation, we show the detail result of DC electric field measurement by S-520-27 sounding rocket and then we discuss about the correlation between the natural electric field and TEC variation by using the GPS-TEC.

Space Shuttle Crawler Transporter Sound Attenuation Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Margasahayam, Ravi N.; MacDonald, Rod; Faszer, Clifford

2004-01-01

The crawler transporter (CT) is the world's largest tracked vehicle known, weighing 6 million pounds with a length of 131 feet and a width of 113 feet. The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has two CTs that were designed and built for the Apollo program in the 1960's, maintained and retrofitted for use in the Space Shuttle program. As a key element of the Space Shuttle ground systems, the crawler transports the entire 12-million-pound stack comprising the orbiter, the mobile launch platform (MLP), the external tank (ET), and the solid rocket boosters (SRB) from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the launch pad. This rollout, constituting a 3.5-5.0-mile journey at a top speed of 0.9 miles-per-hour, requires over 8 hours to reach either Launch Complex 39A or B. This activity is only a prelude to the spectacle of sound and fury of the Space Shuttle launch to orbit in less than 10 minutes and traveling at orbital velocities of Mach 24. This paper summarizes preliminary results from the Crawler Transporter Sound Attenuation Study, encompassing test and engineering analysis of significant sound sources to measure and record full frequency spectrum and intensity of the various noise sources and to analyze the conditions of vibration. Additionally, data such as ventilation criteria, plus operational procedures were considered to provide a comprehensive noise suppression design for implementation. To date, sound attenuation study and results on Crawler 2 have shown significant noise reductions ranging from 5 to 24 dBA.

NASA-funded sounding rocket to catch aurora in the act

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-01-22

The NASA-funded Ground-to-Rocket Electron-Electrodynamics Correlative Experiment, or GREECE, wants to understand aurora. Specifically, it will study classic auroral curls that swirl through the sky like cream in a cup of coffee. The GREECE instruments travel on a sounding rocket that launches for a ten-minute ride right through the heart of the aurora reaching its zenith over the native village of Venetie, Alaska. To study the curl structures, GREECE consists of two parts: ground-based imagers located in Venetie to track the aurora from the ground and the rocket to take measurements from the middle of the aurora itself. At their simplest, auroras are caused when particles from the sun funnel over to Earth's night side, generate electric currents, and trigger a shower of particles that strike oxygen and nitrogen some 60 to 200 miles up in Earth's atmosphere, releasing a flash of light. But the details are always more complicated, of course. Researchers wish to understand the aurora, and movement of plasma in general, at much smaller scales including such things as how different structures are formed there. This is a piece of information, which in turn, helps paint a picture of the sun-Earth connection and how energy and particles from the sun interact with Earth's own magnetic system, the magnetosphere. GREECE is a collaborative effort between SWRI, which developed particle instruments and the ground-based imaging, and the University of California, Berkeley, measuring the electric and magnetic fields. The launch is supported by a sounding rocket team from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va. The Poker Flat Research Range is operated by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Credit: NASA Goddard 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

GSDO PDR (Preliminary Design Review) Morning Meeting

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Ground Systems Development and Operations, or GSDO, Program completed its preliminary design review which allows development of the ground systems to proceed to detailed design. Representatives from NASA, its contractor partners and experts from across the aerospace industry met in the Mission Briefing Room inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to conclude the initial design and technology development phase. Completion of this review has validated that the baseline architecture is sound and aligns with the agency's exploration objectives. NASA is developing the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft to provide an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit, with the flexibility to launch spacecraft for crew and cargo missions, including to an asteroid and Mars. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch later this year atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for fiscal year 2018 on the Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

The Development of a Handbook for Astrobee F Performance and Stability Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, R. S.

1982-01-01

An astrobee F performance and stability analysis is presented, for use by the NASA Sounding Rocket Division. The performance analysis provides information regarding altitude, mach number, dynamic pressure, and velocity as functions of time since launch. It is found that payload weight has the greatest effect on performance, and performance prediction accuracy was calculated to remain within 1%. In addition, to assure sufficient flight stability, a predicted rigid-body static margin of at least 8% of the total vehicle length is required. Finally, fin cant angle predictions are given in order to achieve a 2.5 cycle per second burnout roll rate, based on obtaining 75% of the steady roll rate. It is noted that this method can be used by flight performance engineers to create a similar handbook for any sounding rocket series.

SubTec-7 Gives New Technologies a Flight Test

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA successfully launched the SubTec-7 payload on a Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket at 5:45 a.m. EDT, May 16, from the NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The payload flew to an altitude of about 154 miles before descending by parachute and landing in the Atlantic Ocean. SubTec-7 provided a flight test for more than 20 technologies to improve sounding rocket and spacecraft capabilities. Good data was received during the flight. The payload has been recovered. Credit: NASA/Wallops 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

FAR-ULTRAVIOLET DUST ALBEDO MEASUREMENTS IN THE UPPER SCORPIUS CLOUD USING THE SPINR SOUNDING ROCKET EXPERIMENT

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

Lewis, N. K.; Cook, T. A.; Wilton, K. P.

2009-11-20

The Spectrograph for Photometric Imaging with Numeric Reconstruction sounding rocket experiment was launched on 2000 August 4 to record far-ultraviolet (912-1450 A) spectral and spatial information for the giant reflection nebula in the Upper Scorpius region. The data were divided into three arbitrary bandpasses (912-1029 A, 1030-1200 A, and 1235-1450 A) for which stellar and nebular flux levels were derived. These flux measurements were used to constrain a radiative transfer model and to determine the dust albedo for the Upper Scorpius region. The resulting albedos were 0.28 +- 0.07 for the 912-1029 A bandpass, 0.33 +- 0.07 for the 1030-1200more » A bandpass, and 0.77 +- 0.13 for the 1235-1450 A bandpass.« less

Sounding of the Ion Energization Region: Resolving Ambiguities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LaBelle, James

2003-01-01

Dartmouth College provided a single-channel high-frequency wave receiver to the Sounding of the Ion Energization Region: Resolving Ambiguities (SIERRA) rocket experiment launched from Poker Flat, Alaska, in January 2002. The receiver used signals from booms, probes, preamplifiers, and differential amplifiers provided by Cornell University coinvestigators. Output was to a dedicated 5 MHz telemetry link provided by WFF, with a small amount of additional Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) telemetry required for the receiver gain information. We also performed preliminary analysis of the data. The work completed is outlined below, in chronological order.

The third flight of the Colorado high-resolution echelle stellar spectrograph (CHESS): improvements, calibrations, and preliminary results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruczek, Nicholas; Nell, Nicholas; France, Kevin; Hoadley, Keri; Fleming, Brian; Kane, Robert; Ulrich, Stefan; Egan, Arika; Beatty, Dawson

2017-08-01

In this proceeding, we describe the scientific motivation and technical development of the Colorado HighResolution Echelle Stellar Spectrograph (CHESS), focusing on the hardware advancements and testing of components for the third launch of the payload (CHESS-3). CHESS is a far ultraviolet rocket-borne instrument designed to study the atomic-to-molecular transitions within translucent cloud regions in the interstellar medium. CHESS is an objective echelle spectrograph, which uses a mechanically-ruled echelle and a powered (f/12.4) crossdispersing grating, and is designed to achieve a resolving power R > 100,000 over the bandpass λλ 1000-1600 Å. Results from final efficiency and reflectivity measurements for the optical components of CHESS-3 are presented. An important role of sounding rocket experiments is the testing and verification of the space flight capabilities of experimental technologies. CHESS-3 utilizes a 40mm-diameter cross-strip anode microchannel plate detector fabricated by Sensor Sciences LLC, capable of achieving high spatial resolution and a high global count rate (˜1 MHz). We present pre-flight laboratory spectra and calibration results, including wavelength solution and resolving power of the instrument. The fourth launch of CHESS (CHESS-4) will demonstrate a δ-doped CCD, assembled in collaboration with the Microdevices Laboratory at JPL and Arizona State University. In support of CHESS-4, the CHESS-3 payload included a photomultiplier tube, used as a secondary confirmation of the optical alignment of the payload during flight. CHESS-3 launched on 26 June 2017 aboard NASA/CU sounding rocket mission 36.323 UG. We present initial flight results for the CHESS-3 observation of the β1 Scorpii sightline.

Nonlinear acoustic propagation of launch vehicle and military jet aircraft noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gee, Kent L.

2010-10-01

The noise from launch vehicles and high-performance military jet aircraft has been shown to travel nonlinearly as a result of an amplitude-dependent speed of sound. Because acoustic pressure compressions travel faster than rarefactions, the waveform steepens and shocks form. This process results in a very different (and readily audible) noise signature and spectrum than predicted by linear models. On-going efforts to characterize the nonlinearity using statistical and spectral measures are described with examples from recent static tests of solid rocket boosters and the F-22 Raptor.

Saturn Apollo Program

NASA Image and Video Library

1960-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) workers hoist a dynamic test version of the S-IVB stage, the Saturn IB launch vehicle's second stage, into the Center's Dynamic Test Stand on January 18, 1965. MSFC Test Laboratory persornel assembled a complete Saturn IB to test the launch vehicle's structural soundness. Developed by the MSFC as an interim vehicle in MSFC's "building block" approach to the Saturn rocket development, the Saturn IB utilized Saturn I technology to further develop and refine the larger boosters and the Apollo spacecraft capabilities required for the manned lunar missions.

Saturn Apollo Program

NASA Image and Video Library

1965-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) workers lower S-IB-200D, a dynamic test version of the Saturn IB launch vehicle's first stage (S-IB stage), into the Center's Dynamic Test Stand on January 12, 1965. Test Laboratory persornel assembled a complete Saturn IB to test the structural soundness of the launch vehicle. Developed by the MSFC as an interim vehicle in MSFC's "building block" approach to Saturn rocket development, the Saturn IB utilized Saturn I technology to further develop and refine large boosters and the Apollo spacecraft capabilities required for the manned lunar missions.

Rocket observation of electron density irregularities in the lower E region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Yuzo; Nakamura, Yoshiharu; Amemiya, Hiroshi

Results are presented on measurements of local ionospheric electron density irregularities, in the size range 3-300 km, observed by a Langmuir probe on board the S-310-16 sounding rocket launched on February 1, 1986 from Kagoshima Space Center (Japan). Results of a frequency analysis of data indicates that the spectral index of the irregularities is 0.9 to 1.8 and the irregularity amplitude is 1 to 15 percent. The amplitude reaches its maximum at the 88 km altitude. The mechanism involved in the generation of these irregularities is explained in the framework of the neutral turbulence theory.

Rocket observations of the precipitation of electrons by ground VLF transmitters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnoldy, Roger L.; Kintner, Paul M.

1989-01-01

Recent results obtained with electric and magnetic receivers aboard a NASA sounding rocket launched on July 31, 1987 are presented which relate multiple electron spectral peaks observed in the bounce loss cone fluxes to the resonant interaction of electrons with VLF waves from ground transmitters. The correlation of transmitter signals passing through the ionosphere with the precipitated electrons was investigated. The analysis of these in situ wave and particle data addresses the propagation of waves through the ionosphere, and, through an application of the resonant theory, enables an estimation of the cold plasma density in the interaction region.

Multi-Phase Modeling of Rainbird Water Injection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vu, Bruce T.; Moss, Nicholas; Sampson, Zoe

2014-01-01

This paper describes the use of a Volume of Fluid (VOF) multiphase model to simulate the water injected from a rainbird nozzle used in the sound suppression system during launch. The simulations help determine the projectile motion for different water flow rates employed at the pad, as it is critical to know if water will splash on the first-stage rocket engine during liftoff.

Determination of the availability of appropriate aged flight rocket motors. [captive tests to determine case bond separation and grain bore cracking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, P. J.

1974-01-01

A program to identify surplus solid rocket propellant engines which would be available for a program of functional integrity testing was conducted. The engines are classified as: (1) upper stage and apogee engines, (2) sounding rocket and launch vehicle engines, and (3) jato, sled, and tactical engines. Nearly all the engines were available because their age exceeds the warranted shelf life. The preference for testing included tests at nominal flight conditions, at design limits, and to establish margin limits. The principal failure modes of interest were case bond separation and grain bore cracking. Data concerning the identification and characteristics of each engine are tabulated. Methods for conducting the tests are described.

STS-65 Columbia, OV-102, clears launch tower after liftoff from KSC LC 39A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, heads skyward after clearing the fixed service structure (FSS) tower at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) Pad 39A. Florida plant life appears in the foreground. The exhaust cloud produced by OV-102's solid rocket boosters (SRBs) covers the launch pad area with the exception of the sound suppression water system tower. OV-102's starboard side and the right SRB are visible from this angle. Launch occurred at 12:43 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Once in Earth orbit, STS-65's six NASA astronauts and a Japanese Payload Specialist aboard OV-102 will begin two weeks of experimentation in support of the second International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2).

Water Deluge Test at Launch Complex 39B

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-05-24

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

STS-65 Columbia, OV-102, clears launch tower after liftoff from KSC LC 39A

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-07-08

Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, heads skyward after clearing the fixed service structure (FSS) tower at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) Pad 39A. Florida plant life appears in the foreground. The exhaust cloud produced by OV-102's solid rocket boosters (SRBs) covers the launch pad area with the exception of the sound suppression water system tower. OV-102's starboard side and the right SRB are visible from this angle. Launch occurred at 12:43 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Once in Earth orbit, STS-65's six NASA astronauts and a Japanese Payload Specialist aboard OV-102 will begin two weeks of experimentation in support of the second International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2).

CWIS Experiment On Board REXUS-16 Sounding Rocket: Investigation of the Chemical Wave in Binary Mixture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tzevelecos, W.; Pugliese, A.; de Filippis, L.; Manzone, S.; Alfano, B.; Mancino, F.; Runge, W.; Desenfans, O.; Galand, Q.; Van Vaerenbergh, S.

2015-09-01

Chemical Wave in Soret Effect (CWIS) is an experiment launched in May 2014 on-board a REXUS sounding rocket from Esrange Space Center. The experiment was completely designed and assembled by students from different countries under an international collaboration between the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the University of Naples Federico II. This student program called REXUS/BEXUS allows students to perform experiments in space science applications under the supervision of the European Space Agency (ESA). The objective of the CWIS Team was to visualize the Chemical Wave (CW) during the transient of the Soret effect. The CW is a concentration front that rapidly propagates under thermal gradient in a liquid mixture, and which marks the beginning of the chemical separation phenomenon by thermodiffusion (the separation process is itself named Soret effect, but is usually analyzed statically). The selected mixture was a solution of Ethylene Glycol in Water and concentration variation due to thermal gradients was recorded using a modified Fizeau interferometer, with modifications designed to enlarge a very small region of the test cell using cylindrical squeezing. We recorded more than 100 images with the chemical information and in this paper work we will show the final results of the sounding rocket experiment.

THE ADIABATIC DEMAGNETIZATION REFRIGERATOR FOR THE MICRO-X SOUNDING ROCKET TELESCOPE

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

Wikus, P.; Bagdasarova, Y.; Figueroa-Feliciano, E.

2010-04-09

The Micro-X Imaging X-ray Spectrometer is a sounding rocket payload slated for launch in 2011. An array of Transition Edge Sensors, which is operated at a bath temperature of 50 mK, will be used to obtain a high resolution spectrum of the Puppis-A supernova remnant. An Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator (ADR) with a 75 gram Ferric Ammonium Alum (FAA) salt pill in the bore of a 4 T superconducting magnet provides a stable heat sink for the detector array only a few seconds after burnout of the rocket motors. This requires a cold stage design with very short thermal time constants.more » A suspension made from Kevlar strings holds the 255 gram cold stage in place. It is capable of withstanding loads in excess of 200 g. Stable operation of the TES array in proximity to the ADR magnet is ensured by a three-stage magnetic shielding system which consists of a superconducting can, a high-permeability shield and a bucking coil. The development and testing of the Micro-X payload is well underway.« less

Wavefront sensing in space: flight demonstration II of the PICTURE sounding rocket payload

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douglas, Ewan S.; Mendillo, Christopher B.; Cook, Timothy A.; Cahoy, Kerri L.; Chakrabarti, Supriya

2018-01-01

A NASA sounding rocket for high-contrast imaging with a visible nulling coronagraph, the Planet Imaging Concept Testbed Using a Rocket Experiment (PICTURE) payload, has made two suborbital attempts to observe the warm dust disk inferred around Epsilon Eridani. The first flight in 2011 demonstrated a 5 mas fine pointing system in space. The reduced flight data from the second launch, on November 25, 2015, presented herein, demonstrate active sensing of wavefront phase in space. Despite several anomalies in flight, postfacto reduction phase stepping interferometer data provide insight into the wavefront sensing precision and the system stability for a portion of the pupil. These measurements show the actuation of a 32 × 32-actuator microelectromechanical system deformable mirror. The wavefront sensor reached a median precision of 1.4 nm per pixel, with 95% of samples between 0.8 and 12.0 nm per pixel. The median system stability, including telescope and coronagraph wavefront errors other than tip, tilt, and piston, was 3.6 nm per pixel, with 95% of samples between 1.2 and 23.7 nm per pixel.

Solar Wind Charge Exchange and Local Hot Bubble X-Ray Emission with the DXL Sounding Rocket Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Galeazzi, M.; Collier, M. R.; Cravens, T.; Koutroumpa, D.; Kuntz, K. D.; Lepri, S.; McCammon, D.; Porter, F. S.; Prasai, K.; Robertson, I.;

Calibration and flight qualification of FORTIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleming, Brian T.; McCandliss, Stephan R.; Redwine, Keith; Kaiser, Mary Elizabeth; Kruk, Jeffery; Feldman, Paul D.; Kutyrev, Alexander S.; Li, Mary J.; Moseley, S. H.; Siegmund, Oswald; Vallerga, John; Martin, Adrian

2013-09-01

The Johns Hopkins University sounding rocket group has completed the assembly and calibration of the Far-ultraviolet Off Rowland-circle Telescope for Imaging and Spectroscopy (FORTIS); a sounding rocket borne multi-object spectro-telescope designed to provide spectral coverage of up to 43 separate targets in the 900 - 1800 Angstrom bandpass over a 30' x 30' field-of-view. FORTIS is capable of selecting the far-UV brightest regions of the target area by utilizing an autonomous targeting system. Medium resolution (R ~ 400) spectra are recorded in redundant dual-order spectroscopic channels with ~40 cm2 of effective area at 1216 Å. The maiden launch of FORTIS occurred on May 10, 2013 out of the White Sands Missile Range, targeting the extended spiral galaxy M61 and nearby companion NGC 4301. We report on the final flight calibrations of the instrument, as well as the flight results.

IRVE-II Post-Flight Trajectory Reconstruction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Keefe, Stephen A.; Bose, David M.

2010-01-01

NASA s Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE) II successfully demonstrated an inflatable aerodynamic decelerator after being launched aboard a sounding rocket from Wallops Flight Facility (WFF). Preliminary day of flight data compared well with pre-flight Monte Carlo analysis, and a more complete trajectory reconstruction performed with an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) approach followed. The reconstructed trajectory and comparisons to an attitude solution provided by NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract (NSROC) personnel at WFF are presented. Additional comparisons are made between the reconstructed trajectory and pre and post-flight Monte Carlo trajectory predictions. Alternative observations of the trajectory are summarized which leverage flight accelerometer measurements, the pre-flight aerodynamic database, and on-board flight video. Finally, analysis of the payload separation and aeroshell deployment events are presented. The flight trajectory is reconstructed to fidelity sufficient to assess overall project objectives related to flight dynamics and overall, IRVE-II flight dynamics are in line with expectations

Photopolarimetric Observations of CI(1657 Angstroms) and Dust Continuum Emissions from Comet Hale-Bopp with the WISP Sounding Rocket

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, W. M.; Nordsieck, K. H.; Scherb, F.; Mierkiewicz, E. J.

1997-07-01

We report on photopolarimetric observations of resonant emission from Carbon [CI(1657 Angstroms)] and scattered solar continuum from dust at 2800 Angstroms using the Wisconsin Imaging Survey Polarimeter (WISP). The WISP is a wide field (1.5deg x 4.8deg ) sounding rocket telescope originally designed for polarimetric observations of diffuse galactic light at a 1% photometric level. We will describe the initial results of our launch on 8 April, 1997 from the White Sands Missile range, including a discussion of the images obtained, and the results from supporting visible/near-infrared measurements of gas and dust from the Burrell Schmidt telescope, and spectroscopic observations of the CI(9850 Angstroms) metastable line from the McMath Pierce Solar Telescope. This research was supported by NASA grant NAG5-5091 and NSF grant AST-9615625.

KSC-04PD-1063

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04PD-1077

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A crimson and gold sunrise over the Central Florida coast begins illuminating Launch Pad 39A, where a water sound suppression test is to take place. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiters three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04PD-1064

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04PD-1075

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Water recedes from the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on Launch Pad 39A after the water sound suppression test. Workers and the media (left) were on hand to witness the rare event. This test was conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04PD-1062

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1063

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1065

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1075

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Water recedes from the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on Launch Pad 39A after the water sound suppression test. Workers and the media (left) were on hand to witness the rare event. This test was conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1064

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1077

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A crimson and gold sunrise over the Central Florida coast begins illuminating Launch Pad 39A, where a water sound suppression test is to take place. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter’s three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1062

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

MgII Observations Using the MSFC Solar Ultraviolet Magnetograph

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

West, Edward; Cirtain, Jonathan; Kobayashi, Ken; Davis, John; Gary, Allen; Adams, Mitzi

2011-01-01

This paper will describe the scientific goals of our sounding rocket program, the Solar Ultraviolet Magnetograph Investigation (SUMI). This paper will present a brief description of the optics that were developed to meet SUMI's scientific goals, discuss the spectral, spatial and polarization characteristics of SUMI s optics, describe SUMI's flight which was launched 7/30/2010, and discuss what we have learned from that flight.

U.S. Civilian Space Policy Priorities: Reflections 50 Years After Sputnik

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-03

the USSR launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite. Sputnik (Russian for “traveling companion”) was the size of a basketball and... elementary , secondary, and postsecondary science and mathematics education (including gifted education) and provided incentives for American students to...space suits, heat shields for spaceships, hybrid rocket motors , and hypersonic vehicles capable of traveling five or more times the speed of sound

The first Spanish space programme 1968 1974

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorado, José M.

2007-06-01

This paper presents the situation of the Spanish aeronautical industry in the early 1960s, the problems suffered during the first ESRO years, the situation in 1975 as a result of the first National Space Programme (1968-1974) and the specific developments carried out within that programme: the first Spanish satellite successfully launched in 1974 (INTASAT) and the first INTA sounding rockets launched from the own Arenosillo range. This justifies the importance of that Programme for the Spanish aeronautical industry, a programme that permitted its transition to the aerospace field. In parallel, agreements with NASA led to the installation of large space ground stations in Spain operated by INTA personnel, to support major NASA space missions, and to the operation of a very active rockets range. These actions allowed Spain to have one of the largest space sectors in Europe, in those years. This paper's purpose is to find out the main reasons behind this effort.

Water Deluge Test at Pad 39B

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-05-24

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

KSC-99pp0493

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-05-04

At Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., the fully encapsulated GOES-L weather satellite is ready for transfer to Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), GOES-L is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. After it is launched, the satellite will undergo checkout and then provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging operational satellites. Once in orbit, the satellite will become GOES-11, joining GOES-8, GOES-9 and GOES-10 in space. The GOES is scheduled for launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas II rocket later in May

KSC-99pp0488

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-05-04

At Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., the GOES-L weather satellite sits on a workstand, ready to be encapsulated for its transfer to Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. GOES is scheduled for launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas II rocket later in May. The fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), GOES-L is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. After it is launched, the satellite will undergo checkout and then provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging operational satellites. Once in orbit, the satellite will become GOES-11, joining GOES-8, GOES-9 and GOES-10 in space

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.

Experimenter's data package for the descending layers rocket

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Earle, Greg; Herrero, Fred; Foster, John; Buonsanto, Mike; Satya-Narayana, P.

1992-01-01

In response to a proposal from Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), NASA Headquarters has approved a sounding rocket mission designed to study the physics of intermediate layers in the Earth's ionosphere at middle latitudes. The experiment will be carried out by a team of scientists and engineers from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, SAIC, the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and the Millstone Hill radar observatory. The mission will involve the launch of an instrumented sounding rocket from the Wallops Island rocket range in the summer of 1994, with the objective of penetrating a descending ionized layer in the E-region between altitudes of 115 and 140 km. Instrumentation aboard the rocket will measure the ion and neutral composition of the layer, its plasma density, driving wind and electric field forces, the thermal ion distribution function, and electron temperature. Depending on payload weight constraints and subject to availability, a particle detector to measure energetic ion and/or electron fluxes near the layer may also be included. This document was prepared as a reference for the NASA payload development and experiment teams, for distribution at the Project Initiation Conference (PIC). The design specifications discussed herein are therefore of a preliminary nature; the intent is to promote open discussions between experimenters and NASA engineers that will lead to a final design capable of achieving the experiment objectives.

High Latitude Scintillations during the ICI-4 Rocket Campaign.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patra, S.; Moen, J.

2015-12-01

We present the first results from the Norwegian ICI-4 sounding rocket campaign in February 2015. The ICI-4 was launched into F-region auroral blobs from the Andøya Space Center. The multi needle langmuir probe (m-NLP) on board the rocket sampled the ionospheric density structures at a sub-meter spatial resolution. A multi-phase screen model has been developed to estimate the scintillations from the density measurements acquired on-board spacecrafts. The phase screen model is validated and the comparison of the estimated values with scintillations measured by ground receivers during the campaign will be presented. A combination of scintillation receivers in Svalbard and surrounding areas as well as all sky imagers at Ny Ålesund, Longyerbyen, and Skibotn are used to improve the performance of the model.

KSC-99pc16

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-05

Loral workers at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., deploy one of the solar panels of the GOES-L weather satellite, to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite

KSC-99pc18

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-05

Loral workers at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., check out the solar panels of the GOES-L weather satellite, to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite

KSC-99pc17

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-05

Loral workers at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., stand back as they deploy the solar panels of the GOES-L weather satellite. The satellite is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite

Saturn Apollo Program

NASA Image and Video Library

1965-01-01

S-IB-200D, a dynamic test version of the Saturn IB launch vehicle's first stage (S-IB), makes its way to the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) East Test Area on January 4, 1965. Test Laboratory persornel assembled a complete Saturn IB to test the structural soundness of the launch vehicle in the Dynamic Test Stand. Developed by the MSFC as an interim vehicle in MSFC's "building block" approach to the Saturn rocket development, the Saturn IB utilized Saturn I technology to further develop and refine the larger boosters and the Apollo spacecraft capabilities required for the manned lunar missions.

A rocket-borne data-manipulation experiment using a microprocessor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, L. L.; Smith, L. G.; Voss, H. D.

1979-01-01

The development of a data-manipulation experiment using a Z-80 microprocessor is described. The instrumentation is included in the payloads of two Nike Apache sounding rockets used in an investigation of energetic particle fluxes. The data from an array of solid-state detectors and an electrostatic analyzer is processed to give the energy spectrum as a function of pitch angle. The experiment performed well in its first flight test: Nike Apache 14.543 was launched from Wallops Island at 2315 EST on 19 June 1978. The system was designed to be easily adaptable to other data-manipulation requirements and some suggestions for further development are included.

GSDO PDR (Preliminary Design Review) Morning Meeting

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-20

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mike Bolger, program manager for the Ground Systems Development and Operations, or GSDO, Program speaks to participants during completion of the preliminary design review in the Mission Briefing Room inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Representatives from NASA, its contractor partners and experts from across the aerospace industry met in the Mission Briefing Room inside the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to conclude the initial design and technology development phase. Completion of this review has validated that the baseline architecture is sound and aligns with the agency's exploration objectives. NASA is developing the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft to provide an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit, with the flexibility to launch spacecraft for crew and cargo missions, including to an asteroid and Mars. Orion’s first unpiloted test flight is scheduled to launch later this year atop a Delta IV rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for fiscal year 2018 on the Space Launch System rocket. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Acoustic/infrasonic rocket engine signatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tenney, Stephen M.; Noble, John M.; Whitaker, Rodney W.; ReVelle, Douglas O.

2003-09-01

Infrasonics offers the potential of long-range acoustic detection of explosions, missiles and even sounds created by manufacturing plants. The atmosphere attenuates acoustic energy above 20 Hz quite rapidly, but signals below 10 Hz can propagate to long ranges. Space shuttle launches have been detected infrasonically from over 1000 km away and the Concorde airliner from over 400 km. This technology is based on microphones designed to respond to frequencies from .1 to 300 Hz that can be operated outdoors for extended periods of time with out degrading their performance. The US Army Research Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory have collected acoustic and infrasonic signatures of static engine testing of two missiles. Signatures were collected of a SCUD missile engine at Huntsville, AL and a Minuteman engine at Edwards AFB. The engines were fixed vertically in a test stand during the burn. We will show the typical time waveform signals of these static tests and spectrograms for each type. High resolution, 24-bit data were collected at 512 Hz and 16-bit acoustic data at 10 kHz. Edwards data were recorded at 250 Hz and 50 Hz using a Geotech Instruments 24 bit digitizer. Ranges from the test stand varied from 1 km to 5 km. Low level and upper level meteorological data was collected to provide full details of atmospheric propagation during the engine test. Infrasonic measurements were made with the Chaparral Physics Model 2 microphone with porous garden hose attached for wind noise suppression. A B&K microphone was used for high frequency acoustic measurements. Results show primarily a broadband signal with distinct initiation and completion points. There appear to be features present in the signals that would allow identification of missile type. At 5 km the acoustic/infrasonic signal was clearly present. Detection ranges for the types of missile signatures measured will be predicted based on atmospheric modeling. As part of an experiment conducted by ARL, sounding rocket launches have been detected from over 150 km. A variety of rockets launched from NASA"s Wallops Island facility were detected over a two year span. Arrays of microphones were able to create a line of bearing to the source of the launches that took place during different times of the year. This same experiment has been able to detect the space shuttle from over 1000 km on a regular basis. These two sources represent opposite ends of the target size, but they do demonstrate the potential for the detection and location of rocket launches.

Measurement and Characterization of Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor Plume Acoustics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kenny, Robert Jeremy

2009-01-01

NASA's current models to predict lift-off acoustics for launch vehicles are currently being updated using several numerical and empirical inputs. One empirical input comes from free-field acoustic data measured at three Space Shuttle Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) static firings. The measurements were collected by a joint collaboration between NASA - Marshall Space Flight Center, Wyle Labs, and ATK Launch Systems. For the first time NASA measured large-thrust solid rocket motor plume acoustics for evaluation of both noise sources and acoustic radiation properties. Over sixty acoustic free-field measurements were taken over the three static firings to support evaluation of acoustic radiation near the rocket plume, far-field acoustic radiation patterns, plume acoustic power efficiencies, and apparent noise source locations within the plume. At approximately 67 m off nozzle centerline and 70 m downstream of the nozzle exit plan, the measured overall sound pressure level of the RSRM was 155 dB. Peak overall levels in the far field were over 140 dB at 300 m and 50-deg off of the RSRM thrust centerline. The successful collaboration has yielded valuable data that are being implemented into NASA's lift-off acoustic models, which will then be used to update predictions for Ares I and Ares V liftoff acoustic environments.

Heat Transfer by Thermo-capillary Convection -Sounding Rocket COMPERE Experiment SOURCE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dreyer, Michael; Fuhrmann, Eckart

The sounding rocket COMPERE experiment SOURCE was successfully flown on MASER 11, launched in Kiruna (ESRANGE), May 15th, 2008. SOURCE has been intended to partly ful-fill the scientific objectives of the European Space Agency (ESA) Microgravity Applications Program (MAP) project AO-2004-111 (Convective boiling and condensation). Three parties of principle investigators have been involved to design the experiment set-up: ZARM for thermo-capillary flows, IMFT (Toulouse, France) for boiling studies, EADS Astrium (Bremen, Ger-many) for depressurization. The topic of this paper is to study the effect of wall heat flux on the contact line of the free liquid surface and to obtain a correlation for a convective heat trans-fer coefficient. The experiment has been conducted along a predefined time line. A preheating sequence at ground was the first operation to achieve a well defined temperature evolution within the test cell and its environment inside the rocket. Nearly one minute after launch, the pressurized test cell was filled with the test liquid HFE-7000 until a certain fill level was reached. Then the free surface could be observed for 120 s without distortion. Afterwards, the first depressurization was started to induce subcooled boiling, the second one to start saturated boiling. The data from the flight consists of video images and temperature measurements in the liquid, the solid, and the gaseous phase. Data analysis provides the surface shape versus time and the corresponding apparent contact angle. Computational analysis provides information for the determination of the heat transfer coefficient in a compensated gravity environment where a flow is caused by the temperature difference between the hot wall and the cold liquid. The paper will deliver correlations for the effective contact angle and the heat transfer coefficient as a function of the relevant dimensionsless parameters as well as physical explanations for the observed behavior. The data will be used for benchmarking of commercial CFD codes and the tank design (using these codes) of future cryogenic upper stages. References Eckart Fuhrmann, Michael E. Dreyer, Description of the Sounding Rocket Experiment SOURCE, Microgravity sci. technol., 20/3-4, 206 (2008)

On use of hybrid rocket propulsion for suborbital vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okninski, Adam

2018-04-01

While the majority of operating suborbital rockets use solid rocket propulsion, recent advancements in the field of hybrid rocket motors lead to renewed interest in their use in sounding rockets. This paper presents results of optimisation of sounding rockets using hybrid propulsion. An overview of vehicles under development during the last decade, as well as heritage systems is provided. Different propellant combinations are discussed and their performance assessment is given. While Liquid Oxygen, Nitrous Oxide and Nitric Acid have been widely tested with various solid fuels in flight, Hydrogen Peroxide remains an oxidiser with very limited sounding rocket applications. The benefits of hybrid propulsion for sounding rockets are given. In case of hybrid rocket motors the thrust curve can be optimised for each flight, using a flow regulator, depending on the payload and mission. Results of studies concerning the optimal burn duration and nozzle selection are given. Specific considerations are provided for the Polish ILR-33 "Amber" sounding rocket. Low regression rates, which up to date were viewed as a drawback of hybrid propulsion may be used to the benefit of maximising rocket performance if small solid rocket boosters are used during the initial flight period. While increased interest in hybrid propulsion is present, no up-to-date reference concerning use of hybrid rocket propulsion for sounding rockets is available. The ultimate goal of the paper is to provide insight into the sensitivity of different design parameters on performance of hybrid sounding rockets and delve into the potential and challenges of using hybrid rocket technology for expendable suborbital applications.

KSC-98pc633

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-04-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- David Dickinson, the acting director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Public Affairs Office at Kennedy Space Center, accepts a copy of Bulgarian singer Dyana Dafova's latest compact disc (CD) from her on behalf of NASA. The 525-foot tall Vehicle Assembly Building, where Space Shuttle orbiters are mated to their external tank/solid rocket booster stacks, looms in the background. Dyana is touring the United States to promote her CD, entitled "Sounds of the Earth," and was an invited guest of NASA for the launch of Columbia on STS-90, the Neurolab mission, earlier in the day. Columbia lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at 2:19 p.m. EDT. Dyana characterized the music on her CD as a new sound, incorporating jazz and new age classics, sung in a newly created language comprised of Bulgarian, English, Sanskrit, Aramski and Hebrew

Sounding rocket and balloon flight safety philosophy and methodologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beyma, R. J.

1986-01-01

NASA's sounding rocket and balloon goal is to successfully and safely perform scientific research. This is reflected in the design, planning, and conduct of sounding rocket and balloon operations. The purpose of this paper is to acquaint the sounding rocket and balloon scientific community with flight safety philosophy and methodologies, and how range safety affects their programs. This paper presents the flight safety philosophy for protecting the public against the risk created by the conduct of sounding rocket and balloon operations. The flight safety criteria used to implement this philosophy are defined and the methodologies used to calculate mission risk are described.

Test of a life support system with Hirudo medicinalis in a sounding rocket.

PubMed

Lotz, R G; Baum, P; Bowman, G H; Klein, K D; von Lohr, R; Schrotter, L

1972-01-01

Two Nike-Tomahawk rockets each carrying two Biosondes were launched from Wallops Island, Virginia, the first on 10 December 1970 and the second on 16 December 1970. The primary objective of both flights was to test the Biosonde life support system under a near weightless environment and secondarily to subject the Hirudo medicinalis to the combined stresses of a rocket flight. The duration of the weightless environment was approximately 6.5 minutes. Data obtained during the flight by telemetry was used to ascertain the operation of the system and the movements of the leeches during flight. Based on the information obtained, it has been concluded that the operation of the Biosondes during the flight was similar to that observed in the laboratory. The experiment and equipment are described briefly and the flight results presented.

Research activities on Antarctic middle atmosphere by JARE 25th team

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hirasawa, T.; Eiwasaka, Y. AFTANAKA, M. agfujii, r.0 typ; Eiwasaka, Y. AFTANAKA, M. agfujii, r.0 typ

1985-01-01

The Antarctic Middle Atmosphere (AMA)-Japan research project was set about by the JARE (Japan Antarctic Research Expedition) 23rd team in 1982, and since then the JARE-24th and JARE-25th teams have been continuing reseach on the Antarctic Middle Atmosphere. Results gained by JARE-25th team members who are now working at Syowa Station (69.99 deg S, 39.35 deg E), Antarctica are presented. In their activities satellite measurements (Exos-C) and rocket soundings are used. Three rockets of the S310 type were launched at Syowa Station (Geomagnetic Latitude = 69.9 deg S) for the purpose of directly observing the electron density, ionospheric temperature, auroral patterns and luminosity in situ. Vertical profiles of electron density and auroral emission 4278A measured by three rockets are compared.

Post-launch analysis of the deployment dynamics of a space web sounding rocket experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Huina; Sinn, Thomas; Vasile, Massimiliano; Tibert, Gunnar

2016-10-01

Lightweight deployable space webs have been proposed as platforms or frames for a construction of structures in space where centrifugal forces enable deployment and stabilization. The Suaineadh project was aimed to deploy a 2 × 2m2 space web by centrifugal forces in milli-gravity conditions and act as a test bed for the space web technology. Data from former sounding rocket experiments, ground tests and simulations were used to design the structure, the folding pattern and control parameters. A developed control law and a reaction wheel were used to control the deployment. After ejection from the rocket, the web was deployed but entanglements occurred since the web did not start to deploy at the specified angular velocity. The deployment dynamics was reconstructed from the information recorded in inertial measurement units and cameras. The nonlinear torque of the motor used to drive the reaction wheel was calculated from the results. Simulations show that if the Suaineadh started to deploy at the specified angular velocity, the web would most likely have been deployed and stabilized in space by the motor, reaction wheel and controller used in the experiment.

Correction of Electron Density Profiles in the Low Ionosphere Based on the Data of Vertical Sounding with the IRI Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denisenko, P. F.; Maltseva, O. A.; Sotsky, V. V.

2018-03-01

The method of correcting the daytime vertical profiles of electron plasma frequency in the low ionosphere from International Refererence Ionosphere (IRI) model in accordance with the measured data of the virtual heights and absorption of signal radiowaves (method A1) reflected from the bottom of E-region at vertical sounding (VS) is presented. The method is based on the replacement of the IRI model profile by an approximation of analytical dependence with parameters determined according to VS data and partially by the IRI model. The method is tested by the results of four joint ground-based and rocket experiments carried out in the 1970s at midlatitudes of the European part of Russia upon the launches of high-altitude geophysical rockets of the Vertical series. It is shown that the consideration of both virtual reflection heigths and absorption makes it possible to obtain electron density distributions that show the best agreement with the rocket measurements made at most height ranges in the D- and E-regions. In additional, the obtained distributions account more adequately than the IRI model for the contributions of D- and E-regions to absorption of signals reflected above these regions.

KSC-04pd1066

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. Because of the unusual event, media and workers watch from nearby vantage points on the Fixed Service Structure (left). This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released for launch just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

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

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

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

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

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

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

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

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

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

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

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

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

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

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

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

Indian space transportation programme: Near term outlook and issues for commercialisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagendra, Narayan Prasad

2015-05-01

The Indian space transportation programme has grown from strength to strength with the launching of sounding rockets in the 60's to the development of heavy lift vehicles for telecommunication satellites in the present decade. With the growing market confidence in Indian Space Research Organisation's ability to reliably deliver payloads to low Earth orbit with its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, there is an inherent opportunity for India to cater to the commercial market. The present work assesses the current launch capacity of India in retrospect of international launches and provides India's outlook for the space transportation in the current decade. Launch capacity correlation with the requirements within the Indian space programme as well as the current space transportation infrastructure have been considered to identify bottlenecks in catering to the current national requirements alongside securing a greater market share in the international launch market. The state of commercialisation of launch vehicle development has been presented to provide an overview of policy and organisational issues for commercialisation of space transportation in India.

KSC-99pc26

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-07

Loral workers at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., perform an illumination test for circuitry verification on the solar panel of the GOES-L weather satellite. The satellite is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite

KSC-99pc30

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-07

During an illumination test, a Loral worker at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., verifies circuitry on the solar panel of the GOES-L weather satellite. The satellite is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite

KSC-99pc27

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-07

A Loral worker at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., assists with an illumination test for circuitry verification on the solar panel of the GOES-L weather satellite. The satellite is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite

KSC-99pc28

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-07

During an illumination test, a Loral worker at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., verifies circuitry on the solar panel of the GOES-L weather satellite. The satellite is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite

Auroral Current and Electrodynamics Structure (ACES) Observations of Ionospheric Feedback in the Alfven Resonator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, Ian J.; Lessard, Marc; Lund, Eric J.; Bounds, Scott R.; Kletzing, Craig; Kaeppler, Stephen R.; Sigsbee, Kristine M.; Streltsov, Anatoly V.; Labelle, James W.; Dombrowski, Micah P.;

CLASP: A UV Spectropolarimeter on a Sounding Rocket for Probing theChromosphere-Corona Transition Regio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishikawa, Ryohko; Kano, Ryouhei; Winebarger, Amy; Auchere, Frederic; Trujillo Bueno, Javier; Bando, Takamasa; Narukage, Noriyuki; Kobayashi, Ken; Katsukawa, Yukio; Kubo, Masahito; Ishikawa, Shin-nosuke; Giono, Gabriel; Tsuneta, Saku; Hara, Hirohisa; Suematsu, Yoshinori; Shimizu, Toshifumi; Sakao, Taro; Ichimoto, Kiyoshi; Cirtain, Jonathan; De Pontieu, Bart; Casini, Roberto; Manso Sainz, Rafael; Asensio Ramos, Andres; Stepan, Jiri; Belluzzi, Luca

2015-08-01

The wish to understand the energetic phenomena of the outer solar atmosphere makes it increasingly important to achieve quantitative information on the magnetic field in the chromosphere-corona transition region. To this end, we need to measure and model the linear polarization produced by scattering processes and the Hanle effect in strong UV resonance lines, such as the hydrogen Lyman-alpha line. A team consisting of Japan, USA, Spain, France, and Norway has been developing a sounding rocket experiment called the Chromospheric Lyman-alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP). The aim is to detect the scattering polarization produced by anisotropic radiation pumping in the hydrogen Lyman-alpha line (121.6 nm), and via the Hanle effect to try to constrain the magnetic field vector in the upper chromosphere and transition region. In this talk, we will present an overview of our CLASP mission, its scientific objectives, ground tests made, and the latest information on the launch planned for the Summer of 2015.

DAQ: Software Architecture for Data Acquisition in Sounding Rockets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ahmad, Mohammad; Tran, Thanh; Nichols, Heidi; Bowles-Martinez, Jessica N.

2011-01-01

A multithreaded software application was developed by Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) to collect a set of correlated imagery, Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and GPS data for a Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) sounding rocket flight. The data set will be used to advance Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) technology algorithms being researched at JPL. This paper describes the software architecture and the tests used to meet the timing and data rate requirements for the software used to collect the dataset. Also discussed are the challenges of using commercial off the shelf (COTS) flight hardware and open source software. This includes multiple Camera Link (C-link) based cameras, a Pentium-M based computer, and Linux Fedora 11 operating system. Additionally, the paper talks about the history of the software architecture's usage in other JPL projects and its applicability for future missions, such as cubesats, UAVs, and research planes/balloons. Also talked about will be the human aspect of project especially JPL's Phaeton program and the results of the launch.

KSC-04PD-1072

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From vantage points on the Fixed Service Structure (bottom right and left) on Launch Pad 39A, workers and the media look down upon the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at the start of a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04PD-1074

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Water is released onto the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on Launch Pad 39A at the start of a water sound suppression test. Workers and the media (left) are on hand to witness the rare event. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04PD-1073

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Water is released onto the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on Launch Pad 39A at the start of a water sound suppression test. Workers and the media (left) are on hand to witness the rare event. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04PD-1076

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Some water remains on the surface of the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on Launch Pad 39A after a water sound suppression test. Workers and the media (left) were on hand to witness the rare event. This test was conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1073

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Water is released onto the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on Launch Pad 39A at the start of a water sound suppression test. Workers and the media (left) are on hand to witness the rare event. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1071

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From vantage points on the Fixed Service Structure (left) on Launch Pad 39A, workers and the media look down upon the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) waiting for the start of a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1074

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Water is released onto the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on Launch Pad 39A at the start of a water sound suppression test. Workers and the media (left) are on hand to witness the rare event. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1076

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Some water remains on the surface of the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) on Launch Pad 39A after a water sound suppression test. Workers and the media (left) were on hand to witness the rare event. This test was conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1070

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From vantage points on the Fixed Service Structure (left) on Launch Pad 39A, workers and the media look down upon the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) waiting for the start of a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1072

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From vantage points on the Fixed Service Structure (bottom right and left) on Launch Pad 39A, workers and the media look down upon the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at the start of a water sound suppression test. This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

Flight demonstration of a milliarcsecond pointing system for direct exoplanet imaging.

PubMed

Mendillo, Christopher B; Chakrabarti, Supriya; Cook, Timothy A; Hicks, Brian A; Lane, Benjamin F

2012-10-10

We present flight results from the optical pointing control system onboard the Planetary Imaging Concept Testbed Using a Rocket Experiment (PICTURE) sounding rocket. PICTURE (NASA mission number: 36.225 UG) was launched on 8 October 2011, from White Sands Missile Range. It attempted to directly image the exozodiacal dust disk of ϵ Eridani (K2V, 3.22 pc) down to an inner radius of 1.5 AU using a visible nulling coronagraph. The rocket attitude control system (ACS) provided 627 milliarcsecond (mas) RMS body pointing (~2'' peak-to-valley). The PICTURE fine pointing system (FPS) successfully stabilized the telescope beam to 5.1 mas (0.02λ/D) RMS using an angle tracker camera and fast steering mirror. This level of pointing stability is comparable to that of the Hubble Space Telescope. We present the hardware design of the FPS, a description of the limiting noise sources and a power spectral density analysis of the FPS and rocket ACS in-flight performance.

The third flight of CHESS: Preliminary analysis of interstellar H2 on the β1 Sco sightline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruczek, Nick; France, Kevin

2018-01-01

We describe the scientific motivation and technical development of the Colorado High-resolution Echelle Stellar Spectrograph (CHESS), focusing on the preliminary science results for the third launch of the payload (CHESS-3). CHESS is a far ultraviolet rocket-borne instrument designed to study the atomic-to-molecular transitions within translucent cloud regions in the interstellar medium. CHESS is an objective echelle spectrograph, which uses a mechanically-ruled echelle and a powered (f/12.4) cross-dispersing grating, and is designed to achieve a resolving power R > 100,000 over the band pass λλ 1000-1600 Å. CHESS-3 launched on 14 June 2017 aboard NASA/CU sounding rocket mission 36.323 UG. The target for the flight was β1 Sco, a B1V star with a sightline that is likely sampling translucent material. We present flight results of interstellar molecular hydrogen excitation, including initial measurements of the column density and temperature, on the sightline.

Sounding rocket/ground-based observation campaign to study Medium-Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (MSTID)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, M.; Yokoyama, T.; Saito, A.; Otsuka, Y.; Yamamoto, M.; Abe, T.; Watanabe, S.; Ishisaka, K.; Saito, S.; Larsen, M.; Pfaff, R. F.; Bernhardt, P. A.

2012-12-01

An observation campaign is under preparation. It is to launch sounding rockets S-520-27 and S-310-42 from Uchinoura Space Center of JAXA while ground-based instruments measure waves in the ionosphere. It is scheduled in July/August 2013. The main purpose of the experiment is to reveal generation mechanism of Medium-Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbance (MSTID). The MSTID is the ionospheric wave with 1-2 hour periodicity, 100-200 km horizontal wavelength, and southwestward propagation. It is enhanced in the summer nighttime of the mid-latitude ionosphere. The MSTID is not only a simple atmospheric-wave modulation of the ionosphere, but shows similarity to characteristics of the Perkins instability. A problem is that growth rate of the Perkins instability is too small to explain the phenomena. We now hypothesize a generation mechanism that electromagnetic coupling of the F- and E-regions help rapid growth of the MSTID especially at its initial stage. In the observation campaign, we will use the sounding rocket S-520-27 for in-situ measurement of ionospheric parameters, i.e., electron density and electric fields. Wind velocity measurements in both F- and E-regions are very important as well. For the F-region winds, we will conduct Lithium-release experiment under the full-moon condition. This is a big technical challenge. Another rocket S-310-42 will be used for the E-region wind measurement with the TMA release. On the ground, we will use GEONET (Japanese vast GPS receiver network) to monitor horizontal distribution of GPS-TEC on the realtime bases. In the presentation we will show MSTID characteristics and the proposed generation mechanism, and discuss plan and current status of the project.

Acceleration of electrons in strong beam-plasma interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilhelm, K.; Bernstein, W.; Kellogg, P. J.; Whalen, B. A.

1984-01-01

The effects of strong beam-plasma interactions on the electron population of the upper atmosphere have been investigated in an electron acceleration experiment performed with a sounding rocket. The rocket carried the Several Complex Experiments (SCEX) payload which included an electron accelerator, three disposable 'throwaway' detectors (TADs), and a stepped electron energy analyzer. The payload was launched in an auroral arc over the rocket at altitudes of 157 and 178 km, respectively. The performance characteristics of the instruments are discussed in detail. The data are combined with the results of laboratory measurements and show that electrons with energies of at least two and probably four times the injection energy of 2 keV were observed during strong beam-plasma interaction events. The interaction events occurred at pitch angles of 54 and 126 degrees. On the basis of the data it is proposed that the superenergization of the electrons is correlated with the length of the beam-plasma interaction region.

Thermospheric observations combining chemical seeding and ground-based techniques. I - Winds, turbulence and the parameters of the neutral atmosphere.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lloyd, K. H.; Low, C. H.; Mcavaney, B. J.; Rees, D.; Roper, R. G.

1972-01-01

Two Skylark sounding rockets carrying chemical seeding payloads were launched from Woomera, South Australia (31 S, 137 E) in October 1969. In conjunction with these firings, the University of Adelaide conducted ground-based experiments on the upper atmosphere using the radio meteor and spaced receiver drift methods. This paper presents the measurements of properties of the neutral atmosphere above 90 km which were obtained from these experiments.

The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ishikawa, Shin-nosuke; Kano, R.; Kobayashi, K.; Bando, T.; Narukage, N..; Ishikawa, R.; Kubo, M.; Katsukawa, Y.; Suematsu, Y.; Hara, H.;

A Sounding Rocket Experiment for the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kubo, M.; Kano, R.; Kobayashi, K.; Ishikawa, R.; Bando, T.; Narukage, N.; Katsukawa, Y.; Ishikawa, S.; Suematsu, Y.; Hara, H.;

Neutral Wind Observations below 200 km altitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, S.; Abe, T.; Habu, H.; Kakinami, Y.; Larsen, M. F.; Pfaff, R. F., Jr.; Yamamoto, M.

2015-12-01

Neutral Wind Observations below 200 km altitudesS. Watanabe1, T. Abe2, H. Habu2, Y. Kakinami3, M. Larsen4, R. Pfaff5, M. Yamamoto6, M-Y. Yamamoto31Hokkaido University/Hokkaido Information University, 2JAXA/ISAS, 3Kochi University of Technology, 4Clemson University, 5NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, 6Kyoto University, Neutral wind in the thermosphere is one of the key parameters to understand the ionosphere-thermosphere coupling process. JAXA/ISAS successfully launched sounding rockets from Uchinoura Space Center (USC) on September 2, 2007, January 12, 2012, and July 20, 2013, and NASA launched sounding rockets from Kwajalein on May 7, 2013 and from Wallops on July 4, 2013. The rockets installed Lithium and/or TMA canisters as well as instruments for plasma and electric and magnetic fields. The atomic Lithium gases were released at altitudes between 150 km and 300 km in the evening on September 2, 2007, at altitude of ~100 km in the morning on January 12, 2012, at altitude of ~120km in the midnight on July 20, 2013, at altitude between 150 km and 300 km in the evening on May 7, 2013 and at altitude of ~150 km in the noon on July 4, 2013. The Lithium atoms were scattering sunlight by resonance scattering with wavelength of 670nm. However, the Lithium atoms scattered moon light on July 20, 2013. The moon light scattering is the first time to use for thermospheric wind measurement in the midnight. The Lithium clouds/trails and TMA trails showed clearly the neutral wind shears and atmospheric waves at ~150 km altitude in the lower thermosphere for all local time.

Miguel Sánchez Peña (1925-2009) organizer of the space activities in Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de León, Pablo; Sánchez Peña, Miguel Alejandro

2011-11-01

One of the most important and active pioneers of the space activities in Argentina was Miguel Sánchez Peña, an aeronautical engineer and an officer of the Argentine Air Force. Sánchez Peña was the organizer of Argentina's governmental space program in the 1970s and part of the 80s, and contributed immeasurably to the Nation's sounding rocket program. Born in Mendoza, Argentina in 1925, Sánchez Peña attended the Military Aviation School (Escuela de Aviación Militar) in Córdoba, and later the Air Force Engineering School. Graduated as an engineer in 1959 he was sent to the University of Michigan in the United States to complete his graduate studies earning a Masters of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering. There he had the opportunity to study with several future NASA astronauts such as Theodore Freeman, Edward White and James McDivitt. After his return to Argentina in 1961 he was put in charge of the Space Development Group (Grupo de Desarrollos Espaciales) of the Air Force in Córdoba. While with the Air Force he managed the development of a family of various sounding rockets for high altitude research. Sánchez Peña was also in charge of the first Argentine rockets launched from Antarctica in 1965, as well as the first tests on an Argentine-fabricated rocket (Orión) from Wallops Island in the United States, in 1966. The Orion was the first operational sounding rocket constructed in South America. In the middle of the 1970s Miguel Sánchez Peña was named president of the CNIE (National Space Research Commission). Starting with just a modest one-desk office at the Argentine Air Force headquarters, in only a few years he turned CNIE into a multi-center organization with several hundred employees, three operational launch centers across the country and a family of research rockets open to the international scientific community. He was also actively representing Argentina in many IAF congresses, and was a member of the International Academy of Astronautics. After leaving CNIE he became president of the Asociación Argentina de Ciencias Espaciales (AACE), an IAF Member organization which was the continuation of the space organization created by Teófilo Tabanera in 1951. Miguel Sánchez Peña was, without doubt, the most active president of CNIE and thanks to his vision, hard work and the international trust he created, his efforts made it possible for Argentina to participate in many cooperative space experiments with partners like France, Germany, Perú, the United Kingdom and the United States.

High altitude chemical release systems for project BIME (Brazilian Ionospheric Modification Experiments) project IMS (Ionospheric Modification Studies) project PIIE (Polar Ionospheric Irregularities Experiment) project polar arcs

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.

Low-Cost Phased Array Antenna for Sounding Rockets, Missiles, and Expendable Launch Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mullinix, Daniel; Hall, Kenneth; Smith, Bruce; Corbin, Brian

2012-01-01

A low-cost beamformer phased array antenna has been developed for expendable launch vehicles, rockets, and missiles. It utilizes a conformal array antenna of ring or individual radiators (design varies depending on application) that is designed to be fed by the recently developed hybrid electrical/mechanical (vendor-supplied) phased array beamformer. The combination of these new array antennas and the hybrid beamformer results in a conformal phased array antenna that has significantly higher gain than traditional omni antennas, and costs an order of magnitude or more less than traditional phased array designs. Existing omnidirectional antennas for sounding rockets, missiles, and expendable launch vehicles (ELVs) do not have sufficient gain to support the required communication data rates via the space network. Missiles and smaller ELVs are often stabilized in flight by a fast (i.e. 4 Hz) roll rate. This fast roll rate, combined with vehicle attitude changes, greatly increases the complexity of the high-gain antenna beam-tracking problem. Phased arrays for larger ELVs with roll control are prohibitively expensive. Prior techniques involved a traditional fully electronic phased array solution, combined with highly complex and very fast inertial measurement unit phased array beamformers. The functional operation of this phased array is substantially different from traditional phased arrays in that it uses a hybrid electrical/mechanical beamformer that creates the relative time delays for steering the antenna beam via a small physical movement of variable delay lines. This movement is controlled via an innovative antenna control unit that accesses an internal measurement unit for vehicle attitude information, computes a beam-pointing angle to the target, then points the beam via a stepper motor controller. The stepper motor on the beamformer controls the beamformer variable delay lines that apply the appropriate time delays to the individual array elements to properly steer the beam. The array of phased ring radiators is unique in that it provides improved gain for a small rocket or missile that uses spin stabilization for stability. The antenna pattern created is symmetric about the roll axis (like an omnidirectional wraparound), and is thus capable of providing continuous coverage that is compatible with very fast spinning rockets. For larger ELVs with roll control, a linear array of elements can be used for the 1D scanned beamformer and phased array, or a 2D scanned beamformer can be used with an NxN element array.

Problem of intensity reduction of acoustic fields generated by gas-dynamic jets of motors of the rocket-launch vehicles at launch

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.

X-1 aircraft in flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1949-01-01

The first of the rocket-powered research aircraft, the X-1 (originally designated the XS-1), was a bullet-shaped airplane that was built by the Bell Aircraft Company for the US Air Force and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The mission of the X-1 was to investigate the transonic speed range (speeds from just below to just above the speed of sound) and, if possible, to break the 'sound barrier'. The first of the three X-1s was glide-tested at Pinecastle Field, FL, in early 1946. The first powered flight of the X-1 was made on Dec. 9, 1946, at Muroc Army Air Field (later redesignated Edwards Air Force Base) with Chalmers Goodlin, a Bell test pilot,at the controls. On Oct. 14, 1947, with USAF Captain Charles 'Chuck' Yeager as pilot, the aircraft flew faster than the speed of sound for the first time. Captain Yeager ignited the four-chambered XLR-11 rocket engines after being air-launched from under the bomb bay of a B-29 at 21,000 ft. The 6,000-lb thrust ethyl alcohol/liquid oxygen burning rockets, built by Reaction Motors, Inc., pushed him up to a speed of 700 mph in level flight. Captain Yeager was also the pilot when the X-1 reached its maximum speed of 957 mph. Another USAF pilot. Lt. Col. Frank Everest, Jr., was credited with taking the X-1 to its maximum altitude of 71,902 ft. Eighteen pilots in all flew the X-1s. The number three plane was destroyed in a fire before evermaking any powered flights. A single-place monoplane, the X-1 was 31 ft long, 10 ft high, and had a wingspan of 29 ft. It weighed 4,900 lb and carried 8,200 lb of fuel. It had a flush cockpit with a side entrance and no ejection seat. The following movie runs about 20 seconds, and shows several air-to-air views of X-1 Number 2 and its modified B-50 mothership. It begins with different angles of the X-1 in-flight while mated to the B-50's bomb bay, and ends showing the air-launch. The X-1 drops below the B-50, then accelerates away as the rockets ignite.

KSC-99pc19

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-05

The solar panels on the GOES-L weather satellite are fully deployed. Final testing of the imaging system, instrumentation, communications and power systems also will be performed at the Astrotech facility, Titusville, Fla. The satellite is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite

KSC-99pc22

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-05

At Astrotech, in Titusville, Fla., Loral workers check trim tab deployment on the GOES-L weather satellite. Other tests to be performed are the imaging system, instrumentation, communications and power systems. The satellite is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite

KSC-99pc21

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-05

At Astrotech, in Titusville, Fla., Loral workers check trim tab deployment on the GOES-L weather satellite. Other tests to be performed are the imaging system, instrumentation, communications and power systems. The satellite is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite

KSC-99pc29

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-07

Workers (right) at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., arrange the lights for an illumination test on the solar panel of the GOES-L weather satellite. The test is verifying the circuitry on the panel. The satellite is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite

The solar panels on the GOES-L satellite are deployed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Loral workers at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., deploy one of the solar panels of the GOES-L weather satellite, to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite.

The solar panels on the GOES-L satellite are deployed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Loral workers at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., check out the solar panels of the GOES-L weather satellite, to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite.

IRVE-3 Post-Flight Reconstruction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olds, Aaron D.; Beck, Roger; Bose, David; White, Joseph; Edquist, Karl; Hollis, Brian; Lindell, Michael; Cheatwood, F. N.; Gsell, Valerie; Bowden, Ernest

2013-01-01

The Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment 3 (IRVE-3) was conducted from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on July 23, 2012. Launched on a Black Brant XI sounding rocket, the IRVE-3 research vehicle achieved an apogee of 469 km, deployed and inflated a Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD), re-entered the Earth's atmosphere at Mach 10 and achieved a peak deceleration of 20 g's before descending to splashdown roughly 20 minutes after launch. This paper presents the filtering methodology and results associated with the development of the Best Estimated Trajectory of the IRVE-3 flight test. The reconstructed trajectory is compared against project requirements and pre-flight predictions of entry state, aerodynamics, HIAD flexibility, and attitude control system performance.

The Micro-X Imaging X-Ray Microcalorimeter Sounding Rocket Payload: Final Design and Performance Tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rutherford, John; Micro-X Collaboration

2011-09-01

The first operating set of transition edge sensors (TES) microcalorimeters in space will launch on a sounding rocket carrying the Micro-X imaging X-ray telescope in 2012. We present the final instrument flight design, as well as the results from initial performance tests. A spectral resolution of 2 eV is targeted across the science band of 0.3-2.5 keV. The 12x12 spectrometer array contains 128 active pixels on a 600 micron pitch, consisting of Au/Bi absorbers and Mo/Au bilayer TESs with a transition temperature of 100 mK. A SQUID time-division multiplexer will read out the array at 30 kHz, which is limited by the rocket telemetry. The TESs have been engineered with a 2 ms time constant to match the multiplexer. The detector array and two SQUID stages of the TDM readout system are accommodated in a lightweight Mg enclosure, which is mounted to the 50 mK stage of an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator. A third SQUID amplification stage is located on the 1.6 K liquid He stage of the cryostat. An on-board 55-Fe source will fluoresce a Ca target, providing 3.7 and 4.0 keV calibration lines that will not interfere with the scientifically interesting energy band.

GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

Launch Preparation and Rocket Launching

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-05-23

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

Astronautics

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.

ExFiT Flight Design and Structural Modeling for FalconLAUNCH VIII Sounding Rocket

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

frequencies of the test specimen. Next, the accelerometers were placed along the trailing edge of both the main wing and winglet sections. In the first...once again used however, the accelerometer originally in the winglet section was moved to the cut out portion of the main wing section. In this test...the part was struck on the joining section of the specimen connecting both main wing and winglet sections. Finally, the ping hammer was loaded with a

Unusual chemical compositions of noctilucent-cloud particle nuclei

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hemenway, C. L.

1973-01-01

Two sounding rocket payloads were launched from the ESRO range in Sweden during a noctilucent cloud display. Large numbers of submicron particles were collected, most of which appear to be made up of a high density material coated with a low density material. Typical electron micrographs are shown. Particle chemical compositions have been measured by use of dispersive X-ray analysis equipment attached to an electron microscope and have revealed that most of the high density particle nuclei have atomic weights greater than iron.

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.

Early Rockets

NASA Image and Video Library

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

Carrier rockets

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.

Antares Rocket Test Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

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)

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.

KSC-2013-4342

NASA Image and Video Library

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

KSC-04pd1067

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are being released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. Because of the unusual event, media and workers watch from nearby vantage points on the Fixed Service Structure (left). This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1069

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are being released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. Because of the unusual event, media and workers watch from nearby vantage points on the Fixed Service Structure (left). This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

KSC-04pd1068

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- For the fourth time in Space Shuttle Program history, 350,000 gallons of water are being released on a Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) at Launch Pad 39A during a water sound suppression test. Because of the unusual event, media and workers watch from nearby vantage points on the Fixed Service Structure (left). This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs. The sound suppression water system is installed on the launch pads to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by acoustical energy reflected from the MLP during launch. The system includes an elevated water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The tank is 290 feet high and stands on the northeast side of the Pad. The water is released just before the ignition of the orbiter's three main engines and twin solid rocket boosters, and flows through parallel 7-foot-diameter pipes to the Pad area.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

NASA Rocket Experiment Finds the Universe Brighter Than We Thought

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

A NASA sounding rocket experiment has detected a surprising surplus of infrared light in the dark space between galaxies, a diffuse cosmic glow as bright as all known galaxies combined. The glow is thought to be from orphaned stars flung out of galaxies. The findings redefine what scientists think of as galaxies. Galaxies may not have a set boundary of stars, but instead stretch out to great distances, forming a vast, interconnected sea of stars. Observations from the Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment, or CIBER, are helping settle a debate on whether this background infrared light in the universe, previously detected by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, comes from these streams of stripped stars too distant to be seen individually, or alternatively from the first galaxies to form in the universe. This is a time-lapse photograph of the Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment (CIBER) rocket launch, taken from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia in 2013. The image is from the last of four launches. Read more: www.nasa.gov/press/2014/november/nasa-rocket-experiment-f... Image Credit: T. Arai/University of Tokyo 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

Antares Rocket Test Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

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)

Results of a rocket-Nimbus sounder comparison experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, A. J.; Finger, F. G.

1972-01-01

Stratospheric temperature data obtained from instrumentation on board Nimbus 3 and 4 are compared with conventional rocket soundings to determine the compatibility of measurements. The Arcasonde 1A and Datasonde were the primary rocketsondes used, but acoustic grenade and pitot probe soundings were also involved. Observed temperature profiles and computed radiances obtained from rocket soundings are compared with 15-microns data provided by the satellite infrared spectrometers, the infrared interferometer spectrometer, and the selective chopper radiometer onboard the satellites. A reasonable agreement between the rocket and satellite data is indicated, but variations are noted which are related to the sounding techniques.

National Report Norway: Arctic Access to Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brekke, P.

2015-09-01

Norway has long traditions as a space nation, much due to our northern latitude. Our space science activities are concentrated into relatively few areas. This concentration is necessary due to limited resources, both in funding and personnel. The main scientific activities are within Solar-terrestrial physics and cosmology. The first field has been a priority since before the space age and is still the major priority. The usage of the ground infrastructure in Northern Norway and on Svalbard is essential in studying the middle and upper atmosphere and the interaction with the Sun. This includes the utilization of sounding rockets, both small and large, and ground based installations like radars, lidars and other optical instrumentation. The planned use of Svalbard as a launch site for large stratospheric balloons may allow the cosmology community access to our northern infrastructure. The solar physics community is also heavily involved in the HINODE and IRIS missions and Norway is supporting downlink of data via the Svalbard Station for these missions. The sounding rocket program is in close collaboration with many countries like Germany, USA, France, Canada and Japan. Two scientific sounding rocket programs are currently being pursued: The ICI series (from Svalbard) and MaxiDusty (from Andoya). A series of scientific publications have recently appeared from the ECOMA campaign a few years ago. A significant improvement of today's polar and ionospheric research infrastructure in Northern Norway and Svalbard has recently been put on the ESFRI roadmap for European research infrastructure through the 5105 and EISCAT 3D initiatives. The Norwegian government has recently decided to upgrade the VLBI facilities at Svalbard.

Kinetic modeling of auroral ion outflows observed by the VISIONS sounding rocket

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albarran, R. M.; Zettergren, M. D.

2017-12-01

The VISIONS (VISualizing Ion Outflow via Neutral atom imaging during a Substorm) sounding rocket was launched on Feb. 7, 2013 at 8:21 UTC from Poker Flat, Alaska, into an auroral substorm with the objective of identifying the drivers and dynamics of the ion outflow below 1000km. Energetic ion data from the VISIONS polar cap boundary crossing show evidence of an ion "pressure cooker" effect whereby ions energized via transverse heating in the topside ionosphere travel upward and are impeded by a parallel potential structure at higher altitudes. VISIONS was also instrumented with an energetic neutral atom (ENA) detector which measured neutral particles ( 50-100 eV energy) presumably produced by charge-exchange with the energized outflowing ions. Hence, inferences about ion outflow may be made via remotely-sensing measurements of ENAs. This investigation focuses on modeling energetic outflowing ion distributions observed by VISIONS using a kinetic model. This kinetic model traces large numbers of individual particles, using a guiding-center approximation, in order to allow calculation of ion distribution functions and moments. For the present study we include mirror and parallel electric field forces, and a source of ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) wave heating, thought to be central to the transverse energization of ions. The model is initiated with a steady-state ion density altitude profile and Maxwellian velocity distribution characterizing the initial phase-space conditions for multiple particle trajectories. This project serves to advance our understanding of the drivers and particle dynamics in the auroral ionosphere and to improve data analysis methods for future sounding rocket and satellite missions.

Kinetic modeling of auroral ion Outflows observed by the VISIONS sounding rocket

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albarran, R. M.; Zettergren, M. D.; Rowland, D. E.; Klenzing, J.; Clemmons, J. H.

2016-12-01

The VISIONS (VISualizing Ion Outflow via Neutral atom imaging during a Substorm) sounding rocket was launched on Feb. 7, 2013 at 8:21 UTC from Poker Flat, Alaska, into an auroral substorm with the objective of identifying the drivers and dynamics of the ion outflow below 1000km. Energetic ion data from the VISIONS polar cap boundary crossing show evidence of an ion "pressure cooker" effect whereby ions energized via transverse heating in the topside ionosphere travel upward and are impeded by a parallel potential structure at higher altitudes. VISIONS was also instrumented with an energetic neutral atom (ENA) detector which measured neutral particles ( 50-100 eV energy) presumably produced by charge-exchange with the energized outflowing ions. Hence, inferences about ion outflow may be made via remotely-sensing measurements of ENAs. This investigation focuses on modeling energetic outflowing ion distributions observed by VISIONS using a kinetic model. This kinetic model traces large numbers of individual particles, using a guiding-center approximation, in order to allow calculation of ion distribution functions and moments. For the present study we include mirror and parallel electric field forces, and a source of ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) wave heating, thought to be central to the transverse energization of ions. The model is initiated with a steady-state ion density altitude profile and Maxwellian velocity distribution characterizing the initial phase-space conditions for multiple particle trajectories. This project serves to advance our understanding of the drivers and particle dynamics in the auroral ionosphere and to improve data analysis methods for future sounding rocket and satellite missions.

The STORM and CuPID soft X-ray cameras on the DXL sounding rocket mission: Employment of slumped micropore optics to image solar wind charge exchange X-ray emission in the magnetosheath.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, N.

2016-12-01

The Sheath Transport Observer for the Redistribution of Mass (STORM) and the Cusp Plasma Imaging Detector (CuPID) instruments are soft X-ray cameras the utilize slumped micropore ('lobster-eye') optics. These lobster-eye optics, developed by the University of Leicester and the Photonis Corporation, provide for wide field-of-view imaging of X-ray line emission produced via charge exchange between hydrogen in the Earth's exosphere and heavy ions in the solar wind. Both instruments have position sensitize, chevron configuration, microchannel plate detectors in their respective focal planes. STORM possess two, 4 cm by 4 cm, lobster-eye optics, each with a focal length of 37.5 cm. It flew as a piggy back payload on the Diffuse X-ray emission from the Local galaxy (DXL) sounding rocket mission which was launched in December of 2012 from White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. STORM operated successfully during this mission and represents the first use of lobster-eye optics in space. A future version of STORM, in high orbit, could image a significant portion of the magnetosheath to infer the locations of the magnetopause and the bow shock. CuPID is a 3U CubeSat variant of STORM that uses a single optic with a 27.5 cm focal length. A sounding rocket borne CuPID flew as a science payload with DXL from White Sands in December of 2015 with results forthcoming.

Statistical Analysis of Bursty Langmuir Waves, Alfvén and Whistler Waves, and Precipitating Electrons Seen by the CHARM II Nightside Sounding Rocket

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dombrowski, M. P.; Labelle, J. W.; Kletzing, C.; Bounds, S. R.; Kaeppler, S. R.

2013-12-01

Bursty Langmuir waves have been interpreted as the result of the superposition of multiple Langmuir normal-mode waves, with the resultant modulation being the beat pattern between waves with e.g. 10 kHz frequency differences. The normal-mode waves could be generated either through wave-wave interactions with VLF waves, or through independent linear processes. The CHARM II sounding rocket was launched into a substorm at 9:49 UT on 15 February 2010, from the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska. The primary instruments included the Dartmouth High-Frequency Experiment (HFE), a receiver system which effectively yields continuous (100% duty cycle) E-field waveform measurements up to 5 MHz, as well as a number of charged particle detectors, including a wave-particle correlator. The payload also included a magnetometer and several low-frequency wave instruments. CHARM II encountered several regions of strong Langmuir wave activity throughout its 15-minute flight, including several hundred discrete Langmuir-wave bursts. We show results of a statistical analysis of CHARM II data for the entire flight, comparing HFE data with the other payload instruments, specifically looking at timings and correlations between bursty Langmuir waves, Alfvén and whistler-mode waves, and electrons precipitating parallel to the magnetic field. Following a similar analysis on TRICE dayside sounding rocket data, we also calculate the fraction of correlated waves with VLF waves at appropriate frequencies to support the wave-wave interaction bursty Langmuir wave generation mechanism, and compare to results from CHARM II nightside data.

Sounding Rockets as a Real Flight Platform for Aerothermodynamic Cfd Validation of Hypersonic Flight Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stamminger, A.; Turner, J.; Hörschgen, M.; Jung, W.

2005-02-01

This paper describes the possibilities of sounding rockets to provide a platform for flight experiments in hypersonic conditions as a supplement to wind tunnel tests. Real flight data from measurement durations longer than 30 seconds can be compared with predictions from CFD calculations. This paper will regard projects flown on sounding rockets, but mainly describe the current efforts at Mobile Rocket Base, DLR on the SHarp Edge Flight EXperiment SHEFEX.

Investigation of Slosh Dynamics on Flight and Ground Platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vergalla, Michael; Zhou, Ran

The slosh dynamics in cryogenic fuel tanks under microgravity is a problem that severely affects the reliability of spacecraft launching. To investigate slosh dynamics and their effects on space vehicle dynamics three levels of testing are presently in progress. Platforms include a 3-DOF ground testing table, parabolic flights, sounding rockets and finally the International Space Station. Ground tests provide an economically viable platform for investigating rotational, translational, and coupled feed-back modes due to repeatable CNC motions. The parabolic flight campaign has conducted four successful flights aboard multiple aircraft using static and tethered slosh packages. Using the PANTHER II student designed rocket, a slosh package was launched as a payload. Finally with collaboration between Florida Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology SPHERES project, two test sessions investigating feedback using partially and fully filled propellant tanks have been completed aboard the In-ternational Space Station. Motion data from all tests will be input to in house Dynamic Mesh Model to further establish confidence in the versatility and accuracy of the method. The results show that it is necessary to construct additional hardware for slosh studies.

Antares Rocket Test Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

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)

EUVS Sounding Rocket Payload

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stern, Alan S.

1996-01-01

During the first half of this year (CY 1996), the EUVS project began preparations of the EUVS payload for the upcoming NASA sounding rocket flight 36.148CL, slated for launch on July 26, 1996 to observe and record a high-resolution (approx. 2 A FWHM) EUV spectrum of the planet Venus. These preparations were designed to improve the spectral resolution and sensitivity performance of the EUVS payload as well as prepare the payload for this upcoming mission. The following is a list of the EUVS project activities that have taken place since the beginning of this CY: (1) Applied a fresh, new SiC optical coating to our existing 2400 groove/mm grating to boost its reflectivity; (2) modified the Ranicon science detector to boost its detective quantum efficiency with the addition of a repeller grid; (3) constructed a new entrance slit plane to achieve 2 A FWHM spectral resolution; (4) prepared and held the Payload Initiation Conference (PIC) with the assigned NASA support team from Wallops Island for the upcoming 36.148CL flight (PIC held on March 8, 1996; see Attachment A); (5) began wavelength calibration activities of EUVS in the laboratory; (6) made arrangements for travel to WSMR to begin integration activities in preparation for the July 1996 launch; (7) paper detailing our previous EUVS Venus mission (NASA flight 36.117CL) published in Icarus (see Attachment B); and (8) continued data analysis of the previous EUVS mission 36.137CL (Spica occultation flight).

NASA Engineer and Technician Instrument Zero Gravity Spheres

NASA Image and Video Library

1961-08-21

An engineer and technician at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center install the instrumentation on spherical fuel tanks for an investigation of the behavior of liquids in microgravity. Lewis researchers were undertaking a broad effort to study the heat transfer properties of high energy propellants such as liquid hydrogen in microgravity. In the center’s 2.2-Second Drop Tower they investigated the wetting characteristics of liquid and the liquid-vapor configurations, and predicted the equilibrium state in microgravity conditions. Lewis was also conducting a series microgravity investigations which launched 9-inch diameter spherical dewars, seen here, on an Aerobee sounding rocket. A camera inside the rocket filmed the liquid hydrogen’s behavior during its 4 to 7 minutes of freefall. The researchers concluded, however, that they needed to extend the weightlessness period to obtain better results. So they designed an experiment to be launched on an Atlas missile that would provide 21 minutes of weightlessness. The experiment was flight qualified at Lewis. The 36-percent full liquid hydrogen stainless steel dewar was launched on the Atlas on February 25, 1964. The instrumentation measured temperature, pressure, vacuum, and liquid level. Temperature instrumentation indicated wall drying during the freefall. The resultant pressure-rise characteristics were similar to those used for the normal-gravity test.

KSC-2011-7252

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-06

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the fairing acoustic protection (FAP) system lines the inside of the Atlas V payload fairing for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. This half of the fairing has been uncovered during preparations to clean it to meet NASA's planetary protection requirements. The FAP protects the payload by dampening the sound created by the rocket during liftoff. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent. Although jettisoned once the spacecraft is outside the Earth's atmosphere, the fairing must be cleaned to the same exacting standards as the laboratory to avoid the possibility of contaminating it. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is planned for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2011-7253

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-06

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the fairing acoustic protection (FAP) system lining the inside of the Atlas V payload fairing for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission is visible after the fairing is uncovered during preparations to clean it to meet NASA's planetary protection requirements. The FAP protects the payload by dampening the sound created by the rocket during liftoff. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent. Although jettisoned once the spacecraft is outside the Earth's atmosphere, the fairing must be cleaned to the same exacting standards as the laboratory to avoid the possibility of contaminating it. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is planned for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

GLC_Exec v. 1.2.1

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

The solar panels on the GOES-L satellite are deployed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Loral workers at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., stand back as they deploy the solar panels of the GOES-L weather satellite. The satellite is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite.

ISRO's solid rocket motors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagappa, R.; Kurup, M. R.; Muthunayagam, A. E.

1989-08-01

Solid rocket motors have been the mainstay of ISRO's sounding rockets and the first generation satellite launch vehicles. For the new launch vehicle under development also, the solid rocket motors contribute significantly to the vehicle's total propulsive power. The rocket motors in use and under development have been developed for a variety of applications and range in size from 30 mm dia employing 450 g of solid propellant—employed for providing a spin to the apogee motors—to the giant 2.8 m dia motor employing nearly 130 tonnes of solid propellant. The initial development, undertaken in 1967 was of small calibre motor of 75 mm dia using a double base charge. The development was essentially to understand the technological elements. Extruded aluminium tubes were used as a rocket motor casing. The fore and aft closures were machined from aluminium rods. The grain was a seven-pointed star with an enlargement of the port at the aft end and was charged into the chamber using a polyester resin system. The nozzle was a metallic heat sink type with graphite throat insert. The motor was ignited with a black powder charge and fired for 2.0 s. Subsequent to this, further developmental activities were undertaken using PVC plastisol based propellants. A class of sounding rockets ranging from 125 to 560 mm calibre were realized. These rocket motors employed improved designs and had delivered lsp ranging from 2060 to 2256 Ns/kg. Case bonding could not be adopted due to the higher cure temperatures of the plastisol propellants but improvements were made in the grain charging techniques and in the design of the igniters and the nozzle. Ablative nozzles based on asbestos phenolic and silica phenolic with graphite inserts were used. For the larger calibre rocket motors, the lsp could be improved by metallic additives. In the early 1970s designs were evolved for larger and more efficient motors. A series of 4 motors for the country's first satellite launch vehicle SLV-3 were developed. The first and second stages of 1 and 0.8 m dia respectively used low carbon steel casing and PBAN propellant. The first stage used segmented construction with a total propellant weight of 8600 kg. The second stage employed about 3 tonnes of the same propellant. The third and fourth stages were of GFRP construction and employed respectively 1100 and 275 kg of CTPB type propellants. Nozzle expansion ratios upto 30 were employed and delivered vacuum lsp of 2766 Ns/kg realized. The fourth stage motor was subsequently used as the apogee motor for orbit injection of India's first geosynchronous satellite—APPLE. All these motors have been flight proven a number of times. Further design improvements have been incorporated and these motors continue to be in use. Starting in 1984 design for a large booster was undertaken. This booster employs a nominal propellant weight of 125 tonne in a 2.8 m dia casing. The motor is expected to be qualified for flight test in 1989. Side by side a high performance motor housing nearly 7 tonnes of propellant in composite casing of 2 m dia and having flex nozzle control system is also under development for upper stage application. Details of the development of the motors, their leading specifications and performance are described.

GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

KSC-2013-4343

NASA Image and Video Library

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

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.

Berkeley extreme-ultraviolet airglow rocket spectrometer: BEARS.

PubMed

Cotton, D M; Chakrabarti, S

1992-09-20

We describe the Berkeley extreme-UV airglow rocket spectrometer, which is a payload designed to test several thermospheric remote-sensing concepts by measuring the terrestrial O I far-UV and extreme-UV dayglow and the solar extreme-UV spectrum simultaneously. The instrument consisted of two near-normal Rowland mount spectrometers and a Lyman-alpha photometer. The dayglow spectrometer covered two spectral regions from 980 to 1040 A and from 1300 to 1360 A with 1.5-A resolution. The solar spectrometer had a bandpass of 250-1150 A with an ~ 10-A resolution. All three spectra were accumulated by using a icrochannel-plate-intensified, two-dimensional imaging detector with three separate wedge-and strip anode readouts. The hydrogen Lyman-alpha photometer was included to monitor the solar Lyman-alpha irradiance and geocoronal Lyman-alpha emissions. The instrument was designed, fabricated, and calibrated at the University of California, Berkeley and was successfully launched on 30 September 1988 aboard the first test flight of a four-stage sounding rocket, Black Brant XII.

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.

High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO)

NASA Image and Video Library

1975-01-01

The family of High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO) instruments consisted of three unmarned scientific observatories capable of detecting the x-rays emitted by the celestial bodies with high sensitivity and high resolution. The celestial gamma-ray and cosmic-ray fluxes were also collected and studied to learn more about the mysteries of the universe. High-Energy rays cannot be studied by Earth-based observatories because of the obscuring effects of the atmosphere that prevent the rays from reaching the Earth's surface. They had been observed initially by sounding rockets and balloons, and by small satellites that do not possess the needed instrumentation capabilities required for high data resolution and sensitivity. The HEAO carried the instrumentation necessary for this capability. In this photograph, an artist's concept of three HEAO spacecraft is shown: HEAO-1, launched on August 12, 1977; HEAO-2, launched on November 13, 1978; and HEAO-3, launched on September 20. 1979.

Launch, 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

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

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.

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...

GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

Despin System for Hydrogen Tank in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory

NASA Image and Video Library

1962-04-21

Mechanic Howard Wine inspects the setup of a spin isolator in Cell 2 of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center. Photographer Al Jecko filmed the proceedings. This test was unique in that the chamber’s altitude system was used, but not its inlet air flow. The test was in preparation for an upcoming launch of modified liquid hydrogen propellant tank on a sounding rocket. This Weightlessness Analysis Sounding Probe (WASP) was part of Lewis investigation into methods for controlling partially filled liquid hydrogen fuel tanks during flight. Second-stage rockets, the Centaur in particular, were designed to stop their engines and coast, then restart them when needed. During this coast period, the propellant often shifted inside the tank. This movement could throw the rocket off course or result in the sloshing of fuel away from the fuel pump. Wine was one of only three journeymen mechanics at Lewis when he was hired in January 1954. He spent his first decade in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory and was soon named a section head. Wine went on to serve as Assistant Division Chief and later served as an assistant to the director. Jecko joined the center in 1947 as a photographer and artist. He studied at the Cleveland School or Art and was known for his cartoon drawing. He worked at the center for 26 years.

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.

The Isinglass Auroral Sounding Rocket Campaign: data synthesis incorporating remote sensing, in situ observations, and modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lynch, K. A.; Clayton, R.; Roberts, T. M.; Hampton, D. L.; Conde, M.; Zettergren, M. D.; Burleigh, M.; Samara, M.; Michell, R.; Grubbs, G. A., II; Lessard, M.; Hysell, D. L.; Varney, R. H.; Reimer, A.

2017-12-01

The NASA auroral sounding rocket mission Isinglass was launched from Poker Flat Alaska in winter 2017. This mission consists of two separate multi-payload sounding rockets, over an array of groundbased observations, including radars and filtered cameras. The science goal is to collect two case studies, in two different auroral events, of the gradient scale sizes of auroral disturbances in the ionosphere. Data from the in situ payloads and the groundbased observations will be synthesized and fed into an ionospheric model, and the results will be studied to learn about which scale sizes of ionospheric structuring have significance for magnetosphere-ionosphere auroral coupling. The in situ instrumentation includes thermal ion sensors (at 5 points on the second flight), thermal electron sensors (at 2 points), DC magnetic fields (2 point), DC electric fields (one point, plus the 4 low-resource thermal ion RPA observations of drift on the second flight), and an auroral precipitation sensor (one point). The groundbased array includes filtered auroral imagers, the PFISR and SuperDarn radars, a coherent scatter radar, and a Fabry-Perot interferometer array. The ionospheric model to be used is a 3d electrostatic model including the effects of ionospheric chemistry. One observational and modelling goal for the mission is to move both observations and models of auroral arc systems into the third (along-arc) dimension. Modern assimilative tools combined with multipoint but low-resource observations allow a new view of the auroral ionosphere, that should allow us to learn more about the auroral zone as a coupled system. Conjugate case studies such as the Isinglass rocket flights allow for a test of the models' intepretation by comparing to in situ data. We aim to develop and improve ionospheric models to the point where they can be used to interpret remote sensing data with confidence without the checkpoint of in situ comparison.

Origins of NASA names

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wells, H. T.; Whiteley, S. H.; Karegeannes, C. E.

1976-01-01

Names are selected for NASA spaceflight projects and programs from various sources. Some have their foundations in mythology and astrology or legend and folklore. Some have historic connotations; others are based on a description of their mission, often resulting in an acronym. Included are names of launch vehicles, spacecraft, manned spaceflight programs, sounding rockets, and NASA field installations. This study is limited to names of approved projects through 1974; it does not include names of numerous projects which have been or are being studied or projects that were canceled or postponed before reaching actual flight.

Agreements/subagreements Applicable to Wallops, 12 Nov. 1991

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The status of space science agreements are noted. A general overview of the Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) is given. The geography, history, and mission of the facility are briefly surveyed. Brief accounts are given of NASA earth science activities at the WFF, including atmospheric dynamics, atmospheric optics, ocean physics, microwave altimetry, ocean color research, wind-wave-current interaction, flight support activities, the Sounding Rocket Program, and the NASA Balloon Program. Also discussed are the WFF launch range, the research airport, aircraft airborne science, telemetry, data systems, communications, and command and control.

A Sounding Rocket Investigation of the Fine Structure in the Mesopause Region in Conjunction with High Spatial Resolution Lidar Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larsen, M. F.

2003-01-01

The grant funds were provided to carry out chemical tracer wind and turbulence measurements in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere as part of the Turbulent Oxygen Mixing Experiment (TOMEX) for which Dr. James Hecht of the Aerospace Corp. was the Principal Investigator. Clemson University designed, built, and tested two chemical tracer release payload sections for the 21.126 and 21.127 payloads which, in addition, had photometer and ionization gauge instrumentation. The tracer chemical was trimethyl aluminum (TMA). The experiment was carried out at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on October 26,2000. The location was chosen because of the proximity to the Starfire Optical Range (SOR) which hosted the powerful University of Illinois sodium lidar for an extended period prior to and also during the launch window. Since the SOR telescope is fully steerable, lidar measurements in the same volume sampled by the rocket were possible. The primary objective of the experiment was to measure the turbulent diffusion and mixing in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere, especially in layers characterized by convective and/or dynamical instabilities. The lidar, which is capable of measuring the sodium density, temperatures, and winds with good range and time resolution, provided the launch criteria, as well as context measurements for the in situ rocket observations.

GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

A Time Domain Impedance Probe For Ultra-Fast Measurements of Electron Parameters in the Ionosphere: Results From A NASA USIP Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, D. C.; Spencer, E. A.; Gollapalli, R.; Kerrigan, B.

2016-12-01

A plasma impedance probe is used to obtain plasma parameters in the ionosphere by measuring the magnitude, shape and location of resonances in the frequency spectrum when a probe structure is driven with RF excitation. We have designed and developed a new Time Domain Impedance Probe (TDIP) capable of making measurements of absolute electron density and electron neutral collision frequency at temporal and spatial resolutions not previously attained. A single measurement can be made in a time as short as 100 microseconds, which yields much higher spatial resolution than a frequency sweep method. This method essentially consists of applying a small amplitude time limited voltage signal into a probe and measuring the resulting current response. The frequency bandwidth of the voltage signal is selected in order that the electron plasma resonances are observable. A prototype of the new instrument was flown at 08:45 EST on March 1 2016 on a NASA Undergraduate Student Instrument Progam (USIP) sounding rocket launched out of Wallops Flight Facility (Flight time was around 20 minutes). Here we analyze the data from the sounding rocket experiment, using an adaptive system identification technique to compare the measured data with analytical formulas obtained from a theoretical consideration of the time domain response. The analytical formula is calibrated to a plasma fluid finite difference time domain (PFFDTD) numerical computation before using it to analyze the rocket data from 85 km to 170 km on both upleg and downleg. Our results show that the technique works as advertised, but several issues including payload charging and signal rectification remains to be resolved. A plasma impedance probe is used to obtain plasma parameters in the ionosphere by measuring the magnitude, shape and location of resonances in the frequency spectrum when a probe structure is driven with RF excitation. We have designed and developed a new Time Domain Impedance Probe (TDIP) capable of making measurements of absolute electron density and electron neutral collision frequency at temporal and spatial resolutions not previously attained. A single measurement can be made in a time as short as 100 microseconds, which yields much higher spatial resolution than a frequency sweep method. This method essentially consists of applying a small amplitude time limited voltage signal into a probe and measuring the resulting current response. The frequency bandwidth of the voltage signal is selected in order that the electron plasma resonances are observable. A prototype of the new instrument was flown at 08:45 EST on March 1 2016 on a NASA Undergraduate Student Instrument Progam (USIP) sounding rocket launched out of Wallops Flight Facility (Flight time was around 20 minutes). Here we analyze the data from the sounding rocket experiment, using an adaptive system identification technique to compare the measured data with analytical formulas obtained from a theoretical consideration of the time domain response. The analytical formula is calibrated to a plasma fluid finite difference time domain (PFFDTD) numerical computation before using it to analyze the rocket data from 85 km to 170 km on both upleg and downleg. Our results show that the technique works as advertised, but several issues including payload charging and signal rectification remains to be resolved.

76 FR 58332 - Bureau of Political-Military Affairs: Directorate of Defense Trade Controls; Notifications to the...

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...

SMARD-REXUS-18: Development and Verification of an SMA Based CubeSat Solar Panel Deployment Mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grulich, M.; Koop, A.; Ludewig, P.; Gutsmiedl, J.; Kugele, J.; Ruck, T.; Mayer, I.; Schmid, A.; Dietmann, K.

2015-09-01

SMARD (Shape Memory Alloy Reusable Deployment Mechanism) is an experiment for a sounding rocket developed by students at Technische Universität MUnchen (TUM). It was launched in March 2015 on REXUS 18 (Rocket Experiments for University Students). The goal of SMARD was to develop a solar panel holddown and release mechanism (HDRM) for a CubeSat using shape memory alloys (SMA) for repeatable actuation and the ability to be quickly resettable. This paper describes the technical approach as well as the technological development and design of the experiment platform, which is capable of proving the functionality of the deployment mechanism. Furthermore, the realization of the experiment as well as the results of the flight campaign are presented. Finally, the future applications of the developed HDRM and its possible further developments are discussed.

A measurement of perpendicular current density in an aurora

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bering, E. A.; Mozer, F. S.

1975-01-01

A Nike Tomahawk sounding rocket was launched into a 400-gamma auroral substorm from Esrange, Kiruna, Sweden. The rocket instrumentation included a split Langmuir-probe plasma-velocity detector and a double-probe electric-field detector. Above 140-km altitude, the electric field deduced from the ion-flow velocity measurement and the electric field measured by the double probe agree to an accuracy within the uncertainties of the two measurements. The difference between the two measurements at altitudes below 140 km provides an in situ measurement of current density and conductivity. Alternatively, if values for the conductivity are assumed, the neutral-wind velocity can be deduced. The height-integrated current was 0.11 A/m flowing at an azimuth angle of 276 deg. The neutral winds were strong, exhibited substantial altitude variation in the east-west component, and were predominantly southward.

SLS Resource Reel Aug 2016 orig

NASA Image and Video Library

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

Surface Deformation by Thermo-capillary Convection -Sounding Rocket COMPERE Experiment SOURCE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuhrmann, Eckart; Dreyer, Michael E.

The sounding rocket COMPERE experiment SOURCE was successfully flown on MASER 11, launched in Kiruna (ESRANGE), May 15th, 2008. SOURCE has been intended to partly ful-fill the scientific objectives of the European Space Agency (ESA) Microgravity Applications Program (MAP) project AO-2004-111 (Convective boiling and condensation). Three parties of principle investigators have been involved to design the experiment set-up: ZARM for thermo-capillary flows, IMFT (Toulouse, France) for boiling studies, EADS Astrium (Bremen, Ger-many) for depressurization. The scientific aims are to study the effect of wall heat flux on the contact line of the free liquid surface and to obtain a correlation for a convective heat transfer coefficient. The experiment has been conducted along a predefined time line. A preheating sequence at ground was the first operation to achieve a well defined temperature evolution within the test cell and its environment inside the rocket. Nearly one minute after launch, the pressurized test cell was filled with the test liquid HFE-7000 until a certain fill level was reached. Then the free surface could be observed for 120 s without distortion. Afterwards, the first depressurization was started to induce subcooled boiling, the second one to start saturated boiling. The data from the flight consists of video images and temperature measurements in the liquid, the solid, and the gaseous phase. Data analysis provides the surface shape versus time and the corresponding apparent contact angle. Computational analysis provides information for the determination of the heat transfer coefficient in a compensated gravity environment where a flow is caused by the temperature difference between the hot wall and the cold liquid. Correlations for the effective contact angle and the heat transfer coefficient shall be delivered as a function of the relevant dimensionsless parameters. The data will be used for benchmarking of commercial CFD codes and the tank design (using these codes) of future cryogenic upper stages.

Electric Field Observations of Plasma Convection, Shear, Alfven Waves, and other Phenomena Observed on Sounding Rockets in the Cusp and Boundary Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfaff, R. F.

2009-01-01

On December 14,2002, a NASA Black Brant X sounding rocket was launched equatorward from Ny Alesund, Spitzbergen (79 N) into the dayside cusp and subsequently cut across the open/closed field line boundary, reaching an apogee of771 km. The launch occurred during Bz negative conditions with strong By negative that was changing during the flight. SuperDarn (CUTLASS) radar and subsequent model patterns reveal a strong westward/poleward convection, indicating that the rocket traversed a rotational reversal in the afternoon merging cell. The payload returned DC electric and magnetic fields, plasma waves, energetic particle, suprathermal electron and ion, and thermal plasma data. We provide an overview of the main observations and focus on the DC electric field results, comparing the measured E x B plasma drifts in detail with the CUTLASS radar observations of plasma drifts gathered simultaneously in the same volume. The in situ DC electric fields reveal steady poleward flows within the cusp with strong shears at the interface of the closed/open field lines and within the boundary layer. We use the observations to discuss ionospheric signatures of the open/closed character of the cusp/low latitude boundary layer as a function of the IMF. The electric field and plasma density data also reveal the presence of very strong plasma irregularities with a large range of scales (10 m to 10 km) that exist within the open field line cusp region yet disappear when the payload was equatorward of the cusp on closed field lines. These intense low frequency wave observations are consistent with strong scintillations observed on the ground at Ny Alesund during the flight. We present detailed wave characteristics and discuss them in terms of Alfven waves and static irregularities that pervade the cusp region at all altitudes.

Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) Slit-Jaw Imaging System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkerson, P.; Champey, P. R.; Winebarger, A. R.; Kobayashi, K.; Savage, S. L.

2017-12-01

The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer is a NASA sounding rocket payload providing a 0.6 - 2.5 nm spectrum with unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution. The instrument is comprised of a novel optical design, featuring a Wolter1 grazing incidence telescope, which produces a focused solar image on a slit plate, an identical pair of stigmatic optics, a planar diffraction grating and a low-noise detector. When MaGIXS flies on a suborbital launch in 2019, a slit-jaw camera system will reimage the focal plane of the telescope providing a reference for pointing the telescope on the solar disk and aligning the data to supporting observations from satellites and other rockets. The telescope focuses the X-ray and EUV image of the sun onto a plate covered with a phosphor coating that absorbs EUV photons, which then fluoresces in visible light. This 10-week REU project was aimed at optimizing an off-axis mounted camera with 600-line resolution NTSC video for extremely low light imaging of the slit plate. Radiometric calculations indicate an intensity of less than 1 lux at the slit jaw plane, which set the requirement for camera sensitivity. We selected a Watec 910DB EIA charge-coupled device (CCD) monochrome camera, which has a manufacturer quoted sensitivity of 0.0001 lux at F1.2. A high magnification and low distortion lens was then identified to image the slit jaw plane from a distance of approximately 10 cm. With the selected CCD camera, tests show that at extreme low-light levels, we achieve a higher resolution than expected, with only a moderate drop in frame rate. Based on sounding rocket flight heritage, the launch vehicle attitude control system is known to stabilize the instrument pointing such that jitter does not degrade video quality for context imaging. Future steps towards implementation of the imaging system will include ruggedizing the flight camera housing and mounting the selected camera and lens combination to the instrument structure.

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.

Detection and modeling of the acoustic perturbation produced by the launch of the Space Shuttle using the Global Positioning System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowling, T. J.; Calais, E.; Dautermann, T.

2010-12-01

Rocket launches are known to produce infrasonic pressure waves that propagate into the ionosphere where coupling between electrons and neutral particles induces fluctuations in ionospheric electron density observable in GPS measurements. We have detected ionospheric perturbations following the launch of space shuttle Atlantis on 11 May 2009 using an array of continually operating GPS stations across the Southeastern coast of the United States and in the Caribbean. Detections are prominent to the south of the westward shuttle trajectory in the area of maximum coupling between the acoustic wave and Earth’s magnetic field, move at speeds consistent with the speed of sound, and show coherency between stations covering a large geographic range. We model the perturbation as an explosive source located at the point of closest approach between the shuttle path and each sub-ionospheric point. The neutral pressure wave is propagated using ray tracing, resultant changes in electron density are calculated at points of intersection between rays and satellite-to-reciever line-of-sight, and synthetic integrated electron content values are derived. Arrival times of the observed and synthesized waveforms match closely, with discrepancies related to errors in the apriori sound speed model used for ray tracing. Current work includes the estimation of source location and energy.

GOES-R Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Lift and Mate

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

GOES-S Countdown to T-Zero, Episode 3: Rocket Science

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

Delta II JPSS-1 Solid Rocket Motor Hoist and Mate

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

Delta II JPSS-1 Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Installation

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

Super Soaker: A Sounding Rocket Mission to Study Transport, Chemistry, and Energetics of Water in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere and Implications for Polar Mesospheric Cloud Occurrence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azeem, S. I.; Collins, R. L.; Larsen, M. F.; Stevens, M. H.; Taylor, M. J.

2016-12-01

Water deposition in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere (MLT) from space traffic can lead to significant variations in the composition and dynamics of the region. Stevens et al., 2005 and Kelley et al., 2010, for example, showed that the fast global-scale plume transport from NASA's Space Shuttle launches can lead to the formation of PMCs. This is an important finding because PMCs have been implicated as possible indicators of long-term climate change [e.g. Thomas and Olivero, 2001 and references therein]. The water plume phenomenon raises a number of important questions about lower thermospheric and mesospheric processes, ranging from dynamics and chemistry to PMC formation and climatology. The Super Soaker rocket mission, funded by the NASA Heliophysics Technology and Instrument Development for Science (H-TIDes) program, seeks to investigate the time-dependent neutral chemistry and transport of water in the MLT and to determine the resultant impact on the local temperature and ice cloud formation. Super Soaker is tentatively scheduled for launch in April 2018 from the Poker Flat Rocket Range (PFRR), Alaska. The mission is designed to release a plume of water vapor from a rocket payload and observe how the atmosphere responds both during and after the release. The rocket experiment will be supported on the ground by lidar observations of temperature and PMCs, temperature maps using the Advanced Mesosphere Temperature Mapper (AMTM), ground-based wind observations using TMA releases, PFISR observations of electron density, and data from the NASA AIM and TIMED satellites. In this paper we review the Super Soaker rocket mission and describe initial numerical modeling results to provide a semi-quantitative view of the response of chemistry and energetic to the water plume deposition in the lower thermosphere.

50 CFR 217.74 - Mitigation.

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...

50 CFR 217.74 - Mitigation.

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...

50 CFR 217.74 - Mitigation.

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...

50 CFR 217.74 - Mitigation.

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...

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...

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...

KSC-08pd1093

NASA Image and Video Library

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

KSC-08pd1096

NASA Image and Video Library

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

KSC-08pd1090

NASA Image and Video Library

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

KSC-08pd1094

NASA Image and Video Library

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

KSC-08pd1091

NASA Image and Video Library

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

17. HISTORIC VIEW OF ROCKET & LAUNCH STAND DESIGNED BY ...

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

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

Early Rockets

NASA Image and Video Library

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

An illumination test is performed on the solar panel of a GOES-L satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

A Loral worker at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., assists with an illumination test for circuitry verification on the solar panel of the GOES-L weather satellite. The satellite is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite.

An illumination test is performed on the solar panel of a GOES-L satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Loral workers at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., perform an illumination test for circuitry verification on the solar panel of the GOES-L weather satellite. The satellite is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite.

An illumination test is performed on the solar panel of a GOES-L satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

During an illumination test, a Loral worker at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., verifies circuitry on the solar panel of the GOES-L weather satellite. The satellite is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite.

Convection measurement package for space processing sounding rocket flights. [low gravity manufacturing - fluid dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spradley, L. W.

1975-01-01

The effects on heated fluids of nonconstant accelerations, rocket vibrations, and spin rates, was studied. A system is discussed which can determine the influence of the convective effects on fluid experiments. The general suitability of sounding rockets for performing these experiments is treated. An analytical investigation of convection in an enclosure which is heated in low gravity is examined. The gravitational body force was taken as a time-varying function using anticipated sounding rocket accelerations, since accelerometer flight data were not available. A computer program was used to calculate the flow rates and heat transfer in fluids with geometries and boundary conditions typical of space processing configurations. Results of the analytical investigation identify the configurations, fluids and boundary values which are most suitable for measuring the convective environment of sounding rockets. A short description of fabricated fluid cells and the convection measurement package is given. Photographs are included.

Flame Deflector Complete at Launch Complex 39B

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

X ray microscope/telescope test and alignment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, Arthur B. C.; Hoover, Richard B.

1991-01-01

The tasks performed by the Center for Applied Optics (CAO) in support of the Normal Incidence Multilayer X-Ray Optics Program are detailed. The Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array (MSSTA) was launched on a Terrier-boosted Black Brant sounding rocket from White Sands Missile Range on 13 May 1991. High resolution images of the sun in the soft x ray to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) regime were obtained with normal-incidence Cassegrain, Ritchey-Chretien, and Herschelian telescopes mounted in the sounding rocket. MSSTA represents the first use of multilayer optics to study a very broad range of x ray and EUV solar emissions. Energy-selective properties of multilayer-coated optics allow distinct groups of emission lines to be isolated in the solar corona and transition region. Features of the near and far coronal structures including magnetic loops of plasmas, coronal plumes, coronal holes, faint structures, and cool prominences are visible in these images. MSSTA successfully obtained unprecedented information regarding the structure and dynamics of the solar atmosphere in the temperature range of 10(exp 4)-10(exp 7) K. The performance of the MSSTA has demonstrated a unique combination of ultra-high spatial resolution and spectral differentiation by use of multilayer optics.

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.

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.

Aerodynamics of Sounding-Rocket Geometries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barrowman, J.

1982-01-01

Theoretical aerodynamics program TAD predicts aerodynamic characteristics of vehicles with sounding-rocket configurations. These slender, Axisymmetric finned vehicles have a wide range of aeronautical applications from rockets to high-speed armament. TAD calculates characteristics of separate portions of vehicle, calculates interference between portions, and combines results to form total vehicle solution.

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.

Numerical simulations of a sounding rocket in ionospheric plasma: Effects of magnetic field on the wake formation and rocket potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darian, D.; Marholm, S.; Paulsson, J. J. P.; Miyake, Y.; Usui, H.; Mortensen, M.; Miloch, W. J.

2017-09-01

The charging of a sounding rocket in subsonic and supersonic plasma flows with external magnetic field is studied with numerical particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. A weakly magnetized plasma regime is considered that corresponds to the ionospheric F2 layer, with electrons being strongly magnetized, while the magnetization of ions is weak. It is demonstrated that the magnetic field orientation influences the floating potential of the rocket and that with increasing angle between the rocket axis and the magnetic field direction the rocket potential becomes less negative. External magnetic field gives rise to asymmetric wake downstream of the rocket. The simulated wake in the potential and density may extend as far as 30 electron Debye lengths; thus, it is important to account for these plasma perturbations when analyzing in situ measurements. A qualitative agreement between simulation results and the actual measurements with a sounding rocket is also shown.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

KSC-2011-7258

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-10-06

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the fairing acoustic protection (FAP) system lining the inside of the Atlas V payload fairing for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission comes into view as the fairing is lifted into a vertical position. The FAP protects the payload by dampening the sound created by the rocket during liftoff. The fairing has been uncovered, and preparations are under way to clean it to meet NASA's planetary protection requirements. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent. Although jettisoned once the spacecraft is outside the Earth's atmosphere, the fairing must be cleaned to the same exacting standards as the laboratory to avoid the possibility of contaminating it. MSL's components include a compact car-sized rover, Curiosity, which has 10 science instruments designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rover’s spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. Launch of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is planned for Nov. 25 from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

University of Virginia infrared sensor experiment (UVIRSE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, Jeffrey R.; Bell, Meredith A.; Powers, Michael C.; Laufer, Gabriel

2001-03-01

A suite consisting of an infrared sensor, optical sensors and a video camera are prepared for launch by a group of students at University of Virginia (UVA) and James Madison University (JMU). The sensors are a first step in the development of a Gas Filter Correlation Radiometer (GFCR) that will detect stratospheric methane (CH4) when flown on sub-orbital sounding rockets and/or from the hypersonic X-34 reusable launch vehicle. The current payload has a threefold purpose: (a) to provide space heritage to a thermoelectrically cooled mercury cadmium telluride sensor, (b) to demonstrate methods for correlating the IR reading of the sensor with ground topography, and (c) to flight test all the payload components that will become part of the sub- orbital methane GFCR sensor. Once completed the system will serve as host to other undergraduate research design projects that require space environment, microgravity, or remote sensing capabilities. The payload components have been received and tested, and the supporting structure has been designed and built. Data from previous rocket flights was used to analyze the environmental strains placed on the experiment and components. Payload components are being integrated and tested as a system to ensure functionality in the flight environment. This includes thermal testing for individual components, vibration testing from individual components and overall payload, and load testing of the external structure. Launch is scheduled for Spring 2001.

Rocket Ozone Data Recovery for Digital Archival

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, S. H.; Krueger, A. J.; Hilsenrath, E.; Haffner, D. P.; Bhartia, P. K.

2014-12-01

Ozone distributions in the photochemically-controlled upper stratosphere and mesosphere were first measured using spectrometers on V-2 rockets after WWII. The IGY(1957-1958) spurred development of new optical and chemical instruments for flight on meteorological and sounding rockets. In the early 1960's, the US Navy developed an Arcas rocket-borne optical ozonesonde and NASA GSFC developed chemiluminescent ozonesonde onboard Nike_Cajun and Arcas rocket. The Navy optical ozone program was moved in 1969 to GSFC where rocket ozone research was expanded and continued until 1994 using Super Loki-Dart rocket at 11 sites in the range of 0-65N and 35W-160W. Over 300 optical ozone soundings and 40 chemiluminescent soundings were made. The data have been used to produce the US Standard Ozone Atmosphere, determine seasonal and diurnal variations, and validate early photochemical models. The current effort includes soundings conducted by Australia, Japan, and Korea using optical techniques. New satellite ozone sounding techniques were initially calibrated and later validated using the rocket ozone data. As satellite techniques superseded the rocket methods, the sponsoring agencies lost interest in the data and many of those records have been discarded. The current task intends to recover as much of the data as possible from the private records of the experimenters and their publications, and to archive those records in the WOUDC (World Ozone and Ultraviolet Data Centre). The original data records are handwritten tabulations, computer printouts that are scanned with OCR techniques, and plots digitized from publications. This newly recovered digital rocket ozone profile data from 1965 to 2002 could make significant contributions to the Earth science community in atmospheric research including long-term trend analysis.

A hybrid rocket engine design for simple low cost sounding rocket use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grubelich, Mark; Rowland, John; Reese, Larry

1993-06-01

Preliminary test results on a nitrous oxide/HTPB hybrid rocket engine suitable for powering a small sounding rocket to altitudes of 50-100 K/ft are presented. It is concluded that the advantage of the N2O hybrid engine over conventional solid propellant rocket motors is the ability to obtain long burn times with core burning geometries due to the low regression rate of the fuel. Long burn times make it possible to reduce terminal velocity to minimize air drag losses.

NASA Wallops Rocket Launch Lights up the Mid-Atlantic Coast

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

July 4 fireworks came early when a NASA Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket was successfully launched at 4:25 a.m., Thursday, June 29, from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. During the 8-minute flight, 10 canisters about the size of a soft drink can were ejected in space, 6 to 12 miles away from the 670-pound main payload. The canisters deployed blue-green and red vapor that formed artificial clouds visible from New York to North Carolina. During an ionosphere or aurora science mission, these clouds, or vapor tracers, allow scientists on the ground to visually track particle motions in space. The development of the multi-canister ampoule ejection system will allow scientists to gather information over a much larger area than previously possible when deploying the tracers just from the main payload. Credit: NASA/Wallops 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

San Marco D/L Explorer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

ti March 26, 1964, Centro Ricerche Aerospaziali (CRA) successfully launched a two-stage Nike sounding rocket from the Santa Rita launch platform off the Kenya coast, concluding Phase I. It carried basic elements of the San Marco science instrumentation and served further to flight qualify these canponents as well as provide a means of check-out of range instrumentation and equipment. The second phase culminated in the launch of the San Marco-I Spacecraft fran Wallops Island on a Scout vehicle on December 15, 1964. This launch derronstrated the readiness of the CRA launch crews for Phase III operations and qualified the basic spacecraft design. In addition it confirmed the usefulness and reliability of the drag balance device for accurate determinations of air density values and satellite attitude. phase III was completed with the launching of San Marco-11 frcm the San Marco platform off the coast of Kenya on April 26, 1967. ?he San Marco-II carried the same instrunentation as the San Marco-I, but the equatorial orbit permitted a more detailed study to be made of density variations versus altitude in the equatorial region. Ihe successful launch also served to qualify the San Marco Range as a reliable facility for future satellite launches. The successful culmination of the first San Marco endeavor paved the way for still closer collaboration in future space explorations.

KSC-08pd1095

NASA Image and Video Library

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

KSC-08pd1088

NASA Image and Video Library

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

KSC-08pd1092

NASA Image and Video Library

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

KSC-08pd1089

NASA Image and Video Library

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

History of Solid Rockets

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.

First Look at Results from the Metal Oxide Space Cloud (MOSC) Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caton, R. G.; Pedersen, T. R.; Parris, R. T.; Groves, K. M.; Bernhardt, P. A.; Cannon, P. S.

2013-12-01

During the moon down period from 28 April to 10 May 2013, the NASA Sounding Rocket Program successfully completed a series of two launches from the Kwajalein Atoll for the Air Force Research Laboratory's Metal Oxide Space Cloud (MOSC) experiment. Payloads on both Terrier Improved Orion rockets flown during the mission included two 5 kg of canisters of Samarium (Sm) powder in a thermite mix for immediate expulsion and vaporization and a two-frequency Coherent Electromagnetic Radio Tomography (CERTO) beacon provided by the Naval Research Laboratory. The launches were carefully timed for dusk releases of Sm vapor at preselected altitudes creating artificially generated layers lasting several hours. A host of ground sensors were deployed to fully probe and characterize the localized plasma cloud produced as a result of charge exchange with the background oxygen (Sm + O → SmO+ + e-). In addition to incoherent scatter probing of the ionization cloud with the ALTAIR radar, ground diagnostics included GPS and CERTO beacon receivers at five locations in the Marshall Islands. Researchers from QinetiQ and the UK MOD participated in the MOSC experiment with the addition of an HF transmitting system and an array of receivers distributed across multiple islands to examine the response of the HF propagation environment to the artificially generated layer. AFRL ground equipment included a pair of All-Sky Imagers, optical spectrographs, and two DPS-4D digisondes spaced ~200 km apart providing vertical and oblique soundings. As the experimental team continues to evaluate the data, this paper will present a first look at early results from the MOSC experiment. Data collected will be used to improve existing models and tailor future experiments targeted at demonstrating the ability to temporarily control the RF propagation environment through an on-demand modification of the ionosphere. Funding for the launch was provided by the DoD Space Test Program.

Rocket Science in 60 Seconds: Insulating NASA's New Deep-space Rocket

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

First AFSWC Javelin Sounding Rocket On Launcher at Wallops Island.

NASA Image and Video Library

1959-07-07

Air Force Javelin Rocket on Launcher (USAF JV-1) Wallops Model D4-78 L59-5144 First AFSWC Javelin sounding rocket ready for flight test, July 7, 1959. Photograph published in A New Dimension Wallops Island Flight Test Range: The First Fifteen Years by Joseph Shortal. A NASA publication. Page 704.

A Normal Incidence X-ray Telescope (NIXT) Sounding Rocket Payload

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golub, Leon

1997-01-01

The following two papers, summarizing scientific results from the NIXT rocket program, are presented: (1) 'The Solar X-ray Corona,' - an introduction to the physics of the solar corona, with a major portion concerning a summary of results from the series of NIXT sounding rocket flights; and (2) 'Difficulties in Observing Coronal Structure.'

KSC-07pd1321

NASA Image and Video Library

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

76 FR 70695 - Taking and Importing Marine Mammals: U.S. Navy Training in 12 Range Complexes and U.S. Air Force...

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...

77 FR 4917 - Taking and Importing Marine Mammals: U.S. Navy Training in 12 Range Complexes and U.S. Air Force...

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...

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.

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...

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...

Orion is Lifted for Mating with Delta IV

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

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.

A Low Cost GPS System for Real-Time Tracking of Sounding Rockets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Markgraf, M.; Montenbruck, O.; Hassenpflug, F.; Turner, P.; Bull, B.; Bauer, Frank (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

In an effort to minimize the need for costly, complex, tracking radars, the German Space Operations Center has set up a research project for GPS based tracking of sounding rockets. As part of this project, a GPS receiver based on commercial technology for terrestrial applications has been modified to allow its use under the highly dynamical conditions of a sounding rocket flight. In addition, new antenna concepts are studied as an alternative to proven but costly wrap-around antennas.

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...

HF Propagation Effects Caused by an Artificial Plasma Cloud in the Ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, D. R.; Groves, K. M.; McNeil, W. J.; Caton, R. G.; Parris, R. T.; Pedersen, T. R.; Cannon, P. S.; Angling, M. J.; Jackson-Booth, N. K.

2014-12-01

In a campaign carried out by the NASA sounding rocket team, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) launched two sounding rockets in the Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, in May 2013 known as the Metal Oxide Space Cloud (MOSC) experiment to study the interactions of artificial ionization and the background plasma and measure the effects on high frequency (HF) radio wave propagation. The rockets released samarium metal vapor in the lower F-region of the ionosphere that ionized forming a plasma cloud that persisted for tens of minutes to hours in the post-sunset period. Data from the experiments has been analyzed to understand the impacts of the artificial ionization on HF radio wave propagation. Swept frequency HF links transiting the artificial ionization region were employed to produce oblique ionograms that clearly showed the effects of the samarium cloud. Ray tracing has been used to successfully model the effects of the ionized cloud. Comparisons between observations and modeled results will be presented, including model output using the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI), the Parameterized Ionospheric Model (PIM) and PIM constrained by electron density profiles measured with the ALTAIR radar at Kwajalein. Observations and modeling confirm that the cloud acted as a divergent lens refracting energy away from direct propagation paths and scattering energy at large angles relative to the initial propagation direction. The results confirm that even small amounts of ionized material injected in the upper atmosphere can result in significant changes to the natural propagation environment.

ICI-III sounding rocket investigation of a Reversed flow event seen by the EISCAT Svalbard Radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dåbakk, Y.; Moen, J. I.; Carlson, H. C.; Saito, Y.; Abe, T.

2014-12-01

The Investigation of Cusp Irregularities (ICI)- III Sounding rocket was launched from Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard on December 3rd, 2011. The aim of the ICI-III mission was to investigate the physics of RFE class of cusp flow events. ICI-III intersected the first RFE (RFE1) in a sequence of in total 3 consecutive RFEs seen by the EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR). The ESR and ICI-III were geographically looking at the same region of the ionosphere both at the time ICI-III entered RFE1 on its poleward boundary and left it on its equatorward boundary, hence ESR tracked the rocket perfectly on entering and leaving RFE1. ICI-III measured hence for the first time detailed flows and precipitation within an RFE with a resolution down to tens of meters. The observations presented are used to test the various explanations that have been proposed as generation mechanisms for this phenomenon. The only consistent explanation that remains seems to be the theory suggested by Rinne et al. 2007, where an asymmetric version of the Southwood FTE twin cell model was proposed in which return flow develops predominantly on the poleward side of newly open flux since it is inhibited by the open-closed boundary (OCB) on the equatorward side to explain the RFE. By zooming into the RFE, detailed structure and dynamics within the RFE are revealed, previously unseen due to instrument resolution.

Antares Rocket Test Launch

NASA Image and Video Library

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)

KSC-2011-6978

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-15

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The deconstruction of Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is complete. Still remaining are remnants of the fixed service structure and the water tower used for sound suppression. In 2009, the structure at the pad was no longer needed for NASA's Space Shuttle Program, so it is being restructured for future use. The new design will feature a "clean pad" for rockets to come with their own launcher, making it more versatile for a number of vehicles. For information on NASA's future plans, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Modifications to the NASA SP-8072 Distributed Source Method II for Ares I Lift-off Environment Predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haynes, Jared; Kenny, Jeremy

2009-01-01

Lift-off acoustic environments for NASA's Ares I - Crew Launch Vehicle are predicted using the second source distribution methodology described in the NASA SP-8072. Three modifications made to the model include a shorter core length approximation, a core termination procedure upon plume deflection, and a new set of directivity indices measured from static test firings of the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM). The modified sound pressure level predictions increased more than 5 dB overall, and the peak levels shifted two third-octave bands higher in frequency.

CIV Polarization Measurements using a Vacuum Ultraviolet Fabry-Perot Interferometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

West, Edward; Gary, G. Allen; Cirtain, Jonathan; David, John; Kobayashi, Ken; Pietraszewski, Chris

2009-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) is developing a Vacuum Ultraviolet (VUV) Fabry-P rot Interferometer that will be launched on a sounding rocket for high throughput, high-cadence, extended field of view CIV (155nm) measurements. These measurements will provide (i) Dopplergrams for studies of waves, oscillations, explosive events, and mass motions through the transition region, and, (ii), polarization measurements to study the magnetic field in the transition region. This paper will describe the scientific goals of the instrument, a brief description of the optics and the polarization characteristics of the VUV Fabry P rot.

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.

Soft X-ray astronomy proportional counter electronics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, W. R.

1971-01-01

The X-ray multiwire proportional counter is designed to measure cosmic X-ray fluxes at sounding rocket altitudes in the energy range of 0.1 to 10 keV. Four instruments will be launched in a Black Brant 4 rocket employing different combinations of detector windows and gas. The detector is constructed with two layers of twelve cells. A columnator is mounted on the face of one layer whose cells are wired together alternately to form two main detector sections. The electronics and gas regulation systems are mounted on the face of the second layer whose cells are wired together to form one anticoincidence detector section. Normally X-rays will have short ionization paths in only one of the main detector cells at a time and won't enter the anticoincidence detector cells. To distinguish between X-rays and charged particles, the instrument includes a coincidence discriminator, an anticoincidence discriminator, and a pulse rise time discriminator.

In-Flight Performance of the Polarization Modulator in the CLASP Rocket Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ishikawa, S.; Shimizu, T.; Kano, R.; Bando, T.; Ishikawa, R.; Giono, G.; Beabout, D.; Beabout, B.; Nakayama, S.; Tajima, T.

2016-01-01

We developed a polarization modulation unit (PMU), a motor system to rotate a waveplate continuously. We applied this PMU for the Chromospheric Lyman-alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP), a sounding rocket experiment to observe the linear polarization of the Lyman-alpha emission (121.6 nm vacuum ultraviolet) from the upper chromosphere and transition region of the Sun with a high polarization sensitivity of 0.1% for the first time and investigate the vector magnetic field. Rotation non-uniformity of the waveplate causes error in the polarization degree (i.e. scale error) and crosstalk between Stokes components. In the ground tests, we confirmed that PMU has superior rotation uniformity. CLASP was successfully launched on September 3, 2015, and PMU functioned well as designed. PMU achieved a good rotation uniformity during the flight and the high precision polarization measurement of CLASP was successfully achieved.

Rocket-borne and ground-based measurements in support of the field-widened interferometer experiment - sergeant a30. 276

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

Ulwick, J.C.; Allred, G.D.; Baker, K.D.

1985-05-28

In April 1983 Utah State University and Air Force Geophysics Laboratory experimenters launched a Sergeant (A30.276) sounding rocket from the Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska. The prime purpose of the flight was to obtain infrared-spectral measurements in the 2-1.5 micrometer m range during an auroral event. In addition to the prime experiment, which has already been reported, the payload contained four photometers, and energy deposition scintillator and an atomic oxygen detector to gather in-situ supporting data. Simultaneously, all-sky television, meridian scanning photometers, riometer, and magnetometers supported the flight from ground-based measuring sites. This report presents a summary of the rocketbornemore » supporting instruments and the data they gathered and provides a time/intensity history of the event as documented by the ground-based meridian scanners and all-sky television.« less

Building Aerodynamic Databases for the SLS Design Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Stuart; Dalle, Derek J.; Lee, Henry; Meeroff, Jamie; Onufer, Jeffrey; Chan, William; Pulliam, Thomas

2017-01-01

NASA's new Space Launch System (SLS) will be the first rocket since the Saturn V (1967-1973) to carry astronauts beyond low earth orbit-and will carry 10% more payload than Saturn V and three times the payload of the space shuttle. The SLS configuration consists of a center core and two solid rocket boosters that separate from the core as their fuel is exhausted two minutes after lift-off. During these first two minutes of flight, the vehicle powers its way through strong shock waves as it accelerates past the speed of sound, then pushes beyond strong aerodynamic loads at the maximum dynamic pressure, and is ultimately enveloped by gaseous plumes from the booster-separation motors. The SLS program relies on computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations to provide much of the data needed to build aerodynamic databases describing the structural load distribution, surface pressures, and aerodynamic forces on the vehicle.

Suborbital Platforms as a Tool for a Symbiotic Relationship Between Scientists, Engineers, and Students

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamberlin, Phillip C.

2011-01-01

Sounding rockets started in-situ space experimentation over 60 years ago with scientific experiments replacing warheads on captured V- 2 German rockets. Prior to this, and still today, suborbital platforms such as airplanes and high-altitude balloons have provided advantageous remote sensing observations advancing many areas of Earth and Space science. There is still a place for first-rate science in both stand-alone missions as well as providing complimentary measurements to the larger orbital missions. Along with the aforementioned science, the cost effectiveness and development times provided by sub-orbital platforms allows for perfect hands-on and first rate educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. This talk will give examples and discuss the mutually beneficial opportunities that scientists and students obtain in development of suborbital missions. Also discussed will be how the next generation of space vehicles should help eliminate the number one obstacle to these programs - launch opportunities.

Bispectral analysis of equatorial spread F density irregularities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Labelle, J.; Lund, E. J.

1992-01-01

Bispectral analysis has been applied to density irregularities at frequencies 5-30 Hz observed with a sounding rocket launched from Peru in March 1983. Unlike the power spectrum, the bispectrum contains statistical information about the phase relations between the Fourier components which make up the waveform. In the case of spread F data from 475 km the 5-30 Hz portion of the spectrum displays overall enhanced bicoherence relative to that of the background instrumental noise and to that expected due to statistical considerations, implying that the observed f exp -2.5 power law spectrum has a significant non-Gaussian component. This is consistent with previous qualitative analyses. The bicoherence has also been calculated for simulated equatorial spread F density irregularities in approximately the same wavelength regime, and the resulting bispectrum has some features in common with that of the rocket data. The implications of this analysis for equatorial spread F are discussed, and some future investigations are suggested.

Rocket-borne time-of-flight mass spectrometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reiter, R. F.

1976-01-01

Theoretical and numerical analyses are made of planar, cylindrical and spherical-electrode two-field time-of-flight mass spectrometers in order to optimize their operating conditions. A method is introduced which can improve the resolving power of these instruments by a factor of 7.5. Potential barrier gating in time-of-flight mass spectrometers is also analyzed. Experimental studies of a miniature cylindrical-electrode and a hemispherical-electrode time-of-flight mass spectrometer are presented. Their sensitivity and ability to operate at D-region pressures with an open source make them ideal instruments for D-region ion composition measurements. A sounding rocket experiment package carrying a cylindrical electrode time-of-flight mass spectrometer was launched. The data indicate that essentially 100% of the positive electric charge on positive ions is carried by ions with mass-to-charge ratios greater than 500 below an altitude of 92 km. These heavy charge carriers were present at altitudes up to about 100 km.

Launch Vehicles Based on Advanced Hybrid Rocket Motors: An Enabling Technology for the Commercial Small and Micro Satellite Planetary Science

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.

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.

Small Rocket/Spacecraft Technology (SMART) Platform

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Esper, Jaime; Flatley, Thomas P.; Bull, James B.; Buckley, Steven J.

2011-01-01

The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the Department of Defense Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office are exercising a multi-year collaborative agreement focused on a redefinition of the way space missions are designed and implemented. A much faster, leaner and effective approach to space flight requires the concerted effort of a multi-agency team tasked with developing the building blocks, both programmatically and technologically, to ultimately achieve flights within 7-days from mission call-up. For NASA, rapid mission implementations represent an opportunity to find creative ways for reducing mission life-cycle times with the resulting savings in cost. This in tum enables a class of missions catering to a broader audience of science participants, from universities to private and national laboratory researchers. To that end, the SMART (Small Rocket/Spacecraft Technology) micro-spacecraft prototype demonstrates an advanced avionics system with integrated GPS capability, high-speed plug-and-playable interfaces, legacy interfaces, inertial navigation, a modular reconfigurable structure, tunable thermal technology, and a number of instruments for environmental and optical sensing. Although SMART was first launched inside a sounding rocket, it is designed as a free-flyer.

Orion Leaves from the VAB

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

Delta II JPSS-1 Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Hoist and Mate

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

KSC-05PD-1142

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Under post-dawn cloudy skies, Space Shuttle Discovery, resting on the Mobile Launcher Platform, rolls away from Launch Pad 39B via the Crawler/Transporter underneath. At left are the Rotating and Fixed Service Structures (RSS and FSS). Atop the FSS is the 80-foot lightning mast. At right is the 290-foot-tall water tower that holds 300,000 gallons of water, part of the sound suppression system during a launch. Discovery is returning to the Vehicle Assembly Buildling where it will be demated from its External Tank and lifted into the transfer aisle. On or about June 7, Discovery will be lifted and attached to its new tank and Solid Rocket Boosters, which are already in the VAB. Only the 15th rollback in Space Shuttle Program history, the 4.2-mile journey allows additional modifications to be made to the External Tank prior to a safe Return to Flight. Discovery is expected to be rolled back to the launch pad in mid-June for Return to Flight mission STS-114. The launch window extends from July 13 to July 31.

Inter-Comparison between July 24, 2014 EUV Data from NASA Sounding Rocket 36.289 and Concurrent Measurements from Orbital Solar Observatories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Didkovsky, L. V.; Wieman, S. R.; Judge, D. L.

2014-12-01

Sounding rocket mission NASA 36.289 Didkovsky provided solar EUV irradiance measurements from four instruments built at the USC Space Sciences Center: the Rare Gas Ionization Cell (RGIC), the Solar Extreme ultraviolet Monitor (SEM), the Dual Grating Spectrometer (DGS), and the Optics-Free Spectrometer (OFS), thus meeting the mission comprehensive success criteria. These sounding rocket data allow us to inter-compare the observed absolute EUV irradiance with the data taken at the same time from the SOHO and SDO solar observatories. The sounding rocket data from the two degradation-free instruments (DGS and OFS) can be used to verify the degradation rates of SOHO and SDO EUV channels and serve as a flight-proven prototypes for future improvements of degradation-free instrumentation for solar physics.

KSC-99pc52

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-01-11

In a specially built clean room at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., Loral technician Roberto Caballero checks the position of the GOES-L weather satellite before beginning deployment of the sounder instrument's cooler cover door. The sounder, one of two meteorological instruments on the satellite, measures temperature and moisture in a vertical column of air from the satellite to Earth. Its findings will help forecast weather. GOES-L, which is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March, is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures as well as perform the atmospheric sounding. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite

An illumination test is performed on the solar panel of a GOES-L satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Workers (right) at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., arrange the lights for an illumination test on the solar panel of the GOES-L weather satellite. The test is verifying the circuitry on the panel. The satellite is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES-L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite.

The solar panels on the GOES-L satellite are deployed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The solar panels on the GOES-L weather satellite are fully deployed. Final testing of the imaging system, instrumentation, communications and power systems also will be performed at the Astrotech facility, Titusville, Fla. The satellite is to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) aboard an Atlas II rocket in late March. The GOES- L is the fourth of a new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is a three-axis inertially stabilized spacecraft that will provide pictures and perform atmospheric sounding at the same time. Once launched, the satellite, to be designated GOES-11, will undergo checkout and provide backup capabilities for the existing, aging GOES East weather satellite.

Orion EFT-1 Wet Dress Rehearsal

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

Orion is Lifted for Mating with Delta IV

NASA Image and Video Library

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.

Orion is Lifted for Mating with Delta IV

NASA Image and Video Library

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.