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Live footage shows the crewmembers of STS-29, Commander Michael L. Coats, Pilot John E. Blaha, and Mission Specialists James P. Bagian, James F. Buchli, and Robert C. Springer, participating in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Tests. The astronauts are seen on the launch pad, learning about the shuttle and its safety features. They are also shown putting on disposable masks and going into an emergency eye wash and emergency showers.
NASA officials answer questions from the press about the upcoming launch of the STS-47 Endeavour mission.
The Delta-90 launch vehicle and the IMP-H spacecraft were successfully launched from Pad B, Complex 17, Cape Kennedy Air Force Station, Florida, at 2120:00.559 EDT on September 22, 1972. The countdown proceeded smoothly to liftoff with no major difficulties or unscheduled holds. The Delta-90/IMP-H were launched on a pad azimuth of 115 degrees, the vehicle ten rolled to 95 degrees from the north placing the spacecraft in a highly elliptical transfer orbit. Firing the spacecraft kickmotor at 1136 EDT, September 25, 1972, injected the spacecraft into its final desirable near-circular orbit approximately half way between the planet earth and its moon. Vehicle performance of all stages appeared nominal with all sequenced events occurring at the expected times. Data acquisition from all range stations was very good. Damage to the launch pad caused by liftoff was nominal.
In less than two years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will launch the Ares I-X mission. This will be the first flight of the Ares I crew launch vehicle, which, together with the Ares V cargo launch vehicle, will eventually send humans to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. As the countdown to this first Ares mission continues, personnel from across the Ares I-X Mission Management Office (MMO) are finalizing designs and fabricating vehicle hardware for a 2009 launch. This paper will discuss the hardware and programmatic progress of the Ares I-X mission.
In less than two years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will launch the Ares I-X mission. This will be the first flight of the Ares I crew launch vehicle, which, together with the Ares V cargo launch vehicle, will eventually send humans to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. As the countdown to this first Ares mission continues, personnel from across the Ares I-X Mission Management Office (MMO) are finalizing designs and fabricating vehicle hardware for an April 2009 launch. This paper will discuss the hardware and programmatic progress of the Ares I-X mission. Like the Apollo program, the Ares launch vehicles will rely upon extensive ground, flight, and orbital testing before sending the Orion crew exploration vehicle into space with humans on board. The first flight of Ares I, designated Ares I-X, will be a suborbital development flight test. Ares I-X gives NASA its first opportunity to gather critical data about the flight dynamics of the integrated launch vehicle stack; understand how to control its roll during flight; better characterize the severe stage separation environments that the upper stage engine will experience during future operational flights; and demonstrate the first stage recovery system. NASA also will begin modifying the launch infrastructure and fine-tuning ground and mission operations, as the agency makes the transition from the Space Shuttle to the Ares/Orion system.
Live footage shows the remaining two crewmembers of STS-37, Mission Specialists Jerry L. Ross, and Jay Apt, entering the White Room, putting on their life preservation vest, and then entering the launch vehicle. Video playbacks, of the crew during the earlier stage of the Terminal Countdown and Demonstration Test, and the processing of the primary payload (Gamma Ray Observatory) are shown. Scenes showing the arrival of Ross at Kennedy Space Center in the T-38 aircraft, the crew on the launch complex during familiarization activities, and training with the M113 vehicle are presented. Also shown are some beautiful panoramic views of the shuttle on the pad. This is tape 2 of 3. Tape 1 has a report # of NONP-NASA-VT-2000013416, and tape 3 has a report # of NONP-NASA-VT-2000013418.
The Crew of STS-41G Challenger Shuttle, Pilot Jon A. McBride, Mission Specialists Kathryn D. Sullivan, Sally K. Ride and David C. Leestma, and Payload Specialists Marc Garmeau, and Paul D. Scully-Power are seen driving in the Astro-van to pick up the Commander of the mission Robert L. Crippen. Footage of the crew arriving at the launch pad, departing the Astro-van and boarding the shuttle to perform a trial countdown demonstration test are shown. Members of the Challenger team are seen exiting the shuttle, and answering questions from reporters. Live footage of the flight control room, and several panoramic views of the shuttle on the launch pad are also seen.
Magellan was successfully launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis from the Kennedy Space Center at 2:47 p.m. EDT on May 4, 1989. The Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) booster and attached Magellan Spacecraft were successfully deployed from Atlantis on Rev. 5 as planned, at 06:14 hrs Mission Elapsed Time (MET). The two IUS propulsion burns which began at 07:14 hrs MET and were completed at 07:22 hrs MET, placed the Magellan Spacecraft almost perfectly on its preplanned trajectory to Venus. The IUS was jettisoned at 07:40 hrs MET and Magellan telemetry was immediately acquired by the Deep Space Network (DSN). A spacecraft trajectory correction maneuver was performed on May 21 and the spacecraft is in the planned standard cruise configuration with all systems operating nominally. An initial attempt was made to launch Atlantis on April 28, 1989, but the launch was scrubbed at T-31 sec due to a failure of the liquid hydrogen recirculation pump on Space Shuttle Main Engine #1. The countdown had proceeded smoothly until T-20 min when the Magellan radio receiver "locked-on" the MIL 71 Unified S-Band (USB) transmission as the transmitter power was increased fro 2 kw to 10 kw in support of the orbiter launch. During the planned hold at T-9 min, the USB was confirmed as the source of the receiver "lock" and Magellan's launch readiness was reaffirmed. In addition a five-minute extension of the T-9 hold occurred when a range safety computer went off-line, creating a loss of redundancy in the range safety computer network. Following resumption of the countdown, both the orbiter and Magellan flows proceeded smoothly until the launch was scrubbed at T-31 sec.
The primary objective of the STS-30 mission was to deploy the Magellan/Venus radar mapper spacecraft and attached Inertial Upper Stage (IUS). The commander of the mission was David M. Walker. The crew was pilot, Ronald J. Grabe, and mission specialists, Norman E. Thagard, Mary L. Cleave, and Mark C. Lee. The mission was launched on May 4, 1989, after the April 28 launch attempt was scrubbed due to a problem with a liquid hydrogen recirculation pump on the number one main engine and a vapor leak in the four-inch liquid hydrogen recirculation line between the orbiter and the external tank. This videotape shows the crew breakfast on April 28, and the final preparations for launch. It also shows the crew boarding the shuttle. After the countdown is halted at T-31 seconds the crew leaves the orbiter.
This press briefing on Flight Readiness Review (FRR) for the STS-114 Discovery flight is shown. Dean Acosta, Deputy Associate Administrator for Public Affairs, introduces the panel. The panel consist of: Michael Griffin, NASA Administrator, William Readdy, Associate Administrator of Space Operations, Bill Parsons, Space Shuttle Program Manager, and Mike Leinbach, NASA Launch Director. Questions from the media includes the following topics: certification, countdown, ice on the external tank, debris, and safety of the Space Shuttle Discovery.
In less than two years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will execute the Ares I-X mission. This will be the first flight of the Ares I crew launch vehicle; which, together with the Ares V cargo launch vehicle (Figure 1), will eventually send humans to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. As the countdown to this first Ares mission continues, personnel from across the Ares I-X Mission Management Office (MMO) are finalizing designs and, in some cases, already fabricating vehicle hardware in preparation for an April 2009 launch. This paper will discuss the hardware and programmatic progress of the Ares I-X mission.
The procedures required to prepare a space vehicle for subsequent launch attempt after cancelling lift-off activities are presented. The cancellation must occur after the start of cryogenic loading, but prior to initiation of ignition sequences. The sequence of operations necessary to return the space vehicle to a predetermined configuration at which time the launch count can be resumed or rescheduled for following launch opportunities is developed. The considerations and constraints that are the basis for the scrub/turnaround times are described.
Evaluation results of prelaunch countdown, powered flight, and orbital phase of Saturn S-4B-501 launch vehicle
After an introduction by Bruce Buckingham (NASA Public Affairs), participants Jeff Spaulding (NASA Test Director, Scott Higginbotham (STS-99 Payload Manager), and Ed Priselac (Shuttle Weather Officer) proceed with the countdown status briefing. They expressed that the opening countdown was proceeding well and servicing of the cryotanks was completed. The launch pad closeouts continued and the tanking process was in order. There was a card failure in the data handling processor, so a backup system was used.
The fourth NASA space shuttle flight incorporating redesigned solid rocket motors began on 4 May 1989. The flight motors were designated 360Q004A (left-hand) and 360H004B (right-hand); the mission was designated STS-30R. Overall engine performance was excellent. The low sample rate data that was available showed exceptional propulsion performance. All ballistic and mass property parameters closely matched the predicted values and were well within the required contract end item specification levels that could be assessed. No strain, vibration, or aft skirt heating environments could be addressed due to developmental flight instrumentation deletion. Infrared readings from the shuttle thermal imager were considered very good when compared with ground environment instrumentation readings taken during both the aborted and the actual countdowns. However, hand-held infrared gun reading/ground environment instrumentation comparisons were considered poor during both countdowns, with the exception of the T - 3 hour timeframe during the actual launch. Postflight inspection again verified superior performance of the insulation, phenolics, metal parts, and seals. All combustion gas was contained by the insulation in the field and case-to-nozzle joints. Inadequate parachute performance on the left-hand booster caused high splashdown loads, which resulted in a displaced nozzle and factory joint weatherseal unbond anomalies. Recommendations were made concerning improved thermal modeling and instruments. The rationale for these recommendations, the dispositions of all anomalies, and complete result details are given.
This video presents a live coverage of a pre-launch press conference on the Delta II/Geotail Mission. George Diller, NASA Public Affairs, presents the panel. The panel consists of James Womack, NASA Launch Manager, Kennedy Space Center; Mario Acuna, Project Scientist, Goddard Space Flight Center; Atsuiro Nishida, Project Manager, ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science) Tokyo; Michael Calabrese, Program Manager, NASA Headquarters; Kenneth Sizemore, Project Manager, GSFC; Tono Uesugi, Project Manager, ISAS; John Beckham, Delta Launch Manager, GSFC; and Joel Tumbiolo, Launch Weather Officer, CCAFS (Cape Canaveral Air Force Station). Atsuiro Nishida presents the objectives of the Geotail Mission which are: 1) To determine the characteristics of the Geomagnetic Tail; 2) To understand the internal instability that leads to sudden energy releases; 3) To clarify the source of plasma in the tail; and 4) To study the structure of important interfaces such as the Magnetopause. Mario Acuna gives illustrations of the Magnetosphere. James Womack discusses the countdown and status of the mission. Tono Uesugi discusses spacecraft readiness for the July 24, 1992 launch, and Joel Tumbiolo gives the weather forecast for the launch. The press conference concludes with a question and answer period. See NONP-NASA-VT-200078605 for additional questions and footage.
The Fault Detection, Isolation and Recovery (FDIR) hardware demonstration will highlight the effort being conducted by Constellation's Ground Operations (GO) to provide the Launch Control System (LCS) with system-level health management during vehicle processing and countdown activities. A proof-of-concept demonstration of the FDIR prototype established the capability of the software to provide real-time fault detection and isolation using generated Liquid Hydrogen data. The FDIR portable testbed unit (presented here) aims to enhance FDIR by providing a dynamic simulation of Constellation subsystems that feed the FDIR software live data based on Liquid Oxygen system properties. The LO2 cryogenic ground system has key properties that are analogous to the properties of an electronic circuit. The LO2 system is modeled using electrical components and an equivalent circuit is designed on a printed circuit board to simulate the live data. The portable testbed is also be equipped with data acquisition and communication hardware to relay the measurements to the FDIR application running on a PC. This portable testbed is an ideal capability to perform FDIR software testing, troubleshooting, training among others.
On the day-or-launch. the 45th Weather Squadron Launch Weather Officers (LWOS) monitor the upper-level winds for their launch customers to include NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP). During launch operations, the payload launch team sometimes asks the LWO if they expect the upper level winds to change during the countdown but the LWOs did not have the capability to quickly retrieve or display the upper-level observations and compare them to the numerical weather prediction model point forecasts. The LWOs requested the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) develop a capability in the form of a graphical user interface (GUI) that would allow them to plot upper-level wind speed and direction observations from the Kennedy Space Center Doppler Radar Wind Profilers and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station rawinsondes and then overlay model point forecast profiles on the observation profiles to assess the performance of these models and graphically display them to the launch team. The AMU developed an Excel-based capability for the LWOs to assess the model forecast upper-level winds and compare them to observations. They did so by creating a GUI in Excel that allows the LWOs to first initialize the models by comparing the O-hour model forecasts to the observations and then to display model forecasts in 3-hour intervals from the current time through 12 hours.