|
|
Mercury-Atlas Test Launch
| Title |
Mercury-Atlas Test Launch |
| Full Description |
A NASA Project Mercury spacecraft was test launched at 11:15 AM EST on April 25, 1961 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in a test designed to qualify the Mercury Spacecraft and all systems, which must function during orbit and reentry from orbit. The Mercury-Atlas vehicle was destroyed by Range Safety Officer about 40 seconds after liftoff. The spacecraft was recovered and appeared to be in good condition. Atlas was designed to launch payloads into low Earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. NASA first launched Atlas as a space launch vehicle in 1958. Project SCORE, the first communications satellite that transmitted President Eisenhower's pre-recorded Christmas speech around the world, was launched on an Atlas. For all three robotic lunar exploration programs, Atlas was used. Atlas/ Centaur vehicles launched both Mariner and Pioneer planetary probes. The current operational Atlas II family has a 100% mission success rating. For more information about Atlas, please see Chapter 2 in Roger Launius and Dennis Jenkins' book To Reach the High Frontier published by The University Press of Kentucky in 2002. |
| Date |
04/25/1961 |
| NASA Center |
Kennedy Space Center |
|
STS-66 Atlantis Landing and
| Title |
STS-66 Atlantis Landing and Chute Deployment at Edwards |
| Full Description |
The Space Shuttle Atlantis lands with its drag chute deployed on runway 22 at Edwards, California, to complete the STS-66 mission dedicated to the third flight of the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science-3 (ATLAS-3), part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth program. The astronauts also deployed and retrieved a free-flying satellite designed to study the middle and lower thermospheres and perform a series of experiments covering life sciences research and microgravity processing. The landing was at 7:34 a.m. (PST) November 14, 1994, after being waved off from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, due to adverse weather. |
| Date |
11/14/1994 |
| NASA Center |
Dryden Flight Research Center |
|
STS-66 Atlantis Landing Appr
| Title |
STS-66 Atlantis Landing Approach at Edwards |
| Full Description |
The Space Shuttle Atlantis approaches runway 22 at Edwards, California, to complete the STS-66 mission dedicated to the third flight of the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science-3 (ATLAS-3), part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth program. The astronauts also deployed and retrieved a free-flying satellite designed to study the middle and lower thermospheres and perform a series of experiments covering life sciences research and microgravity processing. The landing was at 7:34 a.m. (PST) November 14, 1994, after being waved off from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, due to adverse weather. |
| Date |
11/14/1994 |
| NASA Center |
Dryden Flight Research Center |
|
STS-66 Launch
| Title |
STS-66 Launch |
| Full Description |
The 66th Space Shuttle flight begins with a nearly ontime liftoff of Space Shuttle Mission STS-66 into clear Florida skies. The orbiter Atlantis returned to space after an approximately two year absence with a liftoff from Launch Pad 39B at 11:59:43 a.m. EST, about four minutes after the launch window opened. The planned 11 day flight will continue NASA's Mission to Planet Earth, a comprehensive international collaboration to study how Earth's environment is changing and how human beings affect that change. Primary payloads for the last Shuttle flight of 1994 include the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-3), making its third flight, and the German built Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere Shuttle Pallet Satellite (CRISTA-SPAS), which will be deployed and later retrieved during the mission. Mission commander is Donald R. McMonagle, Curtis L. Brown Jr. is the pilot, Ellen Ochoa is the payload commander, and the three mission specialists are Joseph R. Tanner, Scott E. Parazynski, and Jean-Francois Clervoy, a French citizen who is with the European Space Agency. |
| Date |
11/3/1994 |
| NASA Center |
Kennedy Space Center |
|
Unloading Atlas Launch Vehic
| Title |
Unloading Atlas Launch Vehicle |
| Full Description |
The Atlas launch vehicle is shown being unloaded at Cape Canaveral, Florida. This vehicle was expected to launch a Mercury spacecraft (without any astronauts aboard), built by McDonnell Aircraft Corp., into orbit. The Atlas attempted to place the Mercury spacecraft into its first orbital flight. The spacecraft was supposed to be launched in an orbital flight path and reentry was to be initiated about 90 minutes later as the craft neared the end of the first orbit. Unfortunately, this Atlas exploded at launch. Atlas was designed to launch payloads into low Earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. NASA first launched Atlas as a space launch vehicle in 1958. Project SCORE, the first communications satellite that transmitted President Eisenhower's pre-recorded Christmas speech around the world, was launched on an Atlas. For all three robotic lunar exploration programs, Atlas was used. Atlas/ Centaur vehicles launched both Mariner and Pioneer planetary probes. The current operational Atlas II family has a 100% mission success rating. For more information about Atlas, please see Chapter 2 in Roger Launius and Dennis Jenkins' book To Reach the High Frontier published by The University Press of Kentucky in 2002. |
| Date |
04/23/1961 |
| NASA Center |
Kennedy Space Center |
|
Launch of Mercury-Atlas
| Title |
Launch of Mercury-Atlas |
| Full Description |
In this Project Mercury test, a spacecraft booster by a modified Atlas was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Mercury capsule reached a peak altitude of 107 statute miles and landed 1.425 miles down range. Atlas was designed to launch payloads into low Earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. NASA first launched Atlas as a space launch vehicle in 1958. Project SCORE, the first communications satellite that transmitted President Eisenhower's pre-recorded Christmas speech around the world, was launched on an Atlas. For all three robotic lunar exploration programs, Atlas was used. Atlas/ Centaur vehicles launched both Mariner and Pioneer planetary probes. The current operational Atlas II family has a 100% mission success rating. For more information about Atlas, please see Chapter 2 in Roger Launius and Dennis Jenkins' book To Reach the High Frontier published by The University Press of Kentucky in 2002 (in which Dennis Jenkins notes on page 98 that "as a space launch vehicle there is no question that Atlas has made a mark for itself, and a great deal of money for its manufacturers"). |
| Date |
02/21/1961 |
| NASA Center |
Kennedy Space Center |
|
STS-66 Edwards Landing Appro
| Photo Description |
The space shuttle Atlantis approaches runway 22 at Edwards, California, to complete the STS-66 mission dedicated to the third flight of the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science-3 (ATLAS-3), part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth program. The astronauts also deployed and retrieved a free-flying satellite designed to study the middle and lower thermospheres and perform a series of experiments covering life sciences research and microgravity processing. The landing was at 7:34 a.m. (PST) 14 November 1994, after being waved off from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, due to adverse weather. |
| Project Description |
470,000 pounds. The engines burn a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. In orbit, the Space Shuttles circle the earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour with each orbit taking about 90 minutes. A Space Shuttle crew sees a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes. When Space Shuttle flights began in April 1981, Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, was the primary landing site for the Shuttles. Now Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is the primary landing site with Dryden remaining as the principal alternate landing site., Space Shuttles are the main element of America?s Space Transportation System and are used for space research and other space applications. The shuttles are the first vehicles capable of being launched into space and returning to Earth on a routine basis. Space Shuttles are used as orbiting laboratories in which scientists and mission specialists conduct a wide variety of scientific experiments. Crews aboard shuttles place satellites in orbit, rendezvous with satellites to carry out repair missions and return them to space, and retrieve satellites and return them to Earth for refurbishment and reuse. Space Shuttles are true aerospace vehicles. They leave Earth and its atmosphere under rocket power provided by three liquid-propellant main engines with two solid-propellant boosters attached plus an external liquid-fuel tank. After their orbital missions, they streak back through the atmosphere and land like airplanes. The returning shuttles, however, land like gliders, without power and on runways. Other rockets can place heavy payloads into orbit, but, they can only be used once. Space Shuttles are designed to be continually reused. When Space Shuttles are used to transport complete scientific laboratories into space, the laboratories remain inside the payload bay throughout the mission. They are then removed after the Space Shuttle returns to Earth and can be reused on future flights. Some of these orbital laboratories, like the Spacelab, provide facilities for several specialists to conduct experiments in such fields as medicine, astronomy, and materials manufacturing. Some types of satellites deployed by Space Shuttles include those involved in environmental and resources protection, astronomy, weather forecasting, navigation, oceanographic studies, and other scientific fields. The Space Shuttles can also launch spacecraft into orbits higher than the Shuttle?s altitude limit through the use of Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) propulsion units. After release from the Space Shuttle payload bay, the IUS is ignited to carry the spacecraft into deep space. The Space Shuttles are also being used to carry elements of the International Space Station into space where they are assembled in orbit. The Space Shuttles were built by Rockwell International?s Space Transportation Systems Division, Downey, California. Rockwell?s Rocketdyne Division (now part of Boeing) builds the three main engines, and Thiokol, Brigham City, Utah, makes the solid rocket booster motors. Martin Marietta Corporation (now Lockheed Martin), New Orleans, Louisiana, makes the external tanks. Each orbiter (Space Shuttle) is 121 feet long, has a wingspan of 78 feet, and a height of 57 feet. The Space Shuttle is approximately the size of a DC-9 commercial airliner and can carry a payload of 65,000 pounds into orbit. The payload bay is 60 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. Each main engine is capable of producing a sea level thrust of 375,000 pounds and a vacuum (orbital) thrust of |
| Photo Date |
November 1994 |
|
STS-66 Atlantis 747 SCA Ferr
| Photo Description |
The space shuttle Atlantis atop NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) during takeoff for a return ferry flight to the Kennedy Space Center from Edwards, California. The STS-66 mission was dedicated to the third flight of the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science-3 (ATLAS-3), part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth program. The astronauts also deployed and retrieved a free-flying satellite designed to study the middle and lower thermospheres and perform a series of experiments covering life sciences research and microgravity processing. The landing was at 7:34 a.m. (PST) 14 November 1994, after being waved off from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, due to adverse weather. |
| Project Description |
470,000 pounds. The engines burn a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. In orbit, the Space Shuttles circle the earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour with each orbit taking about 90 minutes. A Space Shuttle crew sees a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes. When Space Shuttle flights began in April 1981, Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, was the primary landing site for the Shuttles. Now Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is the primary landing site with Dryden remaining as the principal alternate landing site., Space Shuttles are the main element of America?s Space Transportation System and are used for space research and other space applications. The shuttles are the first vehicles capable of being launched into space and returning to Earth on a routine basis. Space Shuttles are used as orbiting laboratories in which scientists and mission specialists conduct a wide variety of scientific experiments. Crews aboard shuttles place satellites in orbit, rendezvous with satellites to carry out repair missions and return them to space, and retrieve satellites and return them to Earth for refurbishment and reuse. Space Shuttles are true aerospace vehicles. They leave Earth and its atmosphere under rocket power provided by three liquid-propellant main engines with two solid-propellant boosters attached plus an external liquid-fuel tank. After their orbital missions, they streak back through the atmosphere and land like airplanes. The returning shuttles, however, land like gliders, without power and on runways. Other rockets can place heavy payloads into orbit, but, they can only be used once. Space Shuttles are designed to be continually reused. When Space Shuttles are used to transport complete scientific laboratories into space, the laboratories remain inside the payload bay throughout the mission. They are then removed after the Space Shuttle returns to Earth and can be reused on future flights. Some of these orbital laboratories, like the Spacelab, provide facilities for several specialists to conduct experiments in such fields as medicine, astronomy, and materials manufacturing. Some types of satellites deployed by Space Shuttles include those involved in environmental and resources protection, astronomy, weather forecasting, navigation, oceanographic studies, and other scientific fields. The Space Shuttles can also launch spacecraft into orbits higher than the Shuttle?s altitude limit through the use of Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) propulsion units. After release from the Space Shuttle payload bay, the IUS is ignited to carry the spacecraft into deep space. The Space Shuttles are also being used to carry elements of the International Space Station into space where they are assembled in orbit. The Space Shuttles were built by Rockwell International?s Space Transportation Systems Division, Downey, California. Rockwell?s Rocketdyne Division (now part of Boeing) builds the three main engines, and Thiokol, Brigham City, Utah, makes the solid rocket booster motors. Martin Marietta Corporation (now Lockheed Martin), New Orleans, Louisiana, makes the external tanks. Each orbiter (Space Shuttle) is 121 feet long, has a wingspan of 78 feet, and a height of 57 feet. The Space Shuttle is approximately the size of a DC-9 commercial airliner and can carry a payload of 65,000 pounds into orbit. The payload bay is 60 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. Each main engine is capable of producing a sea level thrust of 375,000 pounds and a vacuum (orbital) thrust of |
| Photo Date |
1994 |
|
Gemini 8 Launched by Titan B
| Name of Image |
Gemini 8 Launched by Titan Booster |
| Date of Image |
1966-03-16 |
| Full Description |
A Titan booster launched the Gemini 8 spacecraft on March 16, 1966 from launch complex 19 Cape Kennedy, Florida. The flight crew for the 3 day mission, astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and David R. Scott, achieved the first rendezvous and docking to Atlas/Agena in Earth orbit. |
|
Atlantis (STS-66) launch
| Name of Image |
Atlantis (STS-66) launch |
| Date of Image |
1994-11-03 |
| Full Description |
The 66th Space Shuttle flight began with a nearly on-time liftoff of the Orbiter Atlantis (STS-66) into the clear Florida skies. Atlantis returned to space after a nearly two year absence. The plarned 11-day flight will continue NASA's Mission to Planet Earth, a comprehensive international collaboration to study how Earth's environment is changing and how human beings affect that change. Primary payloads on this flight included the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-3), making its third flight, and the German-built Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite (CRISTA-SPAS), which was deployed and retrieved during the mission. |
|
America Returns to Human Spa
| Title |
America Returns to Human Space Flight |
| Explanation |
NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/ ]'s launch of the massive Space Shuttle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950806.html ] Discovery yesterday brought a nation known for its tremendous space program back to human space flight. Shuttle flights [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/index.html ] had been suspended for over two years previously following the tragic loss [ http://www.nasa.gov/columbia/home/ ] of the Space Shuttle Columbia crew [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030203.html ] on 2003 February 1. The complex, powerful Space Shuttle Discovery [ http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/discovery.html ] lifted a crew of seven into an Earth orbit that will bring them to the International Space Station [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html ] (ISS). The shuttle crew [ http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/crew/ ] will deliver supplies to the ISS [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021208.html ], perform repairs, and test new methods for inspecting and repairing the shuttle's thermal protection system [ http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Evolution_of_Technology/TPS/Tech41.htm ]. Three space walks are planned. This Return to Flight [ http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/index.html ] Mission STS-114 is pictured above [ http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=26625 ] launching from Pad 39B [ http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/nasafact/pads.htm ] on Cape Canaveral [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011022.html ], Florida [ http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/state/florida.html ]. |
|
STS-66 Atlantis 747 SCA Ferr
| Title |
STS-66 Atlantis 747 SCA Ferry Flight Morning Takeoff for Delivery to Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| Description |
Systems Division, Downey, California. Rockwell's Rocketdyne Division (now part of Boeing) builds the three main engines, and Thiokol, Brigham City, Utah, makes the solid rocket booster motors. Martin Marietta Corporation (now Lockheed Martin), New Orleans, Louisiana, makes the external tanks. Each orbiter (Space Shuttle) is 121 feet long, has a wingspan of 78 feet, and a height of 57 feet. The Space Shuttle is approximately the size of a DC-9 commercial airliner and can carry a payload of 65,000 pounds into orbit. The payload bay is 60 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. Each main engine is capable of producing a sea level thrust of 375,000 pounds and a vacuum (orbital) thrust of 470,000 pounds. The engines burn a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. In orbit, the Space Shuttles circle the earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour with each orbit taking about 90 minutes. A Space Shuttle crew sees a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes. When Space Shuttle flights began in April 1981, Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, was the primary landing site for the Shuttles. Now Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is the primary landing site with Dryden remaining as the principal alternate landing site., The space shuttle Atlantis atop NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) during takeoff for a return ferry flight to the Kennedy Space Center from Edwards, California. The STS-66 mission was dedicated to the third flight of the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science-3 (ATLAS-3), part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth program. The astronauts also deployed and retrieved a free-flying satellite designed to study the middle and lower thermospheres and perform a series of experiments covering life sciences research and microgravity processing. The landing was at 7:34 a.m. (PST) 14 November 1994, after being waved off from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, due to adverse weather. Space Shuttles are the main element of America's Space Transportation System and are used for space research and other space applications. The shuttles are the first vehicles capable of being launched into space and returning to Earth on a routine basis. Space Shuttles are used as orbiting laboratories in which scientists and mission specialists conduct a wide variety of scientific experiments. Crews aboard shuttles place satellites in orbit, rendezvous with satellites to carry out repair missions and return them to space, and retrieve satellites and return them to Earth for refurbishment and reuse. Space Shuttles are true aerospace vehicles. They leave Earth and its atmosphere under rocket power provided by three liquid-propellant main engines with two solid-propellant boosters attached plus an external liquid-fuel tank. After their orbital missions, they streak back through the atmosphere and land like airplanes. The returning shuttles, however, land like gliders, without power and on runways. Other rockets can place heavy payloads into orbit, but, they can only be used once. Space Shuttles are designed to be continually reused. When Space Shuttles are used to transport complete scientific laboratories into space, the laboratories remain inside the payload bay throughout the mission. They are then removed after the Space Shuttle returns to Earth and can be reused on future flights. Some of these orbital laboratories, like the Spacelab, provide facilities for several specialists to conduct experiments in such fields as medicine, astronomy, and materials manufacturing. Some types of satellites deployed by Space Shuttles include those involved in environmental and resources protection, astronomy, weather forecasting, navigation, oceanographic studies, and other scientific fields. The Space Shuttles can also launch spacecraft into orbits higher than the Shuttle's altitude limit through the use of Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) propulsion units. After release from the Space Shuttle payload bay, the IUS is ignited to carry the spacecraft into deep space. The Space Shuttles are also being used to carry elements of the International Space Station into space where they are assembled in orbit. The Space Shuttles were built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation |
| Date |
01.01.1994 |
|
STS-66 Edwards Landing Appro
| Title |
STS-66 Edwards Landing Approach |
| Description |
The space shuttle Atlantis approaches runway 22 at Edwards, California, to complete the STS-66 mission dedicated to the third flight of the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science-3 (ATLAS-3), part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth program. The astronauts also deployed and retrieved a free-flying satellite designed to study the middle and lower thermospheres and perform a series of experiments covering life sciences research and microgravity processing. The landing was at 7:34 a.m. (PST) 14 November 1994, after being waved off from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, due to adverse weather. Space Shuttles are the main element of America's Space Transportation System and are used for space research and other space applications. The shuttles are the first vehicles capable of being launched into space and returning to Earth on a routine basis. Space Shuttles are used as orbiting laboratories in which scientists and mission specialists conduct a wide variety of scientific experiments. Crews aboard shuttles place satellites in orbit, rendezvous with satellites to carry out repair missions and return them to space, and retrieve satellites and return them to Earth for refurbishment and reuse. Space Shuttles are true aerospace vehicles. They leave Earth and its atmosphere under rocket power provided by three liquid-propellant main engines with two solid-propellant boosters attached plus an external liquid-fuel tank. After their orbital missions, they streak back through the atmosphere and land like airplanes. The returning shuttles, however, land like gliders, without power and on runways. Other rockets can place heavy payloads into orbit, but, they can only be used once. Space Shuttles are designed to be continually reused. When Space Shuttles are used to transport complete scientific laboratories into space, the laboratories remain inside the payload bay throughout the mission. They are then removed after the Space Shuttle returns to Earth and can be reused on future flights. Some of these orbital laboratories, like the Spacelab, provide facilities for several specialists to conduct experiments in such fields as medicine, astronomy, and materials manufacturing. Some types of satellites deployed by Space Shuttles include those involved in environmental and resources protection, astronomy, weather forecasting, navigation, oceanographic studies, and other scientific fields. The Space Shuttles can also launch spacecraft into orbits higher than the Shuttle's altitude limit through the use of Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) propulsion units. After release from the Space Shuttle payload bay, the IUS is ignited to carry the spacecraft into deep space. The Space Shuttles are also being used to carry elements of the International Space Station into space where they are assembled in orbit. The Space Shuttles were built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division, Downey, California. Rockwell's Rocketdyne Division (now part of Boeing), builds the three main engines, and Thiokol, Brigham City, Utah, makes the solid rocket booster motors. Martin Marietta Corporation (now Lockheed Martin), New Orleans, Louisiana, makes the external tanks. Each orbiter (Space Shuttle) is 121 feet long, has a wingspan of 78 feet, and a height of 57 feet. The Space Shuttle is approximately the size of a DC-9 commercial airliner and can carry a payload of 65,000 pounds into orbit. The payload bay is 60 feet long and 15 feet in diameter. Each main engine is capable of producing a sea level thrust of 375,000 pounds and a vacuum (orbital) thrust of 470,000 pounds. The engines burn a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. In orbit, the Space Shuttles circle the earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour with each orbit taking about 90 minutes. A Space Shuttle crew sees a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes. When Space Shuttle flights began in April 1981, Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, was the primary landing site for the Shuttles. Now Kennedy Space Center, Florida, is the primary landing site with Dryden remaining as the principal alternate landing site. |
| Date |
11.01.1994 |
|
Present Day -- Atlas V
nasa, nasarocketryimagegalle
A United Launch Alliance Atl
481508main_rpd_AtlasV
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2010-09-21 |
| creator |
NASA |
| identifier |
481508main_rpd_AtlasV |
|
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
PIA04143
| Title |
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Lifts Off |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
At 7:43 a.m. EDT an Atlas V launch vehicle, 19 stories tall, with a two-ton Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) on top, lifts off the pad on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first launch of an Atlas V on an interplanetary mission. MRO established radio contact with controllers 61 minutes after launch and within four minutes of separation from the upper stage. Initial contact came through an antenna at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Uchinoura Space Center in southern Japan. Mars is 72 million miles from Earth today, but the spacecraft will travel more than four times that distance on its outbound-arc trajectory to intercept the red planet on March 10, 2006. The orbiter carries six scientific instruments for examining the surface, atmosphere and subsurface of Mars in unprecedented detail from low orbit. NASA expects to get several times more data about Mars from MRO than from all previous Martian missions combined. Researchers will use the instruments to learn more about the history and distribution of Mars' water. That information will improve understanding of planetary climate change and will help guide the quest to answer whether Mars ever supported life. The orbiter will also evaluate potential landing sites for future missions. |
|
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
PIA04144
| Title |
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Multipurpose Mission Successfully Launched |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launches at 7:43 a.m. EDT atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 12. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
|
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
PIA04141
| Title |
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Launches |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launches at 7:43 a.m. EDT atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 12. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
|
| General Description |
STS-95 Shuttle Mission Imagery |
|
| General Description |
S62-00371 (20 February 1962) --- Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., pilot of the Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) space flight, enters the Mercury "Friendship 7" spacecraft during the MA-6 pre-launch preparations at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. |
|
| General Description |
S64-14843 (1962) --- Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr., pilot of the Mercury-Atlas 6 Earth-orbital space mission, is suited up at Cape Canaveral, Florida, during MA-6 pre-flight activities. Assisting Glenn is suit technician Al Rochford. |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers on the ground are dwarfed by the towering Atlas V launch vehicle and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) as they roll out on the mobile launch platform to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window is from 7:50 a.m. to 9:35 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006 . Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launches at 7:43 a.m. EDT atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 12. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/12/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket, awaits launch at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch was delayed 24 hours to investigate an anomalous reading in the hydrogen propellant loading system on the Atlas V. At the conclusion of the inquiry, the Atlas V was cleared to launch on Aug. 12 between 7:43 and 9:43 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Viewed from the NASA News Center, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket streaks through the morning sky. The MRO launched at 7:43 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/12/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Seen on the horizon just past the NASA News Center?s countdown clock, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launches at 7:43 a.m. EDT atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/12/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) atop its Atlas V launch vehicle are seen in closeup with the launch gantry (left) as they roll out on the mobile launch platform to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window is from 7:50 a.m. to 9:35 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006 . Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launches at 7:43 a.m. EDT atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 12. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/12/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) atop its Atlas V launch vehicle (right) and launch gantry roll out on the mobile launch platform to the launch pad from the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window is from 7:50 a.m. to 9:35 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006 . Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launches at 7:43 a.m. EDT atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 12. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/12/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launches at 7:43 a.m. EDT atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 12. All systems performed nominally for NASA's first Atlas V launch. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/12/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket, is reflected in a puddle following an afternoon shower at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch was delayed 24 hours to investigate an anomalous reading in the hydrogen propellant loading system on the Atlas V. At the conclusion of the inquiry, the Atlas V was cleared to launch on Aug. 12 between 7:43 and 9:43 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket, awaits launch at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch was delayed 24 hours to investigate an anomalous reading in the hydrogen propellant loading system on the Atlas V. At the conclusion of the inquiry, the Atlas V was cleared to launch on Aug. 12 between 7:43 and 9:43 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket, awaits launch at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch was delayed 24 hours to investigate an anomalous reading in the hydrogen propellant loading system on the Atlas V. At the conclusion of the inquiry, the Atlas V was cleared to launch on Aug. 12 between 7:43 and 9:43 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket, awaits launch at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch was delayed 24 hours to investigate an anomalous reading in the hydrogen propellant loading system on the Atlas V. At the conclusion of the inquiry, the Atlas V was cleared to launch on Aug. 12 between 7:43 and 9:43 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket, awaits launch at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch was delayed 24 hours to investigate an anomalous reading in the hydrogen propellant loading system on the Atlas V. At the conclusion of the inquiry, the Atlas V was cleared to launch on Aug. 12 between 7:43 and 9:43 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket, awaits launch at Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch was delayed 24 hours to investigate an anomalous reading in the hydrogen propellant loading system on the Atlas V. At the conclusion of the inquiry, the Atlas V was cleared to launch on Aug. 12 between 7:43 and 9:43 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in March 2006. Once in orbit around Mars, various instruments on the MRO will convey detailed observations of the Martian surface, subsurface and atmosphere. Researchers will use the data to study the history and distribution of Martian water. Learning more about what has happened to the water will focus searches for possible past or present Martian life. Observations by the orbiter will also support future Mars missions by examining potential landing sites and providing a communications relay between the Martian surface and Earth. |
| Release Date |
08/11/2005 |
|
The GOES-K weather satellite
| Description |
The GOES-K weather satellite lifts off from Launch Pad 36B at Cape Canaveral Air Station on an Atlas 1 rocket (AC-79) at 1:49 a.m. EDT April 25. The GOES-K is the third spacecraft to be launched in the new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The GOES-K is built for NASA and NOAA by Space Systems/LORAL of Palo Alto, Calif. The advanced weather satellite was built and launched for NOAA under technical guidance and project management by NASA?s Goddard Space Flight Center. Once it is in geosynchronous orbit at 22,240 miles above the Earth?s equator at 105 degrees West Longitude and undergoes its final checkout, the GOES-K will be designated GOES-10. The primary objective of the GOES-K launch is to provide a full-capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition to assure NOAA backup continuity in weather coverage of the Earth in case one of the existing two operational GOES satellites now in orbit begins to malfunction |
| Release Date |
04/25/1997 |
|
The GOES-K weather satellite
| Description |
The GOES-K weather satellite lifts off from Launch Pad 36B at Cape Canaveral Air Station on an Atlas 1 rocket (AC-79) at 1:49 a.m. EDT April 25. The GOES-K is the third spacecraft to be launched in the new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The GOES-K is built for NASA and NOAA by Space Systems/LORAL of Palo Alto, Calif. The advanced weather satellite was built and launched for NOAA under technical guidance and project management by NASA?s Goddard Space Flight Center. Once it is in geosynchronous orbit at 22,240 miles above the Earth?s equator at 105 degrees West Longitude and undergoes its final checkout, the GOES-K will be designated GOES-10. The primary objective of the GOES-K launch is to provide a full-capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition to assure NOAA backup continuity in weather coverage of the Earth in case one of the existing two operational GOES satellites now in orbit begins to malfunction |
| Release Date |
04/25/1997 |
|
The GOES-K weather satellite
| Description |
The GOES-K weather satellite lifts off from Launch Pad 36B at Cape Canaveral Air Station on an Atlas 1 rocket (AC-79) at 1:49 a.m. EDT April 25. The GOES-K is the third spacecraft to be launched in the new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The GOES-K is built for NASA and NOAA by Space Systems/LORAL of Palo Alto, Calif. The advanced weather satellite was built and launched for NOAA under technical guidance and project management by NASA?s Goddard Space Flight Center. Once it is in geosynchronous orbit at 22,240 miles above the Earth?s equator at 105 degrees West Longitude and undergoes its final checkout, the GOES-K will be designated GOES-10. The primary objective of the GOES-K launch is to provide a full-capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition to assure NOAA backup continuity in weather coverage of the Earth in case one of the existing two operational GOES satellites now in orbit begins to malfunction |
| Release Date |
04/25/1997 |
|
The GOES-K weather satellite
| Description |
The GOES-K weather satellite lifts off from Launch Pad 36B at Cape Canaveral Air Station on an Atlas 1 rocket (AC-79) at 1:49 a.m. EDT April 25. The GOES-K is the third spacecraft to be launched in the new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The GOES-K is built for NASA and NOAA by Space Systems/LORAL of Palo Alto, Calif. The advanced weather satellite was built and launched for NOAA under technical guidance and project management by NASA?s Goddard Space Flight Center. Once it is in geosynchronous orbit at 22,240 miles above the Earth?s equator at 105 degrees West Longitude and undergoes its final checkout, the GOES-K will be designated GOES-10. The primary objective of the GOES-K launch is to provide a full-capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition to assure NOAA backup continuity in weather coverage of the Earth in case one of the existing two operational GOES satellites now in orbit begins to malfunction |
| Release Date |
04/25/1997 |
|
The GOES-K weather satellite
| Description |
The GOES-K weather satellite lifts off from Launch Pad 36B at Cape Canaveral Air Station on an Atlas 1 rocket (AC-79) at 1:49 a.m. EDT April 25. The GOES-K is the third spacecraft to be launched in the new advanced series of geostationary weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The GOES-K is built for NASA and NOAA by Space Systems/LORAL of Palo Alto, Calif. The advanced weather satellite was built and launched for NOAA under technical guidance and project management by NASA?s Goddard Space Flight Center. Once it is in geosynchronous orbit at 22,240 miles above the Earth?s equator at 105 degrees West Longitude and undergoes its final checkout, the GOES-K will be designated GOES-10. The primary objective of the GOES-K launch is to provide a full-capability satellite in an on-orbit storage condition to assure NOAA backup continuity in weather coverage of the Earth in case one of the existing two operational GOES satellites now in orbit begins to malfunction |
| Release Date |
04/25/1997 |
|
With the light casting a ros
| Description |
With the light casting a rosy glow in a specially built clean room at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., Loral technicians Roberto Caballero (left) and Paul Giordano (right) maneuver the GOES-L [ http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/captions/subjects/goes-l.htm ] weather satellite into position for testing the 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 |
| Release Date |
01/11/1999 |
|
With the light casting a ros
| Description |
With the light casting a rosy glow in a specially built clean room at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., Loral technician Roberto Caballero tests the deployment of the sounder instrument's cooler cover door on the GOES-L [ http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/captions/subjects/goes-l.htm ] weather satellite. 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 |
| Release Date |
01/11/1999 |
|
In a specially built clean r
| Description |
In a specially built clean room at Astrotech, Titusville, Fla., Loral technician Roberto Caballero checks the position of the GOES-L [ http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/captions/subjects/goes-l.htm ] 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 |
| Release Date |
01/11/1999 |
|
The GOES-L satellite is lift
| Description |
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 |
| Release Date |
04/21/2000 |
|
The GOES-L satellite is read
| Description |
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 |
| Release Date |
04/21/2000 |
|
The GOES-L satellite arrives
| Description |
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 |
| Release Date |
04/21/2000 |
|
At Launch Pad 36A, Cape Cana
| Description |
At Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers check out a Centaur rocket for its lift up the launch tower to be mated with the lower stage Atlas IIA rocket already in the tower. The Lockheed-built Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket will launch the latest Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) June 29 from CCAFS. The TDRS is one of three (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system?s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit |
| Release Date |
05/25/2000 |
|
At Launch Pad 36A, Cape Cana
| Description |
At Launch Pad 36A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, lines help guide the ascent of a Centaur rocket up the launch tower where it will be mated with the lower stage Atlas IIA rocket already in the tower. The Lockheed-built Atlas IIA/Centaur rocket will launch the latest Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) June 29 from CCAFS. The TDRS is one of three (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif. The new satellites will augment the TDRS system?s existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit |
| Release Date |
05/25/2000 |
|
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