SPACECRAFT AND EXPENDABLE VEHICLES STATUS REPORT<br />February 5, 2003<br /><br />George H. Diller<br />Kennedy Space Center<br />321/867-2468<br /> <br />MISSION: Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)<br />LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL<br />LAUNCH PAD: Skid Strip, Canaveral Air Force Station<br />LAUNCH DATE: March 25, 2003 (T)<br />LAUNCH WINDOW: 6:50 a.m. - 8:50 a.m. EST (T-0 6:55 a.m.)<br /><br /> At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Orbital Sciences<br />Pegasus launch vehicle completed the second scheduled flight simulation (2b)<br />on Sunday, Feb. 2. All data from the test was nominal. The launch vehicle<br />Combined Systems Test (CST) is scheduled for February 14. The Pegasus<br />launch vehicle is currently planned for ferry to Cape Canaveral Air Force<br />Station on the L-1011 aircraft on Feb. 18.<br /><br /> GALEX, built for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory by the Orbital<br />Sciences Space Systems Group, arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday,<br />Feb. 2 and is preparing for prelaunch testing at the Multipurpose Payload<br />Processing Facility (MPPF) located in the KSC Industrial Area. The<br />spacecraft and test equipment is being unpacked, charging of batteries and<br />test equipment will follow.<br /><br /> The GALEX program management is by NASA's Goddard Space Flight<br />Center and is part of Goddard's Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft<br />project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,<br />and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science.<br /><br /><br />MISSION: Propulsive Small Expendable Deployer System (ProSEDS)<br />LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II<br />LAUNCH PAD: Pad 17-A<br />LAUNCH DATE: March 29, 2003<br />LAUNCH WINDOW: TBD <br /><br /> The Propulsive Small Expendable Deployer System - called ProSEDS -<br />is a tether-based propulsion experiment that draws power from the space<br />environment around Earth, allowing the transfer of energy from the Earth to<br />the spacecraft.<br /><br /> Inexpensive and reusable, ProSeds technology has the potential to<br />turn orbiting, in-space tethers into "space tugboats" - replacing heavy,<br />costly, traditional chemical propulsion and enabling a variety of<br />space-based missions, such as the fuel-free raising and lowering of<br />satellite orbits.<br /><br /> The erection of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-A is<br />currently scheduled to begin Feb. 13. Erection of the nine solid rocket<br />boosters is scheduled for Feb. 14-18. The second stage is planned for<br />hoisting atop the first stage on Feb. 19.<br /><br /> ProSEDS personnel are installing data and electrical harnesses on<br />the Delta second stage this week. The flight hardware is planned to arrive<br />at KSC Feb. 27.<br /><br /> ProSEDS is flying as a secondary payload beneath a U.S. Air Force<br />Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite. Once the spacecraft arrives, it<br />will be processed at the Vertical Processing Facility (VPF) located in the<br />KSC Industrial Area. March 17, ProSeds will be attached to the Delta at the<br />launch pad near the top of the second stage and will be followed by<br />electrical connections and a spacecraft functional test.<br /><br /><br />MISSION: Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF)<br />LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II Heavy<br />LAUNCH PAD: 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station<br />LAUNCH DATE: April 15, 2003<br />LAUNCH TIME: 4:34:07 a.m. EDT<br /><br /> The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) will obtain images<br />and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects<br />in space between wavelengths of 3 and 180 microns (1 micron is one-millionth<br />of a meter). Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's<br />atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.<br /><br /> Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically<br />cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared<br />telescopes to be launched. Its highly sensitive instruments will give us a<br />unique view of the Universe and allow us to peer into regions of space that<br />are hidden from optical telescopes on the ground or such as the Hubble Space<br />Telescope. Many areas of space are filled with vast, dense clouds of gas<br />and dust that block our view. Infrared light can penetrate these clouds,<br />allowing us to peer into regions of star formation, the centers of galaxies,<br />and into newly forming planetary systems. Infrared also brings us<br />information about the cooler objects in space, such as smaller stars that<br />are too dim to be detected by their visible light, extra solar planets, and<br />giant molecular clouds. Also, many molecules in space, including organic<br />molecules, have their unique signatures in the infrared.<br /><br /> The SIRTF spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at Kennedy Space<br />Center March 6. The review to determine the readiness to erect the launch<br />vehicle is scheduled to occur Feb. 13. The SIRTF spacecraft is scheduled to<br />arrive at Kennedy Space Center March 6.<br /><br /> The erection of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-B is<br />currently scheduled to begin on Feb. 24. Erection of the nine solid rocket<br />boosters is scheduled for Feb. 25-27. The second stage is planned for<br />hoisting atop the first stage on March 3.<br /><br /><br />MISSION: Mars Exploration Rovers (MER-1/MER-2)<br />LAUNCH VEHICLES: Delta II/Delta II Heavy<br />LAUNCH PADS: 17-A/17-B<br />LAUNCH DATES: May 30/June 25<br />LAUNCH TIMES: 2:28 p.m./12:34 a.m.<br /><br /> The cruise stage, aeroshell and lander for the MER-2 mission<br />arrived at the KSC Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at 4 p.m. on<br />Monday, Jan. 27. The lander was unpacked, cleaned and placed in the high<br />bay on Tuesday. The aeroshell and cruise stage were removed from the<br />shipping container today. The identical MER-1 flight hardware will arrive<br />in mid-February. The first of the two Mars Exploration rovers will arrive<br />at KSC in late February and early March.