From: LARRY KLAES (ljk4_at_msn.com)
Date: Thu Feb 12 2004 - 09:52:16 PST
>From: "Buckingham, W B" <Bruce.Buckingham-1_at_nasa.gov>
>To: <ksc-news_release_at_kscnews.ksc.nasa.gov>
>Subject: ELV Status/Feb. 12, 2004
>Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 12:31:08 -0500
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>SPACECRAFT AND EXPENDABLE VEHICLES STATUS REPORT
>
>
>February 12, 2004
>
>
>
>
>
>George H. Diller
>
>NASA Kennedy Space Center
>
>321-867-2468
>
>
>
>MISSION: Gravity Probe B (GP-B)
>
>LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II
>
>LAUNCH PAD: SLC-2, Vandenberg Air Force Base
>
>LAUNCH DATE: April 17, 2004
>
>LAUNCH TIME: 7:09:12 a.m. EDT (10:09:12 a.m. PDT)
>
>
>
>The Gravity Probe B spacecraft is in NASA's Payload Processing Facility
>1610 on North Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. After final
>thermal vacuum chamber testing at Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, Calif.,
>the Experiment Control Unit (ECU) was shipped to Vandenberg and arrived
>there Feb. 4. The ECU was reinstalled into the Gravity Probe B
>spacecraft over the weekend. Testing of the spacecraft with the ECU
>installed is now underway.
>
>
>
>In other planned spacecraft processing, servicing of the Gas Management
>Assembly (GMA) is underway today. The GMA provides the helium gas
>required to spin up the gyroscopes. It also performs magnetic flux
>reduction, or "flux flushing," to minimize noise or reduce the trapped
>magnetic field within each gyro's housing.
>
>
>
>Filling the dewar with liquid helium in preparation for cryogenic
>servicing of the spacecraft is planned for Feb. 13. The actual
>servicing of the spacecraft is scheduled to begin Feb. 16. Operations
>to reinstall the solar arrays are planned to begin in mid-March. The
>spacecraft is currently scheduled to be transported to Space Launch
>Complex 2 on Apr. 1 and mated to the Delta II rocket.
>
>
>
>Meanwhile, the Boeing Delta II rocket is at Space Launch Complex 2,
>enclosed within the gantry-like mobile service tower. It has
>successfully completed all testing to date and will remain there until
>the GP-B spacecraft arrives. There are no Delta II launch vehicle
>issues or concerns at this time.
>
>
>
>The Gravity Probe B mission is a relativity experiment developed by
>NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Stanford University and Lockheed
>Martin. The spacecraft will test two extraordinary predictions of
>Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity that he advanced in 1916:
>the geodetic effect (how space and time are warped by the presence of
>the Earth) and frame dragging (how Earth's rotation drags space and time
>around with it).
>
>
>
>-more-
>
>-2-
>
>
>
>Gravity Probe B consists of four sophisticated gyroscopes that will
>provide an almost perfect space-time reference system. The mission will
>look in a precise manner for tiny changes in the direction of spin.
>Gravity Probe B will be launched into a 400-nautical-mile-high polar
>orbit for a 16-month mission.
>
>
>
>Government oversight of launch preparations and the countdown management
>on launch day is the responsibility of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space
>Center. The launch service is provided to NASA by Boeing Launch
>Services.
>
>
>
>-end-
>
_________________________________________________________________
Plan your next US getaway to one of the super destinations here.
http://special.msn.com/local/hotdestinations.armx
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.6 : Thu Feb 12 2004 - 10:01:25 PST