Форум Новости Космонавтики

ЦитироватьThe Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission is part of NASA's Living With a Star Geospace program to explore fundamental processes that operate throughout the solar system, in particular those that generate hazardous space weather effects near the Earth and phenomena that could affect solar system exploration.

RBSP is being designed to help us understand the sun's influence on the Earth and near-Earth space by studying the planet's radiation belts on various scales of space and time.

Understanding the radiation belt environment and its variability has extremely important practical applications in the areas of spacecraft operations, spacecraft and spacecraft system design, mission planning, and astronaut safety.

The mission's science objectives are to:

# Discover which processes, singly or in combination, accelerate and transport radiation belt electrons and ions and under what conditions.
# Understand and quantify the loss of radiation belt electrons and determine the balance between competing acceleration and loss processes.
# Understand how the radiation belts change in the context of geomagnetic storms.

The instruments on the two RBSP spacecraft will provide the measurements needed to characterize and quantify the processes that produce relativistic ions and electrons. They will measure the properties of charged particles that comprise the Earth's radiation belts and the plasma waves that interact with them, the large-scale electric fields that transport them, and the magnetic field that guides them.

ЦитироватьAugust has been a busy month for the Radiation Belt Storm Probes and the scientists and engineers preparing the twin RBSP spacecraft (A and B) for their 2012 launch. On August 3, NASA approved a new launch readiness date of August 15, 2012 – exactly one year from today. With that new target date now officially on the calendar, the RBSP team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has recently achieved several major milestones with the integration and testing of the spacecraft.

 "We are nearly there with A, and B is only a few weeks behind," says Jim Stratton, systems engineer for RBSP at the Applied Physics Lab. "We're very close to having one complete spacecraft."

What were once bare black octagonal boxes are now recognizable as full-fledged spacecraft, each laden with propulsion systems, power and avionics systems. They're also (nearly) fully equipped with identical suites of five instruments – designed to survey the harsh environment of the radiation belts that surround Earth – from teams at the University of New Hampshire, University of Iowa, University of Minnesota, New Jersey Institute of Technology and the National Reconnaissance Office. The accompanying photos (right) show some of those instruments and sensors being attached to both spacecraft. While the final stages of spacecraft assembly occur in one cleanroom, A's and B's solar panels and boom assemblies await installation in a neighboring area.

After spacecraft A is completed this month, it's scheduled to undergo a September 12 balance test on the Lab's spin table; this will verify that the spacecraft is balanced correctly and will spin as designed while in orbit. At the end of September, A will begin its first comprehensive performance test (CPT), the spacecraft's first full-scale run-through of its operation. The CPT will simulate the entire range of operations that A and its instruments are designed to perform. November and December will bring more rigorous acoustic and thermal-vacuum testing schedules for both A and B. The spacecraft are set to be shipped from APL's Laurel, Md. facility to Cape Canaveral, Fla. on May 1, 2012.

Though building two identical spacecraft simultaneously has its challenges, it also has some benefits. "Spacecraft A hasn't always been first [for integration and testing]," Stratton explains. "We have a lot of overlap, and we're able to generate significant efficiencies and apply a lot of lessons learned."

Two mission simulations – run in May and July 2011– mimicked the period "from launch to early operation of the spacecraft," says Stratton. "Here at APL, we're using a new mission operations center, while the instrument teams are participating remotely from around the country, talking to their instruments aboard the spacecraft."

These instrument teams "collect data from their instruments just like they will in flight," he continues. "It's a great opportunity to check ground systems, hardware, and operations teams working together, and we've been very successful."

APL manages the RBSP mission for NASA and will operate the spacecraft; check back for more photos and updates as the mission moves toward launch in 2012.

ЦитироватьNASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), twin spacecraft being built and tested at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., are about to enter a challenging series of tests designed to certify that they are ready for their August 2012 launch and two-year mission in Earth's orbit. The coordinated measurements of the two RBSP spacecraft will advance our understanding of space weather and the sun's influence on the Earth and near-Earth space by probing the planet's radiation belts, which affect space weather and spacecraft operations.

Beginning the first week of December, RBSP will embark on a space environment test campaign that will last into March 2012. The RBSP team will subject the spacecraft to physical simulations of the stresses of launch and harshness of space operations, but in a controlled test facility where engineers can monitor the spacecrafts' condition.

"These are complex spacecraft, each with five very sensitive scientific instruments on board," says Jim Stratton, mission systems engineer for RBSP at the Applied Physics Lab. "The environmental tests are designed to really subject the spacecraft and systems to realistic, challenging conditions and make sure they are ready to fly."

The first test will simulate the incredibly loud noises generated during launch and the beginning of supersonic travel, when the launch vehicle passes through the sound barrier (approximately 770 miles per hour). These sounds, which can reach a maximum of 134 decibels (nearly as loud as a jet engine from 100 feet away), will be duplicated by a specialized speaker system that is controlled via computer to match the sonic profiles of launch and supersonic barrier breakthrough. The RBSP satellites will be mated together and placed at the center of a circular wall of powerful loudspeakers for this test. One of the substantial challenges for the probes is that they must survive launch as a single unit; later, above Earth, they will be separated and guided to their individual orbits.

RBSP will next undergo a vibration test. The spacecraft are mated together again and placed on a special table that will shake them to simulate the intense physical effects of launch, and make sure the probes' systems and electronics are secure and will operate post-launch.

In January 2012, the spacecraft will undergo an electromagnetic compatibility and interference test. This involves turning on all of the spacecrafts' internal systems without any external power or grounding to verify there are no electronic issues, and that RBSP can successfully perform its science-gathering mission.

RBSP will enter thermal vacuum testing in APL's test chambers in February. For five weeks, the craft will endure heating and cooling cycles in a vacuum environment; during the lengthy testing, RBSP will also undergo a 10 day-long mission simulation. After that, in May 2012, the completed RBSP spacecraft are scheduled to leave APL and travel south. "The next six months are all about continuing the tremendous efforts of the outstanding team we have assembled for this mission," says Rick Fitzgerald, program manager for RBSP at APL, "and getting ready to ship the spacecraft to Florida."

RBSP is scheduled for launch no earlier than Aug. 15, 2012, from the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. APL built the RBSP spacecraft for NASA and manages the mission. The RBSP mission is part of NASA's Living With a Star program, guided by the Heliophysics Division of the NASA Headquarters Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The program explores fundamental processes that operate throughout the solar system, in particular those that generate hazardous space weather effects near Earth and phenomena that could affect solar system exploration. Living With a Star is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Learn more about the Radiation Belt Storm Probes, and see photos and videos of space environment testing, at http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu .

ЦитироватьNASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) will soon enter a challenging series of tests to certify they are ready for their August 2012 launch and two-year mission in Earth's orbit. The two RBSP spacecraft will probe Earth's radiation belts, two bands of charged particles encircling our planet that can respond dramatically to increased radiation and energy from the sun causing space weather that can affect spacecraft and other man-made technologies.

During the space environment test campaign, the RBSP team at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. will subject the spacecraft to physical simulations of the stresses of launch and harshness of space operations, but in a controlled test facility where engineers can monitor the spacecrafts' conditions. The tests will begin the first week in December and will last into March 2012.

"These are complex spacecraft, each with five very sensitive scientific instruments on board," says Jim Stratton, mission systems engineer for RBSP at the Applied Physics Lab. "The environmental tests are designed to really subject the spacecraft and systems to realistic, challenging conditions and make sure they are ready to fly."

The first test will simulate the incredibly loud noises generated during launch and the beginning of supersonic travel, when the launch vehicle passes through the sound barrier (approximately 770 miles per hour). These sounds, which can reach a maximum of 134 decibels (nearly as loud as a jet engine from 100 feet away), will be duplicated by a specialized speaker system that is controlled via computer to match the sonic profiles of launch and supersonic barrier breakthrough. The RBSP satellites will be mated together and placed at the center of a circular wall of powerful loudspeakers for this test. One of the substantial challenges for the probes is that they must survive launch as a single unit; later, above Earth, they will be separated and guided to their individual orbits.

RBSP will next undergo a vibration test. The spacecraft are mated together again and placed on a special table that will shake them to simulate the intense physical effects of launch, and make sure the probes' systems and electronics are secure and will operate post-launch.

In January 2012, the spacecraft will undergo an electromagnetic compatibility and interference test. This involves turning on all of the spacecrafts' internal systems without any external power or grounding to verify there are no electronic issues, and that RBSP can successfully perform its science-gathering mission.

RBSP will enter thermal vacuum testing in APL's test chambers in February. For five weeks, the craft will endure heating and cooling cycles in a vacuum environment; during the lengthy testing, RBSP will also undergo a 10 day-long mission simulation. After that, in May 2012, the completed RBSP spacecraft are scheduled to leave APL and travel south.

"This is an exciting time for the RBSP program," says David Sibeck the project scientist for RBSP at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "APL is making sure the spacecraft are ready for flight and we're looking forward to the launch next year. RBSP will provide the first multi-point measurements of this little-explored region — a region that responds to energy from the sun in often dramatic ways that we don't yet understand."

RBSP is scheduled for launch no earlier than Aug. 15, 2012, from the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. APL is building the RBSP spacecraft for NASA and will manage the mission. The RBSP mission is part of NASA's Living With a Star program, guided by the Heliophysics Division of the NASA Headquarters Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The program explores fundamental processes that operate throughout the solar system, in particular those that generate hazardous space weather effects near Earth and phenomena that could affect solar system exploration. Living With a Star is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

ЦитироватьThe Applied Physics Laboratory will build and operate the twin RBSP spacecraft for NASA's Living With a Star program.

The RBSP spacecraft will operate entirely within the radiation belts throughout their mission. When intense space weather occurs and the density and energy of particles within the belts increases, the probes will not have the luxury of going into a safe mode, as many other spacecraft must do during storms. The spacecraft engineers must therefore design probes and instruments that are "hardened" to continue working even in the harshest conditions.

The probes will carry a number of instruments and instrument suites to support five experiments that will address the mission's science objectives. Because it is vital that the two craft make identical measurements to observe changes in the radiation belts through both space and time, each probe will carry the following:

    * Energetic Particle, Composition, and Thermal Plasma Suite (ECT)
      Principal Investigator: H. Spence, University of New Hampshire

    * Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science (EMFISIS)
      Principal Investigator: C. Kletzing, University of Iowa, Iowa City

    * Electric Field and Waves Suite (EFW)
      Principal Investigator: J. Wygant, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

    * Radiation Belt Storm Probes Ion Composition Experiment (RBSPICE)
      Principal Investigator: L. Lanzerotti, New Jersey Institute of Technology

    * Relativistic Proton Spectrometer (RPS)
      Principal Investigator: National Reconnaissance Office

ЦитироватьWhen scientists discovered two great swaths of radiation encircling Earth in the 1950s, it spawned over-the-top fears about "killer electrons" and space radiation effects on Earthlings. The fears were soon quieted: the radiation doesn't reach Earth, though it can affect satellites and humans moving through the belts. Nevertheless, many mysteries about the belts – now known as the Van Allen Radiation belts – remain to this day.

Filled with electrons and energetic charged particles, the radiation belts swell and shrink in response to incoming solar energy, but no one is quite sure how. Indeed, what appears to be the same type of incoming energy has been known to cause entirely different responses on different occasions, causing increased particles in one case and particle loss in another. Theories on just what causes the belts to swell or shrink abound, with little hard evidence to distinguish between them. One big question has simply been to determine if, when the belts shrink, particles escape up and out into interplanetary space or down toward Earth. Now, a new study using multiple spacecraft simultaneously has tracked the particles and determined the escape direction for at least one event: up.

"For a long time, it was thought particles would precipitate downward out of the belts," says Drew Turner, a scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and first author on a paper on these results appearing onine in Nature Physics on January 29, 2012 date. "But more recently, researchers theorized that maybe particles could sweep outward. Our results for this event are clear: we saw no increase in downward precipitation."

While it may sound like a simple detail, such knowledge is not just esoteric. Indeed, the study of particle losses in the belts has so far provided more mystery and potential theories than concrete information. But understanding the radiation belts – and how they change as particles and energy come in or go out -- is a crucial part of protecting satellites that fly through the region.

The Van Allen belts fit into a larger system that stretches from the sun to Earth. The sun sends out a constant stream of solar wind, not to mention occasional much larger bursts – such as explosions from the sun's atmosphere called coronal mass ejections (CMEs) or shock fronts caused by fast solar winds overtaking slower winds called corotating interaction regions (CIRs).

When these bursts of energy move toward Earth, they can disturb Earth's own magnetic environment, known as the magnetosphere, and create a geomagnetic storm. Sometimes these storms can cause a sudden drop in the radiation belt particles, seemingly emptying the belt in only a few hours. This "drop out" can last for days. What causes the drop out, why it lasts so long, and just how the particles even leave remain unanswered questions.

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http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/512181main_rbsp-orig_full.jpg

Artist concept of the twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes spacecraft, scheduled for launch in August 2012. Credit: NASA

Solving such a mystery requires numerous spacecraft measuring changes at several points in space to determine whether an event in one place affects an event elsewhere. The Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), scheduled to launch in August 2012, are specifically geared for such observations, but in the meantime, a team of scientists have brought together two disparate sets of a spacecraft to get an early multipoint view of the radiation belts during an event when the belts experienced a sudden loss of particles.

"We are entering an era where multi-spacecraft are key," says Vassilis Angelopoulos, a space scientist at UCLA, and the principal investigator for THEMIS and a coauthor on the paper. "Being able to unite a fleet of available resources into one study is becoming more of a necessity to turn a corner in our understanding of Earth's environment."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/22535.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/22536.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/22537.jpg)

In this case, the team observed a small geomagnetic storm on January 6, 2011 using the three NASA THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) spacecraft, two GOES (Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite), operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and six POES (Polar Operational Environmental Satellite), run jointly by NOAA, and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) spacecraft.

The THEMIS and GOES spacecraft orbit around Earth's equatorial region, while the POES spacecraft orbit at lower altitude near the poles and travel through the radiation belts several times per day. All are equipped to study the energetic particles in the region. The observations provided an unprecedented view of a geomagnetic storm from numerous viewpoints simultaneously – and the team found unequivocally that particles escaped the radiation belts by streaming out into space, not by raining down toward Earth.

During this storm, electrons moving near the speed of light dropped out for over six hours. In that time period POES saw no increase in electrons escaping downward from the belts. On the other hand, the spacecraft did monitor a low-density patch of the belt that first appeared at the outer edges of the belts and then moved inward. This sequence is consistent with the notion that particles were streaming outward, just as the low density region of cars leaving from the front of a traffic jam moves backward over time as more and more cars are able to move forward and escape.

"This was a very simple storm," says Turner. "It's not an extreme case, so we think it's probably pretty typical of what happens in general and ongoing results from concurrent statistical studies support this."

If, indeed, electrons usually escape the radiation belts by streaming outward, it seems likely that some kind of waves aid and abet their outward motion, enabling them to reach the outer escape boundary. Hammering out this escape mechanism will be one of the jobs for RBSP, says David Sibeck at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., who is NASA's mission scientist for RBSP and project scientist for THEMIS.

"This kind of research is a key to understanding, and eventually predicting, hazardous events in the Earth's radiation belts," says Sibeck. "It's a great comprehensive example of what we can expect to see throughout the forthcoming RBSP mission."

For more information about the associated missions, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/themis
http://goespoes.gsfc.nasa.gov/
http://www.nasa.gov/rbsp

ЦитироватьМОСКВА, 29 янв - РИА Новости. Солнечный ветер оказался виновником таинственного исчезновения электронов-"убийц" из радиационных поясов ван Аллена - двух областей околоземного пространства, в которых содержится большое количество заряженных частиц высоких энергий, во время геомагнитных бурь, заявляют американские астрономы в статье, опубликованной в журнале Nature Physics.

Пояса высокоэнергетических частиц были открыты американским астрофизиком Джеймсом ван Алленом в 1958 году при помощи приборов первого в истории исследовательского спутника "Эксплорер-1" (Explorer-1). Электроны и другие частицы высокой энергии в этих областях околоземного пространства смертельно опасны для спутников и представляют серьезную угрозу для автоматических и пилотируемых космических аппаратов.

"Во время начала геомагнитного шторма, практически все электроны, пойманные силой пояса ван Аллена, исчезают из него и возвращаются обратно через несколько часов. Такое поведение всегда приводило нас в замешательство - представьте, что океаны Земли осушаются за одну секунду и через час они восстанавливают свои запасы воды", - пояснил один из участников исследовательской группы Вассилис Ангелопулос (Vassilis Angelopoulos) из университета штата Калифорния в Лос-Анджелесе (США).

Группа астрофизиков под руководством Дрю Тернера (Drew Turner) из университета штата Калифорния в Лос-Анджелесе попыталась найти причину побега электронов-"убийц" из радиационных поясов, изучив данные, собранные спутниками THEMIS, GOES и NOAA-POES во время геомагнитных бурь.

Тернер и его коллеги изучили последствия одной из недавних магнитных бурь, которая произошла 6 января 2011 года. В этот день сразу несколько спутников зафиксировало сокращение числа высокоэнергетических частиц в поясах ван Аллена. "Очистка" радиационных поясов шла сверху вниз - первым исчезло "население" высоких этажей облака частиц, тогда как нижняя часть поясов исчезла только к пику геомагнитной бури.

Как считают физики, полное отсутствие самых быстрых электронов даже через несколько часов после завершения бури указывает на то, что в исчезновении электронов-"убийц" виновато взаимодействие Солнца и магнитосферы Земли.

По словам физиков, столкновение магнитосферы Земли и области сжатия - пограничного слоя между "быстрым" и "медленным" участками солнечного ветра - приводит к резкому сокращению границы поясов. Благодаря этому самые быстрые электроны "выпадают" из зоны влияния магнитного поля Земли и теряют скорость, сталкиваясь с потоком солнечного ветра. Это приводит к очистке поясов от львиной доли частиц высокой энергии, захваченных магнитным полем планеты.

Астрофизики полагают, что выводы их работы помогут улучшить точность предсказаний космической погоды. Кроме того, авторы статьи планируют продолжить исследования поясов ван Аллена совместно с коллегами из Московского государственного университета при помощи исследовательского спутника "Ломоносов", запуск которого намечен на весну 2012 года.

ЦитироватьIt's All in the Swing: RBSP Undergoes Magnetic Swing Test
February 7, 2012

With NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes scheduled to launch in fewer than 200 days, the pace of spacecraft testing has continued to ramp up. In mid-January, RBSP – built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (APL) in Laurel, Md. – was subjected to a science test that ensures the spacecraft is magnetically clean when it begins its mission. This is done so that one of RBSP's five instruments, the Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science (EMFISIS), can properly gather data. EMFISIS will help scientists understand the important role played by magnetic fields and plasma waves in the processes of radiation belt particle acceleration and loss.

EMFISIS uses two types of magnetometers; each is fixed to the end of a three meter long boom that deploys from two of the RBSP's solar panels. One type of magnetometer is used by RBSP's science team to study distortions in Earth's magnetic field that affect the Van Allen radiation belts. It also uses the planet's magnetic field to estimate the spacecrafts' attitude (the orientation in space of the probe); it's therefore very important that the magnetic field generated by spacecraft is so small that it will not affect these crucial measurements.

"EMFISIS has very sensitive magnetometers," explains APL's Nelli Mosavi, the lead engineer for the RBSP magnetic swing test. "We need to make sure that RBSP is very magnetically clean. In order to meet the tight magnetic requirement for RBSP, from the start of the project, we had a very strict commitment to the material and component selection. All components, subsystems and instruments were magnetically 'sniffed' [evaluated] prior to spacecraft integration." RBSP must have a static magnetic field of less than five nanotesla (a nanotesla is a billionth of a tesla, the measurement of magnetic field strength) at the end of the three-meter-long boom where EMFISIS will be mounted; for comparison, a typical refrigerator magnet generates about 5,000,000 nanotesla at the point it adheres to your refrigerator.

Mosavi explains the January 23 swing test of spacecraft A, shown in the video at top:

"The one tripod to the left of the spacecraft has two APL magnetometers, which use a laser pointer as a range finder," Mosavi says. "On the right are two tripods, each with two magnetometers from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Those use ultrasonic range finders that communicate with the magnetometers via Bluetooth. Prior to starting the spacecraft swinging, it is necessary to create a timing synchronization for all the magnetometers. In order to do that, a circular coil of wound wire is placed underneath the spacecraft. A current is briefly sent through the windings, which generates a magnetic field pulse that is recorded by all the magnetometers, providing the necessary timing synchronization for the analysis."

Mosavi explains why rangefinders are needed, and why it was good to have different magnetometers in the setups: "It's important to have the real time distance measurements on the motion of the spacecraft with respect to the test magnetometers," she says, "and having test magnetometers in different orientations and positions ensures complete coverage of the spacecraft magnetic field."

To accurately characterize the magnetic field of the RBSP spacecraft, it must be in motion. That's why the probes were carefully rigged and suspended from a crane hook, and manually coaxed into a pendular motion with a push from an RBSP engineer. "A total of 12 pendulum oscillation sets of measurements were taken. For each set, the first four or five swings are the most important, because the spacecraft gets closest to the test magnetometers," says Mosavi. Each swing is about one-half inch lower than the last, and data is taken until the spacecraft comes to a nearly complete stop.

Magnetometer swing testing on both spacecraft was completed in late January, and "initial measurements indicated that the spacecraft are indeed below the threshold," Mosavi says.

ЦитироватьPeople still talk about the launch. It was the first – and so far, only – time NASA has launched five satellites at one time. Carefully balanced inside a Delta II rocket, the five THEMIS (short for Timed History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) spacecraft were launched into space from Cape Canaveral at 6:01 p.m. ET on February 17, 2007. The spacecraft were nestled in a ring shape, four around the outside and one on a middle pedestal. A critical sequencing guided how each spacecraft launched into space, first the top one, then the ones on the outside, so the platform would remain balanced and stable.

"The launch of THEMIS was one of the first Explorer missions I oversaw from concept through launch and on-orbit checkout and it still stands out in my mind," says Willis Jenkins, the Program Executive for NASA's Explorers Program, a program that supports less expensive and highly focused missions. "Trying to get five spacecraft together on one rocket was a challenge, but our team came up with unique ways to build and launch them."

Those five satellites working in tandem was crucial for THEMIS' job of tracking energy as it moves through space. Energy and radiation from the sun impacts and changes Earth's magnetic environment, the magnetosphere, and such impacts cause "space weather" that can harm satellites in space. As they orbit around Earth, the THEMIS satellites work together to gather data on how any given space weather event travels through space – something impossible to understand with a single spacecraft, which cannot differentiate between an occurrence that happens throughout space, rather than in a single location. Since 2007, the THEMIS satellites have reinvigorated studies of the magnetosphere, mapping the details of how explosive auroras occur, how the solar wind transfers energy to Earth's space environment, and how chirping waves in space relate to blinking auroras on Earth.

During its prime, two-year mission, THEMIS' main objective was to pinpoint where a space weather phenomenon known as substorms originate. Substorms generate aurora, but before THEMIS launched no one knew exactly what created the onset of a substorm.

"Five years ago, the state of the field could be described in one word: confusion," says Vassilis Angelopoulos, a space scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the principal investigator for THEMIS. "We didn't understand the chain that linked energy from the sun to the aurora. We didn't know what mechanism caused substorms. We didn't know where, in the vast area of space, the process happened."

THEMIS answered those questions early on. Using its five satellites, as well as an array of some 25 ground based instruments, the THEMIS team could watch how the substorms formed and how they correlated to events in the night sky.

Together, the instruments painted a complete picture of aurora formation. A diffuse, weak aurora is always present near the poles, but can't always be seen with the naked eye. Brighter ones require an influx of energy from the sun that starts when the solar wind's magnetic field swings around, in the opposite direction of Earth's own magnetic field. Under such conditions, the solar wind rips off Earth's magnetic field lines from the day side, pulling them around to the night side, where they pile up, storing vast amounts of energy until they release in explosive bursts of magnetic reconnection. The surge of radiation and magnetism that rebounds toward Earth in this case is a substorm, complete with its attendant aurora.

After the first two years, NASA extended the THEMIS mission, which went on to track other space weather processes as they travel near Earth. THEMIS discovered the critical importance of something called "dipolarization fronts," bursts of material and energy that collapse Earth's magnetic field at the beginning of a substorm. These fronts are blobs of magnetized material, or plasma, with temperatures of one million degrees and speeds of one million miles per hour that race toward Earth. THEMIS satellites have observed them ramming into the near-Earth region, injecting hyper fast electrons -- which can damage computer systems -- into the region of space where geosynchronous satellites reside with their sensitive electronics.

Scientists have also compared THEMIS space and ground-based data to solve a long standing space mystery of what caused "pulsating" aurora, beautiful emission patterns in which the aurora appear to blink. The aurora's pulses corresponded perfectly to something much higher in space called "chorus waves," so-called because in ground radio receivers they sound like a chorus of chirping bird-songs.

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In additional to the five THEMIS spacecraft launched into space, 20 THEMIS ground stations can observe aurora from the ground. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

"With five satellites we've been able to pin down the topology and structure of the magnetosphere," says David Sibeck, the project scientist for THEMIS at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "THEMIS truly mapped out how the magnetic fields outside the magnetosphere append to Earth's magnetic boundaries, transferring energy and material into our system."

With five years under its belt, two new opportunities have opened up THEMIS' research potential beyond the original substorm question. First, two of the original THEMIS satellites have been moved into a new orbit around the moon and have been renamed the ARTEMIS mission. The technical details of moving those two satellites with minimal fuel and numerous gravity assists made orbital flight history as much as the original launch of five spacecraft did. And, as NASA's Jenkins points out, using one Explorer project for two separate missions translates to a great savings in cost.

"Re-purposing this Explorer stands as a prime example of a cost effective mission with a large return on the investment," says Jenkins. "It is a win-win adventure for everyone."

The three THEMIS satellites around Earth are gearing up to add another focus to its mission as well: helping to track energy swells from out in space all the way into the two great belts of radiation – known as the Van Allen Radiation Belts – that surround Earth.

In the second half of 2012, NASA will launch two new spacecraft, the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) that will specifically be studying this region and how the belts swell and shrink in response to outside effects. In 2014, NASA will launch four spacecraft called the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission (MMS) that will study the physics of magnetic reconnection at the boundaries of the magnetosphere. The orbit for THEMIS lies in between the orbits for RBSP and MMS. THEMIS has the potential to unify observations from these missions into a nine-satellite global constellation to observe the entire course of energy release – from the entire length of its travels from the edges of the magnetosphere to impact with the near-Earth space that is crowded with satellites vulnerable to incoming space weather.

"This kind of operation heralds a new way of conducting space observations by combining the scientific benefits of new hardware with older, but powerful and well-tested satellites," says Angelopoulos. "We have the promise of a qualitative change in our understanding of space weather phenomena, today more than ever before."

For more information about the associated missions, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/themis
http://www.nasa.gov/artemis
http://www.nasa.gov/rbsp
http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/

ЦитироватьOn Feb. 21, NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probe satellites began what will be a six-week test of their ability to perform in the harsh conditions of space. The fully-assembled spacecraft (minus their solar panel arrays and instrument booms) were carefully raised and sealed into two identical thermal vacuum testing chambers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

These chambers duplicate the airless vacuum of space and the temperature extremes in which RBSP will perform after launch in August 2012. The spacecraft will operate under power while inside the test chambers to ensure that the electronics and mechanical systems are performing as designed. In the coming weeks, a mission simulation will be conducted that will put the spacecraft through a 10-day work cycle set in "Feb. 2013;" this lengthy test will provide engineers and scientists with more information about RBSP's capabilities while operating in conditions nearly identical to those above the Earth.

Look for more stories and details about this crucial phase of RBSP testing in the coming weeks.

During RBSP's two year primary mission, the probes will help scientists study the Van Allen radiation belts which surround our planet, and learn more about the processes that create them and cause them to vary in size and intensity.

RBSP is scheduled for launch no earlier than Aug. 15, 2012, from the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. APL built the RBSP spacecraft for NASA and manages the mission. The RBSP mission is part of NASA's Living With a Star program, guided by the Heliophysics Division of the NASA Headquarters Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

ЦитироватьThis one-minute video, taken on Feb. 21, is a compressed version of the loading of NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probe satellites into two identical thermal vacuum testing chambers. The process of actually lifting the spacecraft into the chambers took less than half an hour, and followed many days of preparation by the RBSP team at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

The video first shows RBSP spacecraft A being wheeled into position below the right thermal vacuum chamber, then slowly raised by a hydraulic lift into the chamber. The RBSP team raises the spacecraft slowly and steadily in part because the clearance between RBSP and the sides of the chamber is small (around one inch). The many foil-wrapped cables visible in these shots carry power to and data from the spacecraft, and connect to the spacecraft via cylindrical chamber feed-throughs (easily seen by their red connector covers). Finally, the chambers themselves are shown (spacecraft B is in the left chamber, A in the right); these will be RBSP's homes for the next six weeks while the spacecraft perform rigorous performance tests and simulate normal science operations – all while being subjected to extreme temperature variations in an airless environment to make sure the probes are ready to handle the harsh conditions of space.

During RBSP's two year primary mission, the probes will help scientists study the Van Allen radiation belts which surround our planet, and learn more about the processes that create them and cause them to vary in size and intensity.

RBSP is scheduled for launch no earlier than Aug. 15, 2012, from the Kennedy Space Center, Fla. APL built the RBSP spacecraft for NASA and manages the mission. The RBSP mission is part of NASA's Living With a Star program, guided by the Heliophysics Division of the NASA Headquarters Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

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In APL's newest mission operations center (MOC) – specifically designed to operate two spacecraft at one time – RBSP project engineers monitor data during a simulation of normal science operations for the twin spacecraft, which are sealed in thermal vacuum testing chambers that simulate the extremes of the space environment. During a 10-day, 24-hour-a-day mission simulation designed to take place from Feb. 13-23, 2013, the team will also simulate two spacecraft maneuvers: one to best align RBSP's solar panels to the sun, and the other to avoid a potential collision with another object in orbit.

With the integration and testing of NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes complete, and the twin spacecraft sealed within thermal vacuum testing chambers for six weeks of rigorous space environment simulation, another part of the RBSP team is busy ensuring that the spacecraft will successfully perform their science gathering mission after launch in August 2012.

On March 13, the RBSP team at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., began a 10-day-long mission simulation designed to end March 22, 2012. It is the third such simulation to date, but the first full systems test, and it will put the instruments and RBSP control systems through every phase of operation during the period designated as February 13-23, 2013. "This test puts both spacecraft, as a system, through the paces they will go through during the mission," says Ray Harvey, RBSP mission operations manager, and lead ground segment system engineer.

"It's a 24-hour-a-day simulation of both spacecraft in their routine science operations phase, about six months after launch," Harvey explains. "We're operating both spacecraft from the newest mission operations center [MOC] here at APL, using the same hardware and software, and same processes and procedures, that we'll use after the actual launch." Operating the instruments while they are in thermal vacuum testing is a key verification of the systems' capabilities (an RBSP team stationed by the thermal vacuum chambers monitors the spacecraft at all times, including during the simulation).

Proving Processes
The mission simulation, run entirely from the MOC, recreates almost every detail of the day-to-day science operation of RBSP so that engineers and scientists can make sure their plans and equipment will function once the spacecraft are in orbit, which will vary from approximately 600 kilometers (about 311 miles) to 30,600 kilometers (about 19,014 miles) above the Earth. "We're working to validate our concepts for operations," says Harvey. "We're sending commands to the spacecraft, then bringing science data down to the ground. This 10-day test will really prove out our process. There are more than 400 requirements we'll be verifying during the test."

The science instrument teams – located at the University of New Hampshire, University of Iowa, University of Minnesota, New Jersey Institute of Technology and the National Reconnaissance Office in Virginia – will be sending commands to the MOC at APL. When the simulation calculates the spacecraft are in contact with a satellite station (located across the globe, including APL's 60-foot dish antenna), the MOC sends those commands to RBSP. The instruments then send simulated data back to the MOC during later contacts, and the APL team makes the data available to the science instrument teams for their continued processing. "We have two people working each spacecraft during every contact," Harvey says. "We need to get 5.9 gigabytes (GB) of data down from each spacecraft each day" – during an RBSP-to-Earth contact period of about 3.5 hours – "but we're trying to get 6.3 GB for additional housekeeping data and to account for possible ground station outages." For comparison, most common DVDs hold about 4.7 GB.

A design concept known as "decoupling" helps both the mission operations team and the science instrument teams do their jobs at the same time without interfering with one another. The science instrument systems are designed to run independently (decoupled) from basic spacecraft systems such as communications and propulsion. The science instrument teams can run all of their simulation tests on their own without worries of conflicting needs for spacecraft resources with the mission simulation team.

Tough Tests
The spacecraft themselves are undergoing significant simulated tests during this 10-day stretch. "We picked this period in 2013 to test, in part, because it's a difficult period for spacecraft operation," Harvey says. "They're at maximum eclipse, meaning they won't see a lot of sunlight to power the spacecraft; they'll be lapping one another; and then we're going to do a precession maneuver to re-orient the spacecraft at the sun to maximize the power gathered by the solar panels. We're also going to perform a collision avoidance [COLA] maneuver. We'll be performing that with a team from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center; they're the folks who keep track of our orbit and let us know about any possible encounter with another object up there."

The team will also perform a test that will verify that the spacecraft's Hardware Command Loss Timer (HWCLT) works; this device is a safety valve that shuts down critical spacecraft systems if it doesn't receive a specific command from the RBSP ground team after a certain period of time. Once the spacecraft shuts down the majority of its systems, the RBSP team will then attempt to recover it from the shutdown. "We just finished a 10-day simulation on our RBSP simulator," Harvey says, "and we learned a lot about the recovery that we'll be using in this real mission simulation. Models are good, but we really like to test the flight units. That's where we learn the most."

Creating and revealing challenges and issues – and overcoming them – is the real goal of these simulations. "We thought we'd do the simulation at the hardest point in the mission to prove out as much as possible," says Harvey. "We'll judge our success by how much we learn, and we learn much more from identifying problems and fixing them than if everything runs perfectly smooth. With this 10-day test, if something goes wrong on day two, we want to have it fixed for day three to see if it works."

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While the RBSP 10-day mission simulation is being run from APL's mission operations center (MOC), engineers located near the thermal vacuum testing chambers monitor data and the twin spacecraft themselves, making sure that the testing is proceeding as designed and that RBSP is safe and secure.

ЦитироватьThe Space Environment Testbeds (SET) Project performs flight and data investigations to address the Living With a Star (LWS) Program goal of understanding how the Sun/Earth interactions affect humanity. It is the part of the LWS program of Science Missions and Targeted Research and Technology (TR&T) ground-based investigations that respond to the following questions:

    * How and why does the Sun vary?
    * How do the Earth and planets respond?
    * What are the affects on humanity?

SET uses existing data and new data from the low-cost SET mission to achieve the following:

    * Define the mechanisms for space environment effects
    * Reduce uncertainties in the environment and its effects on spacecraft and their payloads
    * Improve design and operations guidelines and test protocols so that spacecraft anomalies and failures due to environmental effects during operations are reduced.

ЦитироватьWASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force and NASA are on track to launch a joint satellite mission next year to study how radiation affects space hardware in some of the most rarely used and unpredictable Earth orbits.

    The results of the Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX) mission could open up potentially valuable medium Earth orbits for communications and surveillance satellites and enable the development of satellite components that are less prone to damage from radiation, program officials said.

    The $155 million DSX mission, like NASA's pioneering Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission that deliberately slammed into the Moon in 2009, will use a standardized Atlas 5 payload adapter ring as a free-flying spacecraft.

    The DSX spacecraft, outfitted with three main scientific payloads, will be placed into a highly elliptical retrograde orbit that takes it 12,000 kilometers from Earth at apogee and 6,000 kilometers at perigee.

    The DSX satellite was at one time planned for launch in 2008, but it has had a hard time finding a ride to space because of its relatively low priority as a research and development mission and the fact that it is headed for an uncommon orbit, said Mark Scherbarth, program manager at the Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. The satellite finally found a launch opportunity as a secondary payload on the Air Force's Defense Meteorological Satellite Program-19 mission scheduled for launch in October 2012. An Atlas 5 rocket will lift off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., and drop off the operational weather satellite in low Earth orbit before carrying DSX to a higher altitude.

    The launch should have DSX on orbit just in time to study the space environment during solar maximum, when the sun is most active and spacecraft are most vulnerable, Scherbarth said in a March 14 interview. The sun's current 11-year cycle is predicted to peak between November 2012 and May 2013.

    The satellite's unique orbit is designed to allow it to study the inner and outer Van Allen radiation belts, which can wreak havoc on spacecraft, Scherbarth said. The Van Allen belts are areas where high concentrations of ionized particles exist due to the Earth's magnetic field. The inner belt extends from roughly 6,700 kilometers to 9,600 kilometers above the equator, and the outer belt is roughly 19,100 kilometers to 63,700 kilometers above the equator; both belts curve closer to the Earth at the poles.

    "It's a very high-radiation environment, and radiation has a lot of detrimental effects not only on structural materials and thermal materials, but probably most importantly on the electronics in spacecraft, which have only increased over time," Scherbarth said.

    The two Air Force payloads, the Wave Particle Interaction Experiment and Space Weather Experiment, will collect data on the electron and proton populations in the regions. This information will be used to create better analytical models for designing spacecraft to operate in medium Earth orbits, Scherbarth said.

    "The analytical models that we have don't predict it very well," he said. "So you don't know what to expect up there. If you design your spacecraft a certain way and you guess wrong, you have either under-shielded and you die very quickly, or you've put way too much shielding, which is very expensive."

    Of the nearly 1,000 operating satellites currently orbiting the planet, 90 percent are either in low Earth orbits or 36,000 kilometers above the equator in the geosynchronous orbits favored by commercial communications satellites, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists' satellite database. Medium Earth orbit — the sparsely populated region above 2,000 kilometers but below 36,000 — is home to only about 6 percent of operating satellites, including the U.S. GPS and Russian Glonass navigation satellites (20,200 and 19,100 kilometers, respectively).

    The Air Force believes the region between the inner and outer Van Allen belts at around 10,000 kilometers has great promise. Satellites orbiting in the so-called slot region could enable communications about eight times faster than geosynchronous satellites and view the entire Earth with fewer satellites than needed in low Earth orbits, according to an Air Force fact sheet.

    NASA's contribution to the DSX mission is the Space Environment Testbeds (SET) payload designed to study space weather effects on spacecraft.

    Satellites rely on microelectronics that have become smaller and smaller over the years. While this has enabled them to be faster and more efficient and to process more data, it also has made them more vulnerable to radiation effects, said Dana Brewer, program executive for NASA's Living With a Star program.

    "The microelectronics change every two years," Brewer said in a March 16 interview. "As we go to smaller feature size, which is the gap between two junctions in a device, the smaller we go, the more damage we can produce from either an electron or a heavy ion in space."

    This problem is compounded by the fact that U.S. spacecraft are increasingly reliant on components derived from commercial hardware, Brewer said.

    "The government used to drive the electronics market, and now it's driven by commercial requirements," she said. "So we used to have radiation-hardened manufacturing sites, and with the big gaps in the devices, we didn't have as much of a problem.

    "We used to keep track of exactly how things were manufactured every step of the way, and a manufacturer couldn't change anything unless we knew about it. Now because we're doing more commercial, changes can occur in the manufacturing ... and that can affect their performance in space."

    The SET payload will use multiple dosimeters to detect radiation at different parts of the spacecraft. It also features experiments that will study the physics of how certain types of components degrade due to different types of radiation.

Цитировать(http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/newsArticles/images/20120403_sm.jpg) (http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/newsArticles/images/20120403_lg.jpg)

The two thermal vacuum chambers at APL where the RBSP spacecraft have spent the past six weeks undergoing extreme heat and cold tests. These tests, performed in vacuum, mimic the harsh space environment above Earth in which RBSP will operate, following their scheduled launch in August 2012. Credit: JHU/APL

NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes have completed their thermal vacuum testing today, Tuesday April 3, one day earlier than planned. Thermal vacuum testing, which includes the cycling of temperatures between extremes of hot and cold, represents the culmination of the several severe tests that the spacecraft engineers use to assure that the spacecraft can survive the rigors of outer space. The early conclusion comes thanks to the efficient testing procedures and adroit time management of the RBSP team at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., where the twin spacecraft are being built and from where they will be operated following launch in August 2012.

"The thermal cycling testing proceeded nominally with very few issues encountered," says Bruce Williams, thermal lead engineer for the RBSP mission. "All spacecraft system and instruments, and test support hardware and software, performed as expected throughout the 30 day long test. The RBSP team should be very proud of this significant accomplishment."

The spacecraft are scheduled to be lowered from their test chambers today, and will then undergo several days of inspection and preparation for further testing prior to being shipped to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 1.  

ЦитироватьПохожая миссия Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX)

Space Environment Testbeds Overview

ЦитироватьThe Space Environment Testbeds (SET) Project performs flight and data investigations to address the Living With a Star (LWS) Program goal of understanding how the Sun/Earth interactions affect humanity. It is the part of the LWS program of Science Missions and Targeted Research and Technology (TR&T) ground-based investigations that respond to the following questions:

    * How and why does the Sun vary?
    * How do the Earth and planets respond?
    * What are the affects on humanity?

SET uses existing data and new data from the low-cost SET mission to achieve the following:

    * Define the mechanisms for space environment effects
    * Reduce uncertainties in the environment and its effects on spacecraft and their payloads
    * Improve design and operations guidelines and test protocols so that spacecraft anomalies and failures due to environmental effects during operations are reduced.

Mission Status

Launch Date : October 2012
Mission Phase D: Design & Development

ЦитироватьAug. 23     Atlas 5  •  RBSP
Launch window: 0807-0827 GMT (4:07-4:27 a.m. EDT)[/size]

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In this photo from mid-April following the completion of thermal vacuum testing, RBSP spacecraft B is lowered onto a stand, where it was prepared for shipment to the Kennedy Space Center, scheduled for May 1. Spacecraft A, already in its stand, is visible to the left of and behind spacecraft B. Credit: JHU/APL.

As NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probe spacecraft prepare to leave the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. and journey approximately 750 miles south to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a new launch date has been announced.

Launch is now scheduled for no earlier than Thursday, August 23, 2012, at approximately 4:00 a.m. EDT. The two RBSP spacecraft will be mated and placed aboard a ULA Atlas V 401 rocket and launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station into their orbits around Earth, where they will begin observations following a 60-day commissioning period.

During RBSP's two year primary mission, the spacecraft will allow scientists to study the Van Allen radiation belts which surround our planet, and learn more about the processes that create them and cause them to vary in size and intensity.

ЦитироватьNASA's twin RBSP spacecraft are getting ready for the voyage from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory to the Kennedy Space Center, scheduled for May 1.

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Both spacecraft are shown in the bases of their individual custom-built shipping containers; spacecraft B has been sealed in protective bagging. Credit: JHU/APL

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RBSP team members are shown carefully guiding the top of spacecraft B's container onto the base using three guidance poles, which also help ensure the container is properly sealed for transport. After arrival in Florida, the spacecrafts' systems and instruments will be re-integrated and re-tested before a scheduled launch on August 23, 2012. Credit: JHU/APL

ЦитироватьRadiation Belt Storm Probes arrive at Florida launch site[/size]
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: May 1, 2012

Twin NASA satellites designed to probe and predict changes in Earth's radiation belts arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, ready to begin several months of testing and assembly before lifting off on an Atlas 5 rocket in August.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/24469.jpg)
Artist's concept of the Radiation Belt Storm Probes in orbit. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL
 
Riding inside a U.S. military cargo plane from Maryland, the twin spacecraft touched down at the spaceport's runway at 7:54 a.m. EDT (1154 GMT) Tuesday, according to George Diller, a NASA spokesperson.

Built at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., the satellites will investigate what causes the donut-shaped radiation belts surrounding Earth to expand and contract as solar storms erupt and propagate through space.

The Radiation Belt Storm Probes are due for launch Aug. 23 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket. The $530 million mission is scheduled to last at least two years.

Between now and launch, engineers will install solar panels on each satellite, test each spacecraft's systems, fill their tanks with propellant and encapsule the eight-sided vehicles inside the Atlas payload fairing. The satellites will be prepared for launch at the commercial Astrotech processing facility near KSC.

The spacecraft will fly through the inner and outer Van Allen radiation belts, named for their discoverer, James Van Allen, who was lead scientist for the first U.S. satellite to reach orbit - Explorer 1.

"It's important to us here on Earth because the radiation belts are home to a whole host of satellites that we rely upon," said Nicky Fox, RBSP's deputy project scientist at APL. "Geosynchronous orbit, for example, lies within the radiation belts. You actually have these space weather events that do cause the radiation belts to get bigger and hotter, and it can cause anomalies on spacecraft. The same processes at work in the radiation belts are also causing related space weather phenomena like the auroras, which is going to cause currents to flow down to the ground. That can cause problems for power grids, and it can affect the ionosphere's ability to reflect radio signals."

Despite their discovery in the 1950s, the radiation belts are not well understood by scientists. Physicists learned in the 1990s the belts are not as stable as once thought. Instead, they expand, heat up, and contract when charged particles from solar eruptions reach Earth.

"You can have three large coronal mass ejections from the sun looking like they're identical," Fox said. "One can cause the radiation belts to pump up, get very hot and very big. Another can actually have no real effect on them at all. And another can make them get smaller and less energetic, and yet if you were looking at just the solar signatures, you could think the three phenomena were the same."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/24470.jpg)
Artist's concept of the Radiation Belt Storm Probes with a visualization of the radiation belts. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL
 

Not only will RBSP try to uncover why the belts respond differently to each solar storm, but data collected by the satellites could lead to predictions of when radiation fluxes will grow around Earth, giving satellite operators and astronauts warning before potential danger arrives.

The Atlas 5 rocket will inject the satellites into a highly elliptical equatorial orbit. The craft will later adjust their trajectories to enter slightly different orbits stretching from 375 miles high to an altitude of nearly 19,000 miles.

"We have two spacecraft heading up to the radiation belts," Fox said. "They are going to cut through both the inner belt and outer belt, so they will be looking at all the particle populations trapped there. The inner belt is primarily high-energy protons, [and it's] considered to be relatively stable. The outer belt is extremely dynamic, mostly made of electrons, and it changes dramatically in response to the weather coming toward us from the sun."

Full science operations will begin about two months after launch.

Two satellite are necessary to sample the radiation belts simultaneously from different locations. The tandem mission also allows the satellites to pass through stormy regions of space weather more often.

"If you only have one spacecraft, it would pass through a feature, and you would have to wait nine hours to come through it again, and you wouldn't really know if it had changed in time or if it changed in space," Fox said. "By having the two spacecraft come through relatively close together, you can actually start to distinguish those two phenomena."

Each satellite carries an identical suite of magnetometers, plasma and particle detectors, and electric field sensors.[/size]

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NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probe spacecraft are shown here in their protective shipping containers as they are unloaded from a United States Air Force C-17 at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. on the morning of May 1, 2012. RBSP is scheduled to begin its mission of exploration of Earth's Van Allen Radiation Belts and the extremes of space weather after launch, scheduled for August 23, 2012. Credit: JHU/APL

NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) safely arrived today at 7:54 a.m. EDT at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., where they are scheduled for an August launch to begin their mission to study the extremes of space weather.

Just after 10:30 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 30, the RBSP spacecraft departed the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., where they were built for NASA, packed in custom-made shipping containers. They arrived at Andrews Air Force Base, where a United States Air Force C-17 cargo plane waited to transport them to Kennedy on May 1 for the start of launch processing.

Over the next several weeks, engineers and scientists from APL will prepare RBSP for launch in Florida. Other team members will continue to test the spacecraft's ' key operating systems remotely from the RBSP Mission Operations Center at APL.

For the past six months, teams of engineers and scientists have been putting the RBSP spacecraft through rigorous temperature, vibration, and stress testing designed to ensure they will operate flawlessly during and after launch.

RBSP will begin its exploration of Earth's Van Allen Radiation Belts with a predawn launch scheduled for Aug. 23, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket. Each RBSP spacecraft weighs approximately 660 kilograms (1,455 pounds), and carries an identical set of five instrument suites that will allow scientists to unlock the mysteries of the radiation belts that surround our planet. The two spacecraft will fly in nearly identical, eccentric orbits that cover the entire radiation belt region, lapping each other several times over the course of the two-year mission. This will give researchers an unparalleled view into the mechanics and processes that change the size and intensity of the radiation belts over time. RBSP will explore space weather – changes in Earth's space environment caused by changes in the sun's energy flow – and especially its extreme conditions, which can disable satellites, cause power grid failures and disrupt GPS services.

The RBSP mission is part of NASA's Living With a Star program, which is managed by Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. APL built the RBSP spacecraft and will manage the mission for NASA. More information on RBSP is available at http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/ and http://www.nasa.gov/rbsp .

ЦитироватьThe April 30-May 1 voyage of NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes from Building 23 of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. to Kennedy Space Center, Fla. can be tracked in a new photo gallery available here. (http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/gallery/photos.php) The spacecraft, packed securely into their round white transportation containers, were taken from the thermal vacuum testing area at APL and loaded onto a flatbed trailer. At about 10:30 p.m. on April 30, they were driven to Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, where they were loaded onto a USAF C-17 cargo plane and flown south to Florida. After landing at 7:54 a.m. at Kennedy Space Center on May 1, RBSP was unloaded from the jet and driven to Astrotech Space Operations, just outside the gates of Kennedy. There, the spacecraft were unloaded and prepared for the integration and testing of their systems and instruments. These activities lead up to final preparations for stacking the spacecraft and scheduled launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket on August 23, 2012.

ЦитироватьThis compilation video highlights some of the lengthy and rigorous testing that NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probe spacecraft underwent at APL prior to shipping to the Kennedy Space Center on May 1, 2012. The spacecraft continue their launch processing in Florida in preparation for a scheduled launch on August 23, 2012.

Shown here are:

    * Solar array deployment testing
    * The propulsion water load test, in which water, instead of propellant, is loaded into the spacecraft for testing purposes
    * The stacked vibration test to simulate the physical rigors of launch on the two stacked spacecraft
    * The separation system shock test, which tests the separation of the two RBSP spacecraft from each other after reaching orbit
    * Launch Vehicle/spacecraft B separation system shock test, which tests the separation of the B spacecraft from the launch vehicle after reaching orbit
    * Whip boom deployment test (deploying one of the EFW instrument booms)
    * Thermal vacuum system test, which simulates the airless environment and extreme temperature fluctuations in which RBSP will operate on orbit

ЦитироватьNational Aeronautics and Space Administration
John F. Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899
FOR RELEASE: 06/23/2012
PHOTO NO: KSC-2012-3466

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare to perform a magnetic swing test on Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, spacecraft A. The magnetic swing test is performed to characterize the magnetic signature of the spacecraft so that when it is taking measurements with its sensors in space scientists can subtract out background noise from the spacecraft itself. NASA's RBSP mission will help us understand the sun's influence on Earth and near-Earth space by studying the Earth's radiation belts on various scales of space and time. RBSP will begin its mission of exploration of Earth's Van Allen radiation belts and the extremes of space weather after its launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Launch is targeted for Aug. 23. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/rbsp. Photo credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser

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Цитироватьand arrival of the 1st stage on the Delta Mariner and then transport to Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center

Great time for EELV operations

ЦитироватьMEDIA ADVISORY: M12-121

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ACCREDITATION NOW OPEN FOR NASA'S RBSP LAUNCH

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Media accreditation is open for the launch of
NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission. Liftoff is
scheduled for 4:08 a.m. EDT, Thursday, Aug. 23, aboard an Atlas V
rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station, Fla.

The two-year RBSP mission will help scientists develop an
understanding of Earth's Van Allen radiation belts and related
regions that pose hazards to human and robotic explorers.

International news media who want to cover the RBSP launch must apply
for accreditation by 5 p.m., July 18. NASA and the U.S. Air Force
require international media to apply for accreditation at least 30
days in advance of the scheduled launch. U.S. media also may begin
their application process at this time. All news media must use the
online accreditation system at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

International media are required to provide their full legal name,
date of birth, nationality, passport number and media affiliation.
Two forms of legal identification are required upon arrival at
Kennedy. At least one form must be legal photo identification, such
as a passport or driver's license.

International media with questions about accreditation should contact:

Jennifer Horner
NASA Public Affairs Office
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-6598 or 321-867-2468
jennifer.p.horner@nasa.gov

RBSP will use twin probes to explore space weather -- changes in
Earth's space environment caused by the sun -- that can disable
satellites, create power grid failures and disrupt GPS service. The
mission also will allow researchers to understand fundamental
radiation and particle acceleration processes throughout the
universe.

The RBSP is part of NASA's Living with a Star Program, which is
managed by the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel,
Md., built the pair of RBSP spacecraft and will manage the mission
for NASA. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for
launch management. United Launch Alliance is the provider of the
Atlas V launch service.

For more information about the RBSP mission, visit:

http:www.nasa.gov/rbsp[/size]

ЦитироватьNASA will host a two-day event for 50 social media followers on August 22-23, 2012, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) are scheduled to lift off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 4:08 a.m. on August 23. Designed for a two-year primary science mission in orbit around Earth, RBSP will provide insight into our planet's radiation belts, and help scientists predict changes in this critical region of space.

NASA Social participants will have the opportunity to:

    * View the launch of the Radiation Belt Storm Probes
    * Tour NASA facilities at Kennedy Space Center
    * Meet and interact with scientists, engineers, and other team members from NASA and the RBSP mission
    * Learn about NASA's Launch Services Program and how they match spacecraft with rockets
    * View and take photographs of the RBSP launch pad
    * Meet fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social media
    * Meet members of NASA's social media teams

RBSP advances our understanding of dramatic and puzzling aspects of Earth's radiation belts. The "Van Allen Belts," named for their discoverer, James Van Allen, are two donut-shaped regions encircling the Earth, where high-energy particles are energized by interactions with the sun and space and trapped by our planet's magnetic field. Participants in this NASA Social will learn about the science of the belts, the challenges of designing spacecraft to operate in this harsh space environment, and how data from RBSP will help researchers understand how to better design spacecraft and protect astronauts.

Registration for the NASA Social opens at noon EDT Thursday, July 5, and closes at noon EDT Monday, July 9.

...........

ЦитироватьAtlas 5 rocket being stacked for NASA science mission[/size]

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket that will hurl two NASA satellites into orbit next month to probe the harsh environment of Earth's radiation belts and understand the extremes of space weather began taking shape Friday at Cape Canaveral.[/size]

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/25967.jpg)

Цитировать

ЦитироватьFRIDAY, JULY 13, 2012
The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket that will hurl two satellites into orbit next month to probe the harsh environment of Earth's radiation belts and understand the extremes of space weather began taking shape Friday at Cape Canaveral.

At the Vertical Integration Facility adjacent to Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad, technicians hoisted the giant first stage onto the mobile launching platform as the stacking operations got underway to assemble the vehicle for its planned Aug. 23 blastoff with NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission.

Friday's operation featured the first stage, known as the Common Core Booster, being rotated vertical, maneuvered into the 30-story VIF building and then the 106.6-foot-long stage stood upright on the mobile platform.

Bronze in color and 12.5 feet in diameter, the stage is equipped with a dual-nozzle RD-180 main engine that will burn kerosene fuel and supercold liquid oxygen during the initial four minutes of flight.

Stacking was delayed by two days due to unfavorable weather conditions.

Once the first stage was locked into position, the interstage adapter was scheduled to be set in place. This barrel-like structure tapers from the first stage's large diameter to the skinner Centaur upper stage that will be installed on Monday.

The payload and nose cone, already encapsulated together, come to the VIF for installation in early August to complete the 19-story-tall vehicle for flight in the Atlas' 401 configuration.

Rollout to the launch complex occurs Aug. 21 as the 1.4-million pound platform rides the rail tracks 1,800 feet from the VIF to the pad.

The seven-and-a-half-hour countdown operation begins at 8:38 p.m. EDT on Aug. 22, leading to cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen fueling operations in the overnight hours for a planned blastoff at 4:08 a.m. EDT Aug. 23. The day's launch window stretches 20 minutes.[/size]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/26020.jpg)

Two giant donuts of charged particles called the Van Allen Belts surround Earth. Credit: NASA/T. Benesch, J. Carns

Our day-to-day lives exist in what physicists would call an electrically neutral environment. Desks, books, chairs and bodies don't generally carry electricity and they don't stick to magnets. But life on Earth is substantially different from, well, almost everywhere else. Beyond Earth's protective atmosphere and extending all the way through interplanetary space, electrified particles dominate the scene. Indeed, 99% of the universe is made of this electrified gas, known as plasma.

Two giant donuts of this plasma surround Earth, trapped within a region known as the Van Allen Radiation Belts. The belts lie close to Earth, sandwiched between satellites in geostationary orbit above and satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) are generally below the belts. A new NASA mission called the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), due to launch in August 2012, will improve our understanding of what makes plasma move in and out of these electrified belts wrapped around our planet.

"We discovered the radiation belts in observations from the very first spacecraft, Explorer 1, in 1958" says David Sibeck, a space scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and the mission scientist for RBSP. "Characterizing these belts filled with dangerous particles was a great success of the early space age, but those observations led to as many questions as answers. These are fascinating science questions, but also practical questions, since we need to protect satellites from the radiation in the belts."

The inner radiation belt stays largely stable, but the number of particles in the outer one can swell 100 times or more, easily encompassing a horde of communications satellites and research instruments orbiting Earth. Figuring out what drives these changes in the belts, requires understanding what drives the plasma.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?collection_id=55971&media_id=148559091

This visualization relies on data from the SAMPEX mission, which observed particles in the Radiation Belts during a large solar storm in October 2003. The movie clearly shows just how much the outer belt can swell in extreme conditions. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

Plasmas seethe with complex movement. They generally flow along a skeletal structure made of invisible magnetic field lines, while simultaneously creating more magnetic fields as they move. Teasing out the rules that govern such a foreign environment – one that can only be studied from afar – lies at the heart of understanding a range of events that make up space weather, from giant explosions on the sun to potentially damaging high energy particles in near-Earth environs.

To distinguish between a host of theories developed over the years on plasma movement in those near-Earth environs, RBSP scientists have designed a suite of instruments to answer three broad questions. Where do the extra energy and particles come from? Where do they disappear to, and what sends them on their way? How do these changes affect the rest of Earth's magnetic environment, the magnetosphere? In addition to its broad range of instruments, the RBSP mission will make use of two spacecraft in order to better map out the full spatial dimensions of a particular event and how it changes over time.

Scientists want to understand not only the origins of electrified particles – possibly from the solar wind constantly streaming off the sun; possibly from an area of Earth's own outer atmosphere, the ionosphere – but also what mechanisms gives the particles their extreme speed and energy.

"We know examples where a storm of incoming particles from the sun can cause the two belts to swell so much that they merge and appear to form a single belt," says Shri Kanekal, RBSP's deputy project scientist at Goddard. "Then there are other examples where a large storm from the sun didn't affect the belts at all, and even cases where the belts shrank. Since the effects can be so different, there is a joke within the community that 'If you've seen one storm . . . You've seen one storm.' We need to figure out what causes the differences."

There are two broad theories on how the particles get energy: from radial transport or in situ. In radial transport, particles move perpendicular to the magnetic fields within the belts from areas of low magnetic strength far from Earth to areas of high magnetic strength nearer Earth. The laws of physics dictate that particle energies correlate to the strength of the magnetic field, increasing as they move towards Earth. The in situ theory posits that electromagnetic waves buffet the particles -- much like regular pushes on a swing -- successively raising their speed (and energy).

As for how the particles leave the belts, scientists again agree on two broad possibilities: particles go up, or they go down. Perhaps they travel down magnetic field lines toward Earth, out of the belts into the ionosphere, where they stay part of Earth's magnetic system with the potential to return to the belts at some point. Or they are transported up and out, on a one-way trip to leave the magnetosphere forever and enter interplanetary space.

"In reality, the final answers may well be a combination of the basic possibilities," says Sibeck. "There may be, and probably are, multiple processes at multiple scales at multiple locations. So RBSP will perform very broad measurements and observe numerous attributes of waves and particles to see how each event influences others."

To distinguish between the wide array of potential theories – not to mention combinations thereof – the instruments on RBSP will be equipped to measure a wide spectrum of information. RBSP will measure a host of different particles, including hydrogen, helium and oxygen, as well as measure magnetic fields and electric fields throughout the belts, both of which can guide the movement of these particles.

RBSP will also measure a wide range of energies from the coldest particles in the ionosphere to the most energetic, most dangerous particles. Information about how the radiation belts swell and shrink will help improve models of Earth's magnetosphere as a whole.

"Particles from the radiation belts can penetrate into spacecraft and disrupt electronics, short circuits or upset memory on computers," says Sibeck. "The particles are also dangerous to astronauts traveling through the region. We need models to help predict hazardous events in the belts and right now we are aren't very good at that. RBSP will help solve that problem."

While the most immediate practical need for studying the radiation belts is to understand the space weather system near Earth and to protect humans and precious electronics in space from geomagnetic storms, there is another reason scientists are interested in this area. It is the closest place to study the material, plasma, that pervades the entire universe. Understanding this environment so foreign to our own is crucial to understanding the make up of every star and galaxy in outer space.

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) built and will operate the twin RBSP spacecraft for NASA's Living With a Star program, which is managed by Goddard Space Flight Center for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

ЦитироватьНАСА начало подготовку к запуску зондов для изучения поясов Ван Аллена[/size]

Специалисты НАСА приступили к последним приготовлениям к запуску двух зондов RBSP (Radiation Belt Storm Probes), предназначенных для изучения поясов Ван Аллена - радиационных поясов в магнитосфере Земли, насыщенных заряженными частицами, крайне опасными для космических аппаратов и космонавтов.

"Драматические изменения в радиационных поясах Земли делают космическую погоду крайне непредсказуемой. Одна из главных задач RBSP - использовать земную магнитосферу как естественную лабораторию для изучения этих процессов... Есть много загадок, которые нам предстоит разгадать", - сказал научный сотрудник проекта RBSP Барри Маук (Barry Mauk) из университета Джонса Хопкинса.

Пояса Ван Аллена в магнитосфере Земли были обнаружены уже после начала космической эры. Они представляют собой две области на высотах около 4 тысяч и 17 тысяч километров, где находится большое количество протонов и электронов высоких энергий. Эти частицы "живут" в своеобразной ловушке внутри магнитного поля Земли.
Изменения в космической погоде, в частности, выбросы плазмы на Солнце, воздействуют на магнитосферу и радиационные пояса, что в свою очередь влияет на ситуацию с магнитными бурями. Исследование поясов Ван Аллена поможет лучше прогнозировать ситуацию в магнитосфере Земли, а значит защитить электронную и космическую инфраструктуру, уязвимую для сильных колебаний магнитного поля.
Проект RBSP предполагает запуск двух идентичных зондов в область радиационных поясов, где они будут отслеживать изменения в составе и свойствах заряженных частиц - протонов, электронов и ионов. Два аппарата нужны для того, чтобы отличить изменения, связанные с переходом из одной области в другую с изменениями, происходящими в самих поясах.

Зонды будут выведены на высокоэллиптическую орбиту с высотой апогея около 30 тысяч километров с помощью ракеты Atlas V 410, старт которой намечен на 23 августа с космодрома на мысе Канаверал.

ЦитироватьOn Monday, August 6, the RBSP stacked spacecraft were encapsulated with the fairing in which they will ride atop the ULA Atlas V 401 launch vehicle. Before encapsulation, RBSP team members were invited to pose with the stacked spacecraft, marking the last time many of them would see the spacecraft. Credit: JHU/APL

ЦитироватьNASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission will send two spacecraft into the harsh environment of our planet's radiation belts. Final preparations have begun for launch on Thursday, Aug. 23, from Florida's Space Coast.

The RBSP spacecraft are designed to fly and operate in the heart of the most hazardous regions of near-Earth space to collect crucial data. The data will help researchers develop an understanding of the Van Allen radiation belts, two rings of very high energy electrons and protons that can pose hazards to human and robotic explorers.

"At the end of this month we will turn our attention from planet Mars to planet Earth, both immersed in the atmosphere of our sun," said Barbara Giles, director of NASA's Heliophysics Division. "RBSP will further explore the connection of solar variability and its impacts on Earth's radiation belts."

RBSP will help scientists understand how the invisible radiation belts -- named for James Van Allen, who discovered them -- behave and react to changes in the sun, thereby contributing to Earth's space weather. Space weather is caused in great part by the sun's influence on Earth and near-Earth space, including solar events such as giant eruptions of solar material called coronal mass ejections.

"The dramatic dynamics of Earth's radiation belts caused by space weather are highly unpredictable," said Barry Mauk, RBSP project scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md. "One of the fundamental objectives of the RBSP mission is to use Earth's magnetosphere as a natural laboratory to understand generally how radiation is created and evolves throughout the universe. There are many mysteries that need to be resolved."

Space weather fluctuations can increase radiation exposure for pilots and passengers during polar aircraft flights. They also can disable satellites, cause power grid failures, and disrupt the Global Positioning System, television and telecommunications signals. Understanding the science of space weather will lead to better space weather predictions, which in turn will allow us to better manage and protect our technological infrastructure in space and on the ground.

The spacecraft are atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket currently being prepared to lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

"Everything is ready and prepared for RBSP to launch as scheduled," said Richard Fitzgerald, RBSP project manager at APL. "Both the twin spacecraft and the entire RBSP team are eager to begin their exploration of one of the most dangerous parts of space near our planet."

The mission will last two years. The spacecraft, carrying the best and most comprehensive instrumentation ever sent into the radiation belts, will fly through surging and swelling belts of energized particles that would damage ordinary spacecraft. By using a pair of probes flying in highly elliptical orbits, scientists will be able to study the radiation belts over space and time, learn how particles within the belts are produced and behave during space weather events, and what mechanisms drive the acceleration of the particles.

RBSP is part of NASA's Living With a Star Program to explore aspects of the connected sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society. LWS is managed by the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. APL built the RBSP spacecraft and will manage the mission for NASA.

For more information about NASA's RBSP mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/rbsp
http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/index.php

ЦитироватьNASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) – built by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory – are set to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket Aug. 23. The 20-minute launch window for the twin probes at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41 begins at 4:08 a.m. EDT.

Launch commentary coverage, as well as prelaunch media briefings, will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

RBSP will explore space weather – changes in Earth's space environment caused by the sun -- that can disable satellites, create power-grid failures and disrupt GPS service. The mission also will allow researchers to understand fundamental radiation and particle acceleration processes throughout the universe.

Prelaunch News Conference: A prelaunch news conference on NASA TV will be held at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Press Site at 1 p.m., Monday, Aug. 20. Briefing participants are:

[*:50a4499c3d]Michael Luther, deputy associate administrator for programs, NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington
[*:50a4499c3d]Tim Dunn, NASA launch director, Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
[*:50a4499c3d]Vernon Thorp, program manager, NASA Missions United Launch Alliance, Denver, Colo.
[*:50a4499c3d]Richard Fitzgerald, RBSP project manager, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.
[*:50a4499c3d]Kathy Winters, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
[/list]
RBSP Mission Science Briefing

Immediately following the prelaunch news conference, an RBSP mission science briefing will be held and carried on NASA TV. Briefing participants are:

[*:50a4499c3d]Mona Kessel, RBSP program scientist, NASA Headquarters, Washington
[*:50a4499c3d]Nicola Fox, RBSP deputy project scientist, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
[*:50a4499c3d]Craig Kletzing, principal investigator, University of Iowa, Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science Instrument
[*:50a4499c3d]Harlan Spence, principal investigator, University of New Hampshire, Energetic Particle, Composition, and Thermal Plasma Suite Instrument
[*:50a4499c3d]Lou Lanzerotti, principal investigator, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Radiation Belt Storm Probes Ion Composition Experiment
[/list]
The science briefing is scheduled to conclude by 3 p.m.

A post-launch news conference also will be held approximately 2 1/2 hours after launch on Aug. 23.

Accreditation and Media Access Badges for Kennedy Space Center

U.S. media who want to cover the RBSP prelaunch news conference, mission science briefing and the launch must apply for credentials at https://media.ksc.nasa.gov.

Accreditation for U.S. media must be received by 4 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 16. Media may obtain their mission badges at the Press Accreditation Building (PIDS) on State Road 3, Merritt Island. Two forms of government-issued identification, one with a photo, will be required in order to receive a badge to cover the prelaunch news conference, the Atlas V launch vehicle rollout to the pad and the launch. For further information about accreditation, contact Jennifer Horner at 321-867-6598 or 867-2468. The deadline for international media to apply for launch accreditation has passed.

Atlas V Launch Vehicle Rollout

On Tuesday, Aug. 21, there will be a media opportunity to observe rollout of the Atlas V rocket from the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad. Media should be at Kennedy's Press Site at 9 a.m. for transportation to the viewing location near Space Launch Complex 41.

Remote Camera Placement at Space Launch Complex 41

On Tuesday, Aug. 21, photographers who wish to set up remote sound-activated cameras at the Atlas V launch pad will be transported to Space Launch Complex 41. Media should meet in the Kennedy Press Site parking lot at 1:30 p.m. Media also should plan to use a timer that can be set for more than 24 hours. Only news media representatives establishing a remote camera at the pad will be permitted for this activity.

Launch Day Press Site Access

On Thursday, Aug. 23, media will cover the RBSP launch from Kennedy's Press Site. Access will be through Gate 3 on State Road 405, east of the Kennedy Visitor complex beginning at 12:30 a.m.

Kennedy News Center Hours

Monday, Aug. 20: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 21: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 22: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 23: 12:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

NASA Television Coverage

On Monday, Aug. 20, NASA Television will carry the RBSP prelaunch news conference and mission science briefing live beginning at 1 p.m.

On Thursday, Aug. 23, NASA Television coverage of the launch will begin at 1:30 a.m. and conclude after the second of the two RBSP spacecraft has separated from the Atlas V, which occurs 91 minutes and six seconds after launch. Live launch coverage will be carried on all NASA Television channels.

A post-launch news conference will be held at Kennedy's Press Site approximately 2 1/2 hours after launch. A post-launch news release also will be issued as soon as the state-of-health of the RBSP spacecraft is known. Spokespersons also will be available at the press site to answer questions.

For NASA Television downlink information, schedule information and streaming video, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv .

Audio only of the press conferences and the launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220 or -1240 or -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting at 1 a.m. Launch also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz heard within Brevard County, Fla.

NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage

Extensive prelaunch and launch-day coverage of the liftoff of the RBSP spacecraft aboard an Atlas V rocket will be available on NASA's home page on the Internet at http://www.nasa.gov .

A prelaunch webcast for the RBSP mission will be streamed on NASA's website at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 22. Live countdown coverage through NASA's Launch Blog begins at 1:30 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 23. Coverage features live updates as countdown milestones occur, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact Jeanne Ryba at 321-867-7824.

To view the webcast and the blog or to learn more about the RBSP mission, visit http:www.nasa.gov/rbsp .

Social Media

Join the conversation online by using the #RBSP hashtag or by following RBSP on Twitter at @RBStormProbes or on Facebook at http://go.nasa.gov/QR9agk .

Throughout the launch countdown, the @RBStormProbes and @NASAKennedy Twitter feeds will be continuously updated with the latest mission updates and news.

Recorded Status

Recorded status reports and updates to the media advisory on the RBSP launch will be provided through the Kennedy media phone line starting Monday, Aug. 20. The telephone number is 321-867-2525.

RBSP is part of NASA's Living With a Star program, which is managed by the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., built the pair of RBSP spacecraft and manages the mission for NASA. NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management. United Launch Alliance is the provider of the Atlas V launch service.

ЦитироватьAugust 17, 2012

press kit RBSP Press Kit is now available.

(http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/images/press-kit-thmb.jpg)

RBSP Press Kit Low Res (http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/RBSP_PK_FINAL81712_LORES.pdf) (850 KB PDF)
RBSP Press Kit High Res (http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/RBSP_PK_FINAL_HI.pdf) (11 MB PDF)

August 9, 2012

Multimedia files in support of the RBSP L-14 News Conference, held at NASA on Aug. 9: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/rbsp/multimedia/20120809_L-14_briefing_materials.html

All above media is available in high resolution at http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011000/a011027/  

Цитировать180?
=(

Цитировать180?
=(

ЦитироватьLaunch Hazard Area (http://www.patrick.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-120406-076.pdf)
 Restricted Airspace Map (http://www.patrick.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-120406-075.pdf)

Navigational warning

ЦитироватьNAVAREA IV    458/2012(GEN). (190916Z AUG 2012)
NORTH ATLANTIC.
ROCKETS.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 230808Z TO 230927Z AUG, ALTERNATE
   240807Z TO 240926Z AUG IN AREAS BOUND BY:
   A. 28-37-00.0N 080-36-00.0W, 28-37-00.0N 080-32-00.0W,
      28-30-00.0N 080-15-00.0W, 28-29-00.0N 080-15-00.0W,
      28-29-00.0N 080-17-00.0W, 28-33-00.0N 080-34-00.0W.
   B. 23-24-00.0N 060-01-00.0W, 22-27-00.0N 057-30-00.0W,
      21-58-00.0N 057-12-00.0W, 21-37-00.0N 057-22-00.0W,
      21-37-00.0N 057-52-00.0W, 22-34-00.0N 060-22-00.0W.
   C. 02-02-15.7N 026-42-21.2W, 00-48-17.3N 016-20-04.6W,
      06-27-19.8N 015-44-33.4W, 07-39-45.7N 026-11-28.3W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 241026Z AUG 12.

(http://s017.radikal.ru/i402/1208/77/dfc99a152ed3.jpg)

Цитировать

Цитировать180?
=(

Или RL10.

ЦитироватьFor the upcoming launch of NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes, testing of the Atlas V RD180 booster engine actuator was completed last night at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The actuator system drives main engine steering. An engineering review board convened this morning to analyze the test results, and will make a recommendation at the Launch Readiness Review this afternoon. At this point in the analysis, there appear to be no obvious problems with the system on the Atlas V that will launch RBSP.

If the Launch Readiness Review has a positive outcome and the rocket is cleared for launch, rollout to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex-41 will occur at 8 a.m. EDT on Wednesday morning. The RBSP spacecraft is ready for launch. The current launch weather forecast for Friday morning has only a 40 percent chance of not meeting the required weather criteria at the 4:07 a.m. liftoff time.

ЦитироватьEncircling the Earth's equator are two concentric, wide rings of high-intensity particles known as the Van Allen radiation belts. This dynamic region changes in response to the sun, with the potential to affect GPS satellites, satellite television and more.

NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission aims to study this ever-changing environment in greater detail than ever before.

"We live in the atmosphere of the sun. So when the sun sneezes, the Earth catches a cold," explained Nicky Fox, deputy project scientist at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md. "So whatever is happening on the sun, the Earth will feel an effect and will respond to that changing space weather."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/26564.jpg) (http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/678326main_2012-4379.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/26565.jpg) (http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/678296main_2012-4295.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/26566.jpg) (http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/678258main_2012-3543.jpg)

The mission features nearly identical twin probes, each carrying a suite of advanced instruments to help scientists monitor and characterize changes within the radiation belts.

"The Radiation Belt Storm Probes will give us a better understanding of how the radiation belts actually work, and allow us to do a better job of predicting and protecting against the radiation that's up there in the future," said Mission Systems Engineer Jim Stratton, also of APL.

The RBSP mission is part of NASA's Living with a Star program, which is managed by the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The APL team built the RBSP spacecraft and will manage the two-year mission for NASA.

The discovery of the radiation belts dates back to the dawn of the space age. Their existence was detected in 1958 by a Geiger counter on NASA's first spacecraft, Explorer 1, built by James Van Allen and his team from the University of Iowa.

Now, more than half a century later, RBSP packs a comprehensive set of instruments designed to look at not only the particles within the radiation belts, but also the plasma waves, electric fields and magnetic fields that transport and guide those particles.

The mission needed two probes, Fox explained, because scientists want to be able to distinguish transient features from those that are there for a longer period, or may be changing.

"If you imagine having two buoys in the ocean, and one goes up, and comes down again, you don't know anything about what caused that to go up and down," Fox said. "If both of them go up, then you know you've got a very big feature that is affecting both of them at the same time. If you one goes up, then the other goes up, you can measure how fast that wave has traveled between them, and what direction it's going into. And if only one goes up and comes down again, then you've got a very, very localized feature that didn't travel anywhere.

"So in order to be able to really understand what is going on, these very fine-scale features in our radiation belts, we have two spacecraft to do that," she said.

The eight-sided probes weigh more than 1,400 pounds each and measure about six feet wide by three feet high. But the electric and magnetic fields sensors extend outward on booms that distance these instruments from the immediate vicinity of the spacecraft, which could generate its own electric and magnetic fields. Data filters and metal shielding on spacecraft electronics offer additional prevention against interference, as well as protection from the intense environment the probes will encounter daily.

"Definitely the biggest challenge that we face is the radiation environment that the probes are going to be flying through," Stratton said. "Most spacecraft try to avoid the radiation belts -- and we're going to be flying right through the heart of them."

RBSP is launching on the tried-and-true Atlas V built by United Launch Alliance.

"NASA has an excellent history with the Atlas V rocket. As a matter of fact, we are 100 percent, six for six, launching on Atlas V," said Tim Dunn, RBSP launch director for NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP). "We have launched missions to Jupiter, Pluto, the sun, the moon, and two missions to Mars."

Based at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, LSP has been involved in prelaunch planning for the RBSP mission for several years.

"The team has been preparing in total for about six years for the RBSP mission. The early planning began that long ago, back in about the 2006 timeframe. The core team came in at about contract award time in March of 2009," Dunn said. "So we've been very heavily involved with RBSP for the last three years."

Rex Engelhardt, LSP's mission manager for RBSP, has been working on the project since 2006. He pointed out that ensuring the separation of both spacecraft from the Centaur upper stage, after launch, required some extra attention. The probes will be deployed one at a time into separate orbits, so the Centaur will spin up, deploy the first probe, stop its spin, and then turn to aim the second probe toward its orbit.

"Then you've got to point it in the right direction, spin it back up again, separate the second (probe), then you've got to spin the Centaur back down again, and quietly back away," Engelhardt said.

Once the probes are placed in their proper orbits, they'll undergo a two-month "commissioning period." This offers the team plenty of time to extend the instrumentation booms, check out the probes' health and safety, and ensure the electronics are working.

"After you launch, after you get through the environments of launch and when you're up there in the space environment, you want to make sure everything's working perfectly," Stratton said. "So that takes about 60 days after launch, and then we'll start our prime mission as soon as that commissioning period is done."

According to Fox, the data from the RBSP mission will allow scientists dramatically improve current models of how the radiation belts form and change in response to the sun.

"That is important because it will allow us to design better spacecraft; we'll be able to protect them better and we also won't do costly overdesign," Fox explained. "It will help us protect astronauts that are out in Earth orbit, and it will benefit the science community by giving us a lot more information about fundamental particle physics."

ЦитироватьULA @ulalaunch
22 августа 12 в 17:33
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/371048.jpg)#RBSP is rolling out atop the Atlas V at Launch Complex 41
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/371049.jpg)On the launch pad! #RBSP #AtlasV http://pic.twitter.com/0CpCne8N

Цитировать(http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/newsArticles/images/20120822_sm.jpg) (http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/newsArticles/images/20120822_lg.jpg)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER -- The launch teams for NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes concluded their Launch Readiness Review yesterday afternoon and received the go-ahead to continue preparations for Friday morning's liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force station in Florida.

After extensive testing of the booster engine actuator system on the RD-180 engines and a thorough data analysis, no problems were found and the rocket has been cleared for launch. The RBSP spacecraft also was cleared for flight during the review and is ready for liftoff.

To avoid predicted afternoon thunderstorm activity on Wednesday, the Atlas V rollout has been moved earlier to 8 a.m. EDT. This will allow sufficient time for the RP-1 fuel to be loaded aboard the Atlas first stage before adverse weather arrives.

The launch weather forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of acceptable conditions Friday morning. Liftoff is scheduled for 4:07 a.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 24.

ЦитироватьAt Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, there is relatively minor activity at the pad today as personnel rest for the overnight countdown to liftoff of NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes. Countdown preparations will begin tonight at 8:52 p.m. EDT. The weather forecast continues to reflect a 70 percent chance of meeting the launch weather criteria.
Note: Live coverage of the RBSP launch will begin on NASA TV at 1:30 a.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 24.

ЦитироватьAt Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, there is relatively minor activity at the pad today as personnel rest for the overnight countdown to liftoff of NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes. Countdown preparations will begin tonight at 8:52 p.m. EDT and spacecraft engineers will start configuring RBSP for launch at approximately 10 p.m.

The terminal countdown operation begins at 12:57 a.m., at which time the launch pad will be cleared of personnel in preparation for fueling the Atlas V rocket. Loading cryogenic propellants begins at 1:42 a.m. The weather forecast continues to reflect only a 30 percent chance of not meeting the launch weather criteria, calling for temperatures near 78 degrees and light southeasterly winds at the targeted 4:07 a.m. liftoff time.

ЦитироватьNASA запустит зонды для изучения радиационных поясов Земли[/size] (http://www.vz.ru/news/2012/8/24/594869.html)

24 августа 2012, 01::36
NASA запустит в пятницу с космодрома на мысе Канаверал (штат Флорида) ракету-носитель Atlas-5 с двумя зондами, целью которых будет изучение радиационных поясов Земли.

Старт назначен на 04.07 по времени Восточного побережья США (12.07 по московскому времени). Шансы на то, что запуску помешает неблагоприятная погода, оцениваются в 30%.

Зонды построены с целью помочь ученым исследовать одной из самых опасных областей околоземного пространства - внутреннего и внешнего радиационных поясов нашей планеты, названных в честь открывшего их американского физика Джеймса Ван Аллена. Они расположены на высоте приблизительно 4 тыс. и 17 тыс. км и состоят из высокоэнергетичных заряженных частиц.

Ученые считают, что охватывающие Землю радиационные пояса в считанные секунды могут становиться во много раз более мощными и начинать представлять очень серьезную опасность для работающих в космосе людей и для аппаратуры спутников связи. Как показали наблюдения, выполненные американцами еще в 1998 году с помощью искусственных спутников Земли, изменения в ее собственном магнитном поле способны разогнать электроны, находящиеся в радиационных поясах, до скорости, близкой к скорости света, и превратить их в то, что некоторые из исследователей назвали «электронами-убийцами». Механизм, благодаря которому электроны набирают такую чудовищную скорость, пока остается загадкой, но сам факт существования этого феномена достаточно надежно подтвержден.

Летящие на околосветовой скорости электроны способны пронзить алюминиевый лист сантиметровой толщины и привести к катастрофическому накоплению заряженных частиц в чувствительном электронном оборудовании спутников.

«Динамика изменений в радиационных поясах в зависимости от активности Солнца пока крайне непредсказуема. Одна из главных целей миссии - использовать магнитосферу Земли в качестве естественной лаборатории для изучения радиации, причин ее возникновения и эволюции во Вселенной. В этом вопросе есть много загадок, которые предстоит раскрыть», - рассказал Барри Мок из Лаборатории прикладной физики университета Джона Хопкинса (штат Мэриленд), которая совместно с NASA занимается реализацией этого проекта.

Более ясное представление о поведении радиационных полей позволит разработать более надежную защиту космических аппаратов, а также лучше планировать работу людей на орбите.

Миссия зондов рассчитана на два года. Обращаясь на несколько различающихся высоких эллиптических орбитах, идентичные по своей конструкции аппараты весят около 750 кг каждый, выполнены из специальных устойчивых к радиации компонентов, которые позволят им функционировать в суровых условиях полей Ван Аллена. NASA решило отправить в экспедицию не один, а два аппарата с целью получить более точные сведения, передает ИТАР-ТАСС.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/26609.jpg) Credit: NASA
Two giant donuts of charged particles called the Van Allen Belts surround Earth.  (+ video 0:57) (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/rbsp/news/electric-atmosphere.html)

ЦитироватьRBSP Launch News
Join Us Overnight for the RBSP Launch Countdown[/size] (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/rbsp/main/index.html)

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 01:26:35 AM GMT+0300

NASA's two-year Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission is slated to begin early Friday morning with a ride to orbit aboard the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex-41 is set for 4:07 a.m. EDT at the start of a 20-minute launch window.

Join us for live countdown coverage starting at 1:30 a.m. NASA TV will feature full televised coverage at http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv while blogger Steve Siceloff provides updates from the Launch Vehicle Data Center on NASA's Launch Blog at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/rbsp/launch/launch_blog.html.

ЦитироватьЗонды для изучения радиационных поясов Земли отправятся на орбиту[/size] (http://www.ria.ru/science/20120824/729582506.html)

02:33 24/08/2012
МОСКВА, 24 авг - РИА Новости. Специалисты НАСА планируют в пятницу утром запустить с космодрома на мысе Канаверал два зонда RBSP (Radiation Belt Storm Probes), которые предназначены для изучения поясов Ван Аллена - радиационных поясов в магнитосфере Земли, насыщенных заряженными частицами, крайне опасными для космических аппаратов и космонавтов.

Как ожидается, ракета Atlas V 410 со спутниками стартует в 04.07 по времени восточного побережья США (12.07 мск) со стартового комплекса 41 на мысе Канаверал. По данным метеорологов, существует 70% вероятность, что погода будет благоприятствовать запуску.

Первоначально запуск планировался на 23 августа, однако в понедельник он был отложен на сутки из-за того, что у другой однотипной ракеты Atlas был обнаружен дефект в первой ступени - гидравлическая система рулевого управления у двигателя российского производства RD-180 показывала нештатные параметры. Во вторник была закончена проверка аналогичной системы на ракете, предназначенной для запуска RBSP, после чего комиссия разрешила запуск.

Зонды будут выведены на высокоэллиптическую орбиту с высотой апогея около 30 тысяч километров. Такая орбита позволит аппаратам проходить пояса Ван Аллена.

Эти зоны в магнитосфере Земли были обнаружены уже после начала космической эры. Они представляют собой две области на высотах около 4 тысяч и 17 тысяч километров, где находится большое количество протонов и электронов высоких энергий. Эти частицы "живут" в своеобразной ловушке внутри магнитного поля Земли.

Изменения в космической погоде, в частности, выбросы плазмы на Солнце, воздействуют на магнитосферу и радиационные пояса, что в свою очередь влияет на ситуацию с магнитными бурями. Исследование поясов Ван Аллена поможет лучше прогнозировать ситуацию в магнитосфере Земли, а значит защитить электронную и космическую инфраструктуру, уязвимую для сильных колебаний магнитного поля.

Два идентичных зонда в области радиационных поясов будут отслеживать изменения в составе и свойствах заряженных частиц - протонов, электронов и ионов. Два аппарата нужны для того, чтобы отличить изменения, связанные с переходом из одной области в другую с изменениями, происходящими в самих поясах.

Цитировать0337 GMT (11:37 p.m. EDT Thurs.)
Among the activities currently underway at this point in the countdown, the launch team is completing pre-flight preps on the cryogenic systems in preparation for fueling and running standard tests on the C-band system used to track the rocket as it flies downrange and the S-band system used for telemetry relay from vehicle.
In the initial portion of the count, power up of the Atlas first stage and the Centaur upper stage occurred and guidance system testing was started.

And earlier this hour, the twin RBSP spacecraft were powered up and the "aliveness" testing commenced to ensure both satellites are ready to fly.

0307 GMT (11:07 p.m. EDT Thurs.)
Now entering the final five hours in the countdown to the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket flight with the Radiation Belt Storm Probes payload for NASA. This will be the civilan space agency's seventh use of Atlas 5 over the past seven years.
The first NASA mission sent the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to the red planet on Aug. 12, 2005. The New Horizons probe on a three-billion-mile voyage to fly by Pluto and explore the frigid edge of the solar system followed on Jan. 19, 2006. Then came the dual launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the LCROSS impactor to the Moon's South Pole on June 18, 2009. The Solar Dynamics Observatory was placed into orbit on Feb. 11, 2010. The Juno spacecraft to study the planet Jupiter was launched on Aug. 5, 2011. And most recently was the Mars Science Laboratory with the Curiosity rover leaving Earth on Nov. 26, 2011.

Now comes RBSP at 4:07 a.m. EDT.

0147 GMT (9:47 p.m. EDT Thurs.)
In the first weather briefing of tonight's countdown, the odds of good conditions to launch the Atlas 5 rocket have remained the same from the most recent outlook issued Thursday morning. Meteorologists continue to project a 70 percent chance of acceptable weather for the launch window, with only a slight concern for thick clouds.
The outlook for launch time now calls for scattered decks of clouds at 3,000 and 22,000 feet, no rain or showers, good visibility, southeasterly winds of 5 knots, a temperature around 78 degrees F and humidity level of 95 percent.

0052 GMT (8:52 p.m. EDT Thurs.)
Welcome to liftoff night for the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket carrying NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes on a mission 50 years in the making to unravel mysteries about the harshest region of near-Earth space.
The twin craft, beefed up with protective hardening, will take unprecedented measures inside the hearts of the radiation belts to provide fundamental data about the behavior and character of these swaths of space that can harm spacecraft and astronauts alike.

At Cape Canaveral, the countdown clocks are starting to tick right now, beginning the seven-hour, 15-minute sequence of work that will prepare the rocket, payload and ground systems for Friday's predawn blastoff at 4:07 a.m. EDT (0807 GMT).

Soon the launch team will begin powering up the rocket to commence standard pre-flight tests. Over the subsequent few hours, final preps for the Centaur's liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen systems will be performed, along with a test of the rocket's guidance system and the first stage propulsion and hydraulic preps, internal battery checks and testing of the C-band system used to track the rocket as it flies downrange, plus a test of the S-band telemetry relay system. The Complex 41 site will be cleared of all personnel at 12:57 a.m.

A planned half-hour hold begins at 1:12 a.m. when the count reaches T-minus 120 minutes. Near the end of the hold, the team will be polled at 1:39 a.m. to verify all is in readiness to start fueling the rocket for launch.

Supercold liquid oxygen begins flowing into the Centaur upper stage around 1:59 a.m., followed by the first stage filling around 2:12 a.m. Liquid hydrogen fuel loading for Centaur will be completed a short time later.

A final hold is scheduled at the T-minus 4 minute mark starting at 3:38 a.m. That 25-minute pause will give everyone a chance to finish any late work and assess the status of the rocket, payload, Range and weather before proceeding into the last moments of the countdown.

The launch window extends from 4:07 to 4:27 a.m. EDT (0807-0827 GMT).

THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012
Here's a photo gallery showing the Atlas 5's trip to the pad on Wednesday morning.
2130 GMT (5:30 p.m. EDT)
Two heavily shielded 1,400-pound satellites set for launch early Friday will fly in tandem through Earth's energetic Van Allen radiation belts in a two-year $686 million mission to probe the structure of the huge doughnut-shaped zones, how they are affected by titanic solar storms and the threat they pose to astronauts and costly spacecraft.
Read our preview story.

1700 GMT (1:00 p.m. EDT)
It's the final day before the scheduled launch of the Atlas 5 rocket and the team is resting before their late-night call to duty. The countdown will begin a little before 9 p.m. EDT in advance of the 4:07 a.m. EDT liftoff tomorrow.
The latest forecast continues to show a 70 percent chance of allowable weather conditions to launch the Atlas 5, with only thick clouds a potential concern for meteorologists.

"A persistent upper level trough remains over the Eastern U.S. with the Bermuda High pressure ridge to the south, and a weak front in North Florida. Southerly to south-southwesterly surface winds will become southeasterly with the seabreeze development. Southwesterly flow in the steering levels will favor the East coast for afternoon and evening thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms may be severe. Lingering cloud cover from afternoon and evening thunderstorms is the main concern for launch," forecasters report.

"Our primary concern for launch Friday morning is a thick cloud rule violation."

The outlook for the 20-minute launch window calls for scattered low- and high-level clouds, good visibility, southeasterly winds of 5 knots and a temperature around 78 degrees F.

We will begin our live play-by-play launch coverage at 1 a.m. EDT and streaming video of the mission starts on this page at 1:30 a.m. EDT.

Цитировать0525 GMT (1:25 a.m. EDT)
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0512 GMT (1:12 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 2 hours and holding. The countdown has just entered the first of two planned holds over the course of the day that will lead to the 4:07 a.m. EDT launch of the Atlas rocket.
This initial pause was designed to give the team some margin in the countdown timeline to deal with technical issues or any work that could fall behind schedule before fueling starts. But all is going very smoothly this morning.

The final hold is scheduled to occur at T-minus 4 minutes.

0500 GMT (1:00 a.m. EDT)
Hold-fire checks were just performed with the Eastern Range to ensure safety personnel can hold the countdown if necessary.
0455 GMT (12:55 a.m. EDT)
A check of the weather shows all of the rules are "go" at the current time. The outlook for launch time remains 70 percent favorable due to thick clouds.
In the pre-fueling briefing to mission managers, the latest forecast still calls for scattered decks of clouds at 3,000 and 22,000 feet, good visibility, southeasterly winds of 5 knots and a temperature around 78 degrees F.

0453 GMT (12:53 a.m. EDT)
Testing of the vehicle's guidance system is complete.
0407 GMT (12:07 a.m. EDT)
Just four hours left to go!
If you are in the local Cape Canaveral area and would like to watch today's Atlas 5 rocket launch in person, check out this authoritative viewing guide on where to go.

Цитировать0630 GMT (2:30 a.m. EDT)
The anomaly team that was looking at the liquid oxygen fill and drain valve on the first stage reports that when the launch team was cycling that valve earlier they got erroneous indications that the valve had not opened and closed as anticipated. However, further examination of other data confirms the valve is working and the indicator readings were false.
The team has suitable workaround options and can resume fueling operations with no impact to today's countdown and launch.

0625 GMT (2:25 a.m. EDT)
Centaur liquid oxygen is now at flight level.
0624 GMT (2:24 a.m. EDT)
The current configuration of the fill and drain valve is closed. The team is not actively flowing liquid oxygen into the first stage.
0622 GMT (2:22 a.m. EDT)
The Centaur liquid oxygen tank reached the 95 percent level. The topping off process is starting now.
0616 GMT (2:16 a.m. EDT)
The chilldown conditioning of liquid hydrogen propellant lines at Complex 41 is starting to prepare the plumbing for transferring the Minus-423 degree F fuel into the rocket. The Centaur holds about 12,325 gallons of the cryogenic propellant.
0615 GMT (2:15 a.m. EDT)
The anomaly team has been convened to discuss a possible issue with the liquid oxygen fill and drain valve for the first stage.
0612 GMT (2:12 a.m. EDT)
The conditioning of the systems for the first stage liquid oxygen tank have been completed. And a "go" has been given to begin pumping supercold liquid oxygen into the Atlas 5's first stage.
The Common Core Booster stage's liquid oxygen tank is the largest tank to be filled today. It holds 48,745 gallons of cryogenic oxidizer for the RD-180 main engine.

0610 GMT (2:10 a.m. EDT)
Centaur liquid oxygen is 50 percent loaded.
0607 GMT (2:07 a.m. EDT)
Now exactly two hours until launch!
0603 GMT (2:03 a.m. EDT)
Passing the 20 percent level on the Centaur upper stage's liquid oxygen tank.
0555 GMT (1:55 a.m. EDT)
Filling of the Centaur upper stage with about 4,075 gallons of liquid oxygen has begun at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 following the thermal conditioning of the transfer pipes.
The liquid oxygen -- chilled to Minus-298 degrees F -- will be consumed during the launch by the Centaur's single RL10 engine along with liquid hydrogen to be pumped into the stage a little later in the countdown. The Centaur will perform two firings to propel the RBSP satellites into their intended orbit this morning.

0548 GMT (1:48 a.m. EDT)
The Centaur liquid oxygen pad storage area has been prepped. The next step is conditioning the transfer lines, which is now beginning to prepare the plumbing for flowing the cryogenic oxidizer.
0542 GMT (1:42 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 120 minutes and counting! The launch countdown has resumed on schedule for today's flight of the Atlas 5 rocket on the NASA mission to deploy the Radiation Belt Storm Probes.
Clocks have one more built-in hold planned at T-minus 4 minutes. That pause will last 25 minutes during which time the final "go" for launch will be given. All remains targeted for liftoff at 4:07 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral's Complex 41.

In the next couple of minutes, chilldown thermal conditioning of the mobile launch platform upon which the rocket stands will begin. This is meant to ease the shock on equipment when supercold cryogenic propellants start flowing into the rocket.

0539 GMT (1:39 a.m. EDT)
All console operators have reported GO status during the pre-fueling readiness poll. The ULA launch director also voiced his approval for moving forward with the countdown as scheduled today.
Loading of cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into the Atlas 5 rocket will be getting underway a short time from now.

0537 GMT (1:37 a.m. EDT)
The ULA launch conductor at the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center is briefing his team on procedures before entering into the final two hours of the countdown.
0529 GMT (1:29 a.m. EDT)
Weather has just gone "red" for some cloud cover passing overhead that violates the thickness rule for launch. However, forecasters expect this condition to clear shortly and still predict a 70 percent chance of acceptable weather at launch time.
Meteorologists keep managers advised when rules go "red" and "green" throughout the countdown. This current thick cloud rule violation won't hold up fueling or other operations for now, but obviously would need be "green" by the launch window.

0528 GMT (1:28 a.m. EDT)
The final hands-on work has wrapped up at the launch pad and technicians have departed the complex. Safety officials just confirmed that the surrounding danger area has been cleared of all workers for the remainder of the countdown.

Цитировать0727 GMT (3:27 a.m. EDT)
The fuel-fill sequence for the first stage main engine is starting.
0723 GMT (3:23 a.m. EDT)
Pre-launch checks of the rocket's safety system have been completed.
0720 GMT (3:20 a.m. EDT)
Fast-filling of the first stage liquid oxygen tank has been completed. Topping mode is now underway.
0714 GMT (3:14 a.m. EDT)
A check of the current weather shows all conditions remain "go" at the present time.
0711 GMT (3:11 a.m. EDT)
The first stage liquid oxygen tank is above 80 percent full now.
0707 GMT (3:07 a.m. EDT)
Now 60 minutes from liftoff. Fueling of the Atlas rocket with cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen is nearly complete as the countdown continues as planned for a liftoff at 4:07 a.m. EDT.
If you are heading out to the beach or Port Canaveral to watch the launch, sign up for our Twitter feed to get occasional countdown updates on your cellphone. U.S. readers can also sign up from their phone by texting "follow spaceflightnow" to 40404. (Standard text messaging charges apply.)

And if you are need tips on picking a good viewing spot, check out this authoritative guide on where to go.

0702 GMT (3:02 a.m. EDT)
First stage liquid oxygen tank is 60 percent full thus far. Chilled to Minus-298 degrees F, the liquid oxygen will be used with RP-1 kerosene by the RD-180 main engine on the first stage during the initial four minutes of flight today. The 25,000 gallons of RP-1 were loaded into the rocket after rollout.
0659 GMT (2:59 a.m. EDT)
The liquid hydrogen tank in the Centaur upper stage just reached the 97 percent level. Topping is now beginning.
0652 GMT (2:52 a.m. EDT)
Passing the 50 percent level on the Centaur upper stage's liquid hydrogen tank.
0649 GMT (2:49 a.m. EDT)
Centaur's liquid hydrogen tank is 30 percent full. The cryogenic propellant will be consumed with liquid oxygen by the stage's Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne-made RL10 engine.
0646 GMT (2:46 a.m. EDT)
The first stage liquid oxygen tank has reached the 20 percent mark.
0641 GMT (2:41 a.m. EDT)
Chilldown of the liquid hydrogen system has been accomplished. The launch team has received the "go" to begin filling the Centaur upper stage with the supercold fuel.
0640 GMT (2:40 a.m. EDT)
The first stage liquid oxygen loading is transitioning from slow-fill to fast-fill mode.
0639 GMT (2:39 a.m. EDT)
The weather status board is all "green" again. The earlier "red" condition for the cloud thickness rule has passed. The outlook for today's launch window remains 70 percent favorable.
0637 GMT (2:37 a.m. EDT)
Now 90 minutes till launch!
0634 GMT (2:34 a.m. EDT)
The Centaur engine chilldown sequence is being initiated.

Цитировать0820 GMT (4:20 a.m. EDT)
SCRUB! Today's attempt to launch NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes aboard an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral has been postponed at least 24 hours because of a technical problem with the tracking beacon. The trouble could not be resolved in time for liftoff during the morning's launch window.

ЦитироватьЗапуск зондов RBSP для изучения радиационных поясов отложен на сутки[/size]

Запуск с космодрома на мысе Канаверал двух зондов RBSP, предназначенных для изучения радиационных поясов Земли, отложен как минимум на сутки за несколько минут до планировавшегося старта из-за технических проблем с наземной инфраструктурой.

Двадцатиминутное стартовое окно открылось в 12.07 мск, но из-за проблемы с маяком слежения запуск был сначала перенесен на 12.25 мск, а затем отложен на сутки.

ЦитироватьLaunch managers at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida are preparing for this morning's scheduled liftoff of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes spacecraft. At Space Launch Complex-41, the rocket's Centaur upper stage has been loaded to flight level with liquid oxygen, while the propellant continues to flow into the larger first-stage booster.

Weather forecasters predict a 60 percent chance of conditions favorable for liftoff at the 4:07 a.m. EDT launch time. Today's launch window lasts 20 minutes.

ЦитироватьEditor's Note: The daily launch window for the Atlas 5 rocket carrying NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes extends 20 minutes in duration.

All times are Eastern.

DATE................WINDOW OPEN

23 AUG 2012.........04:08:00.000 a.m. EDT
24 AUG 2012.........04:07:00.000 a.m. EDT
25 AUG 2012.........04:07:00.000 a.m. EDT
26 AUG 2012.........04:07:00.000 a.m. EDT
27 AUG 2012.........04:06:00.000 a.m. EDT
28 AUG 2012.........04:06:00.000 a.m. EDT
29 AUG 2012.........04:05:00.000 a.m. EDT
30 AUG 2012.........04:05:00.000 a.m. EDT
31 AUG 2012.........04:05:00.000 a.m. EDT
01 SEP 2012.........04:04:00.000 a.m. EDT
02 SEP 2012.........04:07:00.000 a.m. EDT
03 SEP 2012.........04:06:00.000 a.m. EDT
04 SEP 2012.........04:06:00.000 a.m. EDT
05 SEP 2012.........04:06:00.000 a.m. EDT
06 SEP 2012.........04:05:00.000 a.m. EDT
07 SEP 2012.........04:05:00.000 a.m. EDT
08 SEP 2012.........04:05:00.000 a.m. EDT
09 SEP 2012.........04:05:00.000 a.m. EDT
10 SEP 2012.........04:07:00.000 a.m. EDT
11 SEP 2012.........04:07:00.000 a.m. EDT
12 SEP 2012.........04:07:00.000 a.m. EDT
13 SEP 2012.........04:06:00.000 a.m. EDT
14 SEP 2012.........04:06:00.000 a.m. EDT
15 SEP 2012.........04:06:00.000 a.m. EDT
16 SEP 2012.........04:06:00.000 a.m. EDT
17 SEP 2012.........04:08:00.000 a.m. EDT
18 SEP 2012.........04:08:00.000 a.m. EDT
19 SEP 2012.........04:08:00.000 a.m. EDT
20 SEP 2012.........04:08:00.000 a.m. EDT
21 SEP 2012.........04:08:00.000 a.m. EDT
22 SEP 2012.........04:08:00.000 a.m. EDT
23 SEP 2012.........04:07:00.000 a.m. EDT
24 SEP 2012.........04:10:00.000 a.m. EDT

Цитировать0645 GMT (2:45 a.m. EDT)
First stage liquid oxygen tank is 60 percent full thus far. Chilled to Minus-298 degrees F, the liquid oxygen will be used with RP-1 kerosene by the RD-180 main engine on the first stage during the initial four minutes of flight today. The 25,000 gallons of RP-1 were loaded into the rocket after rollout.

0641 GMT (2:41 a.m. EDT)
Chilldown of the liquid hydrogen system has been accomplished. The launch team has received the "go" to begin filling the Centaur upper stage with the supercold fuel.

0640 GMT (2:40 a.m. EDT)
Interrogations of the C-band tracking beacon on the Atlas 5 rocket have been going well in this morning's countdown, NASA launch director Tim Dunn says.

After yesterday's scrub, troubleshooting revealed the transponder aboard the rocket was producing slightly "out-of-family" readings that engineers ultimately determined were acceptable for flight as-is. The rocket team and the Range got comfortable with the beacon performance and concluded it was safe to launch the Atlas without needing any hardware replacements.

0637 GMT (2:37 a.m. EDT)
Now 90 minutes till launch of the Radiation Belt Storm Probes to explore the extremes of space weather! There are no technical problems being reported in the countdown, NASA says, and the current weather conditions are green.

0633 GMT (2:33 a.m. EDT)
The Centaur engine chilldown sequence is being initiated.

0628 GMT (2:28 a.m. EDT)
The first stage liquid oxygen tank has reached the 20 percent mark.

0624 GMT (2:24 a.m. EDT)
Centaur liquid oxygen is now at flight level.

0623 GMT (2:23 a.m. EDT)
The first stage liquid oxygen loading is transitioning from slow-fill to fast-fill mode.

0621 GMT (2:21 a.m. EDT)
The Centaur liquid oxygen tank reached the 95 percent level. The topping off process is starting now.

0616 GMT (2:16 a.m. EDT)
The chilldown conditioning of liquid hydrogen propellant lines at Complex 41 is starting to prepare the plumbing for transferring the Minus-423 degree F fuel into the rocket. The Centaur holds about 12,325 gallons of the cryogenic propellant.

0615 GMT (2:15 a.m. EDT)
Now at 70 percent on Centaur liquid oxygen.

0614 GMT (2:14 a.m. EDT)
The conditioning of the systems for the first stage liquid oxygen tank have been completed. And a "go" has been given to begin pumping supercold liquid oxygen into the Atlas 5's first stage.

The Common Core Booster stage's liquid oxygen tank is the largest tank to be filled today. It holds 48,745 gallons of cryogenic oxidizer for the RD-180 main engine.

0610 GMT (2:10 a.m. EDT)
Centaur liquid oxygen is 50 percent loaded.

0607 GMT (2:07 a.m. EDT)
Now entering the final two hours to the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket flight with the Radiation Belt Storm Probes payload for NASA. This will be the civilan space agency's seventh use of Atlas 5 over the past seven years.

The first NASA mission sent the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to the red planet on Aug. 12, 2005. The New Horizons probe on a three-billion-mile voyage to fly by Pluto and explore the frigid edge of the solar system followed on Jan. 19, 2006. Then came the dual launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the LCROSS impactor to the Moon's South Pole on June 18, 2009. The Solar Dynamics Observatory was placed into orbit on Feb. 11, 2010. The Juno spacecraft to study the planet Jupiter was launched on Aug. 5, 2011. And most recently was the Mars Science Laboratory with the Curiosity rover leaving Earth on Nov. 26, 2011.

Now comes RBSP at 4:07 a.m. EDT.

0603 GMT (2:03 a.m. EDT)
Passing the 20 percent level on the Centaur upper stage's liquid oxygen tank.

0555 GMT (1:55 a.m. EDT)
Filling of the Centaur upper stage with about 4,075 gallons of liquid oxygen has begun at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 following the thermal conditioning of the transfer pipes.

The liquid oxygen -- chilled to Minus-298 degrees F -- will be consumed during the launch by the Centaur's single RL10 engine along with liquid hydrogen to be pumped into the stage a little later in the countdown. The Centaur will perform two firings to propel the RBSP satellites into their intended orbit this morning.

0548 GMT (1:48 a.m. EDT)
The Centaur liquid oxygen pad storage area has been prepped. The next step is conditioning the transfer lines, which is now beginning to prepare the plumbing for flowing the cryogenic oxidizer.

0542 GMT (1:42 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 120 minutes and counting! The launch countdown has resumed on schedule for today's flight of the Atlas 5 rocket on the NASA mission to deploy the Radiation Belt Storm Probes.

Clocks have one more built-in hold planned at T-minus 4 minutes. That pause will last 25 minutes during which time the final "go" for launch will be given. All remains targeted for liftoff at 4:07 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral's Complex 41.

In the next couple of minutes, chilldown thermal conditioning of the mobile launch platform upon which the rocket stands will begin. This is meant to ease the shock on equipment when supercold cryogenic propellants start flowing into the rocket.

0539 GMT (1:39 a.m. EDT)
All console operators have reported GO status during the pre-fueling readiness poll. The ULA launch director also voiced his approval for moving forward with the countdown as scheduled today.

Loading of cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into the Atlas 5 rocket will be getting underway a short time from now.

0537 GMT (1:37 a.m. EDT)
The ULA launch conductor at the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center is briefing his team on procedures before entering into the final two hours of the countdown.

0516 GMT (1:16 a.m. EDT)
Weather is back to a green status again. The anvil rule is no longer being violated by the current conditions.

0515 GMT (1:15 a.m. EDT)
The final hands-on work has wrapped up at the launch pad and technicians have departed the complex. Safety officials just confirmed that the surrounding danger area has been cleared of all workers for the remainder of the countdown.

0512 GMT (1:12 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 2 hours and holding. The countdown has just entered the first of two planned holds over the course of the morning that will lead to the 4:07 a.m. EDT launch of the Atlas rocket.

This initial pause was designed to give the team some margin in the countdown timeline to deal with technical issues or any work that could fall behind schedule before fueling starts. But all is going very smoothly this morning.

The final hold is scheduled to occur at T-minus 4 minutes.

0458 GMT (12:58 a.m. EDT)
Flashes of lightning are prevalent in the skies around Cape Canaveral tonight as weather to the southeast of the spaceport moves ashore from the Atlantic. The northern fringes of that disturbed weather is skirting just south of the launch site at this hour.

The "attached anvil cloud rule" is red in the current observations.

But the launch weather officer still predicts a 60 percent chance of acceptable weather at the 4:07 a.m. EDT liftoff time for the Atlas 5 rocket.

The outlook for launch calls for scattered clouds at 3,000 feet, a broken deck at 22,000 feet, isolated coastal showers, good visibility, easterly winds of 12 gusting to 16 knots, a temperature of 78 degrees F and humidity level of 91 percent.

Цитировать0720 GMT (3:20 a.m. EDT)
The weather status board has gone "red" due to cumulus clouds and lightning.
Meteorologists keep managers advised when rules go "red" and "green" throughout the countdown.

0709 GMT (3:09 a.m. EDT)
A check of the current weather shows all conditions remain "go" at the present time. The forecast is unchanged and odds of acceptable weather at launch time are 60 percent.
0707 GMT (3:07 a.m. EDT)
Now 60 minutes from liftoff. Fueling of the Atlas rocket with cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen is nearly complete as the countdown continues as planned for a liftoff at 4:07 a.m. EDT.
If you are heading out to the beach or Port Canaveral to watch the launch, sign up for our Twitter feed to get occasional countdown updates on your cellphone. U.S. readers can also sign up from their phone by texting "follow spaceflightnow" to 40404. (Standard text messaging charges apply.)

And if you are need tips on picking a good viewing spot, check out this authoritative guide on where to go.

0704 GMT (3:04 a.m. EDT)
Fast-filling of the first stage liquid oxygen tank has been completed. Topping mode is now underway.
0700 GMT (3:00 a.m. EDT)
The liquid hydrogen tank in the Centaur upper stage just reached the 97 percent level. Topping is now beginning.
0655 GMT (2:55 a.m. EDT)
Centaur's liquid hydrogen tank is 37 percent full. The cryogenic propellant will be consumed with liquid oxygen by the stage's Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne-made RL10 engine.

ЦитироватьWeather is currently a "No Go" due to violation of cumulus clouds and lightning rules. Expected clear time is 03:45 am EDT.

ЦитироватьRBSP in T-4 min hold for 25 mins. Weather is "no go" for launch. "We haven't lost hope yet" says Kathy Winters of @usairforce weather squad

Цитировать0758 GMT (3:58 a.m. EDT)
The Radiation Belt Storm Probes are switching to internal power for launch.
0757 GMT (3:57 a.m. EDT)
Weather remains "no go" due to violations of the cumulus cloud, attached anvil cloud and lightning rules associated with nearby thunderstorms. The team is waiting to see if the weather will improve to permit the Atlas 5 rocket to launch some time within today's 20-minute window that extends to 4:27 a.m. EDT.
0747 GMT (3:47 a.m. EDT)
A third weather rule has gone "red" -- the attached anvil cloud criteria - due to these thunderstorm cells.
0747 GMT (3:47 a.m. EDT)
Twenty minutes from liftoff, weather permitting.
0745 GMT (3:45 a.m. EDT)
Here's a look at some stats about today's mission. This will be:
The 614th launch for Atlas program since 1957
The 326th Atlas to occur from Cape Canaveral
The 203rd mission for the Centaur upper stage
The 180th use of Centaur by an Atlas rocket
The 32nd launch of an Atlas 5 since 2002
The 52nd Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle flight
The 28th Atlas 5 to occur from the Cape
The 24th Atlas 5 under United Launch Alliance
The 21st 400-series flight of the Atlas 5
The 13th Atlas 5 to fly in the 401 configuration
The 7th NASA launch on Atlas 5
The 4th Atlas launch of 2012
0740 GMT (3:40 a.m. EDT)
The first stage liquid oxygen tank and Centaur's liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen tanks are topped at flight level.
0738 GMT (3:38 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 4 minutes and holding. The countdown has entered the planned 25-minute hold to give the launch team a chance to review all systems before pressing ahead with liftoff. The hold is longer than usual this morning, as the team built in an additional 15 minutes to the countdown to deal with any issues or catch up on work during the overnight operation.
0737 GMT (3:37 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 5 minutes. Standing by to go into the final built-in hold.
0735 GMT (3:35 a.m. EDT)
Meteorologists are watching thunderstorm cells to the south that are close enough to violate the launch rules governing cumulus cloud and lightning rules. They are moving to the west with a bit of northward motion as well. The weather team is sticking with 60 percent chance of acceptable weather for launch at 4:07 a.m. EDT.
0730 GMT (3:30 a.m. EDT)
Atlas 5 represents the culmination of evolution stretching back several decades to America's first intercontinental ballistic missile. At the dawn of the space age, boosters named Atlas launched men into orbit during Project Mercury and became a frequent vehicle of choice to haul civil, military and commercial spacecraft to orbit.
Topped with the high-energy Centaur upper stage, Atlas rockets have been used since the 1960s to dispatch ground-breaking missions for NASA, including the Surveyors to the Moon, Mariner flights to Mars, Venus and Mercury, and the Pioneers that were the first to visit Jupiter and beyond.

In its newest era, the Atlas 5 rocket sent the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to the red planet in 2005, propelled the New Horizons probe toward Pluto and the solar system's outer fringes in 2006, doubled up with the dual Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and LCROSS impactor to the Moon in 2009, hurled Juno to Jupiter last August and dispatched the car-sized Curiosity rover on the Mars Science Lab mission in November.

Today marks the 32nd flight for Atlas 5, born of the Air Force's competition to develop next-generation Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles. In its previous 31 missions since debuting in August 2002, the tally shows 10 flights dedicated to the Defense Department, 9 commercial missions with communications spacecraft, six with spy satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office and six for NASA.

0727 GMT (3:27 a.m. EDT)
The fuel-fill sequence for the first stage main engine is starting.
0723 GMT (3:23 a.m. EDT)
Pre-launch checks of the rocket's safety system have been completed.

ЦитироватьНе ранее чем 12:22

ЦитироватьПочему обратный отсчет 1:09:12? Еще на час позже запустят?

ЦитироватьЗапуск зондов RBSP вновь отложен, на этот раз из-за плохой погоды[/size]

Запуск зондов RBSP (Radiation Belt Storm Probes), предназначенных для изучения радиационных поясов Земли, во второй раз отложен как минимум на сутки - теперь из-за плохой погоды. Трансляция процедуры запуска шла на сайте НАСА.

Ракета Atlas V 410 с двумя зондами RBSP должна была стартовать с космодрома на мысе Канаверал еще в пятницу, однако запуск был перенесен из-за технических проблем, связанных с радиомаяком на борту ракеты, - его частота отклонилась от штатных значений. Специалисты не успели решить эту проблему в течение 20-минутного стартового окна.

В субботу, как и накануне, стартовое окно открылось в 12.07 мск, но уже за 20 минут до этого метеорологи объявили, что погодные условия не позволяют осуществить запуск. Погода "не проходила" по трем критериям: из-за присутствия кучевых облаков, а также "наковален" - кучевых облаков с очень высокой верхней границей, а также из-за повышенного риска ударов молний.

Однако специалисты дождались открытия стартового окна и продолжали ждать в надежде, что в последнюю минуту погода изменится. Однако этого не произошло.

Следующее стартовое окно открывается в воскресенье, 26 августа, в 12.07 мск.

Первоначально старт планировался на 23 августа, однако он был отложен из-за того, что у другой однотипной ракеты Atlas был обнаружен дефект в первой ступени - гидравлическая система рулевого управления у двигателя российского производства РД-180 показывала нештатные параметры. Во вторник была закончена проверка аналогичной системы на ракете, предназначенной для запуска RBSP, после чего комиссия разрешила запуск.

Проект RBSP осуществляется в рамках программы НАСА "Жизнь со звездой". Его общая стоимость составляет 686 миллионов долларов. Расчетный срок работы аппаратов составляет два года.

ЦитироватьЗапуск научных спутников RBSP состоится не раньше четверга[/size]

Запуск ракеты Atlas с научными спутниками RBSP состоится не раньше, чем в четверг утром, ракету снимают со старта и перевозят в монтажно-испытательный корпус в связи с неблагоприятными погодными условиями в ближайшие дни, сообщает НАСА.
ъ
Запуск двух зондов RBSP, предназначенных для изучения радиационных поясов в магнитосфере Земли, первоначально планировался на пятницу, однако старт не состоялся из-за технических проблем и был перенесен на субботу. Субботняя попытка запуска также оказалась неудачной из-за грозы в районе старта. Стартовое окно для запуска открывается каждый день около 12.07 мск и длится 20 минут. Такое окно будет также и в воскресенье, однако специалисты НАСА решили не предпринимать новых попыток до четверга из-за плохого прогноза погоды.

По данным метеорологов, в районе космодрома на мысе Канаверал в ближайшие дни ожидаются грозы и очень сильный ветер, что связано с действием тропического шторма "Айзек". Следующая попытка запуска будет предпринята не раньше 30 августа. В этот день стартовое окно открывается в 04.05 по времени восточного побережья США (12.05 мск).

ЦитироватьWith the unfavorable weather forecast as a result of Tropical Storm Isaac approaching Florida, the leadership team for launching NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission has decided to roll the Atlas V rocket off the launch pad and back to the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41. This will ensure the launch vehicle and twin RBSP spacecraft are secured and protected from inclement weather. Pending approval from the U.S. Air Force's Eastern Range, RBSP's launch is rescheduled for Thursday, Aug. 30 at 4:05 a.m. EDT.

ЦитироватьMission Status Center[/size] (http://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av032/status.html)

2027 GMT (4:27 p.m. EDT)
Mission managers met this afternoon in another Launch Readiness Review for the Radiation Belt Storms Probes and affirmed plans to try again Thursday to fly the Atlas 5 rocket and deploy the twin NASA spacecraft.

Liftoff is targeted for 4:05 a.m. EDT (0805 GMT) at the opening of a 20-minute window.

The rocket will ride the rails back to the launch on Tuesday after safely waiting out the tropical weather from Isaac that has been drenching Cape Canaveral. Rollout is expected around 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT).

ЦитироватьULA @ulalaunch

Thursday's #RBSP launch window opens at 4:05 a.m. EDT;
broadcast begins at 1:30 a.m.
Who's planning to watch? http://ow.ly/diDBY
29 августа 12 в 1:16

RT @rbstormprobes: The @ulalaunch Atlas V carrying #RBSP is back on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Launch Complex-41 @NASAKennedy
29 августа 12 в 1:14

ЦитироватьAtlas 5 rocket rolled out to launch pad[/size]

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket was rolled out to the pad at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 on Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 2 p.m. EDT for the third countdown to deploy NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/26719.jpg)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/26720.jpg)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/26721.jpg)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/26722.jpg)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/26723.jpg)

Цитировать0535 GMT (1:35 a.m. EDT)
The ULA launch conductor at the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center is briefing his team on procedures before entering into the final two hours of the countdown.
0510 GMT (1:10 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 2 hours and holding. The countdown has just entered the first of two planned holds over the course of the morning that will lead to the 4:05 a.m. EDT launch of the Atlas rocket.
This initial pause was designed to give the team some margin in the countdown timeline to deal with technical issues or any work that could fall behind schedule before fueling starts. But all is going very smoothly this morning.

The final hold is scheduled to occur at T-minus 4 minutes.

0505 GMT (1:05 a.m. EDT)
The final hands-on work has wrapped up at the launch pad and technicians have departed the complex. Safety officials just confirmed that the surrounding danger area has been cleared of all workers for the remainder of the countdown.
0500 GMT (1:00 a.m. EDT)
Hold-fire checks were just performed with the Eastern Range to ensure safety personnel can hold the countdown if necessary.
0455 GMT (12:55 a.m. EDT)
So far, so good on the weather tonight. The status board shows all launch criteria still green and GO. The forecast for the 4:05 to 4:25 a.m. EDT window continues to reflect a 70 percent chance of favorable conditions.
The "attached anvil cloud rule" is red in the current observations.

But the launch weather officer still predicts a 60 percent chance of acceptable weather at the 4:07 a.m. EDT liftoff time for the Atlas 5 rocket.

The outlook for launch predicts scattered clouds at 3,000 feet, a broken deck at 22,000 feet, good visibility, south-southeasterly winds of 10 gusting to 14 knots, a temperature of 78 degrees F and humidity level of 91 percent.

0450 GMT (12:50 a.m. EDT)
Guidance system testing has been accomplished as the countdown progresses smoothly today at Cape Canaveral.
0425 GMT (12:25 a.m. EDT)
Two heavily shielded 1,400-pound satellites set for launch early Thursday will fly in tandem through Earth's energetic Van Allen radiation belts in a two-year $686 million mission to probe the structure of the huge doughnut-shaped zones, how they are affected by titanic solar storms and the threat they pose to astronauts and costly spacecraft.
In so doing, the twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes are expected to shed light on fundamental physics governing the behavior of fields and particles across the cosmos and on the more immediate impacts of space weather, which can cripple satellites, disrupt power grids, scramble communications and interfere with Global Positioning System navigation beacons.

"We've been waiting for this mission for decades," said Project Scientist Richard Fitzgerald of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

Said Nicola Fox, the deputy project scientist at APL: "The difficult thing for us to work out is why they're changing, why they change at different times to seemingly similar drivers. We know that variations in the sun create strong geomagnetic storms here at Earth. But what we don't understand is how we really, truly respond to them."

"It's almost like making a cake," she told reporters earlier this week. "You know all the ingredients, but you're not quite sure of the proportions of each piece."

ЦитироватьКто знает, какие будут параметры орбиты КА?

Цитироватьсм. 5 страницу

Цитировать0657 GMT (2:57 a.m. EDT)
The liquid hydrogen tank in the Centaur upper stage just reached the 97 percent level. Topping is now beginning.
0653 GMT (2:53 a.m. EDT)
Passing the 80 percent mark on the first stage liquid oxygen tank.
0649 GMT (2:49 a.m. EDT)
Centaur's liquid hydrogen tank is 50 percent full. The cryogenic propellant will be consumed with liquid oxygen by the stage's Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne-made RL10 engine.
0644 GMT (2:44 a.m. EDT)
First stage liquid oxygen tank is 60 percent full thus far. Chilled to Minus-298 degrees F, the liquid oxygen will be used with RP-1 kerosene by the RD-180 main engine on the first stage during the initial four minutes of flight today. The 25,000 gallons of RP-1 were loaded into the rocket after rollout.
0641 GMT (2:41 a.m. EDT)
Chilldown of the liquid hydrogen system has been accomplished. The launch team has received the "go" to begin filling the Centaur upper stage with the supercold fuel.
0635 GMT (2:35 a.m. EDT)
Now 90 minutes till launch of the Radiation Belt Storm Probes to explore the extremes of space weather! There are no technical problems being reported in the countdown, NASA says, and the current weather conditions are green.
0631 GMT (2:31 a.m. EDT)
The first stage liquid oxygen tank has reached the 30 percent mark.
0630 GMT (2:30 a.m. EDT)
The Centaur engine chilldown sequence is being initiated.
0622 GMT (2:22 a.m. EDT)
Centaur liquid oxygen is now at flight level.
0621 GMT (2:21 a.m. EDT)
The first stage liquid oxygen loading is transitioning from slow-fill to fast-fill mode.
0619 GMT (2:19 a.m. EDT)
The Centaur liquid oxygen tank reached the 95 percent level. The topping off process is starting now.
0617 GMT (2:17 a.m. EDT)
Now at 90 percent on Centaur liquid oxygen.
0616 GMT (2:16 a.m. EDT)
The chilldown conditioning of liquid hydrogen propellant lines at Complex 41 is starting to prepare the plumbing for transferring the Minus-423 degree F fuel into the rocket. The Centaur holds about 12,325 gallons of the cryogenic propellant.
0612 GMT (2:12 a.m. EDT)
The conditioning of the systems for the first stage liquid oxygen tank have been completed. And a "go" has been given to begin pumping supercold liquid oxygen into the Atlas 5's first stage.
The Common Core Booster stage's liquid oxygen tank is the largest tank to be filled today. It holds 48,745 gallons of cryogenic oxidizer for the RD-180 main engine.

0607 GMT (2:07 a.m. EDT)
Centaur liquid oxygen is 50 percent loaded.
0605 GMT (2:05 a.m. EDT)
Atlas 5 represents the culmination of evolution stretching back several decades to America's first intercontinental ballistic missile. At the dawn of the space age, boosters named Atlas launched men into orbit during Project Mercury and became a frequent vehicle of choice to haul civil, military and commercial spacecraft to orbit.
Topped with the high-energy Centaur upper stage, Atlas rockets have been used since the 1960s to dispatch ground-breaking missions for NASA, including the Surveyors to the Moon, Mariner flights to Mars, Venus and Mercury, and the Pioneers that were the first to visit Jupiter and beyond.

In its newest era, the Atlas 5 rocket sent the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to the red planet in 2005, propelled the New Horizons probe toward Pluto and the solar system's outer fringes in 2006, doubled up with the dual Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and LCROSS impactor to the Moon in 2009, hurled Juno to Jupiter last August and dispatched the car-sized Curiosity rover on the Mars Science Lab mission in November.

Today marks the 32nd flight for Atlas 5, born of the Air Force's competition to develop next-generation Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles. In its previous 31 missions since debuting in August 2002, the tally shows 10 flights dedicated to the Defense Department, 9 commercial missions with communications spacecraft, six with spy satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office and six for NASA.

0600 GMT (2:00 a.m. EDT)
Passing the 20 percent level on the Centaur upper stage's liquid oxygen tank.
0552 GMT (1:52 a.m. EDT)
Filling of the Centaur upper stage with about 4,075 gallons of liquid oxygen has begun at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 following the thermal conditioning of the transfer pipes.
The liquid oxygen -- chilled to Minus-298 degrees F -- will be consumed during the launch by the Centaur's single RL10 engine along with liquid hydrogen to be pumped into the stage a little later in the countdown. The Centaur will perform two firings to propel the RBSP satellites into their intended orbit this morning.

0545 GMT (1:45 a.m. EDT)
The Centaur liquid oxygen pad storage area has been prepped. The next step is conditioning the transfer lines, which is now beginning to prepare the plumbing for flowing the cryogenic oxidizer.
0540 GMT (1:40 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 120 minutes and counting! The launch countdown has resumed on schedule for today's flight of the Atlas 5 rocket on the NASA mission to deploy the Radiation Belt Storm Probes.
Clocks have one more built-in hold planned at T-minus 4 minutes. That pause will last 25 minutes during which time the final "go" for launch will be given. All remains targeted for liftoff at 4:05 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral's Complex 41.

In the next couple of minutes, chilldown thermal conditioning of the mobile launch platform upon which the rocket stands will begin. This is meant to ease the shock on equipment when supercold cryogenic propellants start flowing into the rocket.

0537 GMT (1:37 a.m. EDT)
All console operators have reported GO status during the pre-fueling readiness poll. The ULA launch director also voiced his approval for moving forward with the countdown as scheduled today.
Loading of cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into the Atlas 5 rocket will be getting underway a short time from now.

ЦитироватьПогодные условия для запуска зондов RBSP благоприятны на 70%[/size]

Вероятность плохой погоды в районе американского космодрома на мысе Канаверал в четверг, на момент запуска ракеты Atlas с научными спутниками RBSP, составляет не более 30%, говорится в сообщении на сайте НАСА.

Запуск двух зондов RBSP (Radiation Belt Storm Probes), предназначенных для изучения радиационных поясов в магнитосфере Земли, первоначально планировался на 23 августа, но был перенесен на сутки из-за неполадок в гидравлической системе рулевого управления двигателя первой ступени в однотипной ракете-носителе Atlas V 410.

Однако 24 августа, когда ракета уже стояла на стартовой площадке и до планируемого запуска оставалось несколько минут, было обнаружено рассогласование частот радиомаяка на борту ракеты и наземных приемников. В течение 20-минутного стартового окна проблему решить не удалось, и запуск был перенесен на сутки.
Субботняя попытка запуска также оказалась неудачной из-за грозы в районе старта, связанной с приходом в регион урагана "Исаак". Стартовое окно для запуска открывается каждый день около 12.07 мск и длится 20 минут. Такое окно будет также и в воскресенье, однако специалисты НАСА решили не предпринимать новых попыток до четверга из-за плохого прогноза погоды. Ракета во избежание повреждений во время урагана убрана в монтажно-испытательный корпус.
К настоящему моменту ракета вернулась на стартовую площадку, первая ступень уже заправлена топливом, вскоре начнется заправка окислителем - жидким кислородом. Стартовое окно открывается в четверг, 30 августа, в 04.05 по времени восточного побережья США (12.05 мск) и продолжается 20 минут. Запуск сейчас назначен на момент открытия окна.

"Прогноз погоды на момент запуска улучшился: вероятность, что погода не будет соответствовать необходимым для старта критериям составляет не более 30%", - говорится в сообщении.
Проект RBSP осуществляется в рамках программы НАСА "Жизнь со звездой". Его общая стоимость составляет 686 миллионов долларов. Расчетный срок работы аппаратов составляет два года.
Носитель Atlas V 410, первая ступень которого оснащена российскими двигателями РД-180, и разгонный блок "Центавр" должны вывести аппараты на высокоэллиптическую орбиту с апогеем около 30 тысяч километров и перигеем около 500 километров.

Аппараты будут летать по практически одинаковым орбитам - расхождение по высоте апогея будет составлять около 100 километров. Благодаря наличию одинакового набора приборов в разных точках магнитосферы ученые впервые смогут измерить параметры радиационных поясов и в пространстве, и во времени.
Если один из аппаратов будет фиксировать, например, рост концентрации протонов, данные со второго зонда позволят понять, связано ли это с тем, что первый "близнец" вошел в область магнитосферы с другими свойствами, или же этот параметр изменился во всей этой зоне.

На борту каждого аппарата находится пять научных приборов - комплекс изучения частиц и плазмы ECT, прибор для измерения параметров электрического и магнитного поля EMFISIS, устройство для изучения электрических полей и волн EFW, установка-детектор ионов RBSPICE, спектрометр для фиксации релятивистских протонов RPS.

Радиационные пояса были открыты в 1958 году. Их обнаружил профессор университета Айовы Джеймс Ван Аллен (James Van Allen), изучавший данные с первого американского спутника "Эксплорер-1". Ученый обнаружил, что в земной магнитосфере есть две тороидальные зоны с крайне высокой концентрацией заряженных частиц высоких энергий, которые накапливаются там, как в магнитной ловушке.

Эта зона крайне опасна для космических аппаратов - заряженные частицы быстро выводят из строя их электронику, поэтому на борту RBSP работает специально адаптированные электронные приборы.
Приборы на борту зондов RBSP позволят провести количественные и качественные измерения и получить новые данные о процессах в радиационных поясах и лучше понять процессы, происходящие во время магнитных бурь, просчитать реакцию магнитосферы на выбросы плазмы, приходящие от Солнца.

Кроме того, аппараты позволят специалистам на Земле получать оперативную информацию о космической погоде.

ЦитироватьTwenty minutes from liftoff. Weather is cloudy but GO for launch.

ЦитироватьPolling of the team by Atlas launch conductor just occurred. All systems are "go" for a liftoff today at 4:05 a.m. EDT.

ЦитироватьT-minus 4 minutes and counting. Clocks have resumed for the final minutes of today's countdown to launch the Atlas 5 rocket with NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes to take unprecedented measurements inside the hearts of the radiation belts and provide fundamental data about the behavior and character of these swaths of space that can harm satellites and astronauts alike.

ЦитироватьРакета с научными зондами RBSP стартовала с мыса Канаверал
[/size]

Ракета-носитель Atlas V с двумя научными зондами RBSP стартовала с космодрома на мысе Канаверал в 04.05 по времени восточного побережья США (12.05 мск), запуск транслировался в прямом эфире на сайте НАСА.

Запуск двух зондов RBSP (Radiation Belt Storm Probes), предназначенных для изучения радиационных поясов в магнитосфере Земли, первоначально планировался на 23 августа, но был перенесен на сутки из-за неполадок в гидравлической системе рулевого управления двигателя первой ступени в однотипной ракете-носителе Atlas V.

Однако 24 августа, когда ракета уже стояла на стартовой площадке, и до планируемого запуска оставалось несколько минут, было обнаружено рассогласование частот радиомаяка на борту ракеты и наземных приемников. В течение 20-минутного стартового окна проблему решить не удалось, и запуск был перенесен на сутки.
Субботняя попытка запуска также оказалась неудачной из-за грозы в районе старта, связанной с приходом в регион урагана "Айзек".
Стартовое окно для запуска открывается каждый день около 12.07 мск и длится 20 минут. Такое окно было также и в воскресенье, однако специалисты НАСА решили не предпринимать новых попыток до четверга из-за плохого прогноза погоды. Ракета во избежание повреждений во время урагана была убрана в монтажно-испытательный корпус.

Проект RBSP осуществляется в рамках программы НАСА "Жизнь со звездой". Его общая стоимость составляет 686 миллионов долларов. Расчетный срок работы аппаратов составляет два года.
Носитель Atlas V 410, первая ступень которого оснащена российскими двигателями РД-180, и разгонный блок "Центавр" должны вывести аппараты на высокоэллиптическую орбиту с апогеем около 30 тысяч километров и перигеем около 500 километров.
Аппараты будут летать по практически одинаковым орбитам - расхождение по высоте апогея будет составлять около 100 километров. Благодаря наличию одинакового набора приборов в разных точках магнитосферы ученые впервые смогут измерить параметры радиационных поясов и в пространстве, и во времени.

ЦитироватьT+plus 16 minutes. That first burn by Centaur inserted the rocket into an orbit with a high point of 373 statute miles, a low point of 104 statute miles and inclination of 25.5 degrees.

ЦитироватьT+plus 21 minutes. All vehicle parameters still reported normal.

ЦитироватьНаучные зонды RBSP выведены на расчетные орбиты - НАСА[/size]

Ракета-носитель Atlas V с разгонным блоком "Центавр" успешно вывела американские научные зонды RBSP на расчетные орбиты, говорится в сообщении НАСА.

Ракета стартовала с космодрома на мысе Канаверал в 04.05 по времени восточного побережья США (12.05 мск), запуск транслировался в прямом эфире на сайте НАСА. До этого запуск RBSP (Radiation Belt Storm Probes), изначально запланированный на 23 августа, откладывался трижды - из-за возможных неполадок с ракетой-носителем, технических проблем с наземной инфраструктурой стартового комплекса, а также из-за плохой погоды.

Проект RBSP осуществляется в рамках программы НАСА "Жизнь со звездой". Его общая стоимость составляет 686 миллионов долларов. Расчетный срок работы аппаратов составляет два года.

Носитель Atlas V 410, первая ступень которого оснащена российскими двигателями РД-180, и разгонный блок "Центавр" вывели аппараты на высокоэллиптическую орбиту с апогеем около 30 тысяч километров и перигеем около 500 километров.

Аппараты будут летать по практически одинаковым орбитам - расхождение по высоте апогея будет составлять около 100 километров. Благодаря наличию одинакового набора приборов в разных точках магнитосферы ученые впервые смогут измерить параметры радиационных поясов и в пространстве, и во времени.

Если один из аппаратов будет фиксировать, например, рост концентрации протонов, данные со второго зонда позволят понять, связано ли это с тем, что первый "близнец" вошел в область магнитосферы с другими свойствами, или же этот параметр изменился во всей этой зоне.

На борту каждого аппарата находятся пять научных приборов - комплекс изучения частиц и плазмы ECT, прибор для измерения параметров электрического и магнитного поля EMFISIS, устройство для изучения электрических полей и волн EFW, установка-детектор ионов RBSPICE, спектрометр для фиксации релятивистских протонов RPS.

Радиационные пояса были открыты в 1958 году. Их обнаружил профессор университета Айовы Джеймс Ван Аллен (James Van Allen), изучавший данные с первого американского спутника "Эксплорер-1". Ученый обнаружил, что в земной магнитосфере есть две тороидальные зоны с крайне высокой концентрацией заряженных частиц высоких энергий, которые накапливаются там, как в магнитной ловушке.

Эта зона крайне опасна для космических аппаратов - заряженные частицы быстро выводят из строя их электронику, поэтому на борту RBSP работает специально адаптированные электронные приборы.

Приборы на борту зондов RBSP позволят провести количественные и качественные измерения и получить новые данные о процессах в радиационных поясах и лучше понять процессы, происходящие во время магнитных бурь, просчитать реакцию магнитосферы на выбросы плазмы, приходящие от Солнца.

Кроме того, аппараты позволят специалистам на Земле получать оперативную информацию о космической погоде.

ЦитироватьNASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes are flying in Earth orbit after a successful liftoff and ascent this morning. The probes launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 4:05 a.m. EDT after a smooth countdown at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The probes were released from the rocket's Centaur upper stage one at a time and sent off into different orbits, kicking off the two-year mission to study Earth's radiation belts.

"I'm very happy to report that we have two happy spacecraft on orbit," said Rick Fitzgerald, RBSP project manager from the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, which is managing the mission for NASA. "Many thanks to ULA and Launch Services Program for getting us on orbit, giving us a great ride and injecting us in exactly the orbit that we wanted to be in."

During the RBSP mission, the identical twin spacecraft will fly in separate orbits throughout the inner and outer Van Allen radiation belts that encircle the Earth. The sun influences the behavior of the radiation belts, which in turn can impact life on Earth and endanger astronauts and spacecraft in orbit.

"Today, 11 years of hard work was realized by the science team as a number of us stood together watching the rocket lift off the pad," said Nicky Fox, RBSP deputy project scientist from APL. "(The spacecraft) are now at home in the Van Allen belts where they belong, and we can all finally breathe out now that solar panels are out on both of them."

The spacecraft will go through a 60-day commissioning period before beginning its prime mission.

"Now that the spacecraft are safely in orbit, the real fun begins," said Mike Luther, deputy associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "After the commissioning period, we get to then begin to perform the most detailed study of Earth's radiation belts that's ever been undertaken."

ЦитироватьNASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), the first twin-spacecraft mission designed to explore our planet's radiation belts, launched into the predawn skies at 4:05 a.m. EDT today from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

"Scientists will learn in unprecedented detail how the radiation belts are populated with charged particles, what causes them to change and how these processes affect the upper reaches of the atmosphere around Earth," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at Headquarters in Washington. "The information collected from these probes will benefit the public by allowing us to better protect our satellites and understand how space weather affects communications and technology on Earth."

The two satellites, each weighing just less than 1,500 pounds, comprise the first dual-spacecraft mission specifically created to investigate the hazardous regions of near-Earth space, known as the radiation belts. These two belts, named for their discoverer, James Van Allen, encircle the planet and are filled with highly charged particles. The belts are affected by solar storms and coronal mass ejections and sometimes swell dramatically. When this occurs, they can pose dangers to communications, GPS satellites and human spaceflight.

"We have never before sent such comprehensive and high-quality instruments to study high radiation regions of space," said Barry Mauk, RBSP project scientist at the Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md. "RBSP was crafted to help us learn more about, and ultimately predict, the response of the radiation belts to solar inputs."

The hardy RBSP satellites will spend the next 2 years looping through every part of both Van Allen belts. By having two spacecraft in different regions of the belts at the same time, scientists finally will be able to gather data that describe the belts' changes over space and time. Designers fortified RBSP with special protective plating and rugged electronics to operate and survive within this punishing region of space that other spacecraft avoid. In addition, a space weather broadcast will transmit selected data from those instruments around the clock, giving researchers a check on current conditions near Earth.

"The excitement of seeing the spacecraft in orbit and beginning to perform science measurements is like no other thrill," said Richard Fitzgerald, RBSP project manager at APL. "The entire RBSP team, from across every organization, worked together to produce an amazing pair of spacecraft."

RBSP was lifted into orbit aboard an Atlas V 401 rocket from Launch Complex 41, as the rocket's plume lit the dark skies over the Florida coast. The first RBSP spacecraft separated from the Atlas rocket's Centaur booster 1 hour, 18 minutes, 52 seconds after launch. The second RBSP spacecraft separated 12 minutes, 14 seconds later. Mission controllers using APL's 60-foot satellite dish established radio contact with each probe immediately.

During the next 60 days, operators will power up all flight systems and science instruments and deploy long antenna booms, two of which are more than 54 yards long. Data about the particles that swirl through the belts, and the fields and waves that transport them, will be gathered by five instrument suites designed and operated by teams at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark; University of Iowa in Iowa City; University of Minnesota in Minneapolis; the University of New Hampshire in Durham; and the National Reconnaissance Office in Chantilly, Va. The data will be analyzed by scientists across the nation almost immediately.

The two satellites of RBSP mark the 65th and 66th spacecraft built and launched by APL since 1961. APL has a long and storied history of space exploration and innovation, including the development of the first satellite-based navigation system in 1960 and the building and management of current NASA missions including MESSENGER, the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury, and New Horizons, the first spacecraft to explore Pluto and the Kuiper Belt region.

"We are proud to have designed, tested and delivered to NASA a pair of remarkable spacecraft," said John Sommerer, head of APL's Space Department. "They have been well-equipped to undertake a challenging research mission within the harshest near-Earth space environment. The data collected by RBSP will inform scientifically profound and socially beneficial study for years to come."

RBSP is the second mission in NASA's Living With a Star (LWS) program to explore aspects of the connected sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society. LWS is managed by the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. APL built the RBSP spacecraft and will manage the mission for NASA.

For more information about NASA's RBSP mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/rbsp and http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu .

ЦитироватьА мы можем пойти на сайт ФКА и порадоваться за КАНОПУС-В!

Цитироватьhttp://spaceweather.com/gallery/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=70899

ЦитироватьNASA has officially renamed the recently launched mission to study Earth's radiation belts the Van Allen Probes, in honor of the late James Van Allen. Van Allen was the head of the physics department at the University of Iowa who is recognized for his discovery in 1958 of radiation belts encircling Earth.
The new name of the mission, previously called the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), was announced today during a ceremony at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md. APL built the probes and manages the mission for NASA.
"James Van Allen was a true pioneer in astrophysics," said John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "His groundbreaking research paved the way for current and future space exploration. These spacecraft now not only honor his iconic name but his mark on science."
During his career, Van Allen was the principal investigator for scientific investigations on 24 Earth satellites and planetary missions, beginning with the first successful American satellite, Explorer I, and continuing with Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11. He helped develop the first plans for an International Geophysical Year that was held in 1957, and is credited with discovery of a moon of Saturn in 1979, as well as radiation belts around that planet. Van Allen worked at APL both during and after World War II on some of the Laboratory's most prominent early research projects, including the variable time (VT) fuze that helped end the war.
Launched in August 2012, the Van Allen Probes comprise the first dual-spacecraft mission specifically created to investigate the radiation belts that surround Earth. These two belts, filled with highly charged particles, are affected by solar storms and coronal mass ejections and sometimes swell dramatically. When this occurs, they can pose dangers to communications, GPS satellites and human spaceflight activities.
"After only two months in orbit, the Van Allen Probes have made significant contributions to our understanding of the radiation belts," says APL Director Ralph Semmel. "The science and data from these amazing twin spacecraft will allow for more effective and safe space technologies in the decades to come. APL is proud to have built and to operate this new resource for NASA and our nation, and we are proud to have the mission named for one of APL's original staff."
On Oct. 28, the Van Allen Probes completed their 60-day commissioning phase, and began their two-year primary science mission. Each Van Allen spacecraft carries an identical set of five instrument suites that will allow scientists to gather data on the charged particles, fields and waves of the radiation belts in unprecedented detail. Earth's radiation belts can respond in unexpected ways, often quite suddenly and dramatically swelling and shrinking in response to dynamic changes in the sun.
"We are very pleased to have the Van Allen Probes successfully complete the commissioning period," said Kim Cooper, Van Allen Probes project manager at APL. "Over the past 60 days, the many complex systems on the probes have come to life and started to work together. The spacecraft's science instrument teams are already recording illuminating data, and they are taking advantage of their best understanding of the mechanics and properties of the radiation belts to date."
Data about the particles that swirl through the belts, and the fields and waves that transport them, are being gathered by five instrument suites designed and operated by teams at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark; University of Iowa in Iowa City; University of Minnesota in Minneapolis; University of New Hampshire in Durham; and the National Reconnaissance Office in Chantilly, Va. The two Van Allen Probe satellites mark the 65th and 66th spacecraft built and launched by APL since 1961.
The Van Allen Probes will spend the next two years looping through every part of the radiation belts. By having two spacecraft in different regions of the belts at the same time, scientists are finally able to gather data from within the belts themselves, learning how they change over space and time. In addition, a space weather broadcast will transmit sel ected data fr om those instruments around the clock, giving researchers a check on current conditions near Earth.
The Van Allen Probes project is the second mission in NASA's Living With a Star program to explore aspects of the connected sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society. The program is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

ЦитироватьЗонды RBSP нашли источник электронов в радиационных поясах Земли

22:21 25.07.2013

(http://cdn5.img22.rian.ru/images/95212/81/952128121.jpg)

МОСКВА, 25 июл — РИА Новости. Наблюдения зондов RBSP показали, что большая часть электронов высокой энергии в радиационных поясах Земли, разгоняются до околосветовых скоростей внутри них, а не в других частях околоземного пространства, как считали некоторые ученые, заявляют планетологи в статье, опубликованной в журнале Science.

Радиационные пояса Земли, заполненные частицами высокой энергии, были открыты американским астрофизиком Джеймсом Ван Алленом в 1958 году. Наблюдения в последующие годы показали, что электроны и другие частицы в этих областях разогнаны до околосветовых скоростей. На сегодняшний день существует две основных теории, объясняющих такие скорости. Первая предполагает, что электроны попадают в эти пояса из околоземного пространства уже разогнанными, а вторая говорит о разгоне частиц внутри самих поясов.

Джеффри Ривз (Geoffrey Reeves) из Национальной лаборатории Лос-Аламос (США) и его коллеги выяснили, что вторая теория больше соответствует действительности, проанализировав данные, собранные парой спутников RBSP с момента их выхода на орбиту в августе 2012 года. Сравнивая число "разогнанных" электронов, их плотность и скорость в разных частях поясов Ван Аллена в спокойные периоды времени и во время геомагнитных бурь, ученые пытались понять, откуда берутся эти частицы.

Ученые выяснили, что наибольшее число ускоренных электронов наблюдалось не по краям пояса, как это предсказывает теория "космического" разгона частиц, а в его середине. Данный факт, по их словам, позволяет говорить о том, что электроны ускоряются внутри самих поясов под действием магнитного поля Земли и других сил, существующих внутри "радиационного щита" нашей планеты.

Таким образом, Ривзу и его коллегам удалось решить одну из загадок радиационных поясов Земли. Пока не понятно, разгоняются ли электроны схожим образом в третьем поясе Ван Аллена, об открытии которого ученые заявили в феврале 2013 года. По всей видимости, для ответа на данный вопрос потребуются дальнейшие наблюдения на RBSP.

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
 http://ria.ru/science/20130725/952144580.html

ЦитироватьЗонды RBSP нашли источник электронов в радиационных поясах Земли

22:21 25.07.2013

ЦитироватьОбъяснено происхождение третьего радиационного пояса Земли
            
 25 Сен 2013, 17:15, автор: Васильева Анна Людвиговна (http://www.sinp.msu.ru/ru/users/4837)
 
    Физики России, в числе которых сотрудники НИИЯФ МГУ - Александр Дроздов и Ксения Орлова, совместно с коллегами из Канады и США объяснили происхождение третьего радиационного пояса Земли, открытого в феврале 2013 года. Исследование опубликовано в журнале Nature Physics (http://www.sinp.msu.ru/ru/ext_link?url=http://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nphys2760.html), кратко его содержание приводится в PhysOrg (http://www.sinp.msu.ru/ru/ext_link?url=http://phys.org/news/2013-09-scientists-formation-unusual-space.html).
Почти полвека считалось, что Землю окружают два радиационных пояса: внутренний (на высоте от 1600 до 13000 км), состоящий из протонов, и внешний (на высоте от 19000 до 40000 км), состоящий из электронов. Третий был недавно обнаружен на внутреннем крае внешнего пояса на высоте от 19 100 до 22 300 километров от Земли, а состоит он исключительно из самых энергичных (проще говоря, самых «скоростных»), ультрарелятивистских электронов, обладающих максимальной проникающей способностью.
«Пояса Ван Аллена могут представлять серьёзную угрозу для спутников и космических кораблей, это может быть как незначительный сбой аппаратуры, так и полный его выход их строя. Лучшее понимание природы излучения в пространстве поможет защитить людей и аппаратуру от неприятностей», - сообщил руководитель Международной группы учёных, выпускник МФТИ, профессор Сколковского института науки и технологий Юрий Шприц.
Для изучения природы третьего радиационного пояса Земли Международная группа учёных создала модель околоземных радиационных поясов за период с конца августа 2012 года по начало октября 2012 года. Моделирование проводилось на основе данных об ультрарелятивистских электронах, которые были получены с помощью запущенных в августе 2012 года двух идентичных спутников Van Allen Probes.
В результате, учёные выявили, что 1 сентября 2012 года плазменные волны, порождённые ионами, выхватили и выбросили ультрарелятивистские электроны с внешнего радиационного пояса к его внутреннему краю, сформировав тонкое кольцо - третий радиационный пояс.
После бури пузырь холодной плазмы вокруг Земли расширился и тем самым защитил ультрарелятивистские электроны от ионных волн, позволяя существовать третьему радиационному поясу долгое время.
Также ультрарелятивистские электроны были разогнаны до столь высоких энергий, что практически не давало им возможности войти во взаимодействие с плазменными волнами, обычно рассеивающими электроны более низких энергий. Именно ещё и поэтому ультрарелятивистские электроны не распались мгновенно после прекращения бури и смогли остаться на орбите в течение четырёх недель.
«Я думаю, что этим исследованием мы приоткрыли лишь верхушку айсберга, — сказал Юрий Шприц. — Нам всё ещё осталось в полной мере понять, как именно эти электроны ускоряются до таких скоростей, откуда они приходят и как различается динамика радиационных поясов в различных типах бурь в околоземном пространстве».
    

ЦитироватьИнтервью с сотрудниками НИИЯФ МГУ, объяснившими происхождение третьего радиационного пояса

14 Окт 2013, 11:37, автор: Васильева Анна Людвиговна

Соавторы статьи о происхождении третьего радиационного пояса Земли, опубликованной в журнале Nature Physics, физики НИИЯФ МГУ, к.ф.-м.н. Александр Дроздов и к.ф.-м.н. Ксения Орлова рассказали о сложностях написания статьи для Nature Physics, о личном вкладе и о своих планах.

Корр.: НИИЯФ МГУ сердечно вас поздравляет с успешной работой! Что вы испытали после публикации статьи в одном из самых престижных журналов - Nature Physics?

Александр Дроздов: Конечно же, мы испытали радость, гордость, а так же некоторое облегчение, потому что публикация в таком журнале требует достаточно серьёзной выдержки. Обычно до публикации статья проходит несколько этапов. Сначала статью одобряет технический редактор. Затем назначают рецензентов. После идёт долгое общение с рецензентами, ответы на их многочисленные вопросы и комментарии.

Корр.: Расскажите, пожалуйста, подробнее о том, как готовилась статья?

Ксения Орлова: Руководитель нашей группы Юрий Шприц написал нам по электронной почте: «Давайте попробуем опубликоваться в Nature Physics, у нас теоретически всё сходится». И мы приступили к работе над ней. Каждый из нас внёс свой вклад. Александр анализировал данные. Многие из числа нашей группы занимались созданием модели. Кто-то смотрел на параметры волн и т.д. И когда мы провели моделирование, наши начальные представления о происхождении третьего радиационного пояса Земли подтвердились.

Далее был этап написания статьи. Это достаточно сложный процесс. Мы привыкли писать статьи в научном стиле, а для Nature Physics статья должна быть в научно-популярном. Здесь мы не можем использовать свою терминологию без пояснений. Если мы приводим какой-то термин, то его нужно обязательно раскрыть. Статья должна быть понятной не только учёным, но и широкому кругу читателей. Кроме того, текст необходимо изложить на простом языке и достаточно ёмко.

Александр Дроздов: Для подробностей, которые не могут войти в основную статью, есть приложение «Дополнительные материалы» (Supplementary materials). Если наша основная статья состоит из четырёх с половиной страниц, то приложение - из 11-ти.

Ксения Орлова: Действительно, в «Дополнительных материалах» более подробно даётся описание модели и параметров, которые используем. Приложение рассчитано на более узкий круг специалистов, которые занимаются радиационными поясами.

Александр Дроздов: Относительно сроков добавлю, что наша статья поступила в редакцию журнала в марте этого года. Была опубликована online в конце сентября.

Корр.: Поделитесь, в чём заключалась непосредственно ваша работа по исследованию третьего радиационного пояса Земли?

Александр Дроздов: Я работал над анализом спутниковых данных для того, чтобы интегрировать их в модель. Поясню, есть первичные данные, получаемые с аппарата, такие данные являются «сырыми» и требуют расшифровки. Сложность заключается не только в их декодировании, но и в понимании того, насколько полученные в результате физические величины соответствуют действительности. Кроме прочего, я принимал непосредственное участие в обсуждении модели с Дмитрием Субботиным, а конкретно - граничных условий.

Ксения Орлова: Моя работа заключалась в подготовке диффузионных коэффициентов для модели. Рассматривалось резонансное взаимодействие электронов с различными типами плазменных волн. К примеру, в статье приведены времена потерь электронов, полученных на основе диффузионных коэффициентов. Также в статье наглядно показано на каких широтах выполняется резонансное соотношение взаимодействия волн с частицами.

Александр Дроздов: Кстати, наша статья вызвала широкий резонанс в СМИ. К сожалению, кое-где не обошлось без ошибок и неточностей. На будущее – хотелось бы, чтобы текст заметок согласовывали с авторами.

Корр.: Расскажите о своей научной деятельности в целом: с начала пути и до сегодняшнего дня.

Александр Дроздов: В 2007 году я поступил на работу в НИИЯФ МГУ на должность младшего научного сотрудника, где числюсь по сей день. В нашей статье в Nature Рhysics аффилиация НИИЯФ МГУ стоит как у меня, так и у Ксении. В конце 2007 года поступил в аспирантуру. При этом оставался на полставки в НИИЯФ МГУ. Успешно окончил аспирантуру, защитив диссертацию в 2011 году. До приезда в Калифорнийский университет в Лос-Анджелесе (UCLA) я занимался проблемами генерации грозовых нейтронов в атмосфере и возможностью их детектирования как на Земле, так и на орбитальных высотах. Тематика была мною раскрыта, нужно было выходить на эксперимент. НИИЯФ МГУ дал мне хорошую школу в области знаний радиации околоземного пространства, в том числе и поэтому изменить тематику было не сложно. Замечу, что в современном научном сообществе смена деятельности достаточно распространена. Учёный всегда должен раздвигать горизонты своих познаний.

В конце 2012 года в UCLA в группе Юрия Шприца начал заниматься исследованием радиационных поясов. Сейчас я активно работаю с данными новых спутников Van Allens Probes в тесном сотрудничестве с их командой. Уже было несколько случаев исправления расшифровки данных с наводки нашей группы. Кроме того, я работаю над моделированием посредством диффузионного кода, разработанного в нашей группе. В ближайшее время подам в журнал статью, которая покажет важность моделирования радиационных поясов на высоких энергиях. В статье будет кратко и понятно отражена вся моя деятельность за последний год.

Ксения Орлова: Я поступила на физический факультет МГУ в 2003 году. Дипломную работу выполнила под началом прекрасного научного руководителя из НИИЯФ МГУ, профессора Антоновой Елизаветы Евгеньевны и сотрудника института Бахаревой Маргариты Фёдоровны. Тема работы заключалась в исследовании взаимодействия волн с частицами в радиационных поясах Земли, чем и занимаюсь и по сей день. Поступила в аспирантуру на кафедру физики космоса и в 2012 году успешно защитила кандидатскую диссертацию, в которой основной задачей было изучение влияния недипольного магнитного поля Земли на процессы взаимодействия волн и частиц. Я показала, что на ночной стороне магнитосферы Земли темпы ускорения и потерь энергичных электронов очень сильно зависят от вытянутости магнитных силовых линий.

В данный момент, как и Александр, я являюсь сотрудником НИИЯФ МГУ и UCLA. Продолжаю заниматься исследованием процессов взаимодействия волна-частица. Интересной работы много в связи с запуском в прошлом году двух спутников, о которых упоминал Александр. Впереди ещё новые спутники - «Ломоносов», «РЭЛЕК», «Резонанс». Будем открывать новое! Как сказал один знакомый учёный: «Как же вам повезло! Вы попали в нужное время, только-только запустили новые спутники, изучающие сердце радиационных поясов. Поле для деятельности сейчас у вас открытое и широкое». Это действительно так. Мы сможем многое понять из анализа новых данных, усовершенствовать наши модели. Думаю, что мы приблизимся к ответу на главный вопрос, который мучает, пожалуй, если не всех, то многих учёных нашей области: когда и какие механизмы ускорения и потерь частиц доминируют. После этого мы сможем не только понимать происходящее в радиационных поясах, но и прогнозировать их динамику.

Александр Дроздов: Стоит отметить, что мы сможем подойти к вопросу радиационной безопасности полётов около Земли с большим багажом знаний. Радиационные пояса вкупе с солнечными вспышками оказывают негативное влияние не только на человека, но и на наземное и космическое электронное оборудование. Яркий пример: в 80-ых годах из-за мощной солнечной вспышки половина Америки осталась без электричества, что привело к многомиллиардным потерям в финансовом и инфраструктурном плане. Никто не ожидал, что такое может случится. Посмотрим, что будет дальше, конечно, исключительно в надежде на лучшее.

Корр.: Желаем вам дальнейших успехов!

Александр Дроздов и Ксения Орлова: Спасибо большое!

ЦитироватьNASA has officially declared the Van Allen Probes mission a success in March – one year and seven months into the planned two-year mission. The Van Allen Probes have achieved and surpassed all mission objectives and requirements for mission success. Over the course of their mission, the twin spacecraft circling Earth in an highly elliptical orbit have found a transient third radiation belt not known before, discovered a massive electron acceleration process in the belts, measured double layers that seed particle population and provided data for the improvement of space weather models.

"All of these fundamental findings are, in very real ways, changing much of what we thought we knew about the radiation belts and plasma physics," said Barry Mauk of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Van Allen Probes project scientist.

"It's very gratifying to be able to have these incredibly accurate and sensitive instruments in orbit, and use them to produce these results. The declaration by NASA of mission success at this early stage of the mission is another laurel for all of the teams."

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186230.jpg)Johns Hopkins APL‏Подлинная учетная запись @JHUAPL (https://twitter.com/JHUAPL) 17 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/JHUAPL/status/1107764904923140096)

Today one of the twin Van Allen Probes begins 3/5 de-orbit maneuvers, bringing spacecraft A fr om about 372 miles to 161 miles closer to Earth. (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125296.png)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125535.png)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125535.png)The final burn will be this Friday, March 22nd, 2019. #FinalCountdown (https://twitter.com/hashtag/FinalCountdown?src=hash) #spaceweather (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spaceweather?src=hash) @NASASun (https://twitter.com/NASASun) http://bit.ly/jhuapl-vap  (https://t.co/CAwF5jupzZ)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/160323.jpg)

ЦитироватьFebruary 10, 2019
Radiation Belts Revealed and Conquered, NASA's Van Allen Probes Begin Final Phase of Exploration

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/221750.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/221750.jpg)
Launched on August 31, 2012, the twin Van Allen Probes carried identical suites of five instruments to explore the Van Allen radiation belts above Earth. The instruments measure the particles, magnetic and electric fields, and waves in this harsh radiation environment, giving researchers insights into the belts and space weather. In 2019, the mission begins a de-orbit maneuver that will allow the spacecraft to safely burn up in the Earth's atmosphere in about 15 years. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

Two tough, resilient NASA spacecraft have been orbiting Earth for the past six and a half years, flying repeatedly through a hazardous zone of charged particles known as the Van Allen radiation belts. Designed to study these areas above our planet, previously thought to be stable and well-understood, the twin Van Allen Probes – launched in August 2012 – have confirmed scientific theories and revealed new structures, compositions, and processes at work in these dynamic regions.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/221752.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/221752.jpg)
This chart shows the change in the orbit of the Van Allen Probes that will occur after de-orbit maneuvers in February and March 2019. The spacecrafts' highly elliptical orbits will gradually tighten over the next 15-25 years as the Van Allen Probes begin to experience atmospheric drag at their perigee, or lowest point of orbit. The drag will pull the elliptical orbit into a circular one as early as 2034, at which time the spacecraft will begin to enter the atmosphere and safely disintegrate. Credit: Johns Hopkins APL

On February 12, the Van Allen Probes mission operations team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland – where the probes were designed and built – will begin a series of orbit descent maneuvers that will last into March. These changes will change the lowest point of orbit, or perigee, of both spacecraft some 161 miles (260 km) in order to position them for an eventual re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, in approximately 15 years. "In order for the Van Allen Probes to have a controlled re-entry within a reasonable amount of time, we need to lower the perigee," said Nelli Mosavi, project manager for the Van Allen Probes at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, or APL, in Laurel, Maryland. "At the new altitude, aerodynamic drag will bring down the satellites and eventually burn them up in the upper atmosphere. Our mission is to obtain great science data, and also to ensure that we prevent more space debris so the next generations have the opportunity to explore the space as well."

Спойлер

Originally designated as a two-year mission – based on predictions that no spacecraft could survive much longer operating in the harsh radiation belts – these rugged spacecraft have operated without incident since 2012, and continue to enable groundbreaking discoveries about the Van Allen Belts. "The spacecraft and instruments have given us incredible insight into spacecraft operations in a high-radiation environment," Mosavi said. "Everyone on the mission feels a real sense of pride and accomplishment in the work we've done and the science we've provided to the world – even as we begin the de-orbiting maneuvers."

The Van Allen Radiation Belts

"The radiation belts are doughnut-shaped bands of energized particles – protons and electrons – trapped around, and endlessly circling, the Earth at distances above the planet's surface, ranging from several hundred miles to a tenth of the distance to the Moon," explained mission scientist David Sibeck, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

"We know that other planets in our solar system with magnetic fields have radiation belts," said project scientist Sasha Ukhorskiy of APL, "and we can assume that other bodies throughout the universe do too. By studying the belts and the physics associated with them here at Earth, and using our world as a natural laboratory, we can learn about how these structures function around other objects in the universe with magnetic fields."

Earth's radiation belts – and the twin spacecraft that study them – are named for James Van Allen, whose work in space science and exploration, particularly with the 1958 Explorer I spacecraft, led to some of the earliest detailed study and definition of these regions of space.

http://vanallenprobes.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/newsArticles/video/RBSPstoryC.noslate_iPod.mp4 (http://vanallenprobes.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/newsArticles/video/RBSPstoryC.noslate_iPod.mp4) (1:12 (http://vanallenprobes.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/newsArticles/video/RBSPstoryC.noslate_iPod.mp4))
Since 2012, the Van Allen Probes have traveled in an elliptical orbit around the Earth, through the inner region of the Earth's geomagnetic field.

In this region, many of the magnetic field lines intersect the surface of the Earth in the north and south. This means that lower energy ions and electrons, some 'boiled off' the Earth's ionosphere by solar ultraviolet radiation, can be trapped along these field lines. The charged particles spend their time bouncing between the 'mirror points' in the Earth's magnetic field. This trapped population forms the radiation belts around the Earth. The radiation created by this charged particle population can be hazardous to satellites and astronauts so it is important to understand their characteristics.

"These areas of trapped radiation were the first scientific discovery of humanity's pioneering spacecraft missions in the late 1950s," said Ukhorskiy. "After more than fifty years of study, we understand that the near-Earth radiation region is a complex and dynamic environment. But profound mysteries remained that called for designing a new mission – the Van Allen Probes – with uniquely capable scientific instrumentation that can capture all particle populations in the radiation belts and resolve the processes that drive and guide them."

Since their launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on Aug. 30, 2012, the twin Van Allen Probes have delivered to scientists an unprecedented look into the make-up and processes within the belts. The spacecrafts' orbits are highly eccentric: at perigee, they swoop to within about 373 miles (600 km) of the planet's surface, then out to an apogee of more than 19,417 miles (31,250 km). Twin spacecraft provide their instruments with the opportunity to deliver different (in time and space) looks at the same features of the belts, giving scientists a detailed image of how particle and wave events begin and change.

"Everything that happens in the radiation belts begins with the Sun," said Sibeck. "The Sun periodically sends out blasts of plasma that batter our own Earth's magnetic field." The magnetic field creates a bubble known as the magnetosphere, which protects our planet from these plasma blasts – but it also serves to capture the particles within them, eventually settling these high-energy particle populations into the radiation belts around the Earth.

Some of these particles are moving at speeds approaching that of the speed of light – over 670 million miles an hour. They are accelerated to those speeds by a complex chain of processes that occur in the near-Earth space, a region which acts like a giant particle accelerator. The highly energized particles in the radiation belts can pose a number of hazards to space operations, as the they can damage sensitive electronics.

During solar storms, conditions worsen, and the belts can swell in size, threatening nearby spacecraft. "Our magnetic field does a pretty good job of shielding us from these solar blasts," said Sibeck, "but some of their energy penetrates deep into the Earth's field and, through a variety of mechanisms, powers up the radiation belts. When that happens, spacecraft in the belts had better look out. Trouble lies ahead in the form of short circuits, disrupted computer memory, and instrument failure."

The Van Allen Probes were designed and built to be resilient to this harsh environment.

"Over the past six and a half years, the Van Allen Probes have completed three full circuits around the magnetosphere, and measured more than 100 geomagnetic storms," said Ukhorskiy. "The Van Allen Probes verified and quantified previously suggested theories, discovered new mechanisms that can sculpt near-Earth energetic particle populations, and used uniquely capable instruments to unveil unexpected features that were all but invisible to previous sensors."

The information on particles and waves delivered by the Van Allen Probes has proven to be a treasure trove for space physics research. Findings and observations include multiple belt structures, including a third belt observed shortly after launch; definitive answers about particle acceleration processes; and the discovery of a nearly impenetrable barrier region that prevents the fastest and most energetic electrons from reaching Earth.

"The data from the Van Allen Probes has led to more than 560 articles published in peer-reviewed science journals since the launch of the mission," he continued. "Most of these articles are led by the authors not directly affiliated with the mission's science teams. And the publication rate has steadily grown since the mission launch; every four days, a new article is published in an international peer-reviewed journal."

Built to Survive

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/221751.jpg)
In this late 2010 photo, engineers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., prepare to place Van Allen Probes spacecraft "B" in a thermal-vacuum chamber, wh ere the propulsion system was tested to ensure it would stand up to the range of hot, cold and airless conditions the spacecraft would face in outer space. Beginning in February 2019, the Van Allen Probes will begin a de-orbit maneuver that will lower both spacecraft nearly 161 miles. In approximately 15 years, the new orbits will cause enough atmospheric drag to re-enter the spacecraft and safely burn them up, preventing further space junk from orbiting Earth. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Ed Whitman

The Van Allen Probes – known as spacecraft A and B – were the first spacecraft designed to spend years operating within and studying the radiation belts, a region around our planet that most spacecraft missions avoid due to the damage hazards of the environment. The ionizing radiation in the belts – strong enough to blast electrons off of molecules – can physically harm electronics, cause faults in programming and operations known as single event effects, and disrupt operations.

"Designing the spacecraft and instruments to withstand a very harsh radiation environment was the toughest challenge for Van Allen Probes during design and development," said Rick Fitzgerald of APL, who served as the mission's project manager from 2007 to 2012. "Radiation can cause damage to electronics, leading to erratic behavior or outright failure. We lowered the risk of failure through a rigorous design review process, careful selection of electronics parts, and extensive parts and materials testing."

To protect the spacecrafts' sensitive electronics, the team created two of the toughest spacecraft ever built. "Additional shielding was used around the electronic boxes to prevent localized accumulation of electrical charges and reduce the overall charging dose," said APL's Kristin Fretz, mission system engineer from 2013 to 2018. "All integrated circuits were designed to survive in the belts, and the spacecraft has a fault management and autonomy system, which mitigates the effects of the environment by resetting electronics in response to single event effects."

The design has proven itself up to the challenge. "We have had very few momentary errors or 'upsets' of our electronics on orbit, and no electronics box failures to date," said Fitzgerald. "This is the true validation of all the hard work put into the design and test program prior to launch."

The longevity and resilience of the spacecraft and instruments mean that not only are they still delivering high volumes of data to Earth, they are also teaching spacecraft engineers about operations in the belts. "The Van Allen Probes have essentially become a live test facility for understanding how electronics and materials can survive harsh radiation," Fitzgerald said. "The six and a half years on orbit provides new data to be used in the models that determine how to manufacture, how to select, and how to predict performance of parts and materials on orbit."

Thanks to constant work and iterations by the mission operations team, data download rates for the five instrument suites – the Energetic Particle, Composition, and Thermal Plasma Suite (ECT), the Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science (EMFISIS), the Electric Field and Waves Suite (EFW), the Relativistic Proton Spectrometer (RPS), and the Radiation Belt Storm Probes Ion Composition Experiment (RBPICE) – soared to three times the required rates during the mission.

Final Maneuvers

http://vanallenprobes.jhuapl.edu/Multimedia/videos/animations/VanAllenProbesboomdeploymentanimation.mp4 (http://vanallenprobes.jhuapl.edu/Multimedia/videos/animations/VanAllenProbesboomdeploymentanimation.mp4) (0:15 (http://vanallenprobes.jhuapl.edu/Multimedia/videos/animations/VanAllenProbesboomdeploymentanimation.mp4))
This animation shows the twin Van Allen Probes spacecraft above Earth shortly after their August 30, 2012 launch as the twin spacecraft deploy spin plane booms. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

The spacecraft continue to operate optimally, and their propellant supplies are plentiful. However, NASA regulations require the controlled de-orbit and removal from orbit of all spacecraft after a period of 25 years from the end of the mission . To meet this requirement, the Van Allen Probes team in 2017 began planning how to lower the spacecraft into orbits that would eventually decay and lead to the re-entry through the atmosphere, safely disintegrating them.

"If we didn't do these maneuvers, the Van Allen Probes would continue orbiting for hundreds or thousands of years, presenting a potential problem to future satellite activities," said APL's Justin Atchison, Van Allen Probes mission designer.

The APL mission operations team has made several orbit changes during the life of the mission, but none this large. To lower the spacecraft, they knew they had to perform the maneuvers at a very specific point in the orbit; that they had to do the operation in stages, rather than one long engine burn; and they knew they had to do it at a certain time of year.

"We need to maneuver when the satellites are at their highest orbit point away from the Earth, or what's known as apogee," said Atchison. "Ideally, we'd do all of the orbit change in a single maneuver on a single day. However, we're limited by the capability of the thrusters, which are typically only used for very small maneuvers to slightly adjust the orbit or the pointing. So we have to divide the maneuver up into smaller segments to achieve the goal."

Each spacecraft will be moved to a lower perigee of about 200 miles through a series of five two-hour engine burns during February 12 to 22 (spacecraft B) and March 11 to 22 (spacecraft A). The engine burns will each use about 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) of propellant.

"We'll perform the burns at apogee over the course of two weeks," said Madeline Fosbury of APL, current Van Allen Probes mission system engineer. "The challenge of doing all these burns in quick succession is that we don't have as much time to analyze the effect of each burn and then optimize the next one. Because of the rapid cadence, we need to design and perform the first four burns with our best estimates, then tailor the last one to ensure we hit our specific perigee target."

"The Van Allen Probes are spinning spacecraft," explained Atchison. "Their spin axis points at the Sun, so that they have sunlight to power their solar arrays. We have to conduct our maneuvers along this spin axis. In order to lower the perigee, we need to maneuver in a particular direction at a particular time in the orbit. The geometry occurs only occasionally, for a few weeks once or twice per year. This February and March just happen to be the right times for the two satellites."

The team has been rehearsing and practicing the perigee-lowering campaign, and is ready to begin this new stage of the mission's life. "We're all excited to begin, and we're looking forward to unlocking even more science data during this time," said Mosavi. "We'll continue to operate and obtain new science in our new orbit until we are out of fuel, at which point we won't be able to point our solar panels at the Sun to power the spacecraft systems."

"The Van Allen Probes mission has done a tremendous job in characterizing the radiation belts and providing us with the comprehensive information needed to deduce what is going on in them," said NASA's Sibeck. "More than six years of non-stop excitement and discoveries that provide us with the information needed to ensure that spacecraft can survive in the some of the harshest environments known to humanity. In fact, the very survival of these spacecraft and all their instruments, virtually unscathed, after all these years is an accomplishment and a lesson learned on how to design spacecraft."

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ЦитироватьThe Van Allen Probes Begin Final De-Orbit Maneuvers

JHU Applied Physics Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz4r-ikQdWEj1gG1aFJTy-g)

Опубликовано: 19 мар. 2019 г.

The twin Van Allen Probes have spent more than six and a half years operating in the most hazardous environment around Earth - the radiation belts. Now, after making new scientific discoveries and providing insights into how to protect spacecraft from space weather, the mission is making its final major orbit maneuver to prepare it for eventual re-entry into the atmosphere.

NASA's Van Allen Probes: Exploring Earth's radiation belts and the extremes of space weather since August 30, 2012.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186262.jpg)NASA Sun & Space‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASASun (https://twitter.com/NASASun) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASun/status/1108722175014400000)

On March 22, the Van Allen Probes will perform the final orbital maneuver of their mission. Join experts live in mission control at @JHUAPL (https://twitter.com/JHUAPL) to learn more about the mission & what it will study during its final phase of exploration:

https://www.facebook.com/NASASunScience/videos/383710538880201/ ... (https://t.co/u1SnXKLA6N)

Questions? Use #askNASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/askNASA?src=hash)

https://video.twimg.com/tweet_video/DzTCeGlWsAEmu6O.mp4 (https://video.twimg.com/tweet_video/DzTCeGlWsAEmu6O.mp4)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186230.jpg)Johns Hopkins APL‏Подлинная учетная запись @JHUAPL (https://twitter.com/JHUAPL) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/JHUAPL/status/1108735001103880194)

The Van Allen Probes team are preparing to perform the final maneuver tomorrow, March 22nd, 2019 (4:30pm ET). Join #JHUAPL (https://twitter.com/hashtag/JHUAPL?src=hash) and @NASASun (https://twitter.com/NASASun) LIVE during the final burn. (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125296.png)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125535.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125535.png) https://www.facebook.com/NASASunScience/videos/383710538880201/ ... (https://t.co/JgnMiZNkBB)

ЦитироватьOrbiting in the Danger Zone - Behind the Scenes of the Van Allen Probes' Final Maneuver

NASA Video (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_aP7p621ATY_yAa8jMqUVA)

Опубликовано: 22 мар. 2019 г.

The Van Allen Probes have spent more than six years exploring the harshest environment of near-Earth space: the radiation belts. This is an intense region of charged particles trapped in Earth's magnetic field that can interfere with satellite electronics and could even pose a threat to astronauts who pass through them on interplanetary journeys. On March 22, the mission team performs the final adjustment to the orbits of the twin spacecraft to ensure that they will eventually de-orbit and disintegrate in Earth's atmosphere. Join us to get a live look inside mission control at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory as the Van Allen Probes perform the final orbital maneuver of their mission. Hear from NASA and APL experts about the mission, what we've learned and what we hope to discover during the Van Allen Probes' final phase of exploration.

ЦитироватьOct. 17, 2019

Ten Highlights Fr om NASA's Van Allen Probes Mission

After seven years of operations, and upon finally running out of propellant, the second of the twin Van Allen Probes spacecraft will be retired on Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. Spacecraft A of the Van Allen Probes mission will be shut down by operators at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Maryland. The command follows one three months previously that terminated operations for spacecraft B (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/first-of-two-van-allen-probes-spacecraft-ceases-operations), the second spacecraft of the mission.

"This mission spent seven years in the radiation belts, and broke all the records for a spacecraft to tolerate and operate in that hazardous region, all with no interruptions," said Nelofar Mosavi, Van Allen Probes project manager at Johns Hopkins APL. "This mission was about resiliency against the harshest space environment."

Originally slated for a two-year mission, the spacecraft flew through the Van Allen belts — rings of charged particles trapped by Earth's magnetic field — to understand how particles were gained and lost by the belts. The spacecraft made major discoveries that revolutionized how we understand our near-Earth environment.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/CKUNT2Qshk4 (https://www.youtube.com/embed/CKUNT2Qshk4)
The Van Allen Probes flew through Earth's geomagnetic field and radiation belts.
Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Download this video in HD formats from NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3951)

"Van Allen Probe observations have been the subject of over 600 publications to date in refereed journals, and over 55 Ph.D. theses have used Van Allen Probe observations," said David Sibeck, Van Allen Probes mission scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

With instruments measuring electromagnetic fields and charged particles, the Van Allen Probes explored the invisible phenomena shepherding particles in and around the belts. It made discoveries about the architecture of the belts and the forces shaping them. Just as ocean storms on Earth can create giant waves, space weather, caused by the Sun, can create plasma waves, wh ere seas of particles are tossed by electromagnetic fields. The Van Allen Probes pioneered new explorations into the dynamics of these waves and their effects on our near-Earth environment.

"The Van Allen Probes rewrote the textbook on radiation belt physics," said Sasha Ukhorskiy, Van Allen Probes project scientist at Johns Hopkins APL, which also designed and built the spacecraft. "The spacecraft used uniquely capable instruments to unveil radiation belt features that were all but invisible to previous sensors, and discovered many new physical mechanisms of radiation belt acceleration and loss."

In celebration of the mission's success, here are ten sel ect discoveries, listed in chronological order, made by the Van Allen Probes.

[/li]
• The Van Allen belts were first discovered in 1958 and for decades scientists thought there were only two concentric belts. But days after the Van Allen Probes launched, scientists discovered that during times of intense solar activity, a third belt (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/rbsp/news/third-belt.html) can form.
  

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208134.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/van_allen_probes_discov_new_rad_belt_cal_print.jpg)
Van Allen Probes image showing three radiation belts first seen around Earth in 2012.
Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory

[/li]
• The belts, which are composed of charged particles and electromagnetic fields, can be energized by different types of plasma waves. One type, called electrostatic double layers, appear as short blips of enhanced electric field. During one observing period, Probe B saw 7,000 such blips (https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.235002) repeatedly pass over the spacecraft in a single minute. These individually small events added up to one million volts over six minutes, capable of accelerating electrons up toward the relativistic energies commonly seen in radiation belt particles.
  

[/li]
• During big space weather storms, which are ultimately caused by activity on the Sun, ions — electrically charged atoms or molecules — can be pushed deep into Earth's magnetosphere (https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014JA020096) in a series of impulsive events. These particles carry electromagnetic currents that circle around the planet and can dramatically distort Earth's magnetic field.
  

https://www.youtube.com/embed/CKlho5eXuLQ (https://www.youtube.com/embed/CKlho5eXuLQ)
On March 17, 2015, Van Allen Probe A detected a pulse of high energy electrons in the radiation belts, generated by the impact of a recent coronal mass ejection striking Earth's magnetosphere. The gradient drift speed of the electron pulse was high enough, that it propagated completely around Earth and was detected by the spacecraft again as the pulse spread out in the radiation belt. Because the particles have a range of energies, the pulse spread out as it moved around Earth, generating a weaker signal the next time it hit the spacecraft.
Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Download this video in HD formats from NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12328)

[/li]
• Across space, fluctuating electric and magnetic fields can create what are known as plasma waves. These waves intensify during space weather storms and can accelerate particles to relativistic speeds. The Van Allen Probes found (https://www.nature.com/articles/nature14515) that one type of plasma wave known as hiss can contribute greatly to the loss of electrons from the belts.
  

[/li]
• The Van Allen belts are composed of electrons and ions with a range of energies. In 2015, research from the Van Allen Probes found (https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2014GL062874) that, unlike the outer belt, there were no electrons with energies greater than a million electron volts in the inner belt.
  

[/li]
• Plasma waves known as whistler chorus waves are also common in our near-Earth environment. These waves can travel parallel or at an angle to the local magnetic field. The Van Allen Probes demonstrated (https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2016GL071250) the two types of waves cannot be present simultaneously, resulting in greater radiation belt particle scattering in certain areas.
  

[/li]
• Very low frequency chorus waves, another variety of plasma waves, can pump up the energy of electrons to millions of electron volts. During storm conditions, the Van Allen Probes found these waves can hugely increase the energy of particles in the belts in just a few hours.  (https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016JA023429)
  

[/li]
• Scientists often use computer simulation models to understand the physics behind certain phenomena. A model (https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2018JA025506) simulating particles in the Van Allen belts helped scientists understand how particles can be lost, replenished and trapped by the Earth's magnetic field.
  

[/li]
• The Van Allen Probes observed several cases of extremely energetic ions speeding toward Earth. Research (https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2018JA025556) found that these ions' acceleration was connected to their electric charge and not to their mass.
  

[/li]
• The Sun emits faster and slower gusts of charged particles called the solar wind. Since the Sun rotates, these gusts — the fast wind — reach Earth periodically. Changes in these gusts cause the extent of region of cold ionized gas around Earth — the plasmasphere — to shrink. Data fr om the Van Allen Probes showed (https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018JA026365) that such changes in the plasmasphere fluctuated at the same rate as the solar rotation ­— every 27 days.
  

By Mara Johnson-Groh (mailto:mara.johnson-groh@nasa.gov)
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (http://www.nasa.gov/goddard), Greenbelt, Md.

Last Updated: Oct. 17, 2019
Editor: Rob Garner

ЦитироватьThe Van Allen Probes: Seven Years of Science in Space

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220593.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/jhuapl) JHU Applied Physics Laboratory (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz4r-ikQdWEj1gG1aFJTy-g)

18 окт. 2019 г.

Originally slated for a two-year mission, the second of the twin Van Allen Probes spacecraft will be retired just prior to running out of propellant, more than seven years after launch.

On October 18, 2019, at about 12:30 p.m. EDT, spacecraft A of the Van Allen Probes mission will be shut down by operators at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. The command — the 4,781st sent to spacecraft A — is of the same type sent four months previously that terminated operations for spacecraft B, the second spacecraft of the mission.

In February, the spacecraft were placed in a lower orbit that will eventually decay, letting the twin Van Allen Probes reenter and burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

These two spacecraft — designed, built and operated for NASA by Johns Hopkins APL — flew through the rings of charged particles trapped by Earth's magnetic field known as the Van Allen belts to understand how particles were gained and lost by the belts. The spacecraft made major discoveries that revolutionized how we understand our near-Earth environment.

[свернуть]