STSS Demo = Delta II 7920 - 25.09.09 16:20 ЛМВ - Canaveral

[Старый]

Так присесть никто не мешает, а вот если упадут...

Вобщето перила везде для того чтоб не упали...

[Dude]

Думаю, что нужно отличать перила на которые опираются руками, это 90см и те, что для ограждения это 1,2м и выше.

[Старый]

Перила на балконе на 9-м этаже для чего? Чтоб опираться или чтоб не упал? А на башне Союза и Протона?

[Dude]

Никогда не задавался этим вопросом, у меня высота балконных перил 115см. Думаю и там не меньше 120см.

[Pavel]

Думаю, эти фото будут нагляднее.

[Dude]

Эта штука называется UpRight X26N Scissor Lift

[Старый]

Мммм, дааа... Если мужик не двухметровый с лишним то перила 120 см, как и положено. А спутник высотой максимум метр и шириной два.

[Dude]

Да, на глаз где-то так.

[Брабонт]

Новерное, будет проще мерять по известным деталям, чем в мужиках-перилах:

[Старый]

Новерное, будет проще мерять по известным деталям, чем в мужиках-перилах:

Вобщем по диагонали никак не больше трёх метров. А рама снизу чего, тоже летит в космос?

[Брабонт]

А рама снизу чего, тоже летит в космос?

А как же. Неотделяемый переходник.

[Старый]

Я думал подставка...

[Брабонт]

Сабж подвинулся вправо на сутки. Теперь 20-го.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

Sept. 23    Delta 2  •  STSS Demo
Launch window: 1200-1300 GMT (8:00-9:00 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-17B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

The United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket will launch the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) technology demonstration mission for the Missile Defense Agency. NASA will oversee the launch. The rocket will fly in the 7920 vehicle configuration. Delayed from Nov. 25, 2007, April, July 16, Nov. 1, Nov. 20, 2008, Jan. 23, June, July 29 and Sept. 15. Pushed back 12 hours from evening T-0 on Sept. 17. Pushed from Sept. 18 due to weather delays during pre-flight processing. Delayed from Sept. 19 to review spacecraft test data. [Sept. 18]

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d344/090919launchtimeline.html

STSS Demo launch timeline
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
T-00:00   Liftoff
The Delta 2 rocket's main engine and twin vernier steering thrusters are started moments before launch. The six ground-start strap-on solid rocket motors are ignited at T-0 to begin the mission.

T+01:03.1   Ground SRM Burnout
The six ground-start Alliant TechSystems-built solid rocket motors consume all their propellant and burn out.

T+01:05.5   Air-Lit SRM Ignition
The three remaining solid rocket motors strapped to the Delta 2 rocket's first stage are ignited.

T+01:06.0   Jettison Ground SRMs
The six spent ground-started solid rocket boosters are jettisoned in sets of three to fall into the Atlantic Ocean.

T+02:11.5   Jettison Air-Lit SRMs
Having burned out, the three spent air-started solid rocket boosters are jettisoned toward the Atlantic Ocean.

T+04:23.3   Main Engine Cutoff
After consuming its RP-1 fuel and liquid oxygen, the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-27A first stage main engine is shut down. The vernier engines cut off moments later.

T+04:31.3   Stage Separation
The Delta rocket's first stage is separated now, having completed its job. The spent stage will fall into the Atlantic Ocean.

T+04:36.8   Second Stage Ignition
With the stage jettisoned, the rocket's second stage takes over. The Aerojet AJ118-K liquid-fueled engine ignites for the first of two firings needed to place the STSS Demo satellites into the proper orbit.

T+04:41.0   Jettison Payload Fairing
The 10-foot diameter payload fairing that protected the STSS Demo satellites atop the Delta 2 during the atmospheric ascent is jettisoned is two halves.

T+10:32.3   Second Stage Cutoff 1
The second stage engine shuts down to complete its first firing of the launch. The rocket and attached STSS Demo spacecraft are now in a coast period before the second stage reignites. The orbit achieved should be 830 nautical miles at apogee, 100 miles at perigee and inclined 54.6 degrees.

T+42:30.0   Second Stage Restart
Delta's second stage engine reignites for a brief firing that will bring the initial elliptical orbit into a circular one.

T+43:37.0   Second Stage Cutoff 2
The second stage shuts down and completed the powered phase of flight. The circular orbit achieved should be 729 nautical miles high and inclined 58.00 degrees.

T+47:49.0   SV 1 Separation
The upper satellite in the stack of two Space Tracking and Surveillance System spacecraft is released into orbit.

T+55:14.0   SV 2 Separation
The lower satellite in the stack of two Space Tracking and Surveillance System spacecraft is released to complete the launch.

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d344/status.html

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009
Awaiting blastoff from Cape Canaveral early Wednesday is a Delta 2 rocket topped with two experimental missile-tracking satellites built to test advanced technologies for the nation's defense against enemy attacks.

The two-stage rocket is aiming for a 730-nautical-mile circular orbit inclined 58 degrees to the either side of the equator where it will deploy a pair of demonstration satellites for the Space Tracking and Surveillance System, a $1.5 billion project known as STSS Demo.

The satellites will be used by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to test the "birth to death" tracking of missiles from launch to re-entry. NASA is lending its expertise to the oversee the Delta rocket flight and getting the satellites into space on behalf of the MDA.

Liftoff from pad 17B is targeted for 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) at the opening of an hour-long window. Officials gave approval to proceed with the countdown at their Launch Readiness Review held Monday following several days of delays.

Ground crews loaded the Delta 2 rocket's second stage with a storable hydrazine propellant mixture and nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer on Sunday. The fuels will power the stage's main engine during the two firings needed to place the satellites into the planned orbit around the planet.

The pad gantry should be retracted to reveal the 12-story rocket just before midnight Tuesday. The overnight hours will be spent finishing preps ahead of starting the Terminal Countdown at 5:20 a.m. EDT launch morning.

The main question mark going into the launch attempt is the weather. Air Force meteorologists say there's a 50-50 chance clouds and coastal rain showers will interfere with the schedule.

"A tropical wave bearing the remnants of Hurricane Fred is currently over the Bahamas. The timing of this feature over the peninsula is the key forecast issue. Unfortunately, the wave has slowed its westward motion and is now forecast over our area Tuesday through Wednesday afternoon, increasing rain probability during the launch window," forecasters say.

"The main weather concern on launch day will be cumulus clouds and precipitation associated with this system.

"In the event of a launch delay, we will see gradually improving conditions as the tropical wave continues to move westward, away from the launch area."

The odds of acceptable weather on Thursday and Friday increase to 60 and 70 percent, respectively.

The STSS Demo mission has been in the works for years. Northrop Grumman built the spacecraft and was responsible for overall satellite integration, plus the ground control system. The satellites' sensors were made by Raytheon.

"The STSS Demo program represents an investment of approximately $1.5 billion in cutting edge technologies, spacecraft assembly and test, and spacecraft operations center capability," the MDA told Spaceflight Now.

The two craft, weighing nearly 5,000 pounds at launch and each having pairs of power-generating solar wings, are equipped with infrared and visible sensors to spot missile launches, track the vehicles through space and observe the entry back into the atmosphere. By working together from separate vantage points in low-Earth orbit, their imagery will combine to provide 3-D tracking of objects.

"The STSS satellites will demonstrate the unique value of a space-based sensor for the Ballistic Missile Defense System. Space-based systems have inherently long range, are not limited by geographic constraints, and collect infrared tracking and discrimination data that complements conventional ground and sea-based radars."

The U.S. government has long considered fielding constellations of missile-tracking satellites like STSS. Whether such a system is constructed could hinge on how these two demonstration craft perform.

For decades, the Defense Support Program spacecraft have flown in geosynchronous orbits to warn of enemy missile launches. Those satellites use infrared telescopes to spot the superhot plumes of boosters during initial ascent. But STSS is designed to identify and follow missiles throughout all phases of flight.

"STSS will demonstrate the key functions of a space-based sensor, passing missile tracking data to missile defense interceptors with the accuracy and timeliness necessary to enable them to successfully intercept missile targets," says Northrop Grumman.

"STSS is the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's only space-based midcourse tracking system. Using onboard sensors capable of detecting infrared and visible light, STSS will become part of land-, sea-, air- and space-based Ballistic Missile Defense System sensors."

The MDA has no funding or firm plans for developing any satellites beyond the two demonstration craft launching Wednesday. The real-life results from space using MDA's own missile test-launches, including two specifically configured for STSS viewing, could give the political boost needed for Congress to fund a future operational program.

"The greatest hedge against missile defense threats of all ranges remains a highly available early missile tracking capability from space. Decisions on any follow-on programs will be made based on the performance of the STSS satellites," MDA told Spaceflight Now.

The STSS Demo mission is expected to last two to four years.

These two craft follow a quasi-classified research and development testbed satellite launched in May aboard a Delta 2 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Valued at $400 million, that mission is known as the Advanced Technology Risk Reduction, or STSS-ATRR.

An earlier research craft called the Near Field Infrared Experiment, or NFIRE, was launched for the MDA in 2007 aboard a Minotaur rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia. It tested sensor technology to provide high resolution imagery of missiles and their plumes.

The Missile Defense Space Experimentation Center at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs is the control site for the four satellites under the MDA umbrella.

"Collections by all four satellites provide a unique opportunity to validate technology and sensor performance from different platforms," the MDA says.

Watch this page for complete live coverage of Wednesday morning's countdown and launch, including play-by-play updates and streaming video.

[Брабонт]

Пусковой патч миссии:

[Salo]

Начали заправлять:
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d344/status.html

0950 GMT (5:50 a.m. EDT)
It is a soggy commute to the launch site this morning. Steady rain continues to fall around Brevard County. The radar shows another blob of showers just about to move ashore by the launch pad.

First stage propellant loading has passed the 3,000-gallon mark. This process to load the kerosene fuel takes about 20 min

0945 GMT (5:45 a.m. EDT)
Fueling begins! About 10,000 gallons of the kerosene propellant, called RP-1, are pumping into the base of the rocket from storage tanks at pad 17B as fueling of the Delta 2's first stage begins for today's launch.

0941 GMT (5:41 a.m. EDT)
Preparations for loading the Delta 2 rocket's first stage RP-1 fuel tank are beginning. After verifying valves, sensors, flow meters and equipment are ready, the highly refined kerosene fuel will start flowing into the vehicle a few minutes from now.

0940 GMT (5:40 a.m. EDT)
The first stage helium and nitrogen systems have been pressurized. And the "go" has been given for the start of fueling operations.

0930 GMT (5:30 a.m. EDT)
A reminder that if you will be away from your computer but would like to receive occasional countdown updates, sign up for our Twitter feed to get text messages on your cellphone. U.S. readers can also sign up from their phone by texting "follow spaceflightnow" to 40404. (Standard text messaging charges apply.)

0925 GMT (5:25 a.m. EDT)
The rocket's guidance system is being turned on.

And the launch team is starting the steps to pressurize the first and second stage helium and nitrogen systems and the second stage fuel and oxidizer tanks.

0920 GMT (5:20 a.m. EDT)
BEGIN COUNT. The Terminal Countdown has been initiated for today's launch of the Space Tracking and Surveillance System demonstration satellites aboard the Delta 2 rocket.

The next few hours will be spent fueling the rocket, activating systems and performing final testing before liftoff at 8:00 a.m. EDT from pad 17B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Workers have cleared the Complex 17 area in advance of the hazardous portion in today's launch operation. But a warning horn is now being sounded three times at the seaside complex as a precaution to alert any remaining personnel in the vicinity that they should leave immediately.

The pad clear status will allow the start of activities such as pressurizing the helium and nitrogen storage tanks inside the rocket's first and second stages, along with the second stage fuel and oxidizer tanks.

0911 GMT (5:11 a.m. EDT)
The launch team has been polled to ensure all stations are manned and systems are set for the Terminal Countdown. There are no constraints standing in the way of beginning the count.

0820 GMT (4:20 a.m. EDT)
T-minus 150 minutes and holding. The countdown is entering the first of two planned holds that will occur over the course of the morning. This first pause is 60 minutes long.

The later hold -- at the T-minus 4 minute point -- will give the launch team some time to catch up on any work running behind and verify all is in readiness for liftoff. The hold will last 10 minutes in duration.

0815 GMT (4:15 a.m. EDT)
United Launch Alliance says there are no technical issues being worked as the countdown activities continue at Cape Canaveral. As expected, the weather is the only question mark.

0810 GMT (4:10 a.m. EDT)
A picture taken earlier this morning by ULA photographer Carleton Bailie showing the Delta 2 rocket poised on the launch pad can be viewed here.

0744 GMT (3:44 a.m. EDT)
The weather forecast for this morning's launch window has improved to a 60 percent chance of acceptable conditions. Coastal rain showers and cloud cover are the primary concerns.

Current observations have cleared the earlier lightning and rain issues. But the cumulus and anvil cloud rules are "no go" at present.

The launch time outlook includes scattered cumulus clouds at 3,000 feet, showers in the area, good visibility, southeasterly winds of 10 gusting to 15 knots and a temperature around 76-78 degrees F.

0710 GMT (3:10 a.m. EDT)
Some stormy weather is passing over the Space Coast at this hour. The current observed conditions at the launch site would be out of limits for liftoff due to violations of the rules for lightning, electrical potential, cumulus clouds and rain. But there's still several hours left to go in the countdown for the weather picture to clear up.

0615 GMT (2:15 a.m. EDT)
A line of showers has moved ashore, bringing rain to the launch pad.

0545 GMT (1:45 a.m. EDT)
The weather outlook continues to predict a 50 percent chance of acceptable conditions during the 60-minute launch window. Coastal rain showers and cloud cover are the primary concerns.

0530 GMT (1:30 a.m. EDT)
With the gantry at its launch position to allow the Delta 2 rocket's morning liftoff carrying the STSS Demo mission for the Missile Defense Agency, workers will turn their attention to configuring the pad and putting the final touches on equipment before clearing Complex 17 overnight.

The Terminal Countdown commences at 5:20 a.m. EDT, followed shortly thereafter by loading kerosene fuel and then super-cold liquid oxygen into the first stage. Liftoff remains scheduled for 8:00 a.m. EDT.

Our live play-by-play call will begin with the Terminal Count. And then live streaming video with an interactive chat starts at 6 a.m. EDT on the right-hand side of this page.

0515 GMT (1:15 a.m. EDT)
The mobile service gantry at Cape Canaveral's pad 17B has slowly rolled away from a Delta 2 rocket for launch. The tower was used to stack the multi-stage vehicle atop the pad's launch mount, attach the nine strap-on solid motors and hoist the payload aboard the rocket. This cocoon-like structure wraps around the Delta to offer weather protection and full access for workers during the pre-launch flow.

Work has been underway this evening at Complex 17, as ground crews retracted access platforms and stowed gear in the tower in advance of the structure wheeling away from the rocket.

The STSS spacecraft launching in the morning were delivered to the pad on August 27 and hoisted into the cleanroom and bolted to its Delta for the ride to orbit. The rocket's two-piece nose cone to shroud the satellite during ascent through the atmosphere was installed around the craft a couple of weeks later.

0320 GMT (11:20 p.m. EDT Tues.)
Ground crews are busy at work preparing the mobile service tower for retraction from around the Delta 2 rocket at Cape Canaveral's pad 17B. The sliding doors on the backside of the tower just opened up to reveal the full vehicle standing tall. The doors enclose the cleanroom area where Delta payloads get attached to the rockets during the campaigns leading up to launch.

A few more access platforms still have to be folded up, then the tower will be free to roll back later tonight.

0001 GMT (8:01 p.m. EDT Tues.)
Final pre-flight preparations are getting underway this evening as the Delta rocket and STSS spacecraft teams target an 8:00 a.m. EDT launch Wednesday morning from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

[Salo]

Началась трансляция:
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d344/status.html

[Salo]

На NASA TV тоже :
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html