RBSP (x2) - Atlas V 401 - Canaveral SLC-41 - 30.08.2012 08:05 UTC

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May 3, 2012

In The Loop: RBSP makes its Florida debut



NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) spacecraft A is shown here as the top is removed from its protective container on May 2 at the Astrotech Space Operations facility, where RBSP will begin launch processing. The twin spacecraft arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on May 1; RBSP is scheduled for an August 23, 2012 launch. Credit: JHU/APL

http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/intheloop/2012_0503.php

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May 18, 2012

In The Loop: After the Trip from Maryland to Florida, RBSP Integration and Testing Continues

The 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. 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.

http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/intheloop/2012_0518.php

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http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/gallery/photos.php

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

   

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In the Loop: Shake, shock, and bake – RBSP's integration and testing 2012

May 30, 2012

ВИДЕО

This 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

http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/intheloop/2012_0530.php

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http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=258

     

     

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http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=4
http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=60121

National 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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http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=3587.msg919500#msg919500

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

Great time for EELV operations

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http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/jun/HQ_M12-121_Media_RBSP_Launch.html

MEDIA 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]

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Learn about the Radiation Belt Storm Probes at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida
08.22.12

NASA 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.

...........

http://www.nasa.gov/connect/social/social_rbsp_august2012.html

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RBSP Spacecraft A Spin Test - June 27, 2012

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http://www.spaceflightnow.com/

Atlas 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]

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http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av032/status.html

FRIDAY, 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]

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NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes: Mission Trailer

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http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=4

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The Electric Atmosphere: Plasma Is Next NASA Science Target
07.18.12
 

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.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/rbsp/news/electric-atmosphere.html

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Fairing for RBSP

Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the nose cone fairing for the Radiation Belt Storm Probes spacecraft includes an artistic depiction of the probe's mission. The nose faring will house and protect the spacecraft during liftoff aboard an Atlas V rocket.

Image credit: NASA/ Charisse Nahser
July 13, 2012



http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/rbsp/launch/gallery/2012-07-13.html

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Atlas 5 rocket assembled for NASA's RBSP launch
Posted: July 26, 2012

Preparing for the next rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, crews have completed building up the Atlas 5 rocket that will carry a pair of NASA science satellites into space August 23.

At the Vertical Integration Facility at Complex 41, the United Launch Alliance team erected the bronze first stage on July 13. The white-insulated Centaur upper stage was set in place on July 16. Assembly occurred aboard the mobile platform that will be wheeled to the pad a couple of days before liftoff.

It is the most-basic 401 version of the Atlas 5, possessing a four-meter-wide payload shroud, no strap-on solid boosters and a single-engine Centaur. The Radiation Belt Storm Probes will be encapsulated within the rocket's nose cone at their processing facility in the coming days before the cargo is trucked to the rocket hangar for mating next month.

Here is a photo gallery showing the stacking operations.

See our Mission Status Center for the latest news on the launch.

Photo credit: NASA-KSC

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av032/stacking/

[Space Alien]

[RBSP] B-Roll for NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes Mission

[Space Alien]

НАСА 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.

Читайте далее: http://ria.ru/science/20120810/720472945.html#ixzz237xEx9Dd