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

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July 11, 2012

As Aug. 23 Launch Draws Closer, RBSP Achieves Milestones and Announces Events
http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/newsArticles/20120711.php

July 16, 2012

New Time-lapse Videos Track Solar Array Deployment Tests
http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/newsArticles/20120716.php

RBSP Fact Sheet
http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/education/generalInfo/factSheet.php

http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/common/content/pdfs/RBSP_FactSheetLO.pdf
http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/common/content/pdfs/RBSP_FactSheetHI.pdf

August 6, 2012

In the Loop: Pennsylvania Students Take a 'Virtual Field Trip' to the RBSP Clean Room
http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/intheloop/2012_0806.php

August 6, 2012

In the Loop: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Visits RBSP
http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/intheloop/2012_0806_2.php



August 8, 2012

In The Loop: RBSP Encapsulation
http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/intheloop/2012_0808.php

On 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

August 9, 2012

NASA Mission Ready to Brave Earth's Radiation Belts
http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/newsArticles/20120809.php

NASA'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

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For Immediate Release

August 10, 2012

Media Contact:

Geoffrey Brown, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
(443)778-5618
geoffrey.brown@jhuapl.edu

George H. Diller, NASA Kennedy Space Center
(321)867-2468
george.h.diller@nasa.gov

J.D. Harrington, NASA Headquarters
(202)358-5241
j.d.harrington@nasa.gov

NASA Sets Radiation Belt Storm Probes Launch Events Coverage

NASA'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.

http://www.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/pressreleases/2012/120810.asp

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Press Kit and Materials

August 17, 2012

press kit RBSP Press Kit is now available.



RBSP Press Kit Low Res (850 KB PDF)
RBSP Press Kit High Res (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/  

http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/pressKit.php

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KASI (Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute) ground receiver built for receiving data from NASA's RBSP mission Space weather broadcast.

Credit: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI)

Available formats:
  1488 x 2249     JPEG   513 KB
  320 x 483         JPEG     38 KB

http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011000/a011027/

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New NASA Mission to Study Space Weather


59:56

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RBSP Launch Delay, Now Set for Friday, Aug. 24

The launch of an Atlas V carrying NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes satellite is being delayed 24 hours. An anomalous engine condition was identified during testing of another Atlas vehicle at the Factory in Decatur, Ala., and the delay will allow additional time for engineers to complete their assessments and verify that a similar condition does not exist on the RBSP launch vehicle engine. The launch is rescheduled for Friday, Aug. 24 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The opening of the launch window is 4:07 a.m. EDT. The forecast for Aug. 24 shows a 60 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/rbsp/main/index.html

[Lanista]

180?
=(

[G.K.]

180?
=(

Спокойно. Эта ракета редко улетает с первого раза.

[Salo]

180?
=(

Или RL10.

[Salo]

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=3587.msg945049#msg945049

Launch Hazard Area
 Restricted Airspace Map

Navigational warning

NAVAREA 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.

[instml]

180?
=(

Или RL10.

180

Booster Engine Actuator Testing Complete; Launch Readiness Review Today

For 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.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/rbsp/main/index.html

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RBSP: Fundamental Physics to Benefit Life on Earth, in Space
08.20.12

Encircling 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."



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."

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/rbsp/launch/rbsp_preview.html

[bavv]

ULA @ulalaunch
22 августа 12 в 17:33
#RBSP is rolling out atop the Atlas V at Launch Complex 41
On the launch pad! #RBSP #AtlasV http://pic.twitter.com/0CpCne8N

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August 22, 2012

In the Loop: "What are the Radiation Belts?" – New Movie Explains Mysterious Near-Earth Regions

http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/intheloop/2012_0822.php

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August 22, 2012

RBSP, Atlas V is "Go" for Launch

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.

http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/newsArticles/20120822.php

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August 23, 2012

RBSP Teams Preparing for Overnight Launch Countdown

At 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.

http://rbsp.jhuapl.edu/index.php

RBSP Teams Preparing for Overnight Launch Countdown

At 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.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/rbsp/main/index.html

[bavv]

NASA запустит зонды для изучения радиационных поясов Земли[/size]

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.

Credit: NASA
Two giant donuts of charged particles called the Van Allen Belts surround Earth.  (+ video 0:57)

RBSP Launch News
Join Us Overnight for the RBSP Launch Countdown[/size]

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.

Зонды для изучения радиационных поясов Земли отправятся на орбиту[/size]

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.

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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/rbsp/launch/gallery/gallery-index.html

[Space Alien]

0337 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.

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

[Space Alien]

0525 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.

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