Solar Orbiter (SolO) – Atlas V 411 – Canaveral SLC-41 – 10.02.2020 – 07:05 ДМВ

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Tory Bruno‏Подлинная учетная запись @torybruno 2 ч. назад

The team on station for today's WDR. Winds are much better.

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 ESA Operations‏ @esaoperations 2 ч. назад

During #SolarOrbiter's proposed extended mission phase, the spacecraft would lift into an even higher inclination orbit. At 33° above the solar equator, the polar regions would come even more directly into view

(0:14)

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Spaceflight Now‏ @SpaceflightNow 5 мин. назад

United Launch Alliance is currently loading cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen into an Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad.

This is part of a countdown rehearsal before launch with the Solar Orbiter mission next month. https://spaceflightnow.com

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/solarorbiter/2020/01/24/solar-orbiter-encapsulated-in-atlas-v-payload-fairing/
https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2020/01/24/solar-orbiter-encapsulated-in-atlas-v-payload-fairing/

Solar Orbiter Encapsulated in Atlas V Payload Fairing

Anna Heiney
Posted Jan 24, 2020 at 12:10 pm


Both halves of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V payload fairing are positioned for installation around the Solar Orbiter spacecraft inside the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Florida, on Jan. 20, 2020. Photo credits: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

The payload fairing that will provide a protective, aerodynamic cover for Solar Orbiter during launch is now in place. The two halves of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V fairing were moved into position and installed around the spacecraft on Jan. 20 inside a cleanroom at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida.



Solar Orbiter is an international cooperative mission between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA. The mission aims to study the Sun, its outer atmosphere and solar wind. The spacecraft will provide the first images of the Sun's poles. NASA's Launch Services Program based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida is managing the launch. The spacecraft has been developed by Airbus Defence and Space.

Solar Orbiter will launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida

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 ULA‏ @ulalaunch 3 мин. назад

We are "go" to start the final phase of the countdown for today's #AtlasV rehearsal of the @ESASolarOrbiter launch day. ULA Launch Conductor Scott Barney polled the launch team and ULA Launch Director Lou Mangieri gave permission to enter terminal count.

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 ULA‏ @ulalaunch 6 мин. назад

We successfully completed today's #AtlasV test countdown at Cape Canaveral. Systems now will be safed, cryogenic fuels drained and the rocket allowed to warm up before rollback to the Vertical Integration Facility for #SolarOrbiter attachment.

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 Tory Bruno‏ @torybruno 2 ч. назад

Successful WDR. Back to the VIF tomorrow.

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/01/24/photos-solar-orbiter-encapsulated-inside-launch-shroud/

Photos: Solar Orbiter encapsulated inside launch shroud
January 24, 2020 | Stephen Clark


The Solar Orbiter spacecraft was encapsulated inside the Atlas 5 rocket's payload fairing Jan. 20. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

The Airbus-built Solar Orbiter spacecraft has been closed up inside the payload fairing of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket in preparation for liftoff fr om Cape Canaveral in February on a joint mission between the European Space Agency and NASA.

Technicians inside the Astrotech payload processing facility encapsulated the Solar Orbiter spacecraft — designed with thermal shielding to protect against the heat of the sun — inside the Atlas 5's payload fairing Jan. 20. The spacecraft inside the Atlas 5 rocket's 4-meter-diameter (13.1-foot) aerodynamic nose shroud will soon travel to ULA's Vertical Integration Facility, where crane will hoist the payload package atop the launcher.

Valued at nearly $1.7 billion, the Solar Orbiter mission will travel closer to the sun than Mercury, wh ere it will join NASA's Parker Solar Probe for tandem observations of the solar wind and giant solar eruptions that can affect communications and electrical grids on Earth, plus satellite operations.

Scientists hope the dual missions will help sort out what drives the solar wind. Data from the probes may eventually help scientists better predict solar storms and their effects Earth.

Solar Orbiter's primary launch period opens Feb. 5 and extends through Feb. 23. The 19 daily launch opportunities in February will allow the spacecraft to fly by Venus in December, beginning a series of planetary encounters that will use gravity to slingshot Solar Orbiter closer to the sun.

Once in its initial science orbit at the end of 2021, Solar Orbiter will begin viewing the sun's poles for the first time. If the mission is extended, further flybys with Venus will tilt the spacecraft's orbit around the sun to an angle as high as 33 degrees, enabling better imagery of the polar regions.

More photos can been seen below of the Solar Orbiter spacecraft's encapsulation inside the Atlas 5 payload fairing.

Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky


Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky


Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky


Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky


Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky


Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky


Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky


Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

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[поц]

https://twitter.com/ESASolarOrbiter/status/1221434019532939264
Launch update: @NASA @ESA & @ULAlaunch confirm #SolarOrbiter launch date adjusted to 7 Feb 23:15 EST/ 8 Feb 04:15 GMT/05:15 CET due to rescheduling of the Wet Dress Rehearsal earlier this week.

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https://www.ulalaunch.com/explore/blog-detail/blog/2020/01/25/atlas-v-completes-countdown-rehearsal-for-solar-orbiter

Atlas V completes countdown rehearsal for Solar Orbiter
Jan 26, 2020, 07:10 AM

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket has achieved a major milestone in preparation to launch Solar Orbiter on Feb. 7 for a mission to explore the uncharted polar regions of the sun.



Known as a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR), teams from ULA and NASA this past week successfully completed the test that demonstrated the rocket's rollout and day-of-launch countdown operations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
 
The assembled rocket, minus the payload, was transported aboard the Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) from the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
 
After reaching the pad, the first stage was loaded with its flight supply of 25,000 gallons of RP-1, a highly refined kerosene. That fuel will remain inside the rocket through launch day, a standard practice for Atlas rockets that undergo a WDR.
 
The countdown, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, was initiated just before dawn under the control of ULA Launch Conductor Scott Barney and his team of console operators stationed in the Launch Control Center at the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center.
 
The rocket stages were powered up, guidance system testing conducted and final preps to ground systems accomplished, enabling ULA Launch Director Lou Mangieri to give approval for cryogenic tanking.
 
But just prior to the start of fueling, a duct supplying cooling to the rocket's avionics compartment became detached. That necessitated a rollback to the VIF for corrective actions and return to the launch pad.
 
Countdown clocks were restarted on Friday, Jan. 24, as the launch team configured the Atlas V rocket for cryo loading. About 66,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen filled the rocket's tanks using the same procedures that will be executed on the actual launch day.
 
Mangieri, with input from NASA Launch Manager Tim Dunn, confirmed readiness to enter terminal count at T-minus 4 minutes. The final phase of the countdown progressed smoothly with all planned activities completed through the scheduled cutoff point just prior to ignition.



The rocket was safed and cryogenic tanks drained to conclude the test. The rocket was returned to the VIF on Saturday, Jan. 25 after the hardware warmed up and the MLP could be disconnected from the pad facility. Solar Orbiter is scheduled to arrive at the VIF next week for hoisting atop the Atlas V to produce a 189-foot-tall rocket for launch.
 
WDRs are milestones meant to mitigate any issues before the actual launch day arrives. Typically, they are performed during the launch campaign for all planetary missions that have very short timeframes to launch. Missing that launch period would mean lengthy delays to wait for the next opportunity.
 
In the case of Solar Orbiter, it has a three-week window in February to launch when Venus and Earth are aligned to carry out the spacecraft's circuitous flight path that swings in and out of the inner solar system throughout decade-long sun-studying mission. 
 
The repeated encounters with Venus with use the planet's gravity to alter Solar Orbiter's trajectory to achieve a vantage point to take the first-ever images of the sun's poles. 
 
Solar Orbiter will address overarching questions in solar physics to help us understand how the sun creates and controls the giant bubble of plasma that surrounds our cosmic neighborhood and influences the planets within it.
 
Knowing how the sun influences interplanetary space is critical considering that society has become dependent on space for navigation and communications. Unraveling fundamental mysteries about the sun's activities will help all of humanity predict and adjust to these behaviors.

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Upd.

https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/atlas-v-solar-orbiter

• Launch Date: Friday, Feb. 7, 2020
• Launch Time: Targeted for 11:15 p.m. EST at the opening of a two hour launch window

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Может быть, кому-то будет интересно: небольшие технические подробности этой миссии (и не только этой миссии)
https://www.maxongroup.com/maxon/view/news/maxon-is-flying-to-the-Sun

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https://twitter.com/tiempobrasero/status/1222161189272244224

Это будут этапы запуска и основные даты миссии. #SolarOrbiter @esa_es

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Solar Orbiter – the Sun close-up
Доступ по ссылке

 European Space Agency, ESA

27 янв. 2020 г.

ESA's mission to the Sun, Solar Orbiter, is due for launch on an Atlas V 411 from Cape Canaveral, Florida on 7 February 23:15 EST / 04:15 GMT / 05:15 CET on 8 Feb.
 
Equipped with a suite of ten scientific instruments, Solar Orbiter will capture the first images of the Sun's poles and make detailed observations of solar activity. Its specially designed heatshield is capable of enduring temperatures of more than 500ºC.

Solar Orbiter is a space mission of international collaboration between ESA and NASA. The spacecraft has been developed by Airbus.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/zr1NKvIi8AU? (3:30)

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New Mission Will Take First Peek at Sun's Poles

 NASA Goddard

27 янв. 2020 г.

A new spacecraft is journeying to the Sun to snap the first pictures of the Sun's north and south poles. Solar Orbiter, a collaboration between ESA (the European Space Agency) and NASA will have its first opportunity to launch fr om Cape Canaveral on Feb. 7, 2020, at 11:15 p.m. EST. Launching on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, the spacecraft will use Venus' and Earth's gravity to swing itself out of the ecliptic plane — the swath of space, roughly aligned with the Sun's equator, wh ere all planets orbit. From there, Solar Orbiter's bird's eye view will give it the first-ever look at the Sun's poles.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/eDDhPeCI5Po (3:17)

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Хороший текст о теплоизоляции и покрытиях https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Paint_it_black_Stone_Age_sunscreen_for_Solar_Orbiter

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https://tass.ru/kosmos/7633867

В Ирландии изобрели "синтетическую черную кость" для обшивки космического зонда
ДУБЛИН, 29 января. /ТАСС/. Инновационная разработка ирландской компании Enbio Space имела ключевое значение в подготовке миссии Европейского космического агентства (ЕКА) по наблюдению за Солнцем. Об этом сообщил национальный телеканал RTE.
Запуск космического зонда ЕКА Solar Orbiter намечен на 7 февраля с мыса Канаверал, уточнил телеканал. С солнечной орбиты аппарату предстоит наблюдать за полюсами Солнца в течение нескольких лет, и успех этих исследований в значительной степени будет зависеть от термоустойчивости зонда, в первую очередь его обшивки. Именно этим вопросом занималась технологическая фирма Enbio Space из Клонмела (графство Типперери), сообщил RTE.
"ЕКА в течение нескольких лет занималось поиском оптимального технологического решения, и мы оказались в нужном месте в нужный момент. У нас был проект "синтетической черной кости" - материала, который получается из побочных продуктов мясной промышленности", - рассказал телеканалу глава Enbio Space Джон О'Донохью. Он пояснил, что технология состоит в обжиге костного материала в специальной печи при высоких температурах (около 500 градусов Цельсия) и низкой концентрации кислорода. Такое покрытие обеспечивает космическому аппарату защиту от тепловых и ультрафиолетовых лучей, дополнительную механическую прочность, а также оптимальную электропроводимость.
О'Донохью рассчитывает, что разработанная им технология получит широкое применение в космической индустрии, прежде всего в изготовлении спутников и зондов. Изобретатель будет наблюдать за запуском Solar Orbiter непосредственно из пункта управления на мысе Канаверал. "Детские мечты сбываются", - сказал он в интервью телеканалу.
Solar Orbiter является совместным проектом ЕКА и NASA, а стоимость изготовления зонда составила $1,5 млрд. Этому небольшому аппарату весом 1,8 кг предстоит в течение полутора лет достичь орбитальной позиции, приблизившись на расстояние 42 млн км от солнечной поверхности. Совместно с ранее запущенным NASA зондом PSP (Parker Solar Probe) европейскому зонду предстоит вести наблюдение за солнечной активностью и магнитными полями Солнца. В отличие от американского аппарата, Solar Orbiter снабжен фототехникой, которая, как ожидается, к ноябрю 2021 года направит на Землю свои первые снимки. "Мы входим в золотой век космических исследований", - заявила по поводу предстоящих солнечных наблюдений на недавней пресс-конференции в Вашингтоне глава отдела гелиофизики NASA Ники Фокс.

[zandr]

http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/news/53095/

Запуск Solar Orbiter отложен на два дня
 Из-за технических проблем, возникших на РН Atlas-5 в ходе наземных испытаний, запуск американо-европейского солнечного зонда Solar Orbiter отложен на двое суток, сообщает SpaceFlightNow. Попытка запуска будет предпринята в ночь на  8 февраля с космодрома на мысе Канаверал.
А.Ж.

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К #78

Хоршая новость, жаль, опоздала на три дня (хоть и на русс. яз.) - #69, #71   . В ночь - это по EST, по UTC - глубоко за полночь, по ДМВ - в 7:15 утра.

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Едем вправо...
https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/atlas-v-solar-orbiter

Jan 31 11:46
Launch scheduled for Feb. 9

NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), Airbus and United Launch Alliance now are targeting 11:03 p.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 9, for the launch of the Solar Orbiter mission on an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch has a two-hour window.

The two-day launch delay was caused by two items that delayed transport of the spacecraft to the pad. The first item was a schedule conflict on Wednesday with a commercial mission launch from a nearby launch pad. The second item was the weather Thursday morning. The transport of the spacecraft from the processing facility to the launch complex for mate operations now is planned for Friday, Jan. 31.