Perseverance (Mars 2020 rover) - Atlas V 541 - Canaveral SLC-41 - 30.07.2020

[tnt22]

Jul 30, 2020 12:18

Go for Fueling

A readiness poll of the launch team by Launch Conductor Scott Barney, with concurrence of ULA Launch Director Bill Cullen, has approved cryogenic tanking operations to begin once the countdown resumes.

[tnt22]

Jul 30, 2020 12:20

Countdown Resumes

This is Atlas Launch Control at T-minus 2 hours (L-2 hours, 30 minutes) and counting. The next phase of today's launch countdown has started on schedule as we continue to target 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 UTC) for liftoff of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to send the Perseverance rover on a 300-million-mile (483 million kilometers) course to Mars in search of ancient life on the red planet.

Preparatory steps for fueling are being kicked off, including ground chilldown of the Atlas first stage liquid oxygen system and chilldown of the transfer lines to the Centaur upper stage liquid oxygen system.

[tnt22]

Jul 30, 2020 12:31

Centaur LO2 Loading Begins

With the thermal conditioning, or chilldown, now complete, liquid oxygen has started to flow into the Centaur upper stage for today's launch. About 4,150 gallons of liquid oxygen will be loaded into Centaur.

[tnt22]

Jul 30, 2020 12:33

Weather conditions remain GO across the board.

[tnt22]

Jul 30, 2020 12:53

Atlas LO2 loading begins

Filling of the Atlas V rocket's largest tank has begun. About 48,800 gallons of super-cold oxidizer for the main engine is flowing into the liquid oxygen tank on common core booster first stage.

[tnt22]

Jul 30, 2020 12:56

The Centaur liquid oxygen tank is topping to flight level.

[tnt22]

Источник

[tnt22]

Jul 30, 2020 13:17

Centaur LH2 Loading Begins

The launch team has received the "go" to begin filling the Centaur upper stage with the super-cold liquid hydrogen fuel following chilldown of the system. The Centaur holds about 12,300 gallons of the cryogenic propellant for this two-burn mission to achieve an interplanetary trajectory to Mars.

[tnt22]

Jul 30, 2020 13:21

The countdown is passing T-minus 1 hour. We will be taking the clocks down to T-minus 4 minutes where they will hold for 30 minutes while managers perform the final readiness polls. Liftoff remains targeted for 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 UTC).

Today marks the 85th flight for Atlas V. The vehicle has a 100 percent mission success record for the Defense Department, the National Reconnaissance Office, NASA and commercial customers.

[tnt22]

 Spaceflight Now @SpaceflightNow 3 мин. назад

Now inside 90 minutes to launch of NASA's Mars 2020 mission, ULA is in the final phase of loading propellant into the Atlas 5 rocket as the first hues of sunrise appear on the eastern horizon at Cape Canaveral.

WATCH LIVE: https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/07/28/atlas-5-av-088-mission-status-center/...

[tnt22]

Jul 30, 2020 13:29

Flight control final preps are getting underway. This is the steering test pattern run on the Atlas V engine nozzles to ensure proper gimbaling during the ascent.

[tnt22]

Jul 30, 2020 13:35

The high-pressure helium bottles for first stage main engine pneumatics are being charged for flight.

[tnt22]

Источник

[tnt22]

Jul 30, 2020 13:41

Fast-filling of the first stage liquid oxygen tank has been completed. Topping mode is now underway. The cryogenics will be replenished throughout the countdown until the final minutes before launch to replace the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen that naturally boils away.

[tnt22]

Трансляция NSF - youtu.be/YJIn5iBE46E

[tnt22]

Jul 30, 2020 13:42

The liquid hydrogen tank in the Centaur upper stage just reached the 96 percent level. Topping is beginning.

[tnt22]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/07/28/atlas-5-av-088-mission-status-center/

07/30/2020 13:50 Stephen Clark

One hour until launch. Here are some statistics on this morning's mission:

• 667th launch for Atlas program since 1957
• 369th Atlas launch from Cape Canaveral
• 256th mission of a Centaur upper stage
• 233rd use of Centaur by an Atlas rocket
• 502nd production RL10 engine to be launched
• 33rd RL10C-1 engine launched
• 91st flight of an RD-180 main engine
• 124th-127th AJ-60 solid rocket boosters flown
• 85th launch of an Atlas 5 since 2002
• 23rd Atlas 5 launch for NASA
• 70th launch of an Atlas 5 from Cape Canaveral
• 4th Atlas 5 launch of 2020
• 125th Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle flight
• 140th United Launch Alliance flight overall
• 77th Atlas 5 under United Launch Alliance
• 100th United Launch Alliance flight from Cape Canaveral
• 30th 500-series flight of the Atlas 5
• 7th Atlas 5 to fly in the 541 configuration
• 97th launch from Complex 41
• 70th Atlas 5 to use Complex 41
• 15th orbital launch overall from Cape Canaveral in 2020

[tnt22]

Jul 30, 2020 13:55

Today's launch availability extends from 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 UTC) to 9:50 a.m. EDT (1350 UTC). Liftoff is possible every five minutes within that two-hour period, for a total of 25 opportunities at launch this morning.

The window timing and duration are dictated by the orbital mechanics dictating the launch of Mars 2020 and the Atlas V rocket's robust ability to meet those parameters.

The Atlas V rocket has the ability to launch Perseverance when the motions of Earth and Mars are aligned just right to send a spacecraft from one planet to the other.

[tnt22]

07/30/2020 13:55 Stephen Clark

The Atlas 5 rocket is now fully fueled with liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, kerosene and solid propellants. The launcher weighs around 1.17 million pounds fully loaded, and its RD-180 main engine and four solid rocket boosters will generate 2.3 million pounds of thrust at full power.

The rocket's cryogenic hydrogen and oxygen supplies will be slowly replenished until the final minutes of the countdown, as the propellants boil off in the warm Florida atmosphere.

[tnt22]

Трансляция пуска началась - youtu.be/JIB3JbIIbPU