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Rocket trouble delays Rosetta until next week BY JUSTIN RAY SPACEFLIGHT NOW Posted: February 27, 2004 Launch of Europe's ambitious Rosetta mission to orbit a comet and deliver a tiny lander onto the icy surface has been postponed yet again -- this time by insulating foam that detached from the Ariane 5 rocket's main stage.
After reprogramming the mission to target another comet, Thursday morning's initial launch attempt was thwarted by high-altitude wind conditions. While preparing for another countdown Thursday evening, the foam trouble prompted officials to halt the launch. This delay is expected to stretch into early next week. To make repairs and perform a thorough inspection of the main stage, the Ariane 5 must be rolled off the launch pad and returned to its assembly building. The rocket's main stage uses super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to feed the Vulcain 1 engine during the first 10 minutes of flight. The stage is covered with insulation to protect the cryogenic propellants inside -- a concept similar to the foam on space shuttle external tanks. There is not yet a sense of urgency to get Rosetta airborne. The available period in which the craft can embark on its trek to comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko extends to March 17. Rosetta will travel 10 years before arriving at its destination, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit a comet. A lander called Philae will separate from the Rosetta mothership and land on the comet's nucleus for detailed research.
"Working in unison, the lander and the orbiter will revolutionize our understanding of comets," Rosetta project scientist Gerhard Schwehm said. "They will lead to amazing discoveries about the most primitive building blocks of the solar system."
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Flight data file Vehicle: Ariane 5 (V158) Payload: Rosetta Launch date: March 2, 2004 Launch time: 0717:44 GMT (2:17:44 a.m. EST) Launch site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana, South America Pre-launch briefing Mission overview - A sheet of facts covering the Rosetta mission. Launch timeline - Chart with times and descriptions of events to occur during the launch. Launch windows - Listing of the times to launch in coming days. Spacecraft - A look at the sophisticated Rosetta space probe. Comets - Once a myth, now an object of study. Ariane index - A directory of our previous Ariane launch coverage. Gemini 7 Gemini 7: The NASA Mission Reports covers this 14-day mission by Borman and Lovell as they demonstrated some of the more essential facts of space flight. Includes CD-ROM.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo patches The Apollo Patch Collection: Includes all 12 Apollo mission patches plus the Apollo Program Patch. Save over 20% off the Individual price. U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars Rover mission patch A mission patch featuring NASA's Mars Exploration Rover is available from our online.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo 9 DVD On the road to the moon, the mission of Apollo 9 stands as an important gateway in experience and procedures. This 2-DVD collection presents the crucial mission on the voyage to the moon.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Soviet Space For the first time ever available in the West. Rocket & Space Corporation Energia: a complete pictorial history of the Soviet/Russian Space Program from 1946 to the present day all in full color. Available from our store.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Viking patch This embroidered mission patch celebrates NASA's Viking Project which reached the Red Planet in 1976.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo 7 DVD For 11 days the crew of Apollo 7 fought colds while they put the Apollo spacecraft through a workout, establishing confidence in the machine what would lead directly to the bold decision to send Apollo 8 to the moon just 2 months later.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Gemini 12 Gemini 12: The NASA Mission Reports covers the voyage of James Lovell and Buzz Aldrin that capped the Gemini program's efforts to prove the technologies and techniques that would be needed for the Apollo Moon landings. Includes CD-ROM.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Get e-mail updates Sign up for our NewsAlert service and have the latest news in astronomy and space e-mailed direct to your desktop (privacy note: your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose). |
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