Spaceflight Now Home



The Mission




Rocket: Atlas 3B
(Atlas/Centaur-206)
Payload: NRO
Date: February 3, 2005
Time: 2:41 a.m. EST (0741 GMT)
Site: Complex 36B, Cape Canaveral, Florida
Broadcast: AMC 4, Transponder 17, C-band, 101° West

Mission Status Center

Pre-launch preview story

Launch events timeline

Ground track map

Launch hazard area

Atlas archive



Launch weather forecast
Posted: January 31, 2005

 Forecast for Thursday, February 3

Issued: Monday, January 31
Launch Weather Officer: F. Clay Flinn, 45th Weather Squadron

Synoptic Discussion: "The cold front that passed through the area yesterday will bring slightly cooler temperatures today with moderate temperature by mid-week. Winds will be from the North early in the week and become from the Northeast toward mid-week. A developing trough in the Gulf of Mexico will slowly migrate toward the peninsula near mid-week. With the approaching trough near the peninsula, winds will become from the Southwest on launch day. Expect isolated showers and increased cloudiness Wednesday afternoon through the launch window.

"The main concerns for launch day are thick clouds and disturbed weather.

"In the event of a 24-hour delay, conditions improve slightly as the low pressure system is expected to be East of the peninsula; however, thick clouds and isolated showers associated with the close proximity of the low are expected along with a tighter pressure gradient with gusty Northwest winds."

Clouds: Stratocumulus Broken at 2,000 feet with tops at 6,000 feet; Altocumulus Broken at 10,000 feet with tops at 14,000 feet; Cirrus Overcast at 24,000 feet with tops at 30,000 feet

Visibility: 7 miles

Launch Pad Winds: Southwesterly from 220 degrees at 10 gusting to 15 knots

Temperature: 58 degrees F

Relative Humidity: 95 percent

Weather: Isolated Showers

Solar Activity: Low

Probability of Violating Weather Constraints: 80 percent

Concerns: Thick clouds, disturbed weather, Isolated showers

 

 Forecast for 24-hour delay

Friday's Probability of Violating Constraints: 60 percent
Concerns: Thick clouds, Isolated showers

 

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.
 Choose your store:
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.
 Choose your store:
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.
 Choose your store:
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.
 Choose your store:
U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

Expedition 20
The official embroidered patch for the International Space Station Expedition 20 crew is now available from our stores.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

STS-128 patch
The official embroidered patch for shuttle Discovery's flight to deliver equipment and research gear to the space station.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE



Hubble Patch
The official embroidered patch for mission STS-125, the space shuttle's last planned service call to the Hubble Space Telescope, is available for purchase.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

New DVD!
One Giant Leap

Hosted by Corbin Bernsen, this award winning documentary marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. space agency and features exclusive interviews with veteran astronauts.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE
MISSION STATUS CENTER

INDEX | PLUS | NEWS ARCHIVE | LAUNCH SCHEDULE
ASTRONOMY NOW | STORE

ADVERTISE

© 2009 Spaceflight Now Inc.