Mission Status Center

Plans call for the countdown to restart at 1 a.m. EDT tomorrow.

Officials will try to launch the flight test again tomorrow.

Originally targeting an 8 a.m. EDT launch time, the liftoff was first pushed back to give engineers time to study the loads that would be imparted by stiff upper level winds.

After clearing that issue, workers at the launch pad had to manually remove a protective sock-like cover from the tip of the 327-foot-tall rocket. Using a lanyard, the workers pulled the cover from the instrument package but it was snagged on part of the rocket.

Teams struggled for several minutes, even considering cutting the lanyard, before the cover was finally tugged free.

A cargo ship then strayed into the danger zone offshore the Space Coast, causing another brief delay.

Those issues caused the launch to miss a period of favorable weather over Cape Canaveral.

Ground winds started increasing after 10 a.m. and the triboelectrification rule, which deals with static electricity, was "no go" for most of the morning.

Launch controllers were constantly struggling with the weather, setting more than a dozen new launch times to try to keep up with the changing conditions.

Launch director Ed Mango called the scrub at 11:21 a.m. EDT after it became clear the weather would not cooperate today.

There is a 40 percent chance weather could violate rules during tomorrow's window, which also extends from 8 a.m. EDT until 12 p.m. EDT.

Meteorologists are predicted a chance of isolated rain showers and scattered clouds at 3,000 feet, 8,000 feet and 25,000 feet. Winds will be from the south-southeast at 10 knots with gusts to 15 knots.

Visibility will be 7 miles and the temperature will be between 75 degrees and 83 degrees Fahrenheit.

Meteorologists are keeping track of winds that are picking up in speed at the space center, but this is not expected to be a concern soon.

"We've been on the same roller coaster with all the folks listening in," Cowart said.

The difficulty removing the 5-hole probe was something unexpected.

"After hundreds of tests with the probe, that's the first time we've seen that failure mode," Cowart said.

Next came a cargo ship that entered the hazard area in offshore waters.

"We also had the ship entering the danger zone. Glad they got that turned around and got that fixed," Cowart said.

After the countdown began ticking toward a launch at 9:49 a.m. EDT, clocks were halted by incoming weather.

"The weather aircraft was out looking for clouds in the area. Just as he was going on his last pass ... unfortunately, he had to be honest and report it was just then passing over the pad."

Officials are optimistic they will get another shot at launching Ares 1-X this morning.

"We have hopes that within the next 45 minutes to an hour, another clear zone, which would allow us to avoid triboelectrification problem, could pass over the launch pad," Cowart said.

If a problem develops after the countdown resumes, the count will be recycled to T-minus 4 minutes and holding.

Launch test director Jeff Spaulding offered this description:

"One other thing that's a little bit different than what we've done here for quite a while is that if we get after T-minus 4 minutes and counting, if we have any kind of an issue at that point and we need to stop, we can actually recycle back to four minutes and make additional attempts in that 4-hour window if we clear that nonconformance or issue that we had. So there are opportunities for multiple launch attempts potentially throughout that window if we're able to solve whatever problem stopped us."

"Terminal count in this case is very similar to what we would do on an Atlas 5. We basically do last-minute checks with the flight computer and with the way we're talking to all the different boxes in the flight control system," said Ed Mango, Ares 1-X launch director.

"The last four minutes are similar to a shuttle last nine minutes in terms of there shouldn't be any activity the Launch Authority Team needs to worry about. During that time, the firing team has it, they have the procedures, they have the preplans to execute the procedure. If we get into a scrub and we don't fly at that moment, because we have a four-hour launch window ... it provides us an opportunity to actually turn around a launch attempt and try to launch again that same day," Mango said.

The solid rocket motor and flight termination system's safe-and-arm devices will be rotated to the "armed" position about 30 seconds after the countdown resumes.

Cooling fans inside the upper stage simulator and first stage avionics module will be terminated at T-minus 3 minutes.

The launch vehicle will switch to internal battery power at T-minus 1 minute, 59 seconds. Five seconds later, on-board data recorders will begin collecting data from the more than 700 sensors scattered across the rocket.

The flight control system will be commanded to "launch enable" at T-minus 1 minute, 40 seconds. The system will be told to go to internal power at T-minus 1 minute, 20 seconds.

The countdown sequencer will also start at T-minus 1 minute, 20 seconds.

The upper level winds issue is currently the primary topic of conversation among the launch team.

Flight dynamics engineers are also evaluating the loads the rocket will see based on today's upper level winds, which are close to the limits.

Weather is currently "go" for launch across the board.

Weather is currently "go" for launch across the board.

Engineers are also troubleshooting some glitches in the communications link between the rocket and a tracking station.

Jeff Spaulding, the launch test conductor, will poll the prime launch team inside Firing Room 1 to determine their readiness to proceed. Then Ed Mango, Ares 1-X launch director, will consult with the Launch Authority Team to verify they are prepared to enter the terminal countdown and launch.

Ed Mango provided this overview of activities during the hold:

"At T-minus 4 minutes, we'll take a poll of the Launch Authority Team. The Launch Authority Team is similar to the Mission Management Team on shuttle for its launch, really have the folks that are related to the hardware itself. That would be Bob Ess and his folks, being mission manager, and then the Constellation program led by Jeff Hanley, and he has a number of representatives that are also part of that Launch Authority Team advising him on whether we're ready to go fly that day or not."

"There's also engineering and safety people that are part of the Launch Authority Team. I will call on each of those folks during the poll, and then I hand it over to Jeff (Hanley) and ask him based on everything he's heard, if he's ready to go. I'll turn around and tell the launch team at this point we're ready to proceed."

A half-hour delay to the launch is expected, which could be fortuitous timing with an expected clearing of clouds.

The 5-hole probe cover is still on the rocket, and workers can't leave the pad until that removal is completed.

"Our chances of making (8 a.m.) are somewhat diminishing," says launch commentator George Diller.

Some fun facts for this morning's launch:

• The rocket is about as tall as a 32-story building
• Ares 1-X is nearly 143 feet taller than the space shuttle stack
• The vehicle weighs 1.8 million pounds, almost twice that of a full 747 airliner
• Liftoff thrust is 2.96 million pounds and maximum thrust is 3.3 million pounds
• That thrust is more than 23 times the power output of the Hoover Dam
• Parts on the first stage have flown on 30 space shuttle missions between 1985 and 2000.

Also, the rotating service structure is now in the park position.

The cover protects sensors at the top of the rocket, and officials are concerned rain water could freeze during launch and wreak havoc with readings from the instruments.

"We really don't want to remove that cover unless we're pretty sure we're going to go launch that day," said Jon Cowart, deputy mission manager.

It will take six seconds for the rocket to clear the launch pad, after which the roll control system will be activated to begin a 90-degree roll program. The system was borrowed from the military's Peacekeeper missile program and will fire intermittently to keep the rocket in its roll envelope.

"There was a lot of talk, especially early on, about how much roll this booster will actually impart," said Bob Ess, Ares 1-X mission manager.

Thrust variability and aerodynamic forces caused by protuberances on the vehicle could impart roll forces.

"We have a very strong roll control system on board, so we're very confident that whatever we get we'll be able to control it," Ess said.

Four programmed test inputs, or PTIs, are planned during the two minutes of powered flight to test the rocket's reaction to small maneuvers.

The maneuvers "basically move it one way, move it to center, move it the other way and move it back," Ess said. "That sinusoidal input should make the vehicle move a little bit and we'll pick that up on our sensors. We'll see it probably during our post-flight analysis a couple weeks later. It probably won't be visible to you as you watch it on TV."

The first PTI will begin at T+plus 34 seconds and deflect the first stage nozzle by about 0.12 degrees for 10 seconds.

Ares 1-X will surpass Mach 1 just under 40 seconds after liftoff and reach maximum dynamic pressure at T+plus 1 minute.

Another PTI will move the motor nozzle by 0.12 degrees for 10 seconds starting at T+plus 55 seconds.

The two final test maneuvers will occur at T+plus 75 seconds and T+plus 94 seconds, when the rocket nozzle will move 0.35 degrees back and forth, then impart a yaw input by moving 1 degree.

Burnout and stage separation should take place beginning at about T+2 minutes.

The flight will end about six minutes after liftoff with a parachuted splashdown of the first stage 147 miles east of Cape Canaveral. The upper stage simulator will be destroyed when it makes an uncontrolled impact into the Atlantic Ocean.

There is now a ceiling at 25,000 feet and the triboelectrification rule is now "red."

There was a torque tip failure earlier in the countdown and workers had to fetch a replacement before installing the upper stage access door.

Cowart says he does not expect this to impact the launch time of 8 a.m. EDT.

The first stage avionics module access arm has been secured and the upper stage arm will be retracted when it is ready.

"Because it's a seven-hour countdown, people have to get here early before we start the countdown, then we have a four-hour window and we're up to 11 hours," said Ed Mango, Ares 1-X launch director.

Engineers also wanted to ensure the avionics inside Ares 1-X would not overheat, also limiting the launch window.

The upper stage access arm still must be retracted before teams can begin moving the rotating service structure, according to George Diller, NASA launch commentator.

The flight door on the upper stage simulator has been installed as preps continue to begin retracting the rotating service structure.

"First thing that happens is we blow the hold down bolts that are holding it to the ground. There are four big bolts that hold this vehicle down and when those release, the command is sent to ignite the solid rocket booster. Just like on a shuttle, it goes from zero to three million pounds of thrust in less then half a second, then it's giong to jump off the pad."

"Those lightning tower we have back there, it'll clear those in about seven or eight seconds. Thirty-nine seconds after T-zero it goes supersonic. To me, that's phenomenal. You see 1.8 million pounds going supersonic in 39 seconds. You'll see it arcing off to the east. You see the shuttle on a lot of their flights, they go up and then head for the northeast because they're going towards the International Space Station."

"We have a separation that occurs just beneath the frustrum and then the deceleration motors will fire, which will slow the first stage down a little bit and then we'll fire some tumble motors to get it spinning. We need that to happen so the parachutes will properly deploy."

"The upper stage continues on like a giant lawn dart and it's going to hit the water about 140 miles out going a pretty good clip."

The upper stage access arm, the former gaseous oxygen vent arm, is about to be retracted away from the rocket. The fault tolerant inertial navigation unit, built by Honeywell and used on the Atlas 5 rocket, has been aligned and will soon undergo verification testing.

After the rotating service structure retracts, the TEL 4 tracking station at Cape Canaveral will align its antenna and conduct communications checks with the rocket. Software checks of the flight computer are also on tap in the next hour.

"That will allow us to continue disconnecting the vehicle stabilization system. That operation will be done and the vehicle fully disconnected at about 6 in the morning," said Jeff Spaulding, launch test director.

The vehicle stabilization system was added between the 200- and 260-foot levels of the pad's fixed service structure. The system, fitted shock absorbers, acts as a wind damper to help Ares 1-X withstand higher winds at the pad. The VSS can be disconnected in up to 30-knot winds.

"It's really not a rotation back like an arm or anything," said Ed Mango, Ares 1-X launch director. "It disconnects and then we just move back a small section of the last piece that connects to the vehicle."

"We've got quite a few folks working at the pad doing quite a few different things pretty late," Spaulding said. "So we'll be tracking those and it's a little bit different that what we've done previously. It's really based on the fact that our purges are the only active cooling on the vehicle, so we'll be disconnecting those pretty late."

Workers won't clear the pad until about 7 a.m. EDT.

Launch weather officer Kathy Winters just gave the launch team an updated forecast for this morning's window.

There is still a 60 percent chance of weather violating launch commit criteria due to triboelectrification and flight through precipitation. The forecast calls for showers in the vicinity, scattered clouds at 3,000 feet and 8,000 feet, and broken clouds at 25,000 feet.

The temperature will be between 75 degrees and 83 degrees Fahrenheit. Winds will be from the south-southeast at 12 knots with gusts up to 18 knots.

The Eastern Range will also soon begin their hold-fire checks to check their ability to halt the countdown.

The upper stage simulator purge is routed on the shuttle's former gaseous oxygen vent arm, which was modified for use on Ares 1-X. The famous "beanie cap" vent hood was removed from the arm and replaced with a new access port for the purge.

The first stage avionics module, located in the first stage's dummy fifth segment, is conditioned by plumbing from the rotating service structure, the retractable gantry used to protect space shuttles on the pad.

For an overview of the pad modifications, see our rollout story.

The concern is the rocket would build up static electricity as it flies through high level clouds containing ice or precipitation above the -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) line in the atmosphere up to the point where the vehicle's velocity reaches 3,000 feet per second.

The static, also called P-static, could disrupt communications to and from the vehicle, especially including the Range Safety restruct command link that would be used in the event of a mishap.

"If there is a high broken cloud ceiling (5/8 coverage or greater) this rule may apply. The weather reconnaissance aircraft will determine if the Ares 1-X flight path is clear of clouds for which there is a concern," says a NASA fact sheet.

The triboelectrification rule does not apply to space shuttle launches. Ares 1-X is not "treated" for surface electrification.

The official weather report for 2:55 a.m. EDT at the Shuttle Landing Facility observed a broken deck of clouds at 25,000 feet. The temperature was 78 degrees Fahrenheit and visibility was 10 miles.

A major topic of concern during yesterday's launch readiness meeting was the 5-hole probe, a suite of sensors mounted at the very tip of the 327-foot-tall rocket. The instrument package gathers a baseline set of data ahead of the rocket during flight, providing measurements to calibrate the sensors inside the rocket.

"This probe is not used by the vehicle to fly," said Bob Ess, Ares 1-X mission manager. "It's really used for us to collect data during the mission. It allows us, after the fact, to understand how we really flew, what speeds we were flying, and what angle-of-attack we were flying."

The 5-hole probe is shielded by a protective cover on the launch pad to keep water out of the system. Pad teams must retract the cover manually using lanyards, but the cover can't be put back on the rocket once it is removed. There is no access point to replace the cover at the pad or in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

The countdown timelines calls for the cover to be removed at about 6:30 a.m. EDT.

"Once you pull this cover off, you can't put it back on. If we get a big rain storm, there's a possibility of getting some water inside that probe. It still may work with the water it, or the water may blow out. But there's also a potential that the water inside the probe could freeze during ascent and cause trouble with the readings," Ess said.

The launch team will evaluate the weather before taking the cover off to decrease the odds that water will get inside the instruments.

The launch team has convened and officially begun the countdown for the launch of Ares 1-X, a 327-foot-tall one-of-a-kind test rocket.

Weighing 1.8 million pounds, the booster includes a four-segment solid-fueled first stage from the space shuttle program. Engineers built an inert fifth segment filled with avionics systems from the Atlas 5 rocket.

The upper stage and Orion crew module simulators were built by NASA's Glenn Research Center and Langley Research Center, respectively.

"This vehicle is very unique," said Ed Mango, Ares 1-X launch director. "It has shuttle components. It has Atlas components. It has some old Air Force components. And it has some new stuff that was built by NASA."

Controllers should now be preparing to power up the rocket's systems, including flight instrumentation, ground support equipment and vehicle systems.

Launch director Ed Mango and test director Jeff Spaulding gave reporters an overview of the countdown.

"It starts about seven hours before liftoff when we power up the vehicle for countdown day," Mango said. "And then we do a number of (navigation) checks and those kind of things similar to what you would do on any vehicle to make sure your guidance and navigation system is all good to go."

"The first thing that we'll be doing is coming in and powering up the vehicle, doing some of the checkouts and the alignments of the navigational systems. From that point forward, some of the major events will be happening at the pad in disconnecting some of our purges. We have two major purges we'll be disconnecting, one on the upper stage and one on the first stage avionics module. We'll be disconnecting those around 4 in the morning or so on Tuesday," Spaulding said.

For a complete overview of the launch countdown, see our comprehensive timeline.

The countdown is scheduled to get underway at 1 a.m. EDT, beginning seven hours of vehicle preparations and tests to ready Ares 1-X for launch by 8 a.m. EDT. The launch window this morning extends until 12 p.m. EDT.

The Launch Authority Team is expected to be on console at 4 a.m. EDT.

Weather during the launch window is expected to be iffy. High clouds and scattered showers could violate the triboelectrification and flight through precipitation rules. There is a 60 percent chance such weather could prohibit launch today, according to the latest forecast.

Kathy Winters, the Ares 1-X launch weather officer, said yesterday she expects the odds for good weather to decrease later in the launch window because more showers could develop.

But officials plan to wait out the weather as long as possible, if that is the only issue.

"Our plan is to use all four hours of the window," said Ed Mango, Ares 1-X launch director. "We're going to into it trying to go for the beginning of the window. If, for whatever reason, the weather is not cooperating, we will then go work around that and try to sit as long as we can before we have to make a decision to scrub for that day."

The latest observation from a weather station at the Shuttle Landing Facility shows a few clouds at 11,000 feet and at 25,000 feet.

See our photo gallery of views of launch pad 39B this evening.

The seven-hour launch countdown will commence at 1 a.m. EDT at the T-minus 6-hour, 40-minute mark.

Officials have streamlined the Ares 1-X countdown and reduced the number of required personnel from shuttle countdowns. A Prime Launch Team of 30 engineers will sit in Firing Room 1 of the Launch Control Center, accompanied by a 10-person Launch Authority Team.

"It includes all of our safety mission assurance folks, our test management folks, and all of our console engineers as well," said Jeff Spaulding, launch test director. "That's a much reduced number than we're used to. We've worked on it very hard to get a lean launch team together."

Ed Mango, Ares 1-X launch director, said the launch team is smaller because the vehicle is not as complicated as the shuttle. The number of personnel overseeing each system has also been reduced.

"We put people in the right spots instead of four or five-deep within the same firing room area, we have one or two people deep," Mango said. "That's really the key. One is doing the actual testing on the vehicle, while the other is doing the procedure."

The Launch Authority Team, or LAT, is chaired by Jeff Hanley, manager of NASA's Constellation program. The LAT also includes Mango and Bob Ess, the Ares 1-X mission manager.

Other members of the LAT include the Ares and ground systems project managers, engineering managers, and an independent chief engineer and safety official.

"They're the ones who make sure we're asking the tough questions," Mango said of the independent members.

Another 100 officials will be stationed at Hangar AE at the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

"They're there as the technical reps," Mango said. "So if we run into a problem that we can't understand or if we have a problem that needs a little more troubleshooting than what we can do on the fly within the room, then we go get their help."

About 200 launch team members are inside the firing room for a typical shuttle countdown.

"The way we're doing business is very different than shuttle. This is not as complex as a shuttle system. We don't have cryo on-board, we don't have a crew on-board and so forth," Mango said.

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Workers connected pyrotechnic ordnance on the rocket yesterday, one of the last major steps before the countdown begins at 1 a.m. EDT Tuesday morning.

"The vehicle continues to perform very well and we have no issues at all that we're working," said Bob Ess, Ares 1-X mission manager.

The forecast issued this morning by the Air Force 45th Weather Squadron still shows a 60 percent chance of weather prohibiting launch tomorrow, primarily due to concerns over precipitation in the area and triboelectrification.

Triboelectrification involves the build-up of static electricity from friction as the rocket travels through precipitation in clouds in the upper levels of the atmosphere. The static could interfere with communications links to and from the rocket.

The outlook calls for rain showers in the vicinity and scattered clouds at 3,000 feet and 8,000 feet, as well as a broken deck of cirrus clouds at 25,000 feet.

"We do expect some isolated showers, but the bigger concern is we think there be some high clouds in the area," said Kathy Winters, Ares 1-X launch weather officer.

The high clouds could violate the triboelectrification rule.

South-southeast winds are forecast between 12 knots and 18 knots, the temperature will be between 75 degrees and 83 degrees Fahrenheit.

There is a 40 percent chance of weather violating constraints Wednesday and a 30 percent chance of bad weather at launch time Thursday, if officials stage a launch attempt then.

Here is the synopsis issued by Air Force meteorologists:

"A low pressure area is forming off the east coast of Florida and a front associated with this low stretches through the southern tip of Florida. Over the next 24 hours, an upper level trough will deepen over Texas, and a surface low pressure area associated with the trough will develop in the Western Gulf of Mexico. This will amplify the ridge east of Florida, causing the front to the south to migrate north over Central Florida by Tuesday morning increasing clouds and a chance of showers."

"High clouds will be prevalent in the area where the triboelectrification rule will be evaluated. Also, the atmosphere will be moist enough to develop showers near the end of the launch window as the sea breeze develops. Our primary concerns for launch are flight through precipitation and triboelectrification. The front will migrate north slowly the next two days, gradually improving weather conditions in the Kennedy Space Center area."

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Read our earlier status center coverage.