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NASA's Aura satellite delivered to Vandenberg NASA AND NORTHROP GRUMMAN NEWS RELEASES Posted: April 5, 2004
"The entire Aura team is very excited to see all our efforts come to fruition and is looking forward to a successful launch," said Rick Pickering, Aura Project Manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The 22.5-foot-tall, 3.25-ton satellite will serve as a space-based chemical laboratory, helping scientists to better understand the Earth's ozone, air quality and climate. "Shipping a satellite to the launch site is an exciting and momentous step towards achieving the ultimate goal of getting it on-orbit and operating," said Dana Southwood, Northrop Grumman's EOS program manager. "Once on-orbit, Aura's instruments will gather the most comprehensive measurements of atmospheric gases ever, including ozone. Aura is the first satellite capable of collecting data that will allow scientists to gauge the concentration and movement of gases in the troposphere -- the region of the Earth's atmosphere some seven to 10 miles above its surface that most affects daily human life." The satellite was nestled into a special shipping container that was also used to transport Aqua and Terra, NASA's other two major EOS satellites. The container was transported by an air-ride tractor-trailer and driven 170 miles north, along a carefully planned route, to Vandenberg from the Northrop Grumman Space Technology sector's Space Park manufacturing facility in Redondo Beach. Aura will be tested one final time at Vandenberg Air Force Base, mated with a Delta II rocket and then undergo processing for an early summer launch.
Aura is a member of Northrop Grumman's T-300 family of spacecraft, designed to provide low-jitter, precision pointing and longevity for scientific and remote-sensing payloads. Aura uses the same spacecraft bus as Aqua, its Northrop Grumman-built fraternal twin. Northrop Grumman Space Technology, based in Redondo Beach, Calif., develops a broad range of systems at the leading edge of space, defense and electronics technology. The sector creates products for U.S. military and civilian customers that contribute significantly to the nation's security and leadership in science and technology. The Aura spacecraft is part of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, a long-term research effort to determine how human-induced and natural changes affect global environment. |
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On April 5, 1991, space shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Kennedy Space Center carrying the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory -- NASA's second Great Observatory. (3min 15sec file)
On April 4, 1983, space shuttle Challenger launched on its maiden voyage. The ship carried a crew of four astronauts and NASA's first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite. (2min 08sec file)
New pictures and science results from the Spirit and Opportunity rovers on Mars are presented at this briefing from Thursday, April 1. (52min 57sec file)
NASA's experimental X-43A hypersonic research aircraft is successfully launched by a Pegasus rocket off the coast of California on March 27. (2min 40sec file)
Scientists present evidence from the Mars rover Opportunity during this Tuesday news conference that shows the landing site was once the bottom of a salty sea. (76min 48sec file)
Neil Armstrong accepts the Rotary National Space Trophy for career contributions in aerospace. He says President Bush's plan to return to the Moon is economically feasible and has "substantial merit and promise." (12min 10sec)
