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NOAA-N satellite arrives at Vandenberg for launch NASA NEWS RELEASE Posted: January 13, 2005 The latest polar-orbiting operational environmental satellite developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), called NOAA-N, arrived today by C5A military cargo aircraft at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. NOAA-N will undergo final testing and launch processing prior to its scheduled March 19 launch. The satellite will be launched from the Western Range at Vandenberg AFB by a two-stage Boeing Delta 2 7320-10 space launch vehicle. NOAA-N will be prepared for launch in a NASA payload processing facility located on north Vandenberg AFB. On Jan. 14, the satellite will be removed from its shipping container and rotated from the horizontal to vertical position. The following day, it will be mated to the Delta 2 payload attach fitting and placed on a test stand. System testing of the NOAA-N spacecraft is scheduled to begin on Jan. 21. At Space Launch Complex 2, the first stage of the Boeing Delta 2 rocket was erected on the launch pad on Jan. 12. Attachment of the solid rocket boosters is scheduled for Jan. 17 and will be followed by hoisting the second stage atop the first stage on Jan. 18. NOAA-N is the latest satellite in the Advanced Television Infrared Observational Satellites - N (ATN) series built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. This spacecraft will continue to provide a polar-orbiting platform to support environmental monitoring instruments for imaging and measuring the Earth's atmosphere, its surface and cloud cover, including Earth radiation, atmospheric ozone, aerosol distribution, sea surface temperature, and vertical temperature and water profiles in the troposphere and stratosphere. It will assist in measuring proton and electron flux at orbit altitude, collecting data from remote platforms and will assist the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking system. Additionally, NOAA-N is the fourth in the series to support dedicated microwave instruments for the generation of temperature, moisture, surface, and hydrological products in cloudy regions where visible and infrared instruments have decreased capability. Once on orbit, NOAA-N will be renamed NOAA-18 and will provide measurements of the Earth's surface and atmosphere that will be entered into NOAA's weather forecasting models and used for other environmental studies. Each day, polar-orbiting operational environmental satellites send global measurements to NOAA's Command and Data Acquisition station computers, adding vital information to forecasting models, especially over the oceans, where conventional data is lacking. |
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A Boeing Delta 2 rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral carrying NASA's comet-smashing probe called Deep Impact. This extended clip follows the mission through second stage ignition and jettison of the rocket's nose cone. (5min 37sec file)
A camera located at Cape Canaveral's Press Site 1 location offers this view of the Delta rocket's ascent. (1min 24sec file)
A Boeing Delta 2 rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral carrying NASA's comet-smashing probe called Deep Impact. This extended clip follows the mission through second stage ignition and jettison of the rocket's nose cone. (5min 37sec file)
A Boeing Delta 2 rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral carrying NASA's comet-smashing probe called Deep Impact. This extended clip follows the mission through second stage ignition and jettison of the rocket's nose cone. (5min 37sec file)
The mobile service tower is rolled back from the Boeing Delta 2 rocket, exposing the vehicle at launch pad 17B just before daybreak. (3min 21sec file)
Assembly of the Boeing Delta 2 rocket at launch pad 17B and mating of the Deep Impact spacecraft is presented in this video package with expert narration. (6min 12sec file)
The pre-launch campaign of Deep Impact at Cape Canaveral is presented in this video package with expert narration by a spacecraft team member. (5min 32sec file)