Author Topic: LIVE: Delta II - GRAIL - September 10, 2011 (Read 169406 times)

Chris Bergin · « **on:** 05/01/2008 08:37 pm »

NASA to Launch GRAIL Satellite on United Launch Alliance Delta II in 2011

Denver, Colo., (May 1, 2008) – NASA has designated the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission to fly aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket. The launch will be provided under terms of a launch service agreement procured previously by NASA for this vehicle. The liftoff will occur from Space Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., in the third quarter of 2011.

Part of NASA's Discovery Program, GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail. The mission will also answer longstanding questions about Earth's moon and provide scientists a better understanding of how the Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed.

“We are pleased this unique mission to study the moon will launch on a Delta II Heavy vehicle,” said Michael Gass, ULA president and chief executive officer. “Delta II is an exceptional product that provides the most cost effective assured access to space for medium class payloads. Delta II has served NASA’s science community superbly for decades and will continue to serve our nation for many years to come.”

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., will manage the GRAIL mission, and Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Denver, Colo., will build the spacecraft. Scientists will use the gravity field information from the two satellites to X-ray the moon from crust to core to reveal the moon's subsurface structures and, indirectly, its thermal history.
“The Delta II’s record of mission success is unprecedented as a space launch vehicle for NASA, the Air Force and commercial missions,” said Rick Navarro, ULA Delta II program director. “We are committed to the medium market for the long-term and our current program transformation will continue to position the Delta II as the leader in this market.”

Since 1997, the Delta II record of success is unparalleled in the industry. There are 15 launches currently manifest for the Delta II over the next four years.

ULA program management, engineering, test and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo., supported by transition employees in Huntington Beach, Calif. Manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are located at Decatur, Ala., Harlingen, Texas, San Diego, Calif., and Denver, Colo. Launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

For more information on the ULA joint venture, visit the ULA website at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321).

Analyst · « **Reply #1 on:** 05/02/2008 12:20 pm »

Interesting. Late 2011. Everything else could be cheap talk, but Delta has died once already in the early 1980ies.

Analyst

Skyrocket · « **Reply #2 on:** 05/02/2008 02:05 pm »

Quote

Analyst - 2/5/2008 2:20 PM

Interesting. Late 2011. Everything else could be cheap talk, but Delta has died once already in the early 1980ies.

Analyst

In this case, it is de facto not a new launch contract, but a old one assigned a new payload. The Delta-IIH was earlier ordered for the LRO mission, which was moved to an Atlas-V launch vehicle.

Ronsmytheiii · « **Reply #3 on:** 04/08/2011 09:06 pm »

First stage of the Delta II has been lifted:

http://twitpic.com/photos/NASAKennedy

AnalogMan · « **Reply #4 on:** 04/21/2011 10:28 am »

Since no-one else has posted it, launch is currently showing as Sept 8, 2011 with lift-off nominally 8:35 am EDT (window 8:35 to 9:14 am EDT).

jacqmans · « **Reply #5 on:** 04/22/2011 09:01 pm »

Spacecraft: GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory)
Launch Vehicle: Delta II Heavy
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: 17-B
Launch Date: Sept. 8, 2011
Launch Time: 8:35:52 a.m. EDT and 9:14:35 a.m. EDT

The Delta II first stage was hoisted into the launcher at Pad 17-B on
April 7. Tentatively planned for next week, the nine solid rocket
boosters will be lifted and attached to the first stage in sets of
three. The second stage is currently scheduled to be hoisted atop the
first stage on May 10.

jacqmans · « **Reply #6 on:** 05/05/2011 07:40 pm »

Spacecraft: GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory)
Launch Vehicle: Delta II Heavy
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 17B
Launch Date: Sept. 8, 2011
Launch Time: 8:37:06 a.m. EDT and 9:16:12 a.m. EDT

At NASA's Space Launch Complex 17B, the final set of three solid
rocket boosters was mated to the Delta II this week. All nine of the
boosters now are attached to the first stage of the rocket. The
second stage currently is scheduled to be hoisted atop the first
stage on May 10. The payload fairing then will be raised into the
white room of the mobile service tower on May 12. The launch vehicle
electrical, mechanical and propulsion system testing will begin on
May 20.

GRAIL's primary science objectives will be to determine the structure
of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance
understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.

jacqmans · « **Reply #7 on:** 05/12/2011 08:09 pm »

Spacecraft: GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory)
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7920 Heavy
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 17B
Launch Date: Sept. 8, 2011
Launch Time: 8:37:06 a.m. and 9:16:12 a.m. EDT

At NASA's Space Launch Complex 17B, the second stage was hoisted atop
the first stage of the Delta II rocket on May 10. The payload fairing
is being raised into the white room of the mobile service tower
today. The launch vehicle electrical, mechanical and propulsion
system testing will begin on May 20. The solid rocket motor thruster
installation and alignment has been completed.

GRAIL's primary science objectives will be to determine the structure
of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance
understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.

jacqmans · « **Reply #8 on:** 05/19/2011 09:51 pm »

Spacecraft: GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory)
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7920 Heavy
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 17B
Launch Date: Sept. 8, 2011
Launch Time: 8:37:06 a.m. and 9:16:12 a.m. EDT

The GRAIL spacecraft is scheduled to arrive by Air Force C-17 cargo
plane on May 20. It is being shipped from the Lockheed Martin plant
in Denver, Colo.

At NASA's Space Launch Complex 17B, with the Delta II fully stacked on
the launch pad, prelaunch testing of the rocket begins on May 20.

GRAIL's primary science objectives will be to determine the structure
of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance
understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.

jacqmans · « **Reply #9 on:** 05/23/2011 08:56 pm »

Lockheed Martin Ships Twin GRAIL Spacecraft to Launch Site

23-May-2011 3:58 PM

DENVER, May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- NASA's twin GRAIL spacecraft were delivered by its builder Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) to Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on May 20. The two vehicles will undergo four months of final testing and processing in preparation for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on a United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy launch vehicle in early September.

PHOTOS: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2011/0523_ss_grail.html

The lunar orbiters will fly 30 miles (50 kilometers) above the surface of the moon in precision formation to determine the structure of the lunar interior from crust to core and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.

"It has taken a great deal of dedication and hard work from the entire team to bring us to this moment," said John Henk, GRAIL program manager at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. "Building two spacecraft simultaneously brought some challenges, but I'm proud that we are delivering them to the launch site on schedule and under budget."

"It has taken a great deal of dedication and hard work from the entire team to build two spacecraft simultaneously and achieve this delivery milestone on schedule and under budget," said John Henk, GRAIL program manager at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. "We look forward to preparing for launch and achieving total mission success on this important program."

Both of the 440-pound (200 kilograms) spacecraft were transported on an Air Force C-17 transport plane in an environmentally controlled container. The plane departed from Buckley Air Force Base near Denver and touched down at 7:40 p.m. EDT at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. The spacecraft were then transported to Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., for final launch processing.

The Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission will fly nearly-identical spacecraft in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail. The mission will also answer longstanding questions about Earth's moon, and provide scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the GRAIL mission. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, is home to the mission's principal investigator Dr. Maria Zuber. The GRAIL mission is part of the Discovery Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

jacqmans · « **Reply #10 on:** 05/24/2011 07:48 am »

News release: 2011-153 May 23, 2011

NASA's Twin Craft Arrive in Florida for Moon Mission

The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-153&cid=release_2011-153

PASADENA, Calif. - NASA's twin lunar probes have arrived in Florida to begin final preparations for a launch in late summer. The two Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory spacecraft (Grail) were shipped from Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, to the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., Friday, May 20. NASA's dynamic duo will orbit the moon to determine the structure of the lunar interior from crust to core and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.

"NASA's lunar twins have arrived at Cape Canaveral," said Maria Zuber, Grail’s principal investigator, based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge. "We're only a few full moons away from a mission that will reveal clues not only into the history of the moon and Earth, but will provide important data for future lunar exploration."

The Grail twins, known as Grail-A and Grail-B, were removed from their shipping containers Monday, May 23. Later this week, they will begin functional testing to verify their state of health after their ride on an Air Force transport jet from Colorado. Over the next four months at the Astrotech facility, the spacecraft will undergo final testing, fueling and packaging in the shroud that will protect them as the Delta II launch vehicle lifts them into space. The spacecraft will then be transported to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for installation atop the rocket that will carry them toward the moon.

Grail will be carried into space aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket lifting off from Launch Complex-19 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch period opens Sept. 8, 2011, and extends through Oct. 19. For a Sept. 8 liftoff, the launch window opens at 5:37 a.m. PDT (8:37 a.m. EDT) and remains open through 6:16 a.m. PDT (9:16 a.m. EDT).

Grail-A and Grail-B will fly in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail. The mission will also answer longstanding questions about Earth's moon, and provide scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Grail mission. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, is home to the mission's principal investigator, Maria Zuber. The Grail mission is part of the Discovery Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

More information about Grail is online at: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/grail

jacqmans · « **Reply #11 on:** 05/27/2011 03:31 pm »

Spacecraft: GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory)
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7920 Heavy
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 17B
Launch Date: Sept. 8, 2011
Launch Time: 8:37:06 a.m. EDT and 9:16:12 a.m. EDT

GRAIL arrived at the Shuttle Landing Facility by Air Force C-17 cargo
plane on May 20 from the Lockheed Martin plant in Denver, Colo. After
offloading, it was transported to the Astrotech payload processing
facility located near Kennedy Space Center. The pair of spacecraft
was then placed on individual test stands. End-to-end communications
system testing now is under way with the Deep Space Network. Solar
array inspections now also are occurring.

At NASA's Space Launch Complex 17B, with the Delta II fully stacked on
the launch pad, prelaunch testing of the rocket began on May 20.

GRAIL's primary science objectives will be to determine the structure
of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance
understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.

jacqmans · « **Reply #12 on:** 06/03/2011 09:02 pm »

Spacecraft: GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory)
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7920 Heavy
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 17B
Launch Date: Sept. 8, 2011
Launch Time: 8:37:06 a.m. EDT and 9:16:12 a.m. EDT

GRAIL spacecraft functional testing is under way. End-to-end
communications system testing is being conducted with the Deep Space
Network. Installation of thermal blankets is also in work.

At NASA's Space Launch Complex 17B, prelaunch testing of the rocket
began on May 20. A major powered-on test of the first and second
stage hydraulic systems was completed successfully May 23-25. The
Delta II launch team is now at NASA's Space Launch Complex 2 at
Vandenberg Air Force Base in California performing pre-launch testing
for the Aquarius/SAC-B launch. The next major launch vehicle test at
Cape Canaveral for GRAIL will be first stage propulsion and pneumatic
system functional checks which are scheduled to begin June 15.

GRAIL's primary science objectives will be to determine the structure
of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance
understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.

jacqmans · « **Reply #13 on:** 06/18/2011 08:02 am »

Spacecraft: GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory)
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7920 Heavy
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 17B
Launch Date: Sept. 8, 2011
Launch Time: 8:37:06 a.m. EDT and 9:16:12 a.m. EDT

At Astrotech, GRAIL spacecraft functional testing is complete. The
flight batteries were installed June 14. The spacecraft's solar
arrays were attached June 15. Installation of thermal blankets
continues.

At NASA's Space Launch Complex 17B, the first stage propulsion and
pneumatic system functional checks began on June 15. Electrical and
hydraulic checkout of the rocket will begin June 22. This will be
followed on June 27 by functional checks of the second stage
propulsion and pneumatic systems.

GRAIL's primary science objectives will be to determine the structure
of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance
understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.

jacqmans · « **Reply #14 on:** 06/24/2011 04:24 am »

Spacecraft: GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory)
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7920 Heavy
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 17B
Launch Date: Sept. 8, 2011
Launch Time: 8:37:06 a.m. EDT and 9:16:12 a.m. EDT

At Astrotech, the deployment test of the GRAIL solar arrays was
conducted June 18.

At NASA's Space Launch Complex 17B, the first stage propulsion and
pneumatic system functional checks are under way. Electrical and
hydraulic checkout of the rocket began Wednesday. This will be
followed on June 27 by functional checks of the second stage
propulsion and pneumatic systems.

GRAIL's primary science objectives will be to determine the structure
of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance
understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.

Prober · « **Reply #15 on:** 06/24/2011 10:49 pm »

Quote from: jacqmans on 06/24/2011 04:24 am

Spacecraft: GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory)
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7920 Heavy
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 17B
Launch Date: Sept. 8, 2011
Launch Time: 8:37:06 a.m. EDT and 9:16:12 a.m. EDT

At Astrotech, the deployment test of the GRAIL solar arrays was
conducted June 18.

At NASA's Space Launch Complex 17B, the first stage propulsion and
pneumatic system functional checks are under way. Electrical and
hydraulic checkout of the rocket began Wednesday. This will be
followed on June 27 by functional checks of the second stage
propulsion and pneumatic systems.

GRAIL's primary science objectives will be to determine the structure
of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance
understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon.

Been researching Delta II's from complex 17. Not clear where the launch control is located. iS area 55 on the base the joint ULA control?

Jim · « **Reply #16 on:** 06/24/2011 11:02 pm »

The OB (Operations Building) on Phillips Parkway, north of the old LOX plant

Prober · « **Reply #17 on:** 06/25/2011 06:59 pm »

Quote from: Jim on 06/24/2011 11:02 pm

The OB (Operations Building) on Phillips Parkway, north of the old LOX plant

Thx Jim

Since this is the last Delta II from the Cape, is anyone documenting (video) the assembly etc. Would be great to have. I did a lot of digging to find the old assembly hanger on this. Seems a lot of the Delta II history is locked in AF.

Jim · « **Reply #18 on:** 06/25/2011 07:49 pm »

Quote from: Prober on 06/25/2011 06:59 pm

Since this is the last Delta II from the Cape, is anyone documenting (video) the assembly etc. Would be great to have. I did a lot of digging to find the old assembly hanger on this. Seems a lot of the Delta II history is locked in AF.

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm and search on GRAIL.

Delta II doesn't use Hangar AF. It uses Hangar M.

Prober · « **Reply #19 on:** 06/25/2011 08:44 pm »

Quote from: Jim on 06/25/2011 07:49 pm

Quote from: Prober on 06/25/2011 06:59 pm

Since this is the last Delta II from the Cape, is anyone documenting (video) the assembly etc. Would be great to have. I did a lot of digging to find the old assembly hanger on this. Seems a lot of the Delta II history is locked in AF.

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm and search on GRAIL.

Delta II doesn't use Hangar AF. It uses Hangar M.

Great video on Grail......I'm hoping the Delta II is documented. You misunderstood I said AF=Air Force, should have said USAF. They still using hanger M for this last mission? Thought it was shut down.

Jim give a thumbs up to whom ever is doing the docs on this. It's like eye candy !!!