Author Topic: LIVE: Delta II - Phoenix, August 4, 2007  (Read 74077 times)

Offline Jim

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LIVE: Delta II - Phoenix, August 4, 2007
« on: 05/08/2007 12:48 am »
The spacecraft has arrived at KSC this evening

Offline MKremer

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Re: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #1 on: 05/08/2007 03:33 am »
Thanks, Jim. Will Phoenix be at the Astrotech facilities, too?
If so, they'll be plenty busy with both Dawn and Phoenix - two pretty big missions (with critical timelines) processing through at almost the same time.

Offline CFE

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Re: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #2 on: 05/08/2007 04:07 am »
Did NASA ever consider switching Phoenix to Atlas V from Delta II?  The agency seems to be promoting Atlas V for future Mars probes, but keeping Delta II makes the most sense because Phoenix was designed for Delta II launch loads.
"Black Zones" never stopped NASA from flying the shuttle.

Offline MKremer

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Re: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #3 on: 05/08/2007 05:20 am »
Quote
CFE - 7/5/2007  11:07 PM

Did NASA ever consider switching Phoenix to Atlas V from Delta II?  The agency seems to be promoting Atlas V for future Mars probes, but keeping Delta II makes the most sense because Phoenix was designed for Delta II launch loads.
In short, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ (which includes additional new and differenct course calculations (different booster/stages = completely different course patamaters and timings. integration design/engineering/spacecraft, plus their instruments (whatever parts/experiment or can't be recovered) lost, too);


Offline Analyst

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Re: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #4 on: 05/08/2007 07:40 am »
Quote
CFE - 8/5/2007  6:07 AM

Did NASA ever consider switching Phoenix to Atlas V from Delta II?  The agency seems to be promoting Atlas V for future Mars probes, but keeping Delta II makes the most sense because Phoenix was designed for Delta II launch loads.

Why? NASA is very happy with the Delta II and science fears the end of Delta II flights at the beginning of the next decade. I still wonder if launching DMSP and GPS on EELVs is the most cost effective way comared to using Delta II. But it has been decided to do so.

Analyst

Offline CFE

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Re: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #5 on: 05/08/2007 08:21 am »
How many Delta II's are left, and will more be built?  I suppose that Atlas V is baselined for the 2009 Mars Science Lab mission, but there could still be debate as to which booster should be baselined for future Mars probes.
"Black Zones" never stopped NASA from flying the shuttle.

Offline Analyst

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RE: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #6 on: 05/08/2007 08:47 am »
There are about 20 flights left.

Discovery, Midex, Mars/Mars Scout and EOS missions (from Vandenberg) all use/used Delta II. Delta II was quite cheap when it launched GPS AND all these missions above (and Globalstar and Iridium). With GPS switching to EELV and the NASA science program reduced (much less missions in all the above programs), Delta II gets more and more expensive per mission, which results in even fewer science missions which in turn ...

I doubt any replacement (?) will achive the flexibility (CCAFS, Vandenberg; two and three stages; different types and number of solids) and reliability (~98%) of Delta II within the next decade. Today Delta II may almost be as expensive as the cheapest EELV. But this does not mean it won't be missed, because it has been much less expensive with a higher flight rate. It will be a great loss.

Analyst

Offline Jim

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Re: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #7 on: 05/08/2007 11:26 am »
Quote
MKremer - 7/5/2007  11:33 PM

Thanks, Jim. Will Phoenix be at the Astrotech facilities, too?
If so, they'll be plenty busy with both Dawn and Phoenix - two pretty big missions (with critical timelines) processing through at almost the same time.

Nope, PHSF

Offline Jim

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Re: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #8 on: 05/08/2007 11:29 am »
Quote
CFE - 7/5/2007  12:07 AM

Did NASA ever consider switching Phoenix to Atlas V from Delta II?  The agency seems to be promoting Atlas V for future Mars probes, but keeping Delta II makes the most sense because Phoenix was designed for Delta II launch loads.

Never was considered.  Also "The agency seems to be promoting Atlas V for future Mars probes"  is not true.  Atlas V just happened to win the competition.  There was no overt (or  convert for the matter) action by NASA to favor any one LV

Offline Jim

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Re: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #9 on: 05/08/2007 11:35 am »
Quote
CFE - 8/5/2007  4:21 AM

How many Delta II's are left, and will more be built?  I suppose that Atlas V is baselined for the 2009 Mars Science Lab mission, but there could still be debate as to which booster should be

There are 5 GPS left.   11 NASA .  4 commerical.  There are also some unassigned vehicles.

Most of the vehicles are not built yet, but are in different stages of assembly.

Thee will be no " baselining of any booster".   Each launch will be completed

Offline punkboi

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RE: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #10 on: 05/08/2007 05:35 pm »

Photos of Phoenix's arrival at KSC:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/07pd1055-m.jpg" width="722" border="0" />

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/07pd1058-m.jpg" width="722" border="0" />

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/07pd1060-m.jpg" width="722" border="0" />


Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #11 on: 05/08/2007 06:05 pm »
Lockheed Martin delivers Phoenix Mars lander spacecraft to NASA

Next Mission to Mars Working Toward August Launch

DENVER, May 8, 2007 – A NASA spacecraft touched down on the coast of Florida after a brief 3-½ hour trip from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, but the spacecraft’s next and final trip will be a 9-½ month journey to Mars.

The spacecraft, the Phoenix Mars Lander, was delivered by its builder Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] aboard an Air Force C-17 to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla. May 7. The vehicle will undergo three more months of testing and integration in preparation for its launch on a Delta II launch vehicle in early August.

Phoenix is NASA’s next mission to Mars and is the first mission of NASA's Mars Scout Program. Scheduled to arrive at Mars in May 2008, the spacecraft will land on the icy northern latitudes of Mars. During its 90-day primary mission, Phoenix will dig trenches with its robotic arm into the frozen layers of water below the surface. The spacecraft will use various on-board instruments to analyze the contents of the ice and soil – checking for the presence of organic compounds and other conditions favorable for life.

“We’ve worked closely with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of Arizona to design and build an amazing spacecraft,” said Jim Crocker, vice president of Sensing and Exploration Systems at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Denver. “The Phoenix mission is thrilling as it will be the first spacecraft to land in the polar regions of Mars and will also be the first to touch water.”

The Phoenix spacecraft was previously known at the 2001 Mars Surveyor lander, before the mission was canceled in 2000 and the spacecraft was mothballed. In early 2006, the spacecraft started the assembly, test and launch operations (ATLO) period of the now Phoenix mission.  

“It’s taken a great deal of dedication and hard work to bring us to this moment,” said Ed Sedivy, Phoenix program manager at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. “I’m proud that we have been able to get a well-tested Phoenix to the launch site ahead of schedule and maintain focus on ensuring mission success for our customer.”

The University of Arizona, Tucson, leads the Phoenix mission.  The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Phoenix Mars Lander for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, a major operating unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation, designs, develops, tests, manufactures and operates a full spectrum of advanced-technology systems for national security, civil and commercial customers. Chief products include human space flight systems; a full range of remote sensing, navigation, meteorological and communications satellites and instruments; space observatories and interplanetary spacecraft; laser radar; fleet ballistic missiles; and missile defense systems.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2006 sales of $39.6 billion.
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Offline simonbp

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Re: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #12 on: 05/08/2007 07:13 pm »
Quote
CFE - 7/5/2007  11:07 PM

Did NASA ever consider switching Phoenix to Atlas V from Delta II?  The agency seems to be promoting Atlas V for future Mars probes, but keeping Delta II makes the most sense because Phoenix was designed for Delta II launch loads.

American Mars missions today fall into two classes: flagship and scout. Flagship missions, like MRO or MSL, are generally big enough to require an Atlas V. Scout missions, like Phoenix and the aerometry orbiter, are smaller and low-cost, and thus suited for a Delta II...

Simon ;)

Offline CFE

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Re: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #13 on: 05/09/2007 02:20 am »
Quote
Jim - 8/5/2007  5:35 AM
Thee will be no " baselining of any booster".   Each launch will be completed

I don't think I comprehend what you're trying to say.  All payloads, if designed correctly, have a booster in mind (baselined,) or are designed to a set of loads that encompasses the loads for several launch vehicles.  In the case of Phoenix, the 2001 Lander had a Delta II as a baseline booster.
"Black Zones" never stopped NASA from flying the shuttle.

Offline punkboi

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Re: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #14 on: 05/09/2007 06:05 am »

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/07pd1061-m.jpg" width="482" border="0" />

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/07pd1065-m.jpg" width="720" border="0" />

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/07pd1066-m.jpg" width="720" border="0" />

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/punkboi/07pd1067-m.jpg" width="720" border="0" />


Offline Jim

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Re: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #15 on: 05/09/2007 11:06 am »
Quote
CFE - 8/5/2007  10:20 PM
 are designed to a set of loads that encompasses the loads for several launch vehicles.  .

since the last buy of 19 Delta II's, any mission larger than a small class has to be dual compatible with either EELV until selection


Offline jacqmans

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Re: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #16 on: 05/09/2007 04:14 pm »
RELEASE: 18-07

NASA'S NEXT MARS SPACECRAFT CROSSES THE MISSISSIPPI

A U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft carried NASA's Phoenix Mars
Lander spacecraft Monday, May 7, from Colorado to Florida, where
Phoenix will start a much longer trip in August.

After launch, Phoenix will land on a Martian arctic plain next spring.
It will use a robotic digging arm and other instruments to determine
whether the soil environment just beneath the surface could have been
a favorable habitat for microbial life. Studies from orbit suggest
that within arm's reach of the surface, the soil holds frozen water.

"This is a critical milestone for our mission," said Peter Smith of
the University of Arizona, Tucson, principal investigator for
Phoenix. "Our expert engineering team has completed assembly and
testing of the spacecraft. The testing shows our instruments are
capable of meeting the high-level requirements for the mission."

Workers have been assembling and testing the spacecraft for more than
a year in Denver. "We're excited to be going back to Mars," said Ed
Sedivy, Phoenix program manager at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co.,
Denver. "Assembly, integration and testing of the spacecraft have
gone very well. We delivered Phoenix stowed inside its back shell,
and it will stay in that configuration until it lands softly on
Mars."

A Delta II launch vehicle will start Phoenix on its longer trip from
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The earliest possible launch
time will be Aug. 3, at 5:35 a.m. EDT. Opportunities for
energy-efficient launches to Mars come about every two years. Orbital
geometries of Mars and Earth make this year particularly favorable
for sending a lander to far-northern Mars to arrive when sunshine is
at a maximum there.

"The arctic plains are the right place for the next step in Mars
exploration, and this is the right time to go there," said Leslie
Tamppari, Phoenix project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "We expect to touch Martian ice for the
first time, a real leap in NASA's follow-the-water strategy. The
lander needs solar energy, and we will arrive for a three-month prime
mission right at the end of northern Mars' spring."

Phoenix will be prepared for launch in a payload processing facility
at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The first checkout activity will
be a spin-balance test May 10 and 11. This will be followed on May 15
by installation of the heat shield and then a separation test. The
next major milestones, during the third week of May, will be a
landing radar integration test and launch system verification test.
The last week of May will include an entry, descent and landing
system verification test, followed by a guidance navigation and
control test.

The rocket that will launch Phoenix is a Delta II 7925, manufactured
by United Launch Alliance, Denver. The first stage is scheduled to be
hoisted into the launcher of Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station the third week of June. Nine strap-on solid rocket boosters
will then be raised and attached. The second stage, which burns
hypergolic propellants, will be hoisted atop the first stage the
first week of July. The fairing, which surrounds the spacecraft, will
then be hoisted into the clean room of the mobile service tower.

Next, engineers will perform several tests of the Delta II. In
mid-July, as a leak check, the first stage will be loaded with liquid
oxygen during a simulated countdown. The next day, a simulated flight
test will be performed, simulating the vehicle's post-liftoff flight
events without fuel aboard. The electrical and mechanical systems of
the entire Delta II will be exercised during this test. Once the
Phoenix payload is placed atop the launch vehicle in the third week
of July, a major test will be conducted: an integrated test of the
Delta II and Phoenix working together. This will be a combined minus
count and plus count, simulating all events as they will take place
on launch day, but without propellants aboard the vehicle. Finally,
one week before launch, the Delta II payload fairing will be
installed around the Phoenix lander.

The NASA Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center and the
United Launch Alliance are responsible for the launch of the Delta
II.

Phoenix is the first mission of NASA's Mars Scout Program of
competitively proposed, relatively low-cost missions to Mars.
Selected in 2003, Phoenix saves expense by using a lander structure
and some other components originally built for a 2001 mission that
was canceled while in development. Smith of the University of Arizona
leads the Phoenix mission, with project management at JPL and
development partnership at Lockheed Martin. International
contributions are provided by the Canadian Space Agency, the
University of Neuchatel (Switzerland), the University of Copenhagen
(Denmark), the Max Planck Institute (Germany) and the Finnish
Meteorological Institute. JPL is a division of the California
Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Additional information about
Phoenix is available online at:

http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu


-end-
Jacques :-)

Offline simonbp

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Re: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #17 on: 05/09/2007 06:17 pm »
Quote
Jim - 9/5/2007  6:06 AM

since the last buy of 19 Delta II's, any mission larger than a small class has to be dual compatible with either EELV until selection

Are the loads larger on either Atlas or Delta IV, or just along different paths?

Simon ;)

Offline Jim

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Re: Delta II - Phoenix, August, 2007
« Reply #18 on: 05/09/2007 07:48 pm »
Quote
simonbp - 9/5/2007  2:17 PM

Quote
Jim - 9/5/2007  6:06 AM

since the last buy of 19 Delta II's, any mission larger than a small class has to be dual compatible with either EELV until selection

Are the loads larger on either Atlas or Delta IV, or just along different paths?

Simon ;)

Same path.  They all go through the payload adapter.  As for the actual loads, different shapes on an X-Y plot.

Offline jacqmans

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RE: Delta II - Phoenix, August 3, 2007
« Reply #19 on: 05/11/2007 08:44 pm »
Mission: Phoenix
Location: Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility
Launch Pad: 17-A
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7925
Launch Date: Aug. 3, 2007
Launch Time: 15:35:18 a.m. EDT

Spacecraft spin-balance testing is under way.

The spacecraft will be powered to begin testing on May 14.

The heat shield will be installed on May 15, and a separation test
will then be performed.

The spacecraft's electrical power system will undergo a final
performance test on May 17.

The flight software will be loaded aboard the spacecraft on May 21.
Jacques :-)

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