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Commercial and US Government Launch Vehicles => ULA - Delta, Atlas, Vulcan => Topic started by: Chris Bergin on 06/22/2010 08:48 pm

Title: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 06/22/2010 08:48 pm
Launch Coverage Sponsored by ATK:
(http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ATK.jpg) (http://www.atk.com)


June 22, 2010

CONTRACT RELEASE: C10-036

NASA AWARDS LAUNCH SERVICES CONTRACT FOR OCO-2 MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA has selected Orbital Sciences Corp. of
Dulles, Va., to launch the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2)
mission. The spacecraft will fly in February 2013 aboard a Taurus XL
3110 rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The total cost of the OCO-2 launch services is approximately $70
million. The estimated cost includes the task-ordered launch service
for a Taurus XL 3110 rocket, plus additional services under other
contracts for payload processing, OCO-2 mission-unique support,
launch vehicle integration, and tracking, data and telemetry support.


OCO-2 is NASA's first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon
dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the leading human-produced greenhouse gas
driving changes in the Earth's climate. OCO-2 will provide the first
complete picture of human and natural carbon dioxide sources and
"sinks," the places where the gas is pulled out of the atmosphere and
stored. It will map the global geographic distribution of these
sources and sinks and study their changes over time. The OCO-2
spacecraft will replace OCO-1, lost during a launch vehicle failure
in 2009.

The OCO-2 project is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, Calif. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space
Center in Florida is responsible for launch vehicle program
management of the Taurus XL 3110 rocket.

For more information about NASA and agency missions, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov 

Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: Lee Jay on 06/22/2010 08:50 pm
This one's going to go better, I trust (and hope).  Best of luck to Orbital!
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: Ben the Space Brit on 06/24/2010 01:05 pm
This one's going to go better, I trust (and hope). 

Shh! Don't jinx it!  ;)
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: bolun on 06/23/2011 08:55 pm
NASA Suspends Payments on Launch Contract with Orbital

Thu, 23 June, 2011

WASHINGTON — NASA is suspending payments on a nearly $70 million contract with Orbital Sciences Corp. for launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO)-2 environmental satellite aboard a Taurus XL rocket, which failed in its last two missions.

Dulles, Va.-based Orbital remains under contract to build OCO-2, a duplicate of the $200 million carbon-mapping satellite destroyed in a 2009 Taurus XL launch failure blamed on payload-fairing separation error. However, the $68.1 million NASA had budgeted for a February 2013 Taurus XL launch of OCO-2 has been “temporarily put on hold” as the agency evaluates “launch services options for the OCO-2 mission,” according to NASA’s 2011 initial operating plan.

http://www.spacenews.com/civil/110623-nasa-suspends-payments-orbital.html
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: sdsds on 06/23/2011 11:34 pm
NASA Suspends Payments on Launch Contract with Orbital

http://www.spacenews.com/civil/110623-nasa-suspends-payments-orbital.html

Ouch.

Quote
“I would go more than recertified, personally,” Michael Freilich, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division, told Space News in May. “I would go demonstrated.”

Is there another payload that could be launched by Taurus XL?  What customer would accept the risks (that Freilich apparently won't accept) of riding on a demonstration flight?
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: Malderi on 06/23/2011 11:52 pm
Probably one that gets a substantial discount.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: Antares on 06/24/2011 01:38 am
Iridium?
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: HMXHMX on 06/24/2011 05:13 am
Iridium?

Orbcomm?
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: A_M_Swallow on 06/24/2011 06:04 am
Possibly a test payload containing recording equipment, cameras and other sensors that permits what the fairing actually does to be seen.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: sdsds on 07/23/2011 04:36 am
Does this enable OCO-2?

Quote
Thompson also said Orbital has completed a review of the March failure of its smaller Taurus XL rocket, whose fairing malfunctioned for the second consecutive time. In both cases the principal payloads were NASA science satellites whose combined cost is estimated at more than $600 million.
http://www.spacenews.com/launch/110722-taurus-debut-delayed.html
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: ugordan on 07/23/2011 06:45 am
Enable it in what way?
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: Ronsmytheiii on 08/08/2011 09:25 pm
Enable it in what way?

ORS-1 launch used modified fairing that worked successfully

Quote
Thompson also said Orbital has completed a review of the March failure of its smaller Taurus XL rocket, whose fairing malfunctioned for the second consecutive time. In both cases the principal payloads were NASA science satellites whose combined cost is estimated at more than $600 million.

Orbital’s June 29 flight of a Minotaur rocket, a converted ICBM, used a fairing that had been redesigned to account for the two Taurus XL failures. The launch, carrying the U.S. Defense Department’s Operationally Responsive Space-1 satellite into low Earth orbit, was a success
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: ugordan on 08/08/2011 09:42 pm
Wasn't the same fairing previosuly successfully flown on Minotaurs also flown on the first ill-fated Taurus?

In any case, I doubt this "enables" OCO-2. Methinks NASA is still going to go by the old fool me once... saying.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: zaitcev on 02/11/2012 03:26 am
According to SFN, OCO-2 was taken off Taurus.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1202/10oco2/
Quote
While NASA holds another competition for OCO 2's launch, integration and testing of the satellite will continue, officials said. Orbital Sciences is building the spacecraft in Dulles, Va.
Too bad Falcon-1 is dead.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: William Graham on 02/11/2012 08:54 am
According to SFN, OCO-2 was taken off Taurus.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1202/10oco2/
Quote
While NASA holds another competition for OCO 2's launch, integration and testing of the satellite will continue, officials said. Orbital Sciences is building the spacecraft in Dulles, Va.
Too bad Falcon-1 is dead.

So, the available candidates:
Atlas V - Too big
Athena I/IIc - Unproven
Delta II
Falcon 1 - Retired, 1e unproven
Falcon 9 - Too big
Minotaur I - Restricted
Pegasus-XL - Too small

Doubt if they can piggy-back it on an Atlas or Falcon launch to SSO, and they'd be paying for a lot of excess capacity if they opt for a dedicated launch. I doubt if F1e could be ready in time even if SpaceX were actively developing it. I'm also not sure if Athena needs to be requalified given that it has been out of service for so long, and now has a different second stage. Pegasus can't carry it, and Minotaur can only be used if NASA can prove that no other rocket is capable of launching it.

ULA do have a few unassembled Delta II rockets in reserve, and OCO has been linked with it in the past. A 7320 would still have plenty of room for secondary payloads, but it does seem the most likely option.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: Skyrocket on 02/11/2012 09:10 am
According to SFN, OCO-2 was taken off Taurus.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1202/10oco2/
Quote
While NASA holds another competition for OCO 2's launch, integration and testing of the satellite will continue, officials said. Orbital Sciences is building the spacecraft in Dulles, Va.
Too bad Falcon-1 is dead.

So, the available candidates:
Atlas V - Too big
Athena I/IIc - Unproven
Delta II
Falcon 1 - Retired, 1e unproven
Falcon 9 - Too big
Minotaur I - Restricted
Pegasus-XL - Too small

Doubt if they can piggy-back it on an Atlas or Falcon launch to SSO, and they'd be paying for a lot of excess capacity if they opt for a dedicated launch. I doubt if F1e could be ready in time even if SpaceX were actively developing it. I'm also not sure if Athena needs to be requalified given that it has been out of service for so long, and now has a different second stage. Pegasus can't carry it, and Minotaur can only be used if NASA can prove that no other rocket is capable of launching it.

ULA do have a few unassembled Delta II rockets in reserve, and OCO has been linked with it in the past. A 7320 would still have plenty of room for secondary payloads, but it does seem the most likely option.

Minotaur-IV could be an alternative, if no other acceptable launch vehicles are available (e.g. LADEE on Minotaur V). The Minotaur I mentioned above is likely not powerful enough.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: Zed_Noir on 02/11/2012 09:37 am
According to SFN, OCO-2 was taken off Taurus.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1202/10oco2/
Quote
While NASA holds another competition for OCO 2's launch, integration and testing of the satellite will continue, officials said. Orbital Sciences is building the spacecraft in Dulles, Va.
Too bad Falcon-1 is dead.

So, the available candidates:
Atlas V - Too big
Athena I/IIc - Unproven
Delta II
Falcon 1 - Retired, 1e unproven
Falcon 9 - Too big
Minotaur I - Restricted
Pegasus-XL - Too small


What do you mean by too big? In terms of lift capacity or cost?
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: ugordan on 02/11/2012 10:59 am
Copied from another thread:

If this happens, is Delta II is only launch vehicle (in this class) certified to launch NASA scientific payloads?

Delta II is in Taurus class as much is Atlas V is in Delta II class

So basically, OCO-2 is going up on a Minotaur IV?
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: TheMightyM on 02/11/2012 02:51 pm
Falcon 1 is also very likely too small. Would take a Falcon 1e, which is unproven.

Another possibility besides a Minotaur IV would be to fly OCO-2 and another payload on a Delta 7320.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: edkyle99 on 02/11/2012 03:16 pm
Does this mean the end of Taurus?

If so, that would be two U.S. small-sat launchers that have bit the dust in recent months.

Could a Delta 2 even be ready to fly by "mid-2014"?

Minotaur 4 really is the right match for this payload in terms of basic capability and proven flight history, but will the Pentagon approve such a launch?  Athena 2c might be a good match too, but it hasn't flown.

 - Ed Kyle
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: ugordan on 02/11/2012 03:21 pm
Could a Delta II even be ready to fly by "mid-2014"?

The article does state that's realistically the earliest date for a launch.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: Antares on 02/11/2012 04:03 pm
Are there any other spacecraft in line to go into the A-train orbit?  That's would be an excellent opportunity for a dual manifest - and probably the only one likely.

AIUI, OSTP is who has the say on whether a spacecraft can go on a government-furnished launcher, and the mission project has to request it first.  Also AIUI, other commercial providers have the right to protest OSTP's decision with the GAO.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: TheMightyM on 02/11/2012 04:07 pm
Are there any other spacecraft in line to go into the A-train orbit?  That's would be an excellent opportunity for a dual manifest - and probably the only one likely.

SMAP, scheduled to launch in November 2014, might be a possibility.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: ugordan on 02/11/2012 04:11 pm
Well, the Soil Moisture Active and Passive mission wants to go to a sun-sync orbit, but a 6 AM/PM one so I don't know if that's doable.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Taurus XL - Feb, 2013
Post by: William Graham on 02/11/2012 05:35 pm
Minotaur-IV could be an alternative, if no other acceptable launch vehicles are available (e.g. LADEE on Minotaur V). The Minotaur I mentioned above is likely not powerful enough.
I meant IV. Posted that when I was still waking up, and in hindsight it was probably a bad summary.

What do you mean by too big? In terms of lift capacity or cost?

Capacity mostly, but smaller rockets are generally cheaper. That said, the increased fixed costs of a Delta II launch would probably make it more expensive than an F9 - not sure how much a Delta goes for these days. But ULA are still marketing it, so presumably they believe that it is still competitive.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: kevin-rf on 02/11/2012 08:23 pm
I think this issue with an F-9 or even an Antares is they have not yet flown often enough.

I wonder if the Taurus XL issues where part of the reason for Orbital's Taurus II name change.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: kevin-rf on 02/11/2012 11:52 pm
If OCO-2 flies on a Delta II, would it be a three solid Delta 7320, or would it use three Delta II heavy solids and have a different designation?
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: Antares on 02/12/2012 12:35 am
I think the only certified version with big GEMs is the 79xx.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: kevin-rf on 02/12/2012 11:33 am
The reason I asked on that, is I thought in all the Delta II discussions the only remaining GEM's where the large GEM-46's.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: William Graham on 02/12/2012 11:48 am
The reason I asked on that, is I thought in all the Delta II discussions the only remaining GEM's where the large GEM-46's.
Delta IIH can't fly from Vandenberg, and I believe ULA is no longer offering Delta II launches from Canaveral (in any case, OCO-2 would have to fly from Vandenberg*). They have said that GEM-40s can be produced if necessary.


*Actually there have been a few SSO launches from Canaveral in the past (using early Thor-Delta configurations), and although I haven't done the maths, a 7920H could probably (theoretically) put OCO-2 up from Canaveral if necessary, but that's beside the point
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: marsman2020 on 02/12/2012 11:45 pm
They should have pulled the Glory contract and dual-manifested Glory and OCO-2 on a Delta II after the original OCO failure.

Especially when it became clear that Orbital had no intent to actually address all of the issues that came out of the OCO MIB report (no change was made to the flawed design of the frangible joints on the payload fairing).

Quote
Does this mean the end of Taurus?

9 launches in 18 years with a 33% failure rate.  Who in their right mind would manifest their payload on that?
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: Jim on 02/13/2012 12:52 am
They should have pulled the Glory contract and dual-manifested Glory and OCO-2 on a Delta II after the original OCO failure.


Yeah, right.  You have all the hindsight.  There were no more Delta II's at the time nor a DPAF available, which is still not available even though Delta II is.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: Antares on 02/13/2012 01:06 am
They should have pulled the Glory contract and dual-manifested Glory and OCO-2 on a Delta II after the original OCO failure.

Especially when it became clear that Orbital had no intent to actually address all of the issues that came out of the OCO MIB report (no change was made to the flawed design of the frangible joints on the payload fairing).

All 4 NASA MIB recommendations were mitigated, and hundreds of people participated in RTF reviews and decisions.

Your statements are somewhere between FUD and lies.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: marsman2020 on 02/13/2012 01:20 am
They should have pulled the Glory contract and dual-manifested Glory and OCO-2 on a Delta II after the original OCO failure.

Especially when it became clear that Orbital had no intent to actually address all of the issues that came out of the OCO MIB report (no change was made to the flawed design of the frangible joints on the payload fairing).

All 4 NASA MIB recommendations were mitigated, and hundreds of people participated in RTF reviews and decisions.

Your statements are somewhere between FUD and lies.

The NASA Engineering Safety Center flagged the failure of the frangible joints to completely separate as a red risk - probability of occurrence 11-50%, impact - loss of mission in NESC-RP-10-00630, "Assess Qualification of the Taurus Fairing Frangible Joint System", dated May 27, 2010.

As far as I am aware the redesign from hot gas to cold gas on the separation system did not include changes to the frangible joints. 

Per the NESC report, qualification of the frangible joint *prior to* the OCO failure was based on a total of *3* firings, which yields a statistical reliability of 36% on a 95% confidence interval (!!).  Typical qualification programs for launch vehicle pyrotechnic devices include 10s of firings.

That's what the taxpayers got for their money when they paid Orbital ~$50 million for the OCO launch services contact.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: deltaV on 02/13/2012 03:56 am
Why doesn't NASA charge launch providers (or their insurers) for the value of the payloads it loses to launch failures? I would think charging for failure would be a simpler and more effective way to ensure reliability than mountains of paperwork.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: Jim on 02/13/2012 11:27 am
Why doesn't NASA charge launch providers (or their insurers) for the value of the payloads it loses to launch failures? I would think charging for failure would be a simpler and more effective way to ensure reliability than mountains of paperwork.

Then nobody would fly several hundred million dollar spacecraft.

Also, do you know that it is actually "mountains of paperwork?"
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: kevin-rf on 08/06/2013 03:45 pm
http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/august/nasa-administrator-views-atmospheric-science-satellite-meets-media-in-arizona/#.UgEZHI1JOAg

NASA Administrator Views Atmospheric Science Satellite, Meets Media in Arizona

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will visit an Orbital Sciences Corp. facility in Gilbert, Ariz. on Friday, Aug. 9, to view progress on the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) satellite.

At 8:15 a.m. MST, Bolden and Orbital CEO David Thompson will tour the company’s satellite manufacturing and clean room facility where the OCO-2 satellite is under construction. They will speak with reporters at 9:15 a.m., following the tour.

Their remarks and media availability will not be broadcast live on NASA Television or the agency's website. Media interested in participating must contact Barron Beneski at [email protected] or 703-406-5228 for credentialing information no later than 5 p.m. EDT (3 p.m. MST) Thursday, Aug. 8.

OCO-2 will be NASA’s first dedicated Earth remote sensing satellite to study atmospheric carbon dioxide from space. OCO-2 will collect global measurements of carbon dioxide with the precision, resolution, and coverage needed to characterize sources and sinks on regional scales, and quantify carbon dioxide variability over the seasonal cycles annually. OCO-2 is targeted to launch next year.

For more information about Orbital Sciences Corporation, visit:
http://www.orbital.com

For more information about OCO-2, visit:
http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov/
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: kevin-rf on 08/06/2013 04:13 pm
https://twitter.com/OrbitalSciences/statuses/364771746546589696
Quote
#OCO-2 is next Earth Science spacecraft for @NASA to come out of #Gilbert plant following successful #Landsat8 deployment for @NASA_Landsat

https://twitter.com/OrbitalSciences/statuses/364770758515367937
Quote
More information on #OCO-2 spacecraft that we are designing, building and testing in #Gilbert, AZ for @NASAJPL http://www.orbital.com/SatellitesSpace/ScienceTechnology/OCO/ …

btw. Does anyone have an easy way to convert twitter tweets to posts here. Using the embed options results in garbly gook, and copy and paste loses the formatting.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: LouScheffer on 08/06/2013 08:17 pm
Why doesn't NASA charge launch providers (or their insurers) for the value of the payloads it loses to launch failures? I would think charging for failure would be a simpler and more effective way to ensure reliability than mountains of paperwork.

Then the launch providers would simply purchase insurance, and pass the cost on to NASA.  If that is the intention, it would be better for NASA to purchase insurance directly.

In many ways this makes a lot of sense.  High reliability launchers would be able to get cheaper insurance, quantifying the advantage of reliability.  Also there would then be a clear path to a replacement spacecraft in case of a loss.   It's not even much more expensive in some large scale view - say insurance for a $400M mission on a 90% rocket costs $60M ( http://www.casact.org/pubs/forum/00fforum/00ff047.pdf says the premiums range from 7% to 15%).  Then for $460M you get a working mission.  As of now you get 9/10 of a mission for $400M, or $444M per working mission, with no assurance of getting the replacement funded if the first one crashes.

On the other hand, self-insurance is usually cheaper than regular insurance, in the long run and if you can afford the losses.  (After all, the insurance company's profit comes from the difference.)  And although the US government can afford the losses, it's not clear NASA can.  So it might make sense for the military to self-insure, but NASA to buy insurance.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: Jim on 08/06/2013 09:55 pm
And although the US government can afford the losses, it's not clear NASA can.  So it might make sense for the military to self-insure, but NASA to buy insurance.

The other way around.  NASA flies mostly one of a kind spacecraft vs constellations of satellites.  It makes more sense in self insuring.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: LouScheffer on 08/07/2013 02:22 am
And although the US government can afford the losses, it's not clear NASA can.  So it might make sense for the military to self-insure, but NASA to buy insurance.

The other way around.  NASA flies mostly one of a kind spacecraft vs constellations of satellites.  It makes more sense in self insuring.

I think this is backwards.  If a GPS or Wide-band gap filler drops into the  ocean, there's another one right behind it in the short term, and long term the military can decide whether to make do with one less, or fund another.  Furthermore, since they are built in batches, it's pretty straightforward for the contractor to build another. 

If NASA loses a scientific satellite, and it's not insured, they need to either go back to Congress to fund a replacement, or screw up their science program for a few years to pay for it.  A loss, IMO, is much more disruptive to NASA than to the military, and hence purchasing insurance makes more sense.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: Jim on 08/07/2013 02:32 am
And although the US government can afford the losses, it's not clear NASA can.  So it might make sense for the military to self-insure, but NASA to buy insurance.

The other way around.  NASA flies mostly one of a kind spacecraft vs constellations of satellites.  It makes more sense in self insuring.

I think this is backwards.  If a GPS or Wide-band gap filler drops into the  ocean, there's another one right behind it in the short term, and long term the military can decide whether to make do with one less, or fund another.  Furthermore, since they are built in batches, it's pretty straightforward for the contractor to build another. 

If NASA loses a scientific satellite, and it's not insured, they need to either go back to Congress to fund a replacement, or screw up their science program for a few years to pay for it.  A loss, IMO, is much more disruptive to NASA than to the military, and hence purchasing insurance makes more sense.

One of a kind spacecraft can't be replaced, even if there is money.  Design teams are long gone, I&T people move on to other projects.   
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: pippin on 08/07/2013 02:57 am
It NEVER makes sense for governments to insure, it just adds cost.

I don't know about budgeting in the US, but at least over here any insurance being paid would go straight to the general budget, not the entity that had the loss so it doesn't make sense to insure for the entity, too.

Usually, governments prohibit insurance for government run agencies and institutions.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: kevin-rf on 08/07/2013 03:09 am
In industry we call that self insured.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: LouScheffer on 08/07/2013 01:07 pm

One of a kind spacecraft can't be replaced, even if there is money.  Design teams are long gone, I&T people move on to other projects.   

This seems a weird conclusion.  Building another years later is surely more expensive then building a second while building the first, for the reasons you mention.  On the other hand, if you could build the first one at all, there is no reason you can't build another, and it should be cheaper.  You obviously need new hardware, but a lot of the analysis work should not need to be redone.

Historically, there are several examples of this.  For example, OCO (Orbiting Carbon Observatory) was intended to be one of kind.  It cost $280M.  When it died due to Taurus fairing failure, NASA requested and got $170M to build a replacement.  It was describes as a "carbon copy" of the first design.

I suspect JPL, or Ball Aerospace, or JHU, would be more than happy to get a contract to build another of what they built before, even if they cannot assign the exact same people to the tasks.  The only reason I can see that would prevent this is if the satellite had some really hard to acquire parts, such as plutonium for RTGs.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: Jim on 08/07/2013 01:53 pm

One of a kind spacecraft can't be replaced, even if there is money.  Design teams are long gone, I&T people move on to other projects.   

This seems a weird conclusion.  Building another years later is surely more expensive then building a second while building the first, for the reasons you mention.  On the other hand, if you could build the first one at all, there is no reason you can't build another, and it should be cheaper.  You obviously need new hardware, but a lot of the analysis work should not need to be redone.

Historically, there are several examples of this.  For example, OCO (Orbiting Carbon Observatory) was intended to be one of kind.  It cost $280M.  When it died due to Taurus fairing failure, NASA requested and got $170M to build a replacement.  It was describes as a "carbon copy" of the first design.

I suspect JPL, or Ball Aerospace, or JHU, would be more than happy to get a contract to build another of what they built before, even if they cannot assign the exact same people to the tasks.  The only reason I can see that would prevent this is if the satellite had some really hard to acquire parts, such as plutonium for RTGs.

It isn't a weird conclusion, it is reality.

Historically, there are few examples.  Cases like OCO-2 are exceptions and not the rule. 

The contractor building the spacecraft bus is only a small part of the team.  There are the mission's principle investigator, all the instrument teams and their investigators.  Those "really hard to acquire parts" are the instruments.  Instrument teams are fluid and are not permanent entities.  Many are not part of NASA and some are foreign.  They may not get their money from NASA.

Also, again, the insurance money would not go to NASA, it would go to the general treasury fund, much like the money NASA collected from commercial satellites flying on the shuttle.   It is not a simple thing to change or make exceptions for NASA because there are other agencies with similar situations, it is a fundamental way our governments works.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: kevin-rf on 08/07/2013 02:49 pm
I think a more historic look is this in order.

For unique missions, back in the 60's and 70's NASA bought insurance by building identical probes and duplicating each mission. The assumption being the risk was high enough that a second copy was needed for mission assurance.

Look at:
Mariner 1,2
Mariner 3,4,5
Mariner 6,7
Mariner 8,9
Pioneer 10,11
Voyager 1,2
Viking 1,2
Helios A,B

Noticed some of these missions failed and the backup completed the mission. Mariner 1,3,8 come to mind. And in the case of Mariner 5, Mariner 4 succeeded and Mariner 5 was declared surplus and rebuilt for a Venus mission.

When confidence grew, the dual mission insurance plan was dropped. Look at Mariner 10. Only a single mission, though wasn't a backup vehicle built.

We fast forward to the late 70's, 80's, 90's, and present. You will notice confidence in the hardware and launch vehicles grew enough that only one set of hardware built and flown for each unique mission. The only exception was the risky dual Mars Rover mission. It will take me all morning to compile a list of unique single missions. If you had to build two of everything, how many of these missions would not have flown?

Someone decided the second backup mission was not worth the extra cost.

Insurance for NASA would be building and running two missions for each unique mission.

In an era of tight budgets, that is a luxury.

The extra cost would also reduce the number of unique missions that NASA can run.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: LouScheffer on 08/07/2013 03:30 pm

The contractor building the spacecraft bus is only a small part of the team.  There are the mission's principle investigator, all the instrument teams and their investigators. 

I can't imagine you'd have any problem with the PI or instrument investigators.   They've already invested a decade or so in the project, and have already planned to spend the next decade running the mission, then analyzing the data.  If it blows up on launch, and is not re-flown, they've just tossed a decade of hard work in the toilet.  If you give them a chance to re-fly, they'll jump at it.

Quote
Those "really hard to acquire parts" are the instruments.  Instrument teams are fluid and are not permanent entities.  Many are not part of NASA and some are foreign.  They may not get their money from NASA.

This seems a much more realistic concern since scientific satellites often have independent or international contributors.  NASA would need to let them know in advance of signing up that if the launch fails, they will build a replacement satellite.  As long as this is known up front, I think foreign instrument teams would think of this as a plus, not a minus.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: LouScheffer on 08/07/2013 03:35 pm

Insurance for NASA would be building and running two missions for each unique mission.

In an era of tight budgets, that is a luxury.

The extra cost would also reduce the number of unique missions that NASA can run.
Building two of each mission is a *very* expensive method of insurance if only a small percentage fail.  Except for planetary missions with non-recurring launch windows (outer planet missions come to mind), it's much cheaper to take out insurance that pays money if the probe fails, then build a new one with the money.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: Danderman on 08/07/2013 03:39 pm
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=32552.msg1082069#msg1082069

This is the topic for discussions about NASA insuring itself against launch failures.

If your post isn't specifically about OCO-2, please post over there.

The moderator should move the messages about NASA over there, too.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: Jim on 08/07/2013 04:29 pm
it's much cheaper to take out insurance that pays money if the probe fails, then build a new one with the money.

No, it is cheaper to self insure with extra insight
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - Feb, 2013
Post by: Jim on 08/07/2013 04:33 pm

1.  I can't imagine you'd have any problem with the PI or instrument investigators.   

This seems a much more realistic concern since scientific satellites often have independent or international contributors.  NASA would need to let them know in advance of signing up that if the launch fails, they will build a replacement satellite.  As long as this is known up front, I think foreign instrument teams would think of this as a plus, not a minus.

1.  Missions ops use different people and skills sets than hardware developers. So yes, it is a problem and many PIs work multiple missions.

2.  It still doesn't mean they have the money for a back up.

All my points are realistic concerns and reflect reality.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: kevin-rf on 08/09/2013 05:36 pm
For those not folling @Bolden and @OrbitalSciences on twitter.

Bolden is visiting OCO-2 today.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahqphoto/sets/72157634995321509/
http://instagram.com/p/czIGHMR6dY/

Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: Ronsmytheiii on 12/21/2013 02:26 pm
SRB's for the OCO-2 Delta II have arrived at VAFB:

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=4
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: Targeteer on 12/26/2013 08:01 pm
OCO-2 Observatory Conducts Environmental Tests

NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO)-2 spacecraft is moved into a thermal vacuum chamber at Orbital Sciences Corporation's Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Gilbert, Ariz., for a series of environmental tests. The tests confirmed the integrity of the observatory's electrical connections and subjected the OCO-2 instrument and spacecraft to the extreme hot, cold and airless environment they will encounter once in orbit. The observatory's solar array panels were removed prior to the test.

OCO-2 is NASA's first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide and is the latest mission in NASA's study of the global carbon cycle. Carbon dioxide is the most significant human-produced greenhouse gas and the principal human-produced driver of climate change. The mission will uniformly sample the atmosphere above Earth's land and ocean, collecting between 100,000 and 200,000 measurements of carbon dioxide concentration over Earth's sunlit hemisphere every day for at least two years. It will do so with the accuracy, resolution and coverage needed to provide the first complete picture of the regional-scale geographic distribution and seasonal variations of both human and natural sources of carbon dioxide emissions as well as the places where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored.

Image Credit: Orbital Sciences Corporation/NASA/JPL-Caltech
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 02/28/2014 05:27 pm
LINK: http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=271

Photos in this post are of the ULA DII ISA arriving at VAFB Building 836.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 02/28/2014 05:34 pm
LINK: http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=271

Photos in this post are of the ULA DII Second Stage arriving and being unloaded at VAFB Building 836.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 02/28/2014 05:40 pm
LINK: http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=271

Photos in this post are of the ULA DII Second Stage being transferred from VAFB Building 836 High Bay to the Horizontal Processing Facility located at Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2).
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 03/08/2014 11:57 pm
LINK: http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=271

Photos in this other post are also of the ULA DII Second Stage arriving and being unloaded at VAFB Building 836.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 03/09/2014 12:05 am
LINK: http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=271

Photos in this post are also of the ULA DII Second Stage being transferred from VAFB Building 836 High Bay to the Horizontal Processing Facility located at Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2).
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 03/09/2014 12:10 am
LINK: http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=271

Photos in this post are of the ULA DII Second Stage being processed inside the Horizontal Processing Facility located at Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2).
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: Ronsmytheiii on 03/23/2014 05:47 pm
First stage arrived at Vandenberg, great to see Delta II processing again (if only for a short time)
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 03/28/2014 04:42 pm
Booster should be going on-stand today.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 03/28/2014 06:34 pm
LINK: http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=271

Photos in this post are of the ULA DII First Stage arriving at VAFB Building 836.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 03/28/2014 06:53 pm
LINK: http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=271

Photos in this post are of the ULA DII First Stage being unloaded from its trailer at VAFB Building 836.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 03/28/2014 07:09 pm
LINK: http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=271

Photos in this post are of the ULA DII First Stage being loaded onto its transportation and processing hardware cradle at VAFB Building 836.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 03/28/2014 07:24 pm
LINK: http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=271

Photos in this post are of the ULA DII First Stage being transferred from VAFB Building 836 High Bay to the Horizontal Processing Facility located at Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2).
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 03/28/2014 07:42 pm
LINK: http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=271

Photos in this post are of pad preparations at the launch mount and of Mobile Service Tower (MST) Roll back at Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2) ahead of receiving the DII fairings.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 04/01/2014 04:41 pm
OCO-2 Booster Hoisted Into Launcher

Friday, March 28, 2014 - 16:02

In preparation for the OCO-2 launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Delta II first stage booster was raised to vertical and hoisted into the launcher today at Space Launch Complex 2.  The OCO-2 mission is scheduled for launch on July 1 at 2:56 a.m. PDT.  NASA’s OCO-2 mission is dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in the Earth’s climate.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 04/03/2014 09:03 pm
LINK: http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=271

Photos in this post are of transportation of the DII first stage to the Mobile Service Tower (MST) at Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2) for unloading and raising tasks.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 04/03/2014 09:30 pm
LINK: http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=271

Photos also in this post are of transportation of the DII first stage to the Mobile Service Tower (MST) at Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2) for unloading and raising tasks.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 04/03/2014 09:47 pm
LINK: http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=271

Photos in this post are of the securing of the DII first stage onto the launch mount at Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2).
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: PahTo on 04/03/2014 10:02 pm

Excellent shots--thanks rh117!  Nice to see DeltaII rise again, if only for a(nother) swan song.   Really like to see so much detail re: the launch mount (1918).
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 04/04/2014 07:10 pm

April 4, 2014

Media Accreditation Now Open for Launch of OCO-2 Earth Science Mission

Media accreditation now is open for U.S. and international news media interested in covering the launch of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO)-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California -- the second of NASA's five Earth science missions to launch in 2014.
 
OCO-2 is scheduled to launch at 2:56 a.m. PDT July 1 from Space Launch Complex 2 on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. U.S. Air Force policy requires that international media apply for accreditation at least 30 days before the launch.
 
News media should contact TSgt Vincent Mouzon in writing at 30th Space Wing Public Affairs Office, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., 93437; by phone at 805-606-3595; by fax at 805-606-4571; or by email at [email protected].
 
International media are required to submit full legal name, date of birth, nationality, passport number and media affiliation. Information required for U.S. media includes full legal name, date of birth and media affiliation. A valid legal form of photo identification will be required upon arrival at Vandenberg.
 
OCO-2 is NASA's first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the most significant human-produced greenhouse gas and the principal human-produced driver of climate change on Earth. OCO-2 will provide a new tool for understanding the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural "sinks" that absorb carbon dioxide and help control its buildup. It will map the global geographic distribution of these sources and sinks and study their changes over time.
 
The OCO-2 project is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The agency's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for management of the launch vehicle program for the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.
 
For more information about the OCO-2 mission, visit:
 
http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov
 
For more information about NASA's Earth science activities in 2014, visit:
 
http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 04/07/2014 04:30 pm
LINK: http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=271

Photos in this post are of views/activities around the Mobile Service Tower (MST) at Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2).
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 04/08/2014 09:20 am
Booster Preps Underway for OCO-2

Monday, April 7, 2014 - 15:42

Now that the Delta II first stage has been hoisted into position inside the gantry at Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex 2, preparations are underway to attach the three solid rocket boosters beginning Friday.  The second stage will then be hoisted atop the first stage April 16.  OCO-2  is scheduled to arrive at Vandenberg on April 29 to begin about six weeks of checkout and spacecraft processing.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: catdlr on 04/11/2014 12:38 am
Mission Overview

Published on Apr 10, 2014
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 is NASA's first spacecraft dedicated to studying carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the main human-produced driver of climate change.

The Observatory will collect hundreds of thousands of measurements each day, providing a global description of the atmospheric carbon dioxide distribution with unprecedented coverage and resolution.

OCO-2 will provide new insights into the sources emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and the processes at Earth's surface that absorb this gas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOc_N6uhzag
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 04/15/2014 06:37 pm
Final Booster Attached to OCO-2 Launcher

Tuesday, April 15, 2014 - 11:31

The final of three solid-fueled boosters was attached to the Delta II rocket's first stage Monday at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California as launch preparations continue on pace for the July launch of the OCO-2 spacecraft. The second stage of the rocket is to be hoisted to the top of the Delta II Wednesday to complete the launch vehicle. It will take six weeks of processing before the OCO-2 spacecraft, due to arrive at Vandenberg April 29, is ready to be encapsulated in a payload fairing and connected to the top of the Delta II.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 04/19/2014 10:20 pm
There are more photos in Kennedy Media Gallery. I will post them all next week when i can find a decent chunk of time.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 04/28/2014 03:51 pm
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The Delta II second stage for NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 mission, or OCO-2, is lifted into the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Operations are underway to mate the second stage of the rocket to the first stage already in place on the launch stand. OCO-2 is scheduled to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket in July. The rocket's second stage will insert OCO-2 into a polar Earth orbit. OCO-2 will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere and provide scientists with a better idea of the chemical compound's impacts on climate change. Scientists will analyze this data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important atmospheric gas. To learn more about OCO-2, visit oco.jpl.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 04/28/2014 03:52 pm
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – At Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the mobile service tower rolls away from the launch stand supporting the Delta II first stage. Operations are underway to mate the rocket's first and second stages. OCO-2 is scheduled to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket in July. The rocket's second stage will insert OCO-2 into a polar Earth orbit. OCO-2 will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere and provide scientists with a better idea of the chemical compound's impacts on climate change. Scientists will analyze this data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important atmospheric gas. To learn more about OCO-2, visit oco.jpl.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 04/28/2014 05:06 pm
Initial vehicle power-on test was successfully run last Wednesday and Thursday.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 04/30/2014 07:20 pm

April 30, 2014

NASA's Carbon-Counting Spacecraft Arrives at Launch Site


A NASA spacecraft designed to make precise measurements of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere is at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., to begin final preparations for launch.

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 arrived Wednesday at its launch site on California's central coast after travelling from Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Gilbert, Ariz. The spacecraft now will undergo final tests and then be integrated on top of a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket in preparation for a planned July 1 launch.

The observatory is NASA's first satellite mission dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, a critical component of Earth’s carbon cycle that is the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth's climate. It replaces a nearly identical spacecraft lost due to a rocket launch mishap in February 2009.

OCO-2 will provide a new tool for understanding both the sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural processes that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and how they are changing over time. Since the start of the Industrial Revolution more than 200 years ago, the burning of fossil fuels, as well as other human activities, have led to an unprecedented  buildup in this  greenhouse gas, which is now at its highest level in at least 800,000 years. Human activities have increased the level of carbon dioxide by more than 25 percent in just the past half century.

Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, trap the sun's heat within Earth's atmosphere, warming it and keeping it at habitable temperatures. However, scientists have concluded that increases in carbon dioxide resulting from human activities have thrown Earth's natural carbon cycle off balance, increasing global temperatures and changing the planet's climate.

While scientists understand carbon dioxide emissions resulting from burning fossil fuels and can estimate their quantity quite accurately, their understanding of carbon dioxide from other human-produced and natural sources is relatively less quantified. Atmospheric measurements collected at ground stations indicate less than half of the carbon dioxide humans emit into the atmosphere stays there. The rest is believed to be absorbed by the ocean and plants on land.

But the locations and identity of the natural "sinks" absorbing this carbon dioxide currently are not well understood. OCO-2 will help solve this critical scientific puzzle. Quantifying how the natural processes are helping remove carbon from the atmosphere will help scientists construct better models to predict how much carbon dioxide these sinks will be able to absorb in the future.

The mission’s innovative technologies will enable space-based measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide with the sensitivity, resolution and coverage needed to characterize the sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural sinks that moderate their buildup, at regional scales, everywhere on Earth. The mission's data will help scientists reduce uncertainties in forecasts of how much carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere and improve the accuracy of global climate change predictions.

In addition to measuring carbon dioxide, OCO-2 will monitor the "glow" of the chlorophyll contained within plants, a phenomenon known as solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence, opening up potential new applications for studying vegetation on land. NASA researchers, in collaboration with Japanese and other international colleagues, have discovered that data from Japan's GOSAT (Greenhouse gases observing SATellite, also known as Ibuki in Japan), along with other satellites, including OCO-2, can help monitor this “signature” of photosynthesis on a global scale.

The observatory will fly in a 438-mile (705-kilometer) altitude, near-polar orbit in formation with the five other satellites that are part of the Afternoon, or "A-Train" Constellation. This international constellation of Earth-observing satellites circles Earth once every 98 minutes in a sun-synchronous orbit that crosses the equator near 1:30 p.m. local time and repeats the same ground track every 16 days. OCO-2 will be inserted at the head of the A-Train. Once in this orbit, OCO-2 is designed to operate for at least two years. This coordinated flight formation will enable researchers to correlate OCO-2 data with data from other NASA and partner spacecraft.

OCO-2 is a NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder Program mission managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Orbital built the spacecraft and provides mission operations under JPL’s leadership. The science instrument was built by JPL, based on the instrument design co-developed for the original OCO mission by Hamilton Sundstrand in Pomona, Calif. NASA's Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for launch management. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

For more information about the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, visit:

http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov

and

http://www.nasa.gov/oco-2

NASA monitors Earth’s vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth’s interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and works with institutions in the United States and around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet. OCO-2 is the second of five NASA Earth science missions launched into space this year, the most new Earth-observing mission launches in the same year in more than a decade.

For more information about NASA's Earth science activities in 2014, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: Helodriver on 05/04/2014 04:10 am
Anyone know the date integrating the spacecraft with the booster is expected? I'd like to see that in person.
Thx.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 05/09/2014 01:08 am
OCO-2 Spacecraft Evaluated in Electrical Testing

Monday, May 5, 2014 - 14:21

Electrical testing including a "Limited Performance Test" of the OCO-2 spacecraft is under way at the Astrotech payload processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California ahead of the July launch of the mission. At Space Launch Complex-2, engineers are conducting hydraulic testing of the United Launch Alliance Delta II first stage which has been stacked at the pad. The launch vehicle, including the first stage booster, second stage and three solid rocket boosters, are ready to go through extensive testing before the OCO-2 spacecraft inside a payload fairing arrives next month for launch.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 05/09/2014 08:44 pm
OCO-2 Testing Proceeding Well

Friday, May 9, 2014 - 14:28

Pre-launch testing of the OCO-2 observatory continues to go well at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California where the carbon-surveying spacecraft is being prepared for its July 1 launch. Engineers and technicians are conducting a functional checkout of the spacecraft propulsion system with fueling planned for May 14. At Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex-2, the Delta II first stage hydraulic system testing is under way and the vehicle's telemetry system has been turned on for initial testing.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 05/14/2014 06:49 pm
OCO-2 Preparing for Fueling

Tuesday, May 13, 2014 - 11:36

The 6.6-foot-long, hexagonal OCO-2 spacecraft will be loaded Wednesday with propellants for its attitude control jets as launch preparations continue on pace for a July 1 liftoff. Meanwhile, United launch Alliance engineers and technicians at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the launch site for OCO-2, also are prepping the Delta II first stage for liquid oxygen loading next week as part of the process to certify the launch team. They will use the same process they use on launch day to fill the cryogenic oxygen tank. The filling demonstration also gives the team a chance to check the first stage for leaks or other flaws under super-cold conditions since liquid oxygen is stored at minus-297 degrees.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: catdlr on 05/20/2014 10:12 pm
Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2: NASA's New Carbon Sleuth

Published on May 20, 2014

NASA's OCO-2 mission, scheduled to launch July 1 from Vandenberg AFB, California, will make precise measurements of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. The orbiting observatory is NASA's first satellite mission dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, a critical component of Earth's carbon cycle that is the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth's climate. OCO-2 will provide a better understanding of the sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural processes that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and how they are changing over time. Learn more at http://science.nasa.gov/missions/oco-2/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVnfzVmViKs
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 05/25/2014 03:14 pm
Launch Team Completes Dress Rehearsal

Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 14:27

The United Launch Alliance and NASA team successfully completed the Delta II Wet Dress Rehearsal and Crew Certification at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, with no significant issues. The test was performed at Space Launch Complex 2 and accomplished all objectives including loading liquid oxygen into the first stage, propulsion system checks, hydraulic testing and electrical tests. The launch team went through the same procedures they will use on for the launch day countdown. A test of the launch vehicle’s first and second stage systems, known as the Combined Systems Test, is scheduled for May 28. Meanwhile, the OCO-2 observatory has completed processing until the spacecraft is prepared to go to the launch pad during the second week of June. OCO-2 remains on schedule for a liftoff at 2:56 a.m. PDT on July 1.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/06/2014 09:03 am
OCO-2 Spacecraft Completes State-of-Health Check

Thursday, June 5, 2014 - 15:00

NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 spacecraft was powered on June 2-3 for a state-of-health check and reaction wheel testing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Observatory closeouts are scheduled for next Monday, June 9. OCO-2's next step will be its June 13 move from the Astrotech payload processing facility to Space Launch Complex 2, where it will be hoisted atop the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/09/2014 07:08 pm

June 9, 2014

NASA Announces Briefing on New Mission to Track Global Carbon Dioxide

NASA will hold a media briefing at 2 p.m. EDT Thursday, June 12, at the NASA Headquarters James E. Webb Auditorium in Washington to discuss the upcoming Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 mission.
 
The briefings will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency's website.
 
OCO-2, NASA’s first spacecraft dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, is set for a July 1 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Its mission is to measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate. OCO-2 replaces a nearly identical spacecraft lost in a rocket launch mishap in February 2009.
 
The briefing participants are:
 -- Betsy Edwards, OCO-2 program executive with the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington
 -- Ralph Basilio, OCO-2 project manager with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California
 -- Mike Gunson, OCO-2 project scientist at JPL
 -- Annmarie Eldering, OCO-2 deputy project scientist at JPL
 
Media may ask questions from participating agency centers or by telephone. To participate by phone, reporters must send an email providing their name, affiliation and telephone number to Steve Cole at [email protected] by noon Thursday.
 
Media and the public also may ask questions during the briefing on Twitter using the hashtag #AskNASA.
 
OCO-2 is one of five NASA Earth science missions scheduled for launch in 2014. NASA monitors Earth's vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and works with institutions around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet.
 
For more information about NASA's Earth science activities in 2014, visit:
 
http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow
 
JPL manages the OCO-2 mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
 
For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and updated scheduling information, visit:
 
http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
 
For more information about NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, visit:
 
http://www.nasa.gov/oco2
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/10/2014 07:42 am
Teams Complete Tanking Demonstration on Delta II

Monday, June 9, 2014 - 15:11

Engineers and technicians completed the RP-1 tanking demonstration and leak test on the Delta II rocket that is to carry NASA's OCO-2 spacecraft into orbit in July. The tests were performed at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, launch site of the OCO-2 mission. Nearby at the Astrotech facility, spacecraft closeouts on the observatory are under way ahead of the mating of the spacecraft to the payload adapter ring Tuesday, June 10. The spacecraft will be taken to the launch pad Friday and connected to the Delta II's second stage. Everything remains on track to launch the mission July 1.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: catdlr on 06/12/2014 06:38 pm
Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2): NASA's New Carbon Counter

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory   
Published on Jun 12, 2014

NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, launching July 2014, will study carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and help us understand how fast it will build up in the future. The mission will provide a more complete, global picture of the human and natural sources of CO2 as well their "sinks," the places where CO2 is pulled out of the atmosphere and stored (such as in plants and the ocean). Learn more about the mission at www.nasa.gov/oco2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uP_fqEfYWg
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: catdlr on 06/12/2014 10:17 pm
New NASA Observatory Set to Take On Carbon Conundrums

    

NASA's first spacecraft dedicated to studying carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere is in final preparations for a July launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Carbon dioxide is a critical component of Earth's carbon cycle and is the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth's climate. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 mission will provide a more complete, global picture of the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide as well as their "sinks," the places where carbon dioxide is pulled out of Earth's atmosphere and stored. This new tool will map the global geographic distribution of these sources and sinks and study their changes over time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPPP22j4Hm4
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/13/2014 02:19 pm

June 12, 2014



New NASA Space Observatory to Study Carbon Conundrums

NASA’s first spacecraft dedicated to measuring carbon dioxide levels in Earth’s atmosphere is in final preparations for a July 1 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
 
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) mission will provide a more complete, global picture of the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide, as well as their “sinks,” the natural ocean and land processes by which carbon dioxide is pulled out of Earth’s atmosphere and stored. Carbon dioxide, a critical component of Earth’s carbon cycle, is the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate.
 
“Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere plays a critical role in our planet's energy balance and is a key factor in understanding how our climate is changing,” said Michael Freilich, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division in Washington. “With the OCO-2 mission, NASA will be contributing an important new source of global observations to the scientific challenge of better understanding our Earth and its future."
 
OCO-2 will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket and maneuver into a 438-mile (705-kilometer) altitude, near-polar orbit. It will become the lead satellite in a constellation of five other international Earth monitoring satellites that circle Earth once every 99 minutes and cross the equator each day near 1:36 p.m. local time, making a wide range of nearly simultaneous Earth observations. OCO-2 is designed to operate for at least two years.
 
The spacecraft will sample the global geographic distribution of the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide and allow scientists to study their changes over time more completely than can be done with any existing data. Since 2009, Earth scientists have been preparing for OCO-2 by taking advantage of observations from the Japanese GOSAT satellite. OCO-2 replaces a nearly identical NASA spacecraft lost because of a rocket launch mishap in February 2009.
 
At approximately 400 parts per million, atmospheric carbon dioxide is now at its highest level  in at least the past 800,000 years. The burning of fossil fuels and other human activities are currently adding nearly 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere each year, producing an unprecedented buildup in this greenhouse gas.
 
Greenhouse gases trap the sun's heat within Earth's atmosphere, warming the planet’s surface and helping to maintain habitable temperatures from the poles to the equator. Scientists have concluded increased carbon dioxide from human activities, particularly fossil fuel burning and deforestation, has thrown Earth's natural carbon cycle off balance, increasing global surface temperatures and changing our planet's climate.
 
Currently, less than half the carbon dioxide emitted into Earth’s atmosphere by human activities stays there. Some of the remainder is absorbed by Earth’s ocean, but the location and identity of the natural land sinks believed to be absorbing the rest is not well understood. OCO-2 scientists hope to coax these sinks out of hiding and resolve a longstanding scientific puzzle.
 
“Knowing what parts of Earth are helping remove carbon from our atmosphere will help us understand whether they will keep doing so in the future,” said Michael Gunson, OCO-2 project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, California. “Understanding the processes controlling carbon dioxide in our atmosphere will help us predict how fast it will build up in the future. Data from this mission will help scientists reduce uncertainties in forecasts of how much carbon dioxide will be in the atmosphere and improve the accuracy of global climate change predictions.”
 
OCO-2 measurements will be combined with data from ground stations, aircraft and other satellites to help answer questions about the processes that regulate atmospheric carbon dioxide and its role in Earth’s climate and carbon cycle. Mission data will also help assess the usefulness of space-based measurements of carbon dioxide for monitoring emissions.
 
The observatory's science instrument features three, high-resolution spectrometers that spread reflected sunlight into its component colors, then precisely measure the intensity of each color. Each spectrometer is optimized to record a different specific color absorbed by carbon dioxide and oxygen molecules in Earth’s atmosphere. The less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the more light the spectrometers detect. By analyzing the amount of light, scientists can estimate the relative concentrations of these chemicals.
 
The new observatory will dramatically increase the number of observations of carbon dioxide, collecting hundreds of thousands of measurements each day when the satellite flies over Earth’s sunlit hemisphere. High-precision, detailed, near-global observations are needed to characterize carbon dioxide's distribution because the concentration of carbon dioxide varies by only a few percent throughout the year on regional to continental scales. Scientists will analyze the OCO-2 data, using computer models similar to those used to predict the weather, to locate and understand the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide.
 
OCO-2 is a NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder Program mission managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Virginia, built the spacecraft bus and provides mission operations under JPL’s leadership. The science instrument was built by JPL, based on the instrument design co-developed for the original OCO mission by Hamilton Sundstrand in Pomona, California. NASA's Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for launch management. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
 
For more information about the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, visit:
 
http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov
 
and
 
http://www.nasa.gov/oco2
 
Follow OCO-2 on Twitter at:
 
https://twitter.com/IamOCO2
 
OCO-2 is the second of five NASA Earth science missions to be launched this year. NASA monitors Earth’s vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth’s interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and works with institutions in the United States and around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet.
 
For more information about NASA's Earth science activities in 2014, visit:
 
http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/16/2014 07:40 pm

June 16, 2014

NASA Sets Media Events for OCO-2 Launch from California

The launch of NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 mission (OCO-2) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California is scheduled for Tuesday, July 1. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is targeted for 5:56 a.m. EDT (2:56 a.m. PDT) at the opening of a 30-second launch window.
 
OCO-2 is NASA’s first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate. OCO-2 will provide a new tool for understanding the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural “sinks” that absorb carbon dioxide and help control its buildup.
 
The OCO-2 and Delta II News Center at the NASA Vandenberg Resident Office will open Thursday, June 26. To speak with a NASA communications specialist, call 805-605-3051 beginning at that time. A recorded launch status report also will be available by dialing 805-734-2693.
 
Prelaunch and launch activities will take place June 29 through July 1. U.S. journalists should fax their accreditation requests on news organization letterhead to Tech Sgt. Vincent Mouzon, 30th Space Wing Public Affairs Office at Vandenberg, at
 
805-606-4571 or email [email protected]. Information required must include full legal name, date of birth and media affiliation. A legal photo identification will be required upon arrival at Vandenberg.       
 
A prelaunch news conference and mission briefing will be held from 7-9 p.m. EDT (4-6 p.m. PDT) Sunday, June 29 in the NASA Vandenberg Resident Office. The briefings will be carried live on NASA Television and streamed on NASA.gov with question-and-answer capability available from other NASA field centers. Media also can post questions via Twitter by using the hashtag #AskNASA during the briefings.
 
On launch day, NASA TV coverage and countdown commentary will begin at 3:45 a.m. EDT (12:45 a.m. PDT). Spacecraft separation from the rocket occurs 56 minutes 15 seconds after launch.  A post-launch news conference with OCO-2 mission officials will be held approximately two-and-a-half hours after launch.
 
Live countdown coverage also will be available online. Launch updates will begin on NASA’s launch blog at 3:45 a.m. EDT (12:45 a.m. PDT). Coverage features real-time updates of countdown milestones, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff. To view the launch blog, visit:
 
http://www.nasa.gov/oco2
 
For NASA TV downlink and schedule information and streaming video, visit:
 
http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
 
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California is responsible for project management of OCO-2. Orbital Sciences Corp. built the OCO-2 spacecraft. NASA’s Launch Services Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida provides launch management. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is NASA’s launch service provider for the Delta II rocket.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/16/2014 07:42 pm

June 16, 2014

NASA's OCO-2 Observatory Ready for Launch


The launch of NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 mission (OCO-2) at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California, is scheduled for Tuesday, July 1.  Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is targeted for 2:56 a.m. PDT (5:56 a.m. EDT) at the opening of a 30-second launch window.
 
OCO-2 is NASA’s first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate. OCO-2 will provide a new tool for understanding the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural “sinks” that absorb carbon dioxide and help control its buildup.
 
The observatory will measure the global geographic distribution of these sources and sinks and study their changes over time.
 
The spacecraft’s final circular polar orbit will be 438 nautical miles (705 kilometers) at an inclination of 98.2 degrees.
 
 
ACCREDITATION
 
News media desiring accreditation for the prelaunch and launch activities of OCO-2 should contact:
 
Tech Sgt. Vincent Mouzon
 30th Space Wing Public Affairs Office
 Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA 93437
 
Telephone: 805-606-3595
 Fax: 805-606-4571
 Email: [email protected]
 
Information required for U.S. media is full legal name, date of birth and media affiliation.  A legal photo identification will be required upon arrival at Vandenberg. The date for foreign news media to apply for accreditation has passed.
 
 
 
PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE
 
Sunday, June 29:  The prelaunch news conference and mission science briefing will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. PDT (7 to 9 p.m. EDT) in the second floor conference room of the NASA Vandenberg Resident Office, Building 840, at Vandenberg Air Force Base.  The briefing will be carried live on NASA Television and streamed on NASA.gov with question-and-answer capability available from other NASA field centers. Media also can post questions via Twitter by using the hashtag #AskNASA during the briefings.
 
Media desiring to cover the event should meet at the south gate of VAFB on California State Road 246 at 3:30 p.m. to be escorted by 30th Space Wing Public Affairs to the news conference.
 
Participants in the prelaunch news conference will be:
 
Betsy Edwards, OCO-2 Program Executive
 NASA Headquarters
 
Tim Dunn, NASA Launch Manager
 Kennedy Space Center, Florida
 
Vernon Thorp, Program Manager, NASA Missions
 United Launch Alliance, Denver, Colorado
 
Ralph Basilio, OCO-2 Project Manager
 Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, California
 
Lt. Joseph Round, Launch Weather Officer, 30th Operations Support Squadron
 Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
 
 
MISSION SCIENCE BRIEFING
 
An OCO-2 Mission Science Briefing will be held immediately following the prelaunch news conference. Presenting the mission science objectives will be:
 
Ken Jucks, OCO-2 Program Scientist
 NASA Headquarters
 
David Crisp, OCO-2 Science Team Leader
 JPL
 
Annmarie Eldering, OCO-2 Deputy Project Scientist
 JPL
 
A post-launch news conference with OCO-2 mission officials also will be held at 5:30 a.m. PDT (8:30 a.m. EDT) on Tuesday, July 1, approximately 2.5 hours after launch.
 
 
 
REMOTE CAMERAS
 
Monday, June 30:  Media desiring to establish sound-activated remote cameras at the launch pad should meet at the pass and identification building located at the Vandenberg main gate on California State Road 1 at 9:30 a.m. to be escorted to Space Launch Complex 2.
 
 
 
NEWS MEDIA LAUNCH PAD PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

Monday, June 30: There will be an opportunity for the media to photograph the Delta II with OCO-2 during rollback of the mobile service tower at the launch pad. Media should be at the pass and identification building at the Vandenberg main gate on California State Road 1 at 3 p.m. in preparation for going to Space Launch Complex 2. Photographers should be aware that first motion of tower rollback is targeted for 4 p.m. but does not always occur exactly as scheduled.
 
Those wishing to attend should confirm their participation with Tech. Sgt. Vincent Mouzon in the 30th Space Wing Public Affairs office at 805-606-3595.
 
 
LAUNCH DAY MEDIA COVERAGE
 
Tuesday, July 1:  Media covering the OCO-2 launch aboard the Delta II rocket should meet at 1:45 a.m. at the Vandenberg main gate located on California State Road 1 to be escorted to the press viewing site. Press credentials and identification from a bona fide news organization will be required for access. A driver's license alone will not be sufficient.
 
After launch, media will be escorted back to the main gate. Media interested in participating in the OCO-2 post-launch news conference will be escorted to NASA Building 840 on south Vandenberg. Observatory and mission officials will provide the spacecraft status and discuss its state of health.  The event will begin at 5:30 a.m. PDT (8:30 a.m. EDT) and will be carried live on NASA Television.
 
 
NASA TELEVISION COVERAGE
 
NASA Television will carry the prelaunch news conference and mission science briefing starting at 4 p.m. PDT (7 p.m. EDT) on Sunday, June 29. The prelaunch news conference also will be webcast at:
 
http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
 
On launch day, July 1, NASA TV launch commentary coverage of the countdown will begin at 12:45 a.m. PDT (3:45 a.m. EDT). Launch is targeted for 2:56 a.m. PDT (5:56 a.m. EDT). The flight azimuth of the Delta II after liftoff will be196 degrees. Spacecraft separation from the rocket occurs 56 minutes,15 seconds after launch.
 
For information on receiving NASA TV, go to:
 
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
 
 
 
VOICE CIRCUIT COVERAGE
 
Audio only of the press conference and the launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," the launch conductor’s countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting at 12:15 a.m. PDT (3:15 a.m. EDT).
 
 
NASA WEB PRELAUNCH AND LAUNCH COVERAGE
 
Extensive prelaunch and launch day coverage of the liftoff of OCO-2 aboard the Delta II rocket will be available on NASA's home page at:
 
http://www.nasa.gov
 
     
 A prelaunch webcast for the OCO-2 mission will be streamed on NASA’s website at noon PDT (3 p.m. EDT) on Monday, June 30. To view the webcast and the countdown blog or to learn more about the OCO-2 mission, visit:
 
http://www.nasa.gov/oco2
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
 
Join the conversation and follow the OCO-2 mission online by using #OCO2 on Twitter at:
 
https://twitter.com/lamOCO2
 
Throughout the launch countdown, the NASA Launch Services Program and NASA JPL Twitter and Facebook accounts will be continuously updated at:
 
https://www.twitter.com/NASA_LSP
 
https://twitter.com/NASAJPL
 
https://www.facebook.com/NASALSP
 
https://www.facebook.com/NASAJPL
 
https://www.facebook.com/NASAKennedy
 
Launch coverage of the Delta II/OCO-2 countdown activities will be available on the NASA website by going to the NASA home page at:
 
http://www.nasa.gov
 
Live countdown coverage on NASA’s launch blog begins at 12:45 a.m. PDT (3:45 a.m. EDT).  Coverage features real-time updates of countdown milestones, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact Nancy Bray at 321-867-9112.
 
 
 
NASA OCO-2 AND DELTA II NEWS CENTER
 
The OCO-2 and Delta II News Center at the NASA Vandenberg Resident Office will open Thursday, June 26. To speak with a NASA communications specialist, call 805-605-3051 beginning at that time.  A recorded launch status report also will be available by dialing 805-734-2693.
 
JPL is responsible for project management of OCO-2.  Orbital Sciences Corp. built the OCO-2 spacecraft. NASA’s Launch Services Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida provides launch management.  United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is NASA’s launch service provider of the Delta II rocket.
 
-end-
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: Prober on 06/18/2014 08:31 pm
Now for the good stuff .....hardware  ;D

Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: Prober on 06/18/2014 08:32 pm
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: Prober on 06/18/2014 08:33 pm
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/19/2014 01:35 pm
Launch Vehicle Ordnance Installation Continues Today

Thursday, June 19, 2014 - 09:27

Technicians continue installing the Delta II launch vehicle ordnance today after beginning the work Wednesday at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.  Because of some additional time needed to complete this work along with associated testing, it was decided observatory closeouts will be done Friday and encapsulation into the Delta II payload fairing will occur Saturday. The July 1 launch date is not affected.  Launch is targeted for 2:56:44 a.m. PDT at the opening of a 30-second launch window.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: AnalogMan on 06/19/2014 06:42 pm
Press kit (dated June 12, 2014), 37 pages:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/oco2-launch-press-kit.pdf (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/oco2-launch-press-kit.pdf)
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/20/2014 08:14 pm
Crews Closing Out OCO-2 For Launch

Friday, June 20, 2014 - 08:24

Engineers and technicians completed Delta II ordnance installation,  connections and testing at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base.  OCO-2 spacecraft closeouts are under way.  The Delta II payload fairing will be installed around the observatory Saturday.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 06/20/2014 08:44 pm
Crews Closing Out OCO-2 For Launch

Friday, June 20, 2014 - 08:24

Engineers and technicians completed Delta II ordnance installation,  connections and testing at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base.  OCO-2 spacecraft closeouts are under way.  The Delta II payload fairing will be installed around the observatory Saturday.
I would upload more pictures but then it takes forever to read the new comments because I uploaded to many of them. Finally on a new page for me.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/23/2014 06:55 pm
OCO-2 Encapsulated Atop Delta II For Launch

Monday, June 23, 2014 - 13:44

OCO-2 enters its launch week in good shape ahead of a liftoff July 1 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The payload fairing was installed around the observatory Saturday as planned and mechanical connections were finished Sunday. Electrical hook-ups are being made today, setting the stage for the flight readiness review Tuesday. Launch time is 2:56 a.m. Pacific, 5:56 a.m. Eastern time.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: catdlr on 06/24/2014 05:48 pm
ScienceCasts: NASA to Launch Carbon Observatory

ScienceAtNASA   

NASA is about to launch a satellite dedicated to the study of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) will quantify global CO2 sources and sinks, and help researchers predict the future of climate change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZtXdBBzJyA
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/25/2014 09:26 am
OCO-2 Completes Flight Readiness Review

Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 16:08

The launch team completed a successful Flight Readiness Review for NASA's OCO-2 mission and the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket and are proceeding toward a launch July 1 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. With a "go" from the session, teams  will proceed Thursday with loading the storable hypergolic propellants aboard the rocket’s second stage.  No significant engineering issues were identified during today’s FRR and the OCO-2 observatory was reported to be ready for launch.  The early preliminary weather outlook at this time, while there were no percentages given, is generally favorable for launch.  The next milestone is the Launch Readiness Review, will be held on Sunday and will cover any open items or action items coming from today’s Flight Readiness Review and to give the go to proceed with launch.  Loading of the cryogenic liquid oxygen aboard the Delta II first stage is scheduled for 1:11 a.m. leading to a liftoff at 2:56:44 a.m.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: sdsds on 06/26/2014 12:47 am
Delta II launch scheduled
30th Space Wing Public Affairs

6/25/2014 - VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Team Vandenberg is scheduled to launch a NASA satellite on a United Launch Alliance rocket from Space Launch Complex-2 here Tuesday, July 1, at 2:56 a.m. PST.

http://www.vandenberg.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123415748
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/26/2014 12:16 pm
OCO-2 Dress Rehearsal Completed

Thursday, June 26, 2014 - 07:31

The launch teams completed the launch countdown mission dress rehearsal for OCO-2 Wednesday as preparations continue on pace for liftoff July 1. The Delta II launch team of United Launch Alliance and Launch Services Program along with the OCO-2 observatory test team of JPL and Orbital Sciences took part in the exercise at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.  At Space Launch Complex 2, hypergolic propellant loading of the Delta II second stage began.  Oxidizer was loaded into the stage Wednesday and fuel will be loaded aboard today.  A final health check of the OCO-2 observatory atop the rocket will be run Friday and the batteries will be charged.  Launch time is 2:56 a.m. PDT, 5:56 a.m. on the East Coast.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: sdsds on 06/27/2014 04:01 am
[Launch Alert] Launch Visibility
2014 June 26 (Thursday) 19:47 PDT

[...] Since the launch occurs on a moonless night, the event could be
visible to the naked eye for hundreds of miles - perhaps as far away
as portions of Nevada, Arizona, and Mexico.

[...] The visibility of the launch will depend almost entirely on the
weather. During the warmer months of the year, the weather in central
and southern California is fairly predictable. During the pre-dawn
hours, the coast and areas several miles inland are usually plagued by
fog or a layer of low clouds that extend up to about 1,500 to 2,000
feet (457 to 610 M) above sea level. However, at the same time,
California's interior tends to be clear.

Full text at:
http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/launch-alert/2014-June/000866.html
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 01, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/28/2014 09:06 am
OCO-2 Battery Charging Today

Friday, June 27, 2014 - 11:17

Loading the fuel aboard the Delta II second stage was performed Thursday at Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex 2 to complete the two days of hypergolic propellant loading activities.  The OCO-2 spacecraft batteries are being charged today. Saturday will see the spacecraft powered on for a final health check.  The RP-1 fuel for the Delta II first stage, a highly refined kerosene, will be loaded Monday. At this time there are no issues or concerns.  All prelaunch preparations are going well and on schedule.  The Launch Readiness Review is scheduled for 1 p.m. PDT on Sunday and will be followed by the prelaunch news conference at 4 p.m. PDT. Liftoff remains on schedule for 2:56 a.m. PDT, 5:56 a.m. Eastern time.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 06/28/2014 07:28 pm
ULA:
Everything is progressing toward NASA’s OCO-2 launch. The mission is set to lift off on a ULA Delta II rocket on Tuesday, July 1 from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch is scheduled at 2:56 a.m. PDT at the opening of a 30-second launch window. Today’s L-3 forecast shows a 100 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for launch. I have included the art regarding this mission and a link to the mission booklet. http://www.ulalaunch.com/uploads/docs/Mission_Booklets/DII/dii_oco2_mob.pdf
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: input~2 on 06/29/2014 08:48 am
Navigational warning
Quote
EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC.
CALIFORNIA.
ROCKETS.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 0926Z TO 1057Z DAILY
01 THRU 06 JUL IN AREAS BOUND BY:
A. 34-01N 120-43W, 34-05N 121-00W,
34-23N 120-53W, 34-19N 120-37W.
B. 12-29N 125-46W, 12-39N 126-37W,
17-45N 125-32W, 17-35N 124-40W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 061157Z JUL 14.//

Authority: WESTERN RANGE OP W7802 032217Z JUN 14.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/29/2014 02:16 pm
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/30/2014 09:50 am
OCO-2 'Go' for Tuesday Launch

Sunday, June 29, 2014 - 18:37

At the conclusion of a Launch Readiness Review Sunday, managers gave a “go” to proceed toward the launch of NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket at 5:56 a.m. EDT, 2:56 a.m. PDT Tuesday, July 1, from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. There are no issues or concerns with either OCO-2 or the Delta II.

There is a zero percent chance of a weather criteria violation. At the time of launch the temperature will be near 52 degrees, the wind from the northwest at 5-8 knots, and 1-2 miles visibility with fog.

The gantry, or mobile service tower, is scheduled to be pulled back from around the Delta II rocket on Monday at 4:10 p.m. PDT. Earlier in the afternoon the RP-1 fuel, a highly refined kerosene, will be loaded aboard the first stage. On Tuesday, cryogenic liquid oxygen loading is scheduled to start at 1:11 a.m. PDT followed by liftoff at the opening of the 30-second launch at 2:56 a.m. PDT.

Launch attempts are scheduled with the Western Range on Tuesday, July 1 and Wednesday, July 2. Thursday, July 3 is also available if needed.
Title: Re: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/30/2014 03:03 pm
Orbital-Built OCO-2 Satellite Ready for Launch

-- Carbon Dioxide-Measuring Spacecraft for NASA Set to Launch on July 1 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA --

-- OCO-2 Is 151st Orbital-Built Satellite Delivered to Government and Commercial Customers Around the World --


DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 30, 2014-- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), one of the world’s leading space technology companies, today announced it is in final preparations for the launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite. Orbital designed, built and tested the carbon dioxide-measuring spacecraft at its satellite manufacturing facility in Gilbert, AZ for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). NASA’s first satellite to make space-based measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), OCO-2 is scheduled to launch aboard a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Tuesday, July 1 at 2:56 a.m. (PDT).

“We want to thank JPL for its confidence in Orbital on this important mission, which will help scientists understand the sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural process that removes it from the atmosphere,” said Mr. Mike Miller, Orbital’s Senior Vice President of Science and Environmental Satellite Programs. “OCO-2 will ultimately reveal how increasing CO2 concentrations are driving climate change around the globe. We are looking forward to a successful launch tomorrow and are eager to begin in-orbit testing and, later, operating the satellite for JPL.”

Following its deployment, the OCO-2 satellite will undergo several weeks of in-orbit testing to verify that all major subsystems are operating as planned. Once testing is complete, the spacecraft will be commanded to maneuver into a 438-mile altitude, near-polar orbit with five other scientific satellites as part of the Afternoon (A-Train) Constellation. This international constellation of Earth-observing satellites circles the globe once every 98 minutes in a Sun-synchronous orbit that crosses the equator near 1:30 p.m. local time and repeats the same ground track every 16 days. OCO-2 will be inserted at the head of the A-Train.

Orbital will perform the day-to-day mission operations of OCO-2 for JPL from the company’s Mission Operations Center in Dulles, VA. OCO-2 is a 990-pound (449-kilogram) observatory with single-axis articulated arrays and three-axis attitude control to ensure high precision in positioning. It is designed to operate for at least two years.

Orbital’s newest satellite delivery represents the 151st spacecraft the company has completed for customers in the past 32 years, spanning the global commercial, civil government and military and intelligence space systems markets. Of these, 78 have carried out commercial communications and imaging missions and 73 have supported government scientific, national security and space exploration missions. Orbital-built satellites have now amassed approximately 1,100 years of in-orbit experience, a number that will continue to grow as the company is scheduled to deploy up to nine spacecraft in 2014 for commercial communications, space station logistics, scientific research and national security missions.
 
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 06/30/2014 06:23 pm
Final Launch Preps Under Way for OCO-2

Monday, June 30, 2014 - 13:20

Final launch countdown preparations continue on schedule today for the liftoff of the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket carrying NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2.  At Space Launch Complex 2 this afternoon the RP-1 fuel, a highly refined kerosene, is to be loaded into the launch vehicle’s first stage. Then the mobile service tower, or the gantry, will be rolled back from around the rocket.  This is targeted for about 4:10 p.m.Pacific time as soon as the launch vehicle preparations are complete. The countdown for launch will begin at 11:56 p.m.  After a weather briefing, cryogenic loading of liquid oxygen into the Delta II first stage will begin at 1:11 a.m.  Liftoff is targeted for the opening of a 30-second launch window that occurs at 2:56:44 a.m. Pacific time, 5:56 a.m. Eastern.

The weather forecast is essentially unchanged and calls for a 100 percent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time. At liftoff time the temperature will be near 52 degrees, winds from the Northwest at 5-8 knots and a visibility of 1 to 2 miles in coastal fog.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: John44 on 06/30/2014 07:04 pm
Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 Prelaunch News Conference
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8964

Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 Mission Science Briefing
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8965

NASA Social for OCO-2 Mission
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8967

Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: jimvela on 07/01/2014 12:23 am
I am at VAFB processing for another mission.

I hoped to get a glance of the launch vehicle, but as of a few minutes ago, rollback hadn't happened.

They were making all of the familiar sounds of the prep to roll the tower, so hopefully it will happen soon.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 01:20 am
Moved for live coverage. William's article next.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: edkyle99 on 07/01/2014 02:08 am
Here is today's SLC 2W in its original configuration, circa 1960, when it was Complex 75-1 Pad 2 (75-1-2).  At the time of the photograph it had completed its service as a Thor crew training launch site and plans were being made to convert it into a Thor Agena D launch site for Project Corona.  It was assigned to NASA's Delta launch vehicle program in 1967.

 - Ed Kyle
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 02:40 am
And here's William Graham's extensive launch overview article!

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/06/delta-ii-oco-2-launch-vandenberg/
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: catdlr on 07/01/2014 02:50 am
And here's William Graham's extensive launch overview article!

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/06/delta-ii-oco-2-launch-vandenberg/

Mr. Graham's article is very informative as usual.  Hard to believe it's been 5 years sine the failed attempt.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: jimvela on 07/01/2014 03:01 am
At 18:52 local when I left there had been no rollback.
I'm going to be taking a nap and hopefully in a few hours will head out to see whatever I can see of the launch.

The marine layer has been pretty heavy all the last week or so since I've been here; I may only get to see a glowing sky and low rumble.  Such is the lot watching a VAFB launch.

Hopefully OCO2 will be joining the A-train in a few short hours!

Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 07/01/2014 03:10 am
At 18:52 local when I left there had been no rollback.
I'm going to be taking a nap and hopefully in a few hours will head out to see whatever I can see of the launch.

The marine layer has been pretty heavy all the last week or so since I've been here; I may only get to see a glowing sky and low rumble.  Such is the lot watching a VAFB launch.

Hopefully OCO2 will be joining the A-train in a few short hours!
MST Rollback began 2010PDT
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: catdlr on 07/01/2014 03:11 am
Delta II to Launch OCO-2

Rocket/Payload:  A Delta II 7320 will launch the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) mission for NASA.

Date/Site/Launch Time: Tuesday, July 1, 2014, Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Launch is planned for 2:56 a.m. PDT at the opening of a 30-second launch window.

Mission Description: The observatory is NASA's first satellite mission dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, a critical component of Earth’s carbon cycle that is the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth's climate.

Launch Notes: OCO-2 will be ULA’s seventh launch of 2014 and 84th overall.

Viewing the Launch by Webcast: The live launch webcast will begin at 12:45 a.m. PDT. NASA-TV

Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch and twitter.com/ulalaunch.

Bold = mine
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 07/01/2014 03:30 am
ELV Countdown Portal cams changed to different cams. Launch Mount Work Platform Removal now beginning removal preps on rocket. Work Platform removal with forklift to commence soon after that.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 07/01/2014 03:33 am
ELV Countdown Portal cams changed to different cams. Launch Mount Work Platform Removal now beginning removal preps on rocket. Work Platform removal with forklift to commence soon after that.
SLC-2 Crews are activating and adjusting the perimeter xenon lighting for the rocket at this time.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 07/01/2014 03:36 am
ELV Countdown Portal cams changed to different cams. Launch Mount Work Platform Removal now beginning removal preps on rocket. Work Platform removal with forklift to commence soon after that.
SLC-2W cam numbers currently displayed are 1, 3, 21
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 07/01/2014 03:43 am
The 0-Stage SRM and 1-stage Remove Before Flight Items are now being disconnected and removed from the launcher.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 07/01/2014 03:45 am
MST has been confirmed to be fully retracted and locked to its anchors.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 07/01/2014 04:11 am
I'm going to get a few hours sleep and then I will be back up post more tasks as they are checked off.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: sdsds on 07/01/2014 05:16 am
SLC-2W cam numbers currently displayed are 1, 3, 21

I think this is cam 3.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: sdsds on 07/01/2014 05:22 am
Photo credit: 30th Space Wing
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153281216259897&set=a.97094879896.77266.95781119896
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: sdsds on 07/01/2014 05:29 am
I see the claim (but cannot myself confirm) the launch is scheduled for 2:56:44 (local time) with a 30 second window.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/01/2014 06:20 am
I see the claim (but cannot myself confirm) the launch is scheduled for 2:56:44 (local time) with a 30 second window.

I can confirm that.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Lee Jay on 07/01/2014 07:11 am
Why is the second stage being placed into a higher elliptical orbit rather than being deorbited?

Excellent article from William.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: space_cowboy on 07/01/2014 07:24 am
Why is the second stage being placed into a higher elliptical orbit rather than being deorbited?

Excellent article from William.
Essentially, to get it out of the way. Must be new NASA protocol to remove debris if possible. It's refered to as a storage orbit.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 07:48 am
Why is the second stage being placed into a higher elliptical orbit rather than being deorbited?

Excellent article from William.
Essentially, to get it out of the way. Must be new NASA protocol to remove debris if possible. It's refered to as a storage orbit.
Welcome to the forum.
Even in a storage orbit the stage will still be space debris.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: space_cowboy on 07/01/2014 07:59 am
Why is the second stage being placed into a higher elliptical orbit rather than being deorbited?

Excellent article from William.
Essentially, to get it out of the way. Must be new NASA protocol to remove debris if possible. It's refered to as a storage orbit.
Welcome to the forum.
Even in a storage orbit the stage will still be space debris.
Yeah. I guess they think it's less of an issue in a 4 hour orbit. Don't know why they wouldn't do a deorbit burn though.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/01/2014 08:12 am
LOX load commencing.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 08:24 am
Good morning boys and girls.

LOX load commencing.

Thank you sir!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: MATTBLAK on 07/01/2014 08:27 am
Where are we at in the countdown? And will the launch be on NASA TV and webcast as well?
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Galactic Penguin SST on 07/01/2014 08:29 am
Where are we at in the countdown? And will the launch be on NASA TV and webcast as well?

T-1.5 hours right now. NASA TV has been covering the launch for at least 1 hour already.  ;)
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 08:33 am
They have a lot of science to talk about.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 08:34 am
ULA ‏@ulalaunch  4m
Today's #OCO2 launch is dedicated to @NASA_LSP's Laurie Walls.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 08:34 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: jimvela on 07/01/2014 08:37 am
I'm going to go see what I can see... with any luck perhaps a few pictures of liftoff...
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 08:39 am
99 percent LOX.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 08:41 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 08:44 am
There's the spring system that will help it separate.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 08:45 am
Astrotech guys. Didn't know they had a place on the West Coast too.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Prober on 07/01/2014 08:45 am
beautiful astrotech operations video
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 08:48 am
They have a forward facing camera on the stage to capture S/C Sep.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/01/2014 08:49 am
Setting up for FTS test.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Prober on 07/01/2014 08:55 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/01/2014 08:56 am
FTS checks complete. Next big milestone is Engine Slews at T-26 min.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 09:01 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 09:05 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 09:08 am
The nozzles are dancing.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/01/2014 09:08 am
Engine slews complete. The test also included test pulses of the S2 RACS jets.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 09:08 am
.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Prober on 07/01/2014 09:08 am
testing
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/01/2014 09:11 am
Coming up on a 20-min. built-in hold at T-15m.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 09:11 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/01/2014 09:12 am
L-45 min.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 09:12 am
And there's your T-15 min hold point.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 09:24 am
The track has it going past "Point Mugu, California" if you're in the area (you can work out the trajectory from Vandy, through there, onwards.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 09:24 am
Marine layer (aka fog) being mentioned. No issues with regards to weather for this launch.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/01/2014 09:27 am
Livestream reminder: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#.U7J-MLGiW-4 (http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#.U7J-MLGiW-4)
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 09:28 am
Familiar vantage point. Even 3 decades on and on a clear day.

Top image: today
Bottom image: January 1983
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Nick L. on 07/01/2014 09:28 am
0 percent chance of violation. Weather is go.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 09:28 am
Weather Brief. No concerns with the clutter on radar.

Green on Range. 0 percent POV.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 09:32 am
Oh, that was weird. Sorry if you saw the site go down for 30 seconds. No idea what that was about. All good now.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 09:32 am
T-15 mins and COUNTING.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 09:33 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Prober on 07/01/2014 09:35 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:36 am
T-12 Minutes
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:37 am
T-10 Minutes. Going through some procedures.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:38 am
T-9 Minutes.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 09:38 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:39 am
T-8 Minutes
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:40 am
T-7 Minutes
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/01/2014 09:41 am
There's a 10 min. built-in hold coming up at T-4 min. Currently at L-15:30.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:41 am
T-6 Minutes
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 09:42 am
It's a really beautiful sight with all the fog.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:42 am
T-5 Minutes
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 09:43 am
Start of 10 minute hold
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:43 am
T-4 Minutes. Into hold.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 09:43 am
And there's your T-4 minute hold.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 09:44 am
Weather green throughout the window. "Healthy spacecraft and a great rocket"

Polling.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 09:44 am
Final launch poll: everything GO.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:46 am
About 11 minutes to launch.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 09:46 am
Another look 3 decades back in time:

LCC sure has changed...

Top two images: today
Bottom image: January 1983
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: eric z on 07/01/2014 09:47 am
  Go Delta ! Go OCO-2 ! Thanks for the coverage.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:47 am
About 10 minutes to launch.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/01/2014 09:49 am
Another look 3 decades back in time:

LCC sure has changed...

Top image: today

That's actually a NASA monitoring room. The Delta launch team is at the Vandenberg RLCC.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 09:50 am
Coming out of the hold. Polling - all go.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: jimvela on 07/01/2014 09:51 am
Little to see from the weather station.  Thick marine layer...
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:51 am
Conducting poll. All go. About 5.5 minutes to launch.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 09:51 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:52 am
L-5 minutes. Standby for release of hold.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 09:52 am
And finally this blast from the past to fill the hold:


Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:53 am
Into count. T-4 minutes.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 09:53 am
Out of the hold.

T-4 mins and COUNTING!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:54 am
T-3 minutes.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 09:54 am
Everyone who's able, please try and get a good res image of launch for the lead article image. Thanks.

T-3 mins.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:55 am
T-2 minutes.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:56 am
T-1 minute. Hold Hold Hold.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 09:56 am
HOLD!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: spectre9 on 07/01/2014 09:57 am
Awwww I was so excited.

What's the water flow for?
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:57 am
Hold at T-46 seconds. I think it was a problem with water flow.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 09:57 am
Pad water issue. Scrub.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 09:58 am
SCRUB for now. Oh well, happens to the best.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: spectre9 on 07/01/2014 09:58 am
Scrub  :(

What a fizzer.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/01/2014 09:59 am
The water suppresses the reflected pulse of engine and SRM ignition.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/01/2014 09:59 am
Deconfiguring vehicle. Going back to external power.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 07/01/2014 10:00 am
PAO called Scrub for today. Next launch attempt may be announced later today.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 10:00 am
Fog picking up. Vehicle close to becoming invisible.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: spectre9 on 07/01/2014 10:02 am
The water suppresses the reflected pulse of engine and SRM ignition.

Thanks Kim, you truly are a great asset for this website.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: mikes on 07/01/2014 10:02 am
The water suppresses the reflected pulse of engine and SRM ignition.

Are you sure? I thought Delta II uses dry ducts.

Water for GSE cooling maybe?
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 10:03 am
Remember, we'll be using this thread for the next attempt, so ensure your posts are adding to the conversation. Dumb, pointless "shucks" style comments will be deleted for obvious reasons. Think before posting.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: MATTBLAK on 07/01/2014 10:05 am
Remember, we'll be using this thread for the next attempt, so ensure your posts are adding to the conversation. Dumb, pointless "shucks" style comments will be deleted for obvious reasons. Think before posting.

Is a scrub for a launch of this nature usually or always 24 hours?
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/01/2014 10:06 am
Are you sure? I thought Delta II uses dry ducts.

Water for GSE cooling maybe?


No, SLC-2 is a flat pad with the vehicle sitting on a relatively short pedestal. The countdown procedure actually calls the system "pulse suppression".
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/01/2014 10:07 am
Is a scrub for a launch of this nature usually or always 24 hours?

Depends on why the water flow didn't start.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 07/01/2014 10:07 am
Remember, we'll be using this thread for the next attempt, so ensure your posts are adding to the conversation. Dumb, pointless "shucks" style comments will be deleted for obvious reasons. Think before posting.

Is a scrub for a launch of this nature usually or always 24 hours?
launch team currently not sure if a 24 hour scrub is possible. more shortly
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Helodriver on 07/01/2014 10:09 am
Vandenberg fog can be legendary. Source: the eucalyptus trees that I've almost hit may times while driving there at night.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 07/01/2014 10:11 am
Via PAO: prelim word is 24 hour hold or earliest possible next attempt.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 10:13 am
LOX Detanking.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: space_cowboy on 07/01/2014 10:18 am
There was a launch window the same time tomorrow. If the problem is rectifiable for then.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/01/2014 10:21 am
Discussing crew rest issues with pulling second all nighter..."Deep cycle launch" overnight launch postures.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 10:23 am
Are you sure? I thought Delta II uses dry ducts.

Water for GSE cooling maybe?


No, SLC-2 is a flat pad with the vehicle sitting on a relatively short pedestal. The countdown procedure actually calls the system "pulse suppression".
In addition to that: the flame duct beneath the delta main engine has been equipped with a deluge system for sound suppression since long before Delta II.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 10:30 am
Limited info until they get to the pad (which has to be after the vehicle is detanked).
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 10:32 am
Another look 3 decades back in time:

LCC sure has changed...

Top image: today

That's actually a NASA monitoring room. The Delta launch team is at the Vandenberg RLCC.
Thanks. I edited my post to include the RLCC.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 10:33 am
System is at the launch mount area, at the base of the rocket.

Working a 24 hour scrub turnaround, but it's pending the status of what needs repairing. Potential for 48 hours. Waiting for more information.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/01/2014 10:34 am
In addition to that: the flame duct beneath the delta main engine has been equipped with a deluge system for sound suppression since long before Delta II.

SLC-2 has no flame duct.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 10:38 am
And that's NASA TV signing off.

So we'll see if we're back tomorrow, later.

Thanks to all for the coverage, especially Kim.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 10:39 am
In addition to that: the flame duct beneath the delta main engine has been equipped with a deluge system for sound suppression since long before Delta II.

SLC-2 has no flame duct.
A supplement to a NASA report with regards to environmental impacts of modifications for SLC-2W for operation of Delta II, from June 1993, clearly says that SLC-2W has a flame duct underneath the Delta main engine with a 6,000 gpm deluge system for sound suppression. Report was prepared by McDonnell Douglas Aerospace for NASA.

Section 2, paragraph 2.2.1, page 4
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Helodriver on 07/01/2014 10:50 am
In addition to that: the flame duct beneath the delta main engine has been equipped with a deluge system for sound suppression since long before Delta II.

SLC-2 has no flame duct.
A supplement to a NASA report with regards to environmental impacts of modifications for SLC-2W for operation of Delta II, from June 1993, clearly says that SLC-2W has a flame duct underneath the Delta main engine with a 6,000 gpm deluge system for sound suppression. Report was prepared by McDonnell Douglas Aerospace for NASA.

Section 2, paragraph 2.2.1, page 4


SLC-2W has a flame duct that channels main engine exhaust only. The SRM exhaust is deflected laterally by flame diverters on the launch mount surface. See picture.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Rocket Science on 07/01/2014 11:21 am
Big storm brewing off the Cape could turn into a hurricane, but I'll leave it to the WX guys on here...
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/01/2014 11:25 am
In addition to that: the flame duct beneath the delta main engine has been equipped with a deluge system for sound suppression since long before Delta II.

SLC-2 has no flame duct.
A supplement to a NASA report with regards to environmental impacts of modifications for SLC-2W for operation of Delta II, from June 1993, clearly says that SLC-2W has a flame duct underneath the Delta main engine with a 6,000 gpm deluge system for sound suppression. Report was prepared by McDonnell Douglas Aerospace for NASA.

Section 2, paragraph 2.2.1, page 4


SLC-2W has a flame duct that channels main engine exhaust only. The SRM exhaust is deflected laterally by flame diverters on the launch mount surface. See picture.
Correct. The outflow basin for the main engine flame duct is visible in the video grab from the Landsat 7 launch....

... and a video grap from pre-launch views of Delta 267 (bottom image)
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: jimvela on 07/01/2014 11:33 am
Big storm brewing off the Cape could turn into a hurricane, but I'll leave it to the WX guys on here...

Not a worry for VAFB...
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Rocket Science on 07/01/2014 11:38 am
Big storm brewing off the Cape could turn into a hurricane, but I'll leave it to the WX guys on here...

Not a worry for VAFB...
Thanks, my bad... wrong site, still working the first cup of coffee... ;D
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/01/2014 11:47 am
In addition to that: the flame duct beneath the delta main engine has been equipped with a deluge system for sound suppression since long before Delta II.

SLC-2 has no flame duct.
A supplement to a NASA report with regards to environmental impacts of modifications for SLC-2W for operation of Delta II, from June 1993, clearly says that SLC-2W has a flame duct underneath the Delta main engine with a 6,000 gpm deluge system for sound suppression. Report was prepared by McDonnell Douglas Aerospace for NASA.

Section 2, paragraph 2.2.1, page 4


SLC-2W has a flame duct that channels main engine exhaust only. The SRM exhaust is deflected laterally by flame diverters on the launch mount surface. See picture.

I was just out there last month - how the heck did I miss that?!

Apologies.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 12:47 pm
  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
From: 30th Space Wing Public Affairs, www.vandenberg.af.mil

Delta II launch delayed

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - The launch of a United Launch Alliance
Delta II carrying NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite was
scrubbed today due to an issue with the water suppression system that is
used to flow water on the launch pad to dampen the acoustic energy during
launch.
The launch is rescheduled for Wednesday, July 2 from Space Launch Complex-2
at Vandenberg Air Force Station, Calif., pending the outcome of
troubleshooting. The launch time is 2:56 a.m. PDT at the opening of a
30-second window. The forecast for July 2 shows a 100 percent chance of
favorable weather conditions for the launch.

- 30 -

Contact information for 30th Space Wing Public Affairs

30 Space Wing Public Affairs
867 Washington Ave, Bldg. 12000
Vandenberg AFB, CA 93437
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 12:47 pm
ULA:
 

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. (July 1, 2014) – The launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta II carrying NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite was scrubbed today due to an issue with the water suppression system that is used to flow water on the launch pad to dampen the acoustic energy during launch.

Pending the outcome of troubleshooting, the launch is rescheduled for Wednesday, July 2 from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The launch time is 2:56 a.m. PDT at the opening of a 30-second window. The forecast for July 2 shows a 100 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 07/01/2014 03:07 pm
In addition to that: the flame duct beneath the delta main engine has been equipped with a deluge system for sound suppression since long before Delta II.

SLC-2 has no flame duct.
A supplement to a NASA report with regards to environmental impacts of modifications for SLC-2W for operation of Delta II, from June 1993, clearly says that SLC-2W has a flame duct underneath the Delta main engine with a 6,000 gpm deluge system for sound suppression. Report was prepared by McDonnell Douglas Aerospace for NASA.

Section 2, paragraph 2.2.1, page 4


SLC-2W has a flame duct that channels main engine exhaust only. The SRM exhaust is deflected laterally by flame diverters on the launch mount surface. See picture.

I was just out there last month - how the heck did I miss that?!

Apologies.
Slight Side Note: The above two quotes are one the reasons the DII Heavy did not fly out of VAFB was the Current Flame Duct along with the launch mount would have to be modified to take the exhaust from two Ground lit SRMs as well as build two additional flames ducts to handle the remaining 4 Ground lit GEM-46 SRMs. That is the only reason SLC-2W still uses the original SRM Flame Diverters. They cannot handle the punch generated by the GEM-46s so they are restricted to use GEM-40s. There are other reasons too, but Ill save that for another day.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: chewi on 07/01/2014 07:15 pm
Photos from ULA
http://www.ulalaunch.com/file-library.aspx?launchEventID=213
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Jim on 07/01/2014 07:17 pm
There are other reasons too, but Ill save that for another day.

There isn't room in the MST to attach them.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: catdlr on 07/01/2014 07:18 pm
Also, this slightly clearer picture of the launch pedestal: (Credit from ULA)

and the first 7 seconds of this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTqsvZ1SDd4

Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/01/2014 08:58 pm
They've successfully detanked, found the issue (a solenoid valve that was preventing water flow), replaced it and will shortly officially announce they are shooting for Wednesday at 09:56:23 UTC.
Title: Re: SCRUB: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 1, 2014
Post by: Prober on 07/01/2014 09:31 pm
In addition to that: the flame duct beneath the delta main engine has been equipped with a deluge system for sound suppression since long before Delta II.

SLC-2 has no flame duct.
A supplement to a NASA report with regards to environmental impacts of modifications for SLC-2W for operation of Delta II, from June 1993, clearly says that SLC-2W has a flame duct underneath the Delta main engine with a 6,000 gpm deluge system for sound suppression. Report was prepared by McDonnell Douglas Aerospace for NASA.

Section 2, paragraph 2.2.1, page 4


SLC-2W has a flame duct that channels main engine exhaust only. The SRM exhaust is deflected laterally by flame diverters on the launch mount surface. See picture.

I was just out there last month - how the heck did I miss that?!

Apologies.
Slight Side Note: The above two quotes are one the reasons the DII Heavy did not fly out of VAFB was the Current Flame Duct along with the launch mount would have to be modified to take the exhaust from two Ground lit SRMs as well as build two additional flames ducts to handle the remaining 4 Ground lit GEM-46 SRMs. That is the only reason SLC-2W still uses the original SRM Flame Diverters. They cannot handle the punch generated by the GEM-46s so they are restricted to use GEM-40s. There are other reasons too, but Ill save that for another day.

If I was setting up a cam on base, would want to get that pic of the flame trench (think Soyuz).  Know the Delta II goes quick with the solids, but would still like to see it.  Any in the archives?
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: catdlr on 07/01/2014 09:44 pm

If I was setting up a cam on base, would want to get that pic of the flame trench (think Soyuz).  Know the Delta II goes quick with the solids, but would still like to see it.  Any in the archives?


Boy I've seen a bunch, all I could did up was this one.  Start at 7:22 into the video, where you can see the water for sound suppression starting to drain down the flame trench.  Unfortunately it's the opposite view you wanted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjxACHkEZsI
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: catdlr on 07/01/2014 10:56 pm
Per NASA:

July 1, 2014

MEDIA ADVISORY M14-113

Launch of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 Rescheduled for July 2

The launch of NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is scheduled for Wednesday, July 2 at 5:56 a.m. EDT (2:56 a.m. PDT) from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The launch team has completed troubleshooting of the launch pad water suppression system that resulted in the scrub of the launch attempt Tuesday. A valve that is part of the pulse suppression water system, which had operated properly during tests shortly before the launch countdown, failed to function properly during the final minutes of the launch attempt. The failed valve has been replaced with a spare, and the system is being tested in preparation for Wednesday's launch attempt.

The OCO-2 mission will produce the most detailed picture to date of natural sources of carbon dioxide, as well as their "sinks" -- places on Earth’s surface where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere. The observatory will study how these sources and sinks are distributed around the globe and how they change over time.

The launch weather forecast is unchanged with a 100 percent chance of favorable conditions at liftoff, which is targeted for 5:56:23 EDT (2:56:23 PDT) at the opening of a 30-second launch window.

NASA Television coverage will begin at 3:45 a.m. EDT (12:45 a.m. PDT) Wednesday. For NASA TV downlink and schedule information and streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, is responsible for project management of OCO-2. Orbital Sciences Corp., built the OCO-2 spacecraft. NASA’s Launch Services Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida provides launch management. United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colorado, is NASA’s launch service provider for the Delta II rocket.
For more information about OCO-2, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/oco2
-end-
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Hungry4info3 on 07/01/2014 11:05 pm
 Regarding the hardware problem. ;)

Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: rsnellenberger on 07/02/2014 12:29 am


I was just out there last month - how the heck did I miss that?!

Apologies.

woods hadn't finished painting those lines yet?  It's not exactly a Soyuz-class flame trench...
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: DaveS on 07/02/2014 12:34 am
MST rollback in progress.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Ronsmytheiii on 07/02/2014 01:28 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Ronsmytheiii on 07/02/2014 01:47 am
MST rollback complete:

https://twitter.com/NASA/status/484096390898122752/photo/1
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 07/02/2014 02:07 am
MST rollback complete:

https://twitter.com/NASA/status/484096390898122752/photo/1
Launch Mount work items to commence very shortly once they depart the retract position of the MST.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 07/02/2014 03:57 am
MST rollback complete:

https://twitter.com/NASA/status/484096390898122752/photo/1
Launch Mount work items to commence very shortly once they depart the retract position of the MST.
Items at the launch mount are complete and ready for LOX loading.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 07/02/2014 04:11 am
Everyone Im off to get some sleep before the launch.

You can follow in real time here:
http://countdown.ksc.nasa.gov/elv
http://countdown.ksc.nasa.gov/elv/index-vafb.html
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 05:27 am
Pad is clear. Beginning S2 He and N2 pressurization.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 05:49 am
SLC-2 complex now clear. He and N2 pressurization will now build to flight pressures.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 05:57 am
T-150 min. built-in hold commencing. This is a 60-min. hold. We're at L-240 min.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 06:56 am
Count resumes at T-150 min., L-180 min.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 06:59 am
Commencing guidance system turn-on.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 07:02 am
Beginning S1 He & N2 system pressurization.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 07:05 am
C-Band transponder on.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 07:05 am
No COLAs today.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/02/2014 07:18 am


I was just out there last month - how the heck did I miss that?!

Apologies.

woods hadn't finished painting those lines yet?  It's not exactly a Soyuz-class flame trench...
Sorry folks. Can't contribute to covering this launch attempt.  I'm off to work with two 5-gallon cans of red paint  ;)

Below: best view of the Delta main engine flame duct exit I've seen to date. NASA image.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 07:38 am
Telemetry transmitter on and nominal.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 07:42 am
Nasa tv goes live in a few minutes...

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#.U7OjbrGiW-4 (http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#.U7OjbrGiW-4)
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 07:47 am
T-100 min; L-130 min.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 07:48 am
Wx brief coming up in a couple minutes.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 07:50 am
Very pretty...
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 07:53 am
Weather briefing:

Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 07:53 am
Good WX, no violations. Scrub forecast is good, as well.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 07:55 am
21 sec delta launch window delta from yesterday, same 30 sec window size.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:02 am
Polling...happy about the weather :)
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 08:03 am
LO2 tanking will pick up in a couple minutes.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 08:09 am
Winds aloft are looking good.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:10 am
It's wonderful to hear the progress as the bird comes to life.
-No issues :)
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 08:13 am
It's wonderful to hear the progress as the bird comes to life.
-No issues :)


You'd never guess this team hasn't done this in three years.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:15 am
It's wonderful to hear the progress as the bird comes to life.
-No issues :)


You'd never guess this team hasn't done this in three years.
They sound like they do this every morning before breakfast.
A well prepared team of professional steely-eyed missle men and women!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:19 am
Hooray Tim Dunn!
He's explaining yesterdays events.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:27 am
OCO-2
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:33 am
Sorry I can't type descriptions and capture at the same time...
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: AJA on 07/02/2014 08:34 am
Sorry I can't type descriptions and capture at the same time...

I'll help you out with the descriptions then. Screenshotting is a nightmare for me.

They just terminated rapid LOX flow. (LOX tank at 95%). Assuming they're transitioning to slow fill, and replenish.


Now showing B-roll of the science behind OCO-2.


Reminder - OCO-2's USP: Spectrometers to monitor atmospheric CO2 concentration, and a fluroscence meter (fluorometer?) to measure the fluoroscence of Chrlorophyll, and thus to track plant biomass sequestering of atmospheric CO2.


Trivia: Half the CO2 build-up has happened since 1980, and a quarter since 2001.

Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:38 am
A video explaining the mission of OCO-2

Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:39 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 08:39 am
The two screenshots show two of the Launch Vehicle Data Centers that are resident at the NASA facility on VAFB (There are three identical rooms at the NASA Telemetry Facility at Hangar AE on CCAFS). The NASA engineering team monitors the vehicle and ground systems data there, advising the NASA Chief Engineer on technical status, who in turn advises the NLM. The ULA launch team is resident in another facility where they actually execute the tasks of the countdown.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:41 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:42 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 08:43 am
FTS checks coming up at T-39 min. We're at T-43 min; L-73 min.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: AJA on 07/02/2014 08:43 am
LOX tanking of first stage took 26 min + change.
Cycling of fill and drain valves completed.


(Ok.. I think George jumped the gun there.. they're cycling now)
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:44 am
X
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:46 am
She's breathing!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:48 am
39 mins
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: AJA on 07/02/2014 08:49 am
I'll help you out with the descriptions then.

Ok.. I might've bitten off a lot more than I can chew. A lot of those call-outs going over my head :P

Some form of polling just concluded, and working their way through the checklists.


EDIT: George Diller to the rescue - Those were range safety systems being verified.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:50 am
Delta Launch Control t-36
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 08:50 am
That was the verification that the correct people are ready to support FTS checks.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 08:52 am
CRD = Command Receiver Decoder, the receivers (there are two) on the rocket that would receive and execute a destruct command.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:52 am
t-35
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:54 am
t-33
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:55 am
t-32
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: AJA on 07/02/2014 08:55 am
Completed 2 1 second tests of CRD, on primary transmitter (and backup too?), and they've verified it works. Now, to ensure it's not used at all in this flight.


T-29 min.


Ground lit SRBs to burn for 99s.
1st stage cut-off: 4 min 22 s
PLF jettison: 5 min 1s
2nd stage cutoff : 10 min 20s
Coast: 39 min and 30 seconds.
2nd burn: 50 min 50 s (1 min 2 sec burn)
Injection: T+56 min 15s
 
Array deploy - Injection + 3 min.


This is probably in a brochure somewhere, but things are pretty quiet now, so we're vamping, while the Delta's venting.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 08:56 am
FTS checks demonstrate that both CRDs are working properly on internal power, and that both the primary and backup command transmitters (operated by Range Safety) are able to send commands to the receivers successfully.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 08:57 am
Engine slews will occur at T-26 min.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 08:57 am
t-30
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 08:59 am
E-Package (one per stage) provides engine control.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 09:01 am
I'll try to catch a slew shot at T-26 if available.
T-26

Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: AJA on 07/02/2014 09:02 am
Question: Are there two people watching each redundant chain (of instrumentation, and systems)? I ask because there are two launch controllers that reply with the required information each time.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: AJA on 07/02/2014 09:03 am
I'll try to catch a slew shot at T-26 if available.
T-26

It's the 2nd stage engine. I didn't catch a visual. Do they have a camera inside?

2nd stage power slews are complete.

EDIT: Never mind.. they're now going to apparently slew the first stage.
Hmm.. 1st stage slewing, but no close shots.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 09:04 am
Morning all. Nozzles doing the hokey cokey.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 09:04 am
You'll hear callouts by FSC (First Stage Controller) and SSC (Second Stage Controller). You'll also hear callouts from TM-1 & -2, who are responsible for watching stripcharts and telemetry displays.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 09:05 am
Now on to first stage slew..(no closeups)... :(

Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 09:06 am
It's the 2nd stage engine. I didn't catch a visual. Do they have a camera inside?

No camera, telemetry only.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 09:07 am
HYE = Hydraulics Engineer.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 09:08 am
heh heh heh cool, Delta II stretching its muscles!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 09:09 am
Working through data link checks between vehicle, SLC-2 and NASA TM Lab.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 09:11 am
T-15 min. hold coming up. L-45 min.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 09:11 am
t-15:30 a 20 minute hold at t-15, no issues being worked.


Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 09:18 am
Right now they're just watching the rocket. The BIH allows time to catch up on any work that might have run long or issues that've popped up. Wx brief coming up at L-30 min (about 7 min from now).
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:22 am
About 35 minutes to launch.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: AJA on 07/02/2014 09:22 am
There is a camera on the second stage, and they hope to get video footage of the payload separation via the Hartebeesthoek tracking station in South Africa, but the stage is expected to be oriented such that the sun will be in frame, so the image might be all washed out.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 09:26 am
Live data feed link from friend above:
(http://countdown.ksc.nasa.gov/elv/ (http://countdown.ksc.nasa.gov/elv/))
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:27 am
About 30 minutes to launch.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:28 am
Range is Green.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: AJA on 07/02/2014 09:30 am
Getting a Wx briefing now: Currently green for all range LCC.
Same for the 24 hr scrub.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 09:30 am
No watches warning, ground clutter in image below
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:31 am
Launch forecasts. 30 seconds from count start.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:32 am
About 25 minutes to launch. Verifying systems.
Title: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Star One on 07/02/2014 09:33 am
Anyone else just experience this site dropping out for about a minute?
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 09:34 am
Anyone else just experience this site dropping out for about a minute?
yes bad gateway
t-13:00 (recent polling looked good)

Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 09:34 am
Anyone else just experience this site dropping out for about a minute?

yes, same as yesterday.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: AJA on 07/02/2014 09:35 am
Anyone else just experience this site dropping out for about a minute?
yes bad gateway

Only the forum though. The website was still up.
EDIT: Or maybe it was back by the time I thought to check parts of the site other than the forum.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 09:35 am
Amazing scene:
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 09:36 am
Steven Pietrobon, you're much better at capture and descriptions than I, so I'll back off posting pics until around t-0
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:37 am
T-10 minutes. 20 minutes from launch. Verifying systems.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 09:37 am
Upper level winds are green. All downrange assets are ready for launch.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:39 am
Thanks Sean. T-8 minutes. 18 minutes from launch.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:41 am
T-6 minutes. 16 minutes from launch.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:42 am
T-5 minutes. 15 minutes from launch.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 09:43 am
Holding at T-4 mins for 10 mins.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 09:43 am
OCO-2 completed final poll. :)
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:43 am
T-4 minutes. 14 minutes from launch. Into hold.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:45 am
About 12 minutes from launch. NASA launch team is ready.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 09:45 am
Guy doing the polling sounds like he's laid back in his chair with a massive cigar. :)

No issues, all looking good.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:46 am
About 10 minutes from launch. Vehicle is in readiness. OCO-2 is on internal power.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:47 am
L-9 minutes.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:50 am
L-7 Minutes. Going through poll.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 09:50 am
Polling to come out of the hold.

All Go!

God Speed Delta II and OCO-2.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:51 am
L-5.5 Minutes.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:52 am
L-5 Minutes. One minute to coming out.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 09:52 am
T-4 minutes and counting!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:53 am
T-4 minutes.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:54 am
T-3 minutes.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 09:54 am
Ordnance armed.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:55 am
T-2 minutes.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 09:55 am
Topped up and pressed for flight.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 09:56 am
Water flow on!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: woods170 on 07/02/2014 09:56 am
Nice to see the fog is less thick than yesterday.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:56 am
T-1 minutes.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 09:56 am
Status check is all go.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 09:57 am
LAUNCH!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:57 am
Launch!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: robertross on 07/02/2014 09:57 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 09:57 am
LAUNCH!!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 09:57 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 09:58 am
Mach 1.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:58 am
MaxQ
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: vyoma on 07/02/2014 09:58 am
Liftoff!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 09:58 am
Solids have separated.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 09:59 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 09:59 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:59 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 09:59 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 10:00 am
We're off!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: robertross on 07/02/2014 10:00 am
Mach 10
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:00 am
+3 minutes
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 10:00 am
Mach 10.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:01 am
+4 minutes
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 10:01 am
MECO

1 stage separation
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: robertross on 07/02/2014 10:01 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 10:02 am
Staging.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:02 am
Stage separation.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 10:02 am
fairing sep
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:03 am
Nice graphics. Second stage burn.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: robertross on 07/02/2014 10:04 am
data transferring to TDRS west
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:04 am
+7 minutes. Transitioning to TDRS West.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:05 am
+8 minutes. Two minutes to end of burn.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:06 am
+9 minutes. Good chamber pressure.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: robertross on 07/02/2014 10:07 am
SECO 1
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 10:07 am
SECO-1
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:07 am
+10 minutes.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 10:07 am
SECO-1.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: robertross on 07/02/2014 10:07 am
40 min to next burn (short one)
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:08 am
SECO. A short burn in 40 minutes.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Star One on 07/02/2014 10:09 am

40 min to next burn (short one)

How short?
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 10:10 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:10 am
38 minutes till next burn.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: inventodoc on 07/02/2014 10:10 am
62 second second burn
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 10:11 am

40 min to next burn (short one)

How short?
1 minute and 2 seconds.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: inventodoc on 07/02/2014 10:12 am
Ascent off pad seemed very rapid. Is this typical of delta II, or is the payload very light?
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 10:13 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njf67aov4XA
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:14 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Kim Keller on 07/02/2014 10:16 am
Ascent off pad seemed very rapid. Is this typical of delta II, or is the payload very light?

It's typical.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 10:17 am

40 min to next burn (short one)

How short?

It would be beneficial if people read the articles covering these launches.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/06/delta-ii-oco-2-launch-vandenberg/
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:19 am
About 30 minutes to second burn.
Title: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Star One on 07/02/2014 10:21 am

40 min to next burn (short one)

How short?

It would be beneficial if people read the articles covering these launches.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/06/delta-ii-oco-2-launch-vandenberg/

I just haven't had the time to read it yet so I apologise.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 10:25 am
B-Roll
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 10:27 am
Nice Graphics
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: John44 on 07/02/2014 10:29 am
OCO-2 Launch
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8971
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 10:30 am
Live coverage will return in about 15 min at 06:45 EDT...
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: AstroBrewer on 07/02/2014 10:39 am
Caught a brief glimpse of Delta II with OCO2 from outside my house in Phoenix, about 500 miles from Vandenberg.  I was scanning the horizon while listening to NASA TV on my phone when I saw an orange dot low in the West moving horizontally from the right to the left.  I got it in my binoculars and watched for just a few seconds when it disappeared as the launch commentary announced 20 seconds to MECO.  I checked the MET on NASA TV and switched my phone to clock and estimate about 20ish seconds lag in NASA TV, so I'm pretty sure what I saw was the rocket.  I tried to find it again with the binoculars after second stage ignition, but from my position a street light was in the way. 

The only launches I've been able to see in the past from here were dusk launches when the sky was dark and the rocket came into sunlight.  Later today I'll calculate how high above the horizon it should have been at MECO to see if it's consistent with my observation, but the timing of it blinking out was right.  Fun stuff. 

EDIT:  corrected left and right
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:45 am
Back with live coverage.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 10:47 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:47 am
Video!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 10:48 am
Second stage second ignition
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:48 am
Ignition and SECO 12 seconds later.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 10:48 am
SECO
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 10:48 am
Second burn complete!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 10:48 am
SECO-2
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:49 am
Turning away.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:50 am
3 minutes to separation.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Targeteer on 07/02/2014 10:51 am
the attitude for SECO 2 looked like it was at the earth, not tangent to it like would seem obvious but I'm not a rocket scientist so... :)
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:51 am
2 minutes to sep.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 10:51 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 10:52 am
Might get a good shot of sep 30 sec
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 10:53 am
And we have spacecraft separation!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 10:53 am
S/C Sep!

Congrats to all involved. And thanks for the great work with the coverage here everyone!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Targeteer on 07/02/2014 10:53 am
the mighty Delta II delivers again!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:53 am
S/C Sep!

Congratulations to NASA and ULA for the successful launch!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 10:53 am
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: MATTBLAK on 07/02/2014 10:54 am
And that's how it's done! Outstanding :) Thank you for the coverage and commentary everyone. Shame I missed the actual launch :(
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:55 am
Control room congratulations.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 10:55 am
Hooray! Good launch, good sep! Congrats ULA and NASA!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 10:55 am
William Graham's article updated for post launch:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/06/delta-ii-oco-2-launch-vandenberg/
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Steven Pietrobon on 07/02/2014 10:56 am
12 minutes until third burn of second stage.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 11:00 am
NASA OCO-2 ‏@IamOCO2
Solar array deployment is a success!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 11:00 am
All smiles:)
Now up to OCO-2 to spread her wings!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Targeteer on 07/02/2014 11:03 am
safe to assume that the collision avoidance maneuvering of the 2nd stage is to get below OCO-2?
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Sean Lynch on 07/02/2014 11:07 am
Post launch mission coverage (on NASA tv) at 08:30 EDT, thanks for sharing everyone!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 11:26 am
Launch photo
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 11:28 am
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
From: 30th Space Wing Public Affairs, www.vandenberg.af.mil

Delta II launch success

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -A NASA satellite on a United Launch
Alliance rocket was launched from Space Launch Complex-2 here Wednesday,
July 2, at 2:56 a.m. PDT.
Col. Keith Balts, 30th Space Wing commander, was the launch decision
authority.
The Delta II rocket carried NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2; the second
of NASA's five Earth science missions to launch in 2014.
OCO-2 is NASA's first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon
dioxide, the leading human- produced greenhouse gas driving changes in
Earth's climate. OCO-2 will provide a new tool for understanding the human
and natural sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural "sinks" that
absorb carbon dioxide and help control its buildup. The observatory will
measure the global geographic distribution of these sources and sinks and
study their changes over time.
For questions about the booster please contact Jessica Rye of the United
Launch Alliance at 321-693- 6250 or [email protected].
For more information about the OCO-2 mission, visit: http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov
or call George Diller from NASA at 321-867-2468.
For more information about NASA's Earth science activities in 2014, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Artyom. on 07/02/2014 11:33 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hwFYPadnbk
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 12:27 pm


Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. (July 2, 2014) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket carrying the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) payload for NASA lifted off from Space Launch Complex-2 at 2:56 a.m. PDT today. This launch marks the 51st Delta II mission for NASA and Delta II’s return to flight as the first of two planned Delta II launches this year. Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) will be NASA’s first dedicated Earth remote sensing satellite to study atmospheric carbon dioxide from Space. OCO-2 will be collecting space-based global measurements of atmospheric CO2 with the precision, resolution, and coverage needed to characterize sources and sinks on regional scales.


Photo: United Launch Alliance

 
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Chris Bergin on 07/02/2014 12:27 pm


United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches

51st Delta II Mission for NASA

 

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., (July 2, 2014) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket carrying the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) payload for NASA lifted off from Space Launch Complex-2 at 2:56 a.m. PDT today. This launch marks the 51st Delta II mission for NASA and Delta II’s return to flight as the first of two planned Delta II launches this year, and also the seventh ULA launch of 2014 and the 84th since the company was formed.

“Congratulations to the NASA Launch Services Program team, JPL and all of our mission partners on the successful launch of the OCO-2 satellite,” said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Atlas and Delta Programs. “It is our honor to launch this important mission that will gather the scientific data to better understand planet earth.”

The OCO-2 mission was launched aboard a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a ULA first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems (ATK) strap-on solid rocket motors. An Aerojet Rockedyne AJ10-118K engine powered the second stage. The payload was encased by a 10-foot-diameter composite payload fairing.

“In addition to OCO-2, NASA has selected ULA to launch three more Delta II rockets in the coming years. The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base later this year,” said Sponnick. “We look forward to working with NASA on the upcoming Delta II missions and other future launch campaigns.”

Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) will be NASA’s first dedicated Earth remote sensing satellite to study atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) from space. OCO-2 will be collecting space-based global measurements of atmospheric CO2 with the precision, resolution, and coverage needed to characterize sources and sinks on regional scales. OCO-2 will also be able to quantify CO2 variability over the seasonal cycles year after year.

ULA's next launch is the Delta IV AFSPC-4 mission for the Air Force, scheduled for July 23 from Space Launch Complex-37 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

With more than a century of combined heritage, United Launch Alliance is the nation’s most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully delivered more than 80 satellites to orbit that provide critical capabilities for troops in the field, aid meteorologists in tracking severe weather, enable personal device-based GPS navigation and unlock the mysteries of our solar system. Bringing rocket science down to earth.

For more information on ULA, visit the ULA website at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321). Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch and twitter.com/ulalaunch
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Rocket Science on 07/02/2014 12:52 pm
Congrats ULA! 8)
Title: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Star One on 07/02/2014 01:22 pm
Congratulations to ULA & NASA. Another successful launch for the venerable Delta II.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: kevin-rf on 07/02/2014 01:22 pm
Congrads ULA and NASA!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: John44 on 07/02/2014 01:31 pm
OCO-2 Launch
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8971

OCO-2 Coast Phase Launch Coverage
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8972

OCO-2 Post-Launch News Conference
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8973
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: dbooker on 07/02/2014 02:09 pm
Anyone know why they would raise the altitude of the second stage instead of doing deorbit burns?  The total burns after satellite separation were 80+ seconds, more than the 2 burns for satellite insertion which were only 70+ seconds.  So I would think that there would have been plenty of fuel for a controlled re-entry.  Why leave space junk up there.  Someone notify the UN that in addition to a Carbon Tax we need a Space Junk tax!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: baldusi on 07/02/2014 02:16 pm
Congratulation! I still think the last D II should go to the Smithsonian.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Jim on 07/02/2014 02:19 pm
Congratulation! I still think the last D II should go to the Smithsonian.

It doesn't really exist.  Only the subcontractor hardware is available.  No first stage tanks, interstages, fairing, second stage structures have been built.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Zardar on 07/02/2014 02:39 pm
Congratulation! I still think the last D II should go to the Smithsonian.

It doesn't really exist.  Only the subcontractor hardware is available.  No first stage tanks, interstages, fairing, second stage structures have been built.

That's a shame. The Delta II is/was a good rocket, and deserves a retirement spot in a rocket-park or museum somewhere.
Are there even any static or ground test articles that could be used to fill in for the missing (large!) parts?
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: edkyle99 on 07/02/2014 03:00 pm
Congratulation! I still think the last D II should go to the Smithsonian.

It doesn't really exist.  Only the subcontractor hardware is available.  No first stage tanks, interstages, fairing, second stage structures have been built.

That's a shame. The Delta II is/was a good rocket, and deserves a retirement spot in a rocket-park or museum somewhere.
Are there even any static or ground test articles that could be used to fill in for the missing (large!) parts?

There are no latter-day "long tank" or later Deltas or Thors on display in the United States - only a few Thors and early Thor-Delta type displays.  There is only one display of a Long Tank that I know about, of a licensed "Delta" (N-1) at Tanegashima in Japan.

I would rather see the final Delta 2 assembled and launched.

 - Ed Kyle
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Antares on 07/02/2014 04:25 pm
Honestly, one could probably learn more to have the subcontractor parts (engines, boxes) displayed in museums or donated to a university or vo-tech school (or better yet traveling to many schools) than having an assembled vehicle displayed in the same fashion.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: russianhalo117 on 07/02/2014 04:36 pm
Honestly, one could probably learn more to have the subcontractor parts (engines, boxes) displayed in museums or donated to a university or vo-tech school (or better yet traveling to many schools) than having an assembled vehicle displayed in the same fashion.
that might not be possible given ITAR restrictions and that Aerojet Rocketdyne hasn't yet retired the engines, even though they are currently not in production.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Jim on 07/02/2014 04:43 pm

that might not be possible given ITAR restrictions and that Aerojet Rocketdyne hasn't yet retired the engines, even though they are currently not in production.

There are many H-1's and MB-3's on display already, an RS-27 isn't much different.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 07/02/2014 06:09 pm

July 2, 2014

NASA Launches New Carbon-Sensing Mission to Monitor Earth’s Breathing

NASA successfully launched its first spacecraft dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide at 2:56 a.m. PDT (5:56 a.m. EDT) Wednesday.

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) raced skyward from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. Approximately 56 minutes after the launch, the observatory separated from the rocket's second stage into an initial 429-mile (690-kilometer) orbit. The spacecraft then performed a series of activation procedures, established communications with ground controllers and unfurled its twin sets of solar arrays. Initial telemetry shows the spacecraft is in excellent condition.

OCO-2 soon will begin a minimum two-year mission to locate Earth’s sources of and storage places for atmospheric carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas responsible for warming our world and a critical component of the planet’s carbon cycle.

"Climate change is the challenge of our generation," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "With OCO-2 and our existing fleet of satellites, NASA is uniquely qualified to take on the challenge of documenting and understanding these changes, predicting the ramifications, and sharing information about these changes for the benefit of society."

OCO-2 will take NASA's studies of carbon dioxide and the global carbon cycle to new heights. The mission will produce the most detailed picture to date of natural sources of carbon dioxide, as well as their "sinks" -- places on Earth’s surface where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere. The observatory will study how these sources and sinks are distributed around the globe and how they change over time.

"This challenging mission is both timely and important," said Michael Freilich, director of the Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "OCO-2 will produce exquisitely precise measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations near Earth's surface, laying the foundation for informed policy decisions on how to adapt to and reduce future climate change."

Carbon dioxide sinks are at the heart of a longstanding scientific puzzle that has made it difficult for scientists to accurately predict how carbon dioxide levels will change in the future and how those changing concentrations will affect Earth's climate.

"Scientists currently don't know exactly where and how Earth's oceans and plants have absorbed more than half the carbon dioxide that human activities have emitted into our atmosphere since the beginning of the industrial era," said David Crisp, OCO-2 science team leader at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. "Because of this we cannot predict precisely how these processes will operate in the future as climate changes. For society to better manage carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere, we need to be able to measure the natural source and sink processes."

Precise measurements of the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide are needed because background levels vary by less than two percent on regional to continental scales. Typical changes can be as small as one-third of one percent. OCO-2 measurements are designed to measure these small changes clearly.

During the next 10 days, the spacecraft will go through a checkout process and then begin three weeks of maneuvers that will place it in its final 438-mile (705-kilometer), near-polar operational orbit at the head of the international Afternoon Constellation, or "A-Train," of Earth-observing satellites. The A-Train, the first multi-satellite, formation flying "super observatory" to record the health of Earth's atmosphere and surface environment, collects an unprecedented quantity of nearly simultaneous climate and weather measurements.

OCO-2 science operations will begin about 45 days after launch. Scientists expect to begin archiving calibrated mission data in about six months and plan to release their first initial estimates of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations in early 2015.

The observatory will uniformly sample the atmosphere above Earth's land and waters, collecting more than 100,000 precise individual measurements of carbon dioxide over Earth's entire sunlit hemisphere every day. Scientists will use these data in computer models to generate maps of carbon dioxide emission and uptake at Earth’s surface on scales comparable in size to the state of Colorado. These regional-scale maps will provide new tools for locating and identifying carbon dioxide sources and sinks.

OCO-2 also will measure a phenomenon called solar-induced fluorescence, an indicator of plant growth and health. As plants photosynthesize and take up carbon dioxide, they fluoresce and give off a tiny amount of light that is invisible to the naked eye. Because more photosynthesis translates into more fluorescence, fluorescence data from OCO-2 will help shed new light on the uptake of carbon dioxide by plants.

OCO-2 is a NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder Program mission managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Virginia, built the spacecraft bus and provides mission operations under JPL’s leadership. The science instrument was built by JPL, based on the instrument design co-developed for the original OCO mission by Hamilton Sundstrand in Pomona, California. NASA's Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for launch management. Communications during all phases of the mission are provided by NASA's Near Earth Network, with contingency support from the Space Network. Both are divisions of the Space Communications and Navigation program at NASA Headquarters. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

For more information about OCO-2, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/oco2

OCO-2 is the second of five NASA Earth science missions scheduled to launch into space this year, the most new Earth-observing mission launches in one year in more than a decade. NASA monitors Earth’s vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth’s interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and works with institutions in the United States and around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet.

For more information about NASA's Earth science activities in 2014, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow

Follow OCO-2 on Twitter at:

https://twitter.com/IamOCO2
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 07/02/2014 06:10 pm
Orbital-Built OCO-2 Satellite Successfully Launched

-- Initial Spacecraft Testing and Activation Now Underway; Mission’s Science Operations to Begin Later This Year --

-- OCO-2 Is NASA’s First Satellite Dedicated to Making Space-Based Measurements of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide --

DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 2, 2014-- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), one of the world’s leading space technology companies, today announced the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite, built by the company for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, CA, was successfully launched into orbit aboard a Delta II rocket earlier today. Lift-off occurred at 2:56 a.m. (PDT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA. The satellite was successfully deployed into its targeted 430-mile (690-kilometer) altitude orbit approximately 56 minutes after launch. JPL and Orbital engineers have begun a comprehensive series of in-orbit tests to verify all spacecraft systems are functioning properly. Orbital will manage day-to-day in-orbit operations of the satellite from the company’s Mission Operations Center at its Dulles, VA campus for the duration of the program. JPL expects OCO-2 science operations to begin later in 2014.

“The initial check-out and testing process indicates the OCO-2 mission is proceeding smoothly,” said Mr. Mike Miller, Orbital’s Senior Vice President of Science and Environmental Satellite Programs. “OCO-2 will help scientists understand the sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural process that removes it from the atmosphere. We are proud to team with JPL in this important mission and we look forward to the successful commissioning of the spacecraft in the coming weeks.”

At launch, the OCO-2 satellite weighed approximately 990 pounds (450 kilograms). The observatory has single-axis articulated arrays and three-axis attitude control to ensure high precision in positioning. It will operate in a 435-mile (700-kilometer) altitude, near-polar orbit with five other satellites as part of the Afternoon (A-Train) Constellation. This international fleet of Earth-observing satellites circle the globe once every 98 minutes in a sun-synchronous orbit that crosses the equator near 1:30 p.m. local time and repeats the same ground track every 16 days. OCO-2 will be inserted at the head of the A-Train where it is designed to operate for at least two years.

OCO-2 is the 151st satellite Orbital has built and delivered to commercial, civil government and national security customers over the past 32 years. Orbital-built satellites have now amassed approximately 1,100 years of in-orbit experience, a number that will continue to grow as the company is scheduled to deploy up to nine spacecraft in 2014 for commercial communications, space station logistics, scientific research and national security missions.
 
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: jacqmans on 07/02/2014 06:11 pm
OCO-2 Launch Updates
Solar Arrays Deploy Successfully to Complete OCO-2 Launch

The OCO-2 spacecraft deployed a pair of solar arrays on schedule to begin charging its batteries in orbit about an hour after the launch of the mission aboard a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Galactic Penguin SST on 07/02/2014 11:59 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0YKYyhLCy0
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: baldusi on 07/03/2014 04:24 am

Honestly, one could probably learn more to have the subcontractor parts (engines, boxes) displayed in museums or donated to a university or vo-tech school (or better yet traveling to many schools) than having an assembled vehicle displayed in the same fashion.
AIUI the Smithsonian is also a reserve of fully functional hardware for historical and technology recording principles. That was why Discovery was asked to keep as much of the MPS and the rest of the equipment as possible. I understand that for a museum display, it wouldn't need to follow a full certified process, either.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: sdsds on 07/03/2014 04:33 am
donated to a university or vo-tech school (or better yet traveling to many schools)

Yup. Imagine being able to pass around a classroom an RS-27A injector plate. Anybody, from a vocational school machinist wannabe to a computational fluid dynamics math geek, could look at that and know what an "A+" looks like!
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Antares on 07/03/2014 01:32 pm
Or did, for its state of the art at the time.  Onward and upward.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: catdlr on 07/03/2014 09:14 pm
OCO-2 Takes the A-Train to Study Earth's Atmosphere


July 03, 2014

Every day, above our planet, five Earth-observing satellites rush along like trains on the same "track," flying minutes, and sometimes seconds, behind one another. They carry more than 15 scientific instruments in total, looking at many different aspects of our home planet. Called the Afternoon Constellation, or A-Train, these satellites work as a united, powerful tool for advancing our understanding of Earth's surface and atmosphere.

The train is about to get longer. NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), which launched July 2, will be the A-Train's sixth member. Its mission is to measure atmospheric carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that makes up a greater percentage of our atmosphere today than it has in at least 800,000 years. It will produce data that will help scientists analyze data from the other A-Train instruments. In return, other satellites will help validate its vital data.

"The A-Train constellation is an ideal measurement system for us," said Dave Crisp, the leader of the OCO-2 science team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

OCO-2 will fly along the same path as NASA satellites CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation) and CloudSat, which monitor minute particles in the atmosphere called aerosols, and clouds, respectively. "We've lined up the ground tracks of OCO-2, CALIPSO and CloudSat almost perfectly, and we're hoping to keep them well aligned for as long as possible during the missions, so we can do the science we want with measurements from all three satellites," Crisp said.

OCO-2 measures carbon dioxide by observing its effect on sunlight. Sunlight is made up of waves of many lengths, or frequencies, some visible and others invisible. As sunlight passes through the atmosphere, carbon dioxide and other molecules absorb specific frequencies in the spectrum of light, leaving dark, narrow gaps in the spectrum. The more light that has been absorbed in a certain column of air, the more carbon dioxide is present there. In some cases, this may suggest that Earth's surface beneath that air contains a source of carbon dioxide, like a large industrial city. Less carbon dioxide implies a "sink," which absorbs carbon dioxide, like a thick forest during the growing season.

The OCO-2 spacecraft carries a single instrument composed of three spectrometers that measure different regions of the spectrum of light. One of these spectrometers observes the spectrum of molecular oxygen, referred to as the A-band spectrum. This is important because molecular oxygen is a relatively constant fraction of the atmosphere and can be used as a reference for measurements of other atmospheric gases, such as carbon dioxide. In addition to being critical for calibrating the carbon dioxide concentrations, it also tells scientists how much sunlight is absorbed or reflected by the aerosols and clouds, features that CALIPSO and CloudSat observe.

"If we combine the A-band spectrometer's measurements with information on aerosols and clouds from CALIPSO and CloudSat, we can use that information to estimate the amount of absorption of sunlight by these airborne particles, which is something we cannot currently do," said Dave Winker, principal investigator for the CALIPSO mission.

CloudSat and CALIPSO also help clarify OCO-2's data. The observatory uses its A-band spectrometer to find out how far sunlight has traveled before it reaches the satellite (its optical path) -- vital information for finding sources and sinks. A tiny mistake in the path-length measurement can introduce serious errors in the satellite's carbon dioxide measurements. Often clouds and aerosols in Earth's atmosphere reflect some sunlight back toward space before it reaches the surface, shortening sunlight's path and confusing the spectrometer about the distance to Earth. But CALIPSO and CloudSat's data about the location and height of aerosols and clouds can verify OCO-2's path-length measurements and determine what kept the sun from reaching Earth's surface.

"To check OCO-2's accuracy, we can compare it to CloudSat and CALIPSO. These measurements are synergistic," Crisp said.

Winker noted, "From OCO-2's point of view, CALIPSO is going to be very important in validating their measurement by correcting for cloud and aerosol effects. That these two satellites are flying together is a key part of the mission."

The A-Train's other satellites support OCO-2's work, too. MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer), an instrument on the Aqua satellite, tracks cloud cover. AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder), another Aqua instrument, measures air temperature and the amount of water content in the atmosphere. To accurately measure carbon dioxide, scientists must know all those details.

"We have the platforms that can tell us about water vapor and temperature, as well as clouds from the CloudSat satellite, the CALIPSO satellite, the AIRS instrument, and the MODIS instrument. This is the right place to fly OCO-2," Crisp said.

For more information about OCO-2, visit these sites:

http://www.nasa.gov/oco2

http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov

NASA monitors Earth's vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and works with institutions in the United States and around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet.

For more information about NASA's Earth science activities in 2014, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow

Alan Buis
818-354-0474
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
[email protected]

Written by Rosalie Murphy
JPL Earth Science and Technology Directorate

2014-219

Picture Credit: NASA
OCO-2 will become the leader of the Afternoon Constellation OCO-2 will become the leader of the Afternoon Constellation, or A-Train, as shown in this artist's concept. Japan's Global Change Observation Mission - Water (GCOM-W1) satellite and NASA's Aqua, CALIPSO, CloudSat and Aura satellites follow.
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: Prober on 07/05/2014 04:44 pm
Here's the article on the main site by William Graham:
ULA Delta II successfully lofts OCO-2 to orbit (http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/07/delta-ii-oco-2-launch-vandenberg/)

Disappointed to see that there are
Quote
No related posts.
:D

excellent history in that article well done William ;)
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: catdlr on 07/19/2014 04:04 am
OCO-2 Data to Lead Scientists Forward into the Past

July 18, 2014

NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, which launched on July 2, will soon be providing about 100,000 high-quality measurements each day of carbon dioxide concentrations from around the globe. Atmospheric scientists are excited about that. But to understand the processes that control the amount of the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, they need to know more than just where carbon dioxide is now. They need to know where it has been. It takes more than great data to figure that out.

"In a sense, you're trying to go backward in time and space," said David Baker, a scientist at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. "You're reversing the flow of the winds to determine when and where the input of carbon at the Earth's surface had to be to give you the measurements you see now."

Harry Potter used a magical time turner to travel to the past. Atmospheric scientists use a type of computer model called a chemical transport model. It combines the atmospheric processes found in a climate model with additional information on important chemical compounds, including their reactions, their sources on Earth's surface and the processes that remove them from the air, known as sinks.

Baker used the example of a forest fire to explain how a chemical transport model works. "Where the fire is, at that point in time, you get a pulse of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from the burning carbon in wood. The model's winds blow it along, and mixing processes dilute it through the atmosphere. It gradually gets mixed into a wider and wider plume that eventually gets blown around the world."

Some models can be run backward in time -- from a point in the plume back to the fire, in other words -- to search for the sources of airborne carbon dioxide. The reactions and processes that must be modeled are so complex that researchers often cycle their chemical transport models backward and forward through the same time period dozens of times, adjusting the model as each set of results reveals new clues. "You basically start crawling toward a solution," Baker said. "You may not be crawling straight toward the best answer, but you course-correct along the way."

Lesley Ott, a climate modeler at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, noted that simulating carbon dioxide's atmospheric transport correctly is a prerequisite for improving the way global climate models simulate the carbon cycle and how it will change with our changing climate. "If you get the transport piece right, then you can understand the piece about sources and sinks," she said. "More and better-quality data from OCO-2 are going to create better characterization of global carbon."

Baker noted that the volume of data provided by OCO-2 will improve knowledge of carbon processes on a finer scale than is currently possible. "With all that coverage, we'll be able to resolve what's going on at the regional scale," Baker said, referring to areas the size of Texas or France. "That will help us understand better how the forests and oceans take up carbon. There are various competing processes, and right now we're not sure which ones are most important."

Ott pointed out that improving the way global climate models represent carbon dioxide provides benefits far beyond the scientific research community. "Trying to figure out what national and international responses to climate change should be is really hard," she said. "Politicians need answers quickly. Right now we have to trust a very small number of carbon dioxide observations. We're going to have a lot better coverage because so much more data is coming, and we may be able to see in better detail features of the carbon cycle that were missed before." Taking those OCO-2 data backward in time may be the next step forward on the road to understanding and adapting to climate change.

To learn more about the OCO-2 mission, visit these websites:

http://www.nasa.gov/oco2

http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov

NASA monitors Earth's vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and works with institutions in the United States and around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet.

For more information about NASA's Earth science activities in 2014, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow

OCO-2 is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.

Alan Buis
818-354-0474
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
[email protected]

Written by Carol Rasmussen
NASA Earth Science News Team

2014-237


Image:
Scientists will use measurements from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 to track atmospheric carbon dioxide to sources such as these wildfires in Siberia, whose smoke plumes quickly carry the greenhouse gas worldwide. The fires were imaged on May 18 by NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer instrument on the Terra satellite. Image credit: NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response
Title: Re: LIVE: Delta II - Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) - July 2, 2014
Post by: catdlr on 07/25/2014 11:31 pm
additional pre-launch footage:

NASA EDGE: OCO-2 Launch

Published on Jul 25, 2014
NASA EDGE takes a close look at the Orbiting Carbon Observatory before it's successful launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Special guests include NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, Ralph Basilio (OCO-2) and more. To watch the entire live webcast from July 1, 2014, visit the NASA EDGE ustream channel at www.ustream.tv/nasaedge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTqHrnFYEyw