Author Topic: Busy Spaceport  (Read 7170 times)

Offline TJL

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Busy Spaceport
« on: 09/08/2007 08:24 pm »
A lot of people say that the hustle and bustle found at the Space Center in the 60s is gone.
Just last month (August 1), we had launch vehicles on every operable launch facility on the ETR.

39A: STS-118 Endeavour
41: Atlas 5
37: Delta 4
17A: Delta 2 Phoenix
17B: Delta 2 Dawn


Offline mike robel

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Re: Busy Spaceport
« Reply #1 on: 09/08/2007 09:03 pm »
And, they should all hopefully launch within a 5 or 6 week period, including a Space Shuttle flight.  :)

Offline Jim

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Re: Busy Spaceport
« Reply #2 on: 09/08/2007 09:04 pm »
That is even down from the 90's
17 A&B
36 A&B
41
39A

And  40 or 39B, don't remember

Offline edkyle99

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RE: Busy Spaceport
« Reply #3 on: 09/09/2007 12:17 am »
Quote
TJL - 8/9/2007  3:24 PM

A lot of people say that the hustle and bustle found at the Space Center in the 60s is gone.
Just last month (August 1), we had launch vehicles on every operable launch facility on the ETR.

39A: STS-118 Endeavour
41: Atlas 5
37: Delta 4
17A: Delta 2 Phoenix
17B: Delta 2 Dawn


Sitting on pads, of course, is not what we want to see.  

Cape Canaveral, with its four operational pads, has only seen four launches so far this year, an average of one flight every two months.  China's XiChang, with only two pads, has hosted five launches with another set to go in a few days.  I don't even need to mention Baikonur, which has handled 11 launches so far.  

Heck, Baikonur's Area 1 Pad 5 has, by itself, matched Cape Canaveral's entire launch total so far this year.  It makes you wonder how many launch pads the Cape really needs.  (We may find out.  In a few years, there will only be two or three Cape pads.)

 - Ed Kyle

Offline mike robel

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Re: Busy Spaceport
« Reply #4 on: 09/09/2007 01:32 am »
I think you are right.  39, 41, and 37(?) - Delta 4

I guess it is the penelty for having big, reliable satellites.  Dont need to launch as often.

Offline Thorny

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Re: Busy Spaceport
« Reply #5 on: 09/09/2007 02:39 am »
Quote
Jim - 8/9/2007  4:04 PM

That is even down from the 90's
17 A&B
36 A&B
41
39A

And  40 or 39B, don't remember

Well, in 1997-99, there were all of those and LC-46, used by Athena in the Lunar Prospector and Rocsat launches.

And a Pegasus was staged out of the KSC SLF in 1998, as well.

We've since traded 36 A&B for 37. 40 is earmarked for Falcon.




Offline Thorny

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RE: Busy Spaceport
« Reply #6 on: 09/09/2007 02:49 am »
Quote
edkyle99 - 8/9/2007  7:17 PM

Quote
TJL - 8/9/2007  3:24 PM

A lot of people say that the hustle and bustle found at the Space Center in the 60s is gone.
Just last month (August 1), we had launch vehicles on every operable launch facility on the ETR.

39A: STS-118 Endeavour
41: Atlas 5
37: Delta 4
17A: Delta 2 Phoenix
17B: Delta 2 Dawn


Sitting on pads, of course, is not what we want to see.  

It's been a bad year for everyone, alright. Freak hail storm and suicidal ET Lox Bracket Foam screwing up the Shuttle schedule. Botched launch pad mods screwing up Delta IV. An RL-10 crap-out screwing up Atlas 5 and maybe Delta IV a little (and making the split EELV selection a sick joke). Tight planetary windows and hardware glitches screwing up Delta II. And of course another Falcon belly-flop into the Pacific and SeaLaunch hitting a new low.

Sheesh. Let's just get 2007 over with and bring on '08. The karma is just bad this year.
 :frown:

Offline edkyle99

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Re: Busy Spaceport
« Reply #7 on: 09/09/2007 04:36 am »
Quote
mike robel - 8/9/2007  8:32 PM

I think you are right.  39, 41, and 37(?) - Delta 4


On Cape Canaveral proper, there will only be 41 (Atlas V) and 37B (Delta IV).  If SpaceX gets its act together SLC 40 could be active too, but I'm not ready to bet on that yet.

Kennedy Space Center, a separate entity north of Cape Canaveral, will be out of service for a few years before LC 39B returns to low-rate service for Ares I.  LC 39A will be mothballed waiting for Ares V funding that may, or may not, appear.

For many years, Cape Canaveral has been the world's second busiest launch site after Baikonur.      That status is now in jeopardy.  Some lean years could be ahead for the "Space Coast".

 - Ed Kyle


Offline kraisee

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Re: Busy Spaceport
« Reply #8 on: 09/09/2007 06:36 am »
Thorny,
Not just the US either.   The Proton failure this week was pretty serious for that program, together with the Dnepr failure last year put crimps into Russian plans too.

Ross.
"The meek shall inherit the Earth -- the rest of us will go to the stars"
-Robert A. Heinlein

Offline sammie

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Re: Busy Spaceport
« Reply #9 on: 09/09/2007 06:27 pm »
OTOH Dnepr has returned to flight, no less then 3 times, Zenit has flown again as well. It seems that the US programmes have glitches, not rapid disassemblies like some Russian hardware has done recently...
"The dreams ain't broken downhere, they're just walking with a limp"

Offline Thorny

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Re: Busy Spaceport
« Reply #10 on: 09/09/2007 08:41 pm »
Quote
sammie - 9/9/2007  1:27 PM

OTOH Dnepr has returned to flight, no less then 3 times, Zenit has flown again as well. It seems that the US programmes have glitches, not rapid disassemblies like some Russian hardware has done recently...

The US went through its most recent "rapid disassembly" phase in 1997-98. Delta II, Delta III, and Titan IV.

Offline bombay

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RE: Busy Spaceport
« Reply #11 on: 09/09/2007 11:37 pm »
Quote
TJL - 8/9/2007  3:24 PM

A lot of people say that the hustle and bustle found at the Space Center in the 60s is gone.
Just last month (August 1), we had launch vehicles on every operable launch facility on the ETR.

39A: STS-118 Endeavour
41: Atlas 5
37: Delta 4
17A: Delta 2 Phoenix
17B: Delta 2 Dawn

Should we consider anything less given that every one of the launches is delayed?

Offline edkyle99

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Re: Busy Spaceport
« Reply #12 on: 09/10/2007 03:21 pm »
Quote
pad rat - 10/9/2007  8:43 AM

Technically, SLC 41 is on KSC property. There is a dividing line (used to even be a gate) that crosses Phillips Parkway just north of the road back to 40.

That's right, technically speaking.  But SLC 41 is (or was) still under Air Force (Cape Canaveral Air Force Station) jurisdiction.  

According to the following link, although (S)LC41 extends across the boundary into KSC, "all property within Complex 41's security fence and along the access road to the site was considered part of the Air Force's Titan ... program. Put simply ... [t]he Air Force had jurisdiction over ... Complex 41.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/facility/ccas-lc-41.htm

 - Ed Kyle

Offline Jim

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Re: Busy Spaceport
« Reply #13 on: 09/10/2007 04:46 pm »
Actually, SLC-41 is USAF property.  The boundaries were redrawn and CCAFS is extended to SLC-41 and the ITL access road.

Offline HIPAR

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RE: Busy Spaceport
« Reply #14 on: 09/11/2007 01:06 am »
With Phoenix having left, will they be using the pad 17A for the October GPS launch?

---  CHAS

Offline Jim

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Re: Busy Spaceport
« Reply #15 on: 09/11/2007 01:55 am »
yes

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