NASASpaceFlight.com Forum
Commercial and US Government Launch Vehicles => ULA - Delta, Atlas, Vulcan => Topic started by: jacqmans on 10/03/2007 09:27 pm
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Oct. 3, 2007
CONTRACT RELEASE: C07-051
NASA SELECTS LAUNCH SERVICES PROVIDER FOR JUNO JUPITER MISSION
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's Launch Services Program office at the
Kennedy Space Center, Fla., has selected Lockheed Martin Commercial
Launch Services of Littleton, Colo., for the Juno mission to Jupiter.
The $190 million contract award is a competed firm-fixed-price task
order. It includes the launch service for an Atlas V model 551
rocket, payload processing, launch vehicle integration, and the
necessary tracking, data and telemetry support. The spacecraft is
scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., in
August 2011 on an interplanetary trajectory to Jupiter.
Juno will arrive at Jupiter in August 2016 to uncover the secrets
hidden beneath the planet's thick, colorful clouds. Juno's remote
sensing and gravity science measurements will characterize Jupiter's
interior, atmosphere and polar magnetosphere with the primary science
goal of understanding the planet's origin and evolution. A principal
investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio
leads the Juno mission.
For more information about the Juno mission, visit:
http://juno.nasa.gov
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It says the spacecraft only weighs 1000 kg dry. Why does it require the power of an Atlas 551, unless for a fast transfer? Do the propellants for the spacecraft weight that much?
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C3
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Is it just me or has Atlas been really raking in the launches lately? Is D-IV military launches only now?
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hyper_snyper - 3/10/2007 6:13 PM
Is it just me or has Atlas been really raking in the launches lately? Is D-IV military launches only now?
Delta 4 has some GOES missions on the manifest, but it hasn't won any NASA missions lately. One reason may appear in the following publication, which showed how most Atlas 5 variants offer cheaper rides than their Delta 4 equivalents. It also says that Atlas 5 is expected to fly twice as often as Delta 4 during the next few years.
http://www.unitedlaunchalliance.com/docs/publications/ULA/ISS_Cargo_RFI_Final_09062007.pdf
- Ed Kyle
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NASA did not select Delta IV to launch the latest GOES. It's a DIO contract. So Boeing Satellite chose a Boeing rocket.
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Has anyone the planned launch weight of Juno? The website tells only the ~1000 kg dry mass, but as an orbiter it will probably carry a substatial propellant load.
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hyper_snyper - 3/10/2007 6:13 PM
Is it just me or has Atlas been really raking in the launches lately? Is D-IV military launches only now?
The question is: Why go with Delta IV instead of Atlas V?
Is there anything associated with the Delta IV that's cheaper than the Atlas V?
Which vehicle has a launch history to better support the prospect of successful SV delivery?
There's no logical reason to choose Delta IV over Atlas V unless HLV is required or Atlas V manifest is booked.
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I will bite. What is C3. Command, control, and communications?
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characteristic energy (C3) is a measure of the energy required for an interplanetary mission that requires attaining an excess orbital velocity over an escape velocity required for additional orbital maneuvers. The unit of the characteristic energy is km2/s2.
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mike robel - 5/10/2007 3:47 PM
I will bite. What is C3. Command, control, and communications?
C3 = Escape velocity, which is roughly the same (but larger) than the injection dv for geosync.
Juno will propulsively slow into a polar orbit around Jupiter, so there's a good amount of propellant mass in there.
Unmanned missions typically prefer Atlas V over Delta IV because there's more flexibility in the cost: They can start with a 551 and upgrade to a 552 or 553 without the big cost jump between a D-IV and D-IV Heavy...
Simon ;)
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I'll bite Atlas 553? There is a 3 RL-10 Atlas ? ;) sure you where not trying to say something like Atlas 511 to 521 to 531 to 541 to 551?
Actually if ULA's numbers in its responce to NASA's RFI are to believed an Atlas 552 is signifiantly cheaper than a Delta 4 Heavy.
A question in the back of my head besides Juno and New Horizons, how many Atlas 551/552's have been ordered?
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kevin-rf - 5/10/2007 6:56 PM
A question in the back of my head besides Juno and New Horizons, how many Atlas 551/552's have been ordered?
There are no XX2 vehicles ordered. No payloads currently need that extra thrust.
AEHF missions are on 531's, MSL is on a 541, and MUOS missions, if awarded to Atlas, would go on 551's.
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Don't forget Pluto New Horizons: 551
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I didn't forget it - it had already been mentioned.
kevin-rf
besides Juno and New Horizons
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Does anyone know of a JUNO mission emblem/insignia?
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too early
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I think a 552 would be a very impressive vehicle and could do many of the HLV missions.
That's one reason why LockMart, pre ULA, didn't spend the money to develop a HLV for the few missions needed.
The Atlas V is simply a great vehicle, flexible, capable, reliable.
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What is JUNO using to perform the JOI? Does the dV required to get polar come from the gravity assist?
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A bi prop liquid engine and over 2 tons of prop. Going polar is easy. The trajectory just has to be created so that the spacecraft approaches at a pole.
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I think a 552 would be a very impressive vehicle and could do many of the HLV missions.
That's one reason why LockMart, pre ULA, didn't spend the money to develop a HLV for the few missions needed.
The Atlas V is simply a great vehicle, flexible, capable, reliable.
Isn't 552 only appropriate for Heavy LEO missions(aka Manned)?
Extra RL-10 helps by reducing Grav Losses on very heavy LEO flights if I remember correctly.
For lighter GTO and beyond missions doesn't the extra RL10 eat it's own lunch?
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Let's not forget that a two engine Centaur requires a "development" effort at this point. It's somewhere in the threads, but the current one engine Centaur switched from hydraulic to electric actuators. You either need to bring back an older version of the Centaur that is out of production or do the development work ($$$) to bring back the capability.
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What's the dV? Is it injecting directly into the science orbit or touring/ grav assisting down?
A bi prop liquid engine and over 2 tons of prop. Going polar is easy. The trajectory just has to be created so that the spacecraft approaches at a pole.
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What's the dV? Is it injecting directly into the science orbit or touring/ grav assisting down?
http://juno.wisc.edu/mission.html
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I have not found the dV. Do you have the number?
Analyst
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According to this (http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ssb/SSB_June07_Juno_Project_Status_Report.pdf), JOI burn is 480 m/s. Period reduction maneuver is 586 m/s.
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Plus a massive 800m/s deep space burn.
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Juno Taking Shape in Denver
Assembly has begun on NASA's Juno spacecraft, which will help scientists understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter. The mission, whose principal investigator is Scott Bolton of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Tex., is expected to launch in August 2011 and reach Jupiter in 2016.
The assembly, testing and launch operations phase began April 1 in a high-bay clean room at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver. Engineers and technicians will spend the next few months fitting instruments and navigation equipment onto the spacecraft.
"We're excited the puzzle pieces are coming together," Bolton said. "We're one important step closer to getting to Jupiter."
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. Underneath its dense cloud cover, the planet safeguards secrets to the fundamental processes and conditions that governed our solar system during its formation. As our primary example of a giant planet, Jupiter can also provide critical knowledge for understanding the planetary systems being discovered around other stars.
Juno will have nine science instruments on board to investigate the existence of a solid planetary core, map Jupiter's intense magnetic field, measure the amount of water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere, and observe the planet's auroras.
"We plan to be doing a lot of testing in the next few months," said Jan Chodas, the project manager based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "We want to make sure the spacecraft is ready for the long journey to Jupiter and the harsh environment it will encounter there."
JPL manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is building the spacecraft. The Italian Space Agency, Rome, is contributing an infrared spectrometer instrument and a portion of the radio science experiment.
For more information about Juno, visit http://www.nasa.gov/juno.
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Should be an adequate pathfinder mission to aid development of the real goal - EJSM/Laplace
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=44037
Juno payload system overview -
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/329224main_junopayloadsystem0902.jpg
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It's not really a "pathfinder" mission. It is intended to conduct its own science. Some pretty important science too--major goals established by three different decadal surveys.
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I'll add a little more about that. Juno is part of the mid-size New Frontiers line of missions. It is solar powered. And it will fly a special highly eccentric orbit in order to reduce its radiation exposure near Jupiter. If it flew closer to Jupiter, the radiation would burn out the solar panels and it would die a quick death. That's one (not the only) reason why solar power is an option for only some Jupiter missions, not all.
Europa Jupiter Science Mission, or Europa Jupiter Orbiter, would go much closer to Jupiter where the radiation is higher. It also has (I'm pretty sure) higher power requirements. So it will require RTGs. And it will conduct its mission much differently. So I think it's safe to say that there is little to learn from Juno to apply to EJSM.
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Juno Armored Up to Go to Jupiter
With guidance from JPL and the principal investigator, engineers at Lockheed Martin Space Systems designed and built a special radiation vault made of titanium for a centralized electronics hub. While other materials exist that make good radiation blockers, engineers chose titanium because lead is too soft to withstand the vibrations of launch, and some other materials were too difficult to work with.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-230&cid=release_2010-230
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Juno Spacecraft Currently Undergoing Environmental Testing at Lockheed Martin
7-Mar-2011 4:43 PM
New Photograph Shows Spacecraft in Acoustics Testing
DENVER, March 7, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- NASA's Juno spacecraft is currently undergoing environmental testing at Lockheed Martin's (NYSE: LMT) test facility near Denver, Colo. The solar-powered Juno will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere. The launch window for Juno from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida opens Aug. 5, 2011.
In its present form, the spacecraft is fully assembled and all instruments have been integrated. A photograph of the fully assembled Juno spacecraft is available at: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2011/0307_ss_juno.html
In this photo taken on Jan. 26, Juno had just completed tests that simulated the acoustic and vibration environment the spacecraft will experience during launch. The photo shows a Lockheed Martin technician inspecting the Jovian Auroral Distribution Experiment (JADE) instrument just after the test. All three solar array wings are installed and stowed and the large high gain antenna is in place on the top of the avionics vault.
At present, Juno is sealed up in a large thermal vacuum chamber where it is being exposed to the vacuum and extreme hot and cold temperatures it will experience on its voyage to Jupiter. The two-week-long test will simulate many of the flight activities the spacecraft will execute during the mission.
Juno is scheduled to ship from Lockheed Martin's facility to Kennedy Space Center in early April where it will undergo final preparations for launch.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute at San Antonio, Texas. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, Colo., is building the spacecraft. The Italian Space Agency in Rome is contributing an infrared spectrometer instrument and a portion of the radio science experiment.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 132,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's 2010 sales from continuing operations were $45.8 billion.
More information about Juno is online at http://www.nasa.gov/juno and http://www.lockheedmartin.com/juno.
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Image advisory: 2011-068 March 7, 2011
NASA's Jupiter-Bound Spacecraft Taking Shape in Denver
The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-068&cid=release_2011-068
NASA's Juno spacecraft is currently undergoing environmental testing at Lockheed Martin Space Systems near Denver. The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere. The launch window for Juno from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida opens Aug. 5, 2011.
In its present form, the spacecraft is fully assembled and all instruments have been integrated. A photograph of the fully assembled spacecraft is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/multimedia/juno20110307i.html
In this photo, taken on Jan. 26, Juno had just completed acoustics testing that simulated the acoustic and vibration environment the spacecraft will experience during launch. The photo shows Lockheed Martin technicians inspecting the spacecraft just after the test. All three solar array wings are installed and stowed, and the spacecraft's large high-gain antenna is in place on the top of the avionics vault.
At present, Juno is sealed in a large thermal vacuum chamber, where it is being exposed to the extreme cold and vacuum conditions it will experience on its voyage to Jupiter. The two-week-long test will simulate many of the flight activities the spacecraft will execute during the mission.
Juno is scheduled to ship from Lockheed Martin's facility to Kennedy Space Center in early April, where it will undergo final preparations and launch.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute at San Antonio, Texas. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is building the spacecraft. The Italian Space Agency in Rome is contributing an infrared spectrometer instrument and a portion of the radio science experiment. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
More information about Juno is online at http://www.nasa.gov/juno .
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Go Juno!
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Juno is scheduled to ship from Lockheed Martin's facility to Kennedy Space Center in early April, where it will undergo final preparations and launch.
Guess who will be there to receive it?
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Juno is scheduled to ship from Lockheed Martin's facility to Kennedy Space Center in early April, where it will undergo final preparations and launch.
Guess who will be there to receive it?
if it's you I want pictures if possible!
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Guess who will be there to receive it?
Don't drop it ;)
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Juno is scheduled to ship from Lockheed Martin's facility to Kennedy Space Center in early April, where it will undergo final preparations and launch.
Guess who will be there to receive it?
if it's you I want pictures if possible!
PAO will be there
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Juno is scheduled to ship from Lockheed Martin's facility to Kennedy Space Center in early April, where it will undergo final preparations and launch.
Guess who will be there to receive it?
if it's you I want pictures if possible!
I can't speak for Jim, but I assume he's not allowed to publicly distribute pictures from his job without specific approval.
Treat her nice, Jim. Juno is the queen of the gods, after all.
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Treat her nice, Jim. Juno is the queen of the gods, after all.
And by the looks of things, the only thing to go to Jupiter for a long time to come...
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The solar arrays are at Astrotech. KSC multimedia has more pics.
(http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/medium/2011-2345-m.jpg)
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The solar arrays are at Astrotech. KSC multimedia has more pics.
http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/medium/2011-2345-m.jpg (http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/medium/2011-2345-m.jpg)
Do you know what the specs are? Specific power (W/kg) at 1 AU at the array level? (Or, maybe more appropriate, W/kg at 5.2AU)
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just know 18kw at 1 AU and 400w at Jupiter
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just know 18kw at 1 AU and 400w at Jupiter
So the power produced by these solar arrays are in the same ballpark as the ISS solar arrays. We now know why RTG's are preferred for the outer planets.
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just know 18kw at 1 AU and 400w at Jupiter
Thanks.
This is worse than the attenuation of distance, at least for the semi-major axis (18000/5.2^2=665W), worse than the for the aphelion (18000/5.485^2=~600W).
So, does this 400W take into account degradation of the solar panels and eclipsing (and mission margin), as well?
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How does their efficiency vary with temperature?
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How does their efficiency vary with temperature?
Yes, I forgot to ask about the reduction in efficiency with the reduction of incoming light. That is a problem with some solar cells (though some are better at low light levels than others).
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those were just numbers thrown around for PR purposes.
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I'll have a think over the weekend, but this mission, and MSL - and probably others - deserve more than just threads in the US launcher section.
Will try and create some new section for missions, allowing several specific threads and so on.
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I'll have a think over the weekend, but this mission, and MSL - and probably others - deserve more than just threads in the US launcher section.
Will try and create some new section for missions, allowing several specific threads and so on.
Thank you!!!!!! :D :D :D
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I'll have a think over the weekend, but this mission, and MSL - and probably others - deserve more than just threads in the US launcher section.
Will try and create some new section for missions, allowing several specific threads and so on.
Thank you!!!!!! :D :D :D
Ditto!!! :)
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This is what happens when you put current into solar cells
(http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/medium/2011-2439-m.jpg)
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That is so cool. Great close up shot!
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Current going into solar cells... That's probably not a very good thing...
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Current going into solar cells... That's probably not a very good thing...
Why? If I'm interpreting Jim's image correctly, the cells produce light when current is put into them. Basically the reverse of their light->electricity mechanism. They act as LEDs.
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It was part of the post shipment checkout.
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It was part of the post shipment checkout.
Sweet! Thanks for the image Jim.
So that's a procedural step to ensure each cell is still functioning correctly?
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That is really cool. Thanks, Jim.
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Indeed, thanks for the "inside look" and info, Jim (and TF, jacqmans, Blackstar and everyone).
Chris: glad to know there'll be supporting threads and articles for the upcoming missions.
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Follow Juno's high-flying journey to Cape Canaveral
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/juno/status.html
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Follow Juno's high-flying journey to Cape Canaveral
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/juno/status.html
Thanks Jim!
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Heading to the SLF shortly.
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NASA's Jupiter-Bound Spacecraft Arrives in Florida
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-113&cid=release_2011-113
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I'm surprised it doesn't have an ion engine since it will be over powered until it crosses the asteriod belt.
18kw at 1 au but only 400w at Jupiter.
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I'm surprised it doesn't have an ion engine since it will be over powered until it crosses the asteriod belt.
18kw at 1 au but only 400w at Jupiter.
How would it brake into orbit with the extra energy?
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I'm surprised it doesn't have an ion engine since it will be over powered until it crosses the asteriod belt.
18kw at 1 au but only 400w at Jupiter.
How would it brake into orbit with the extra energy?
To reduce the trip duration and with the same braking impulse, the ion drive would spend part of the trip accelerating then part of the trip decelerating ... not that I'm saying the added complexity is worth it.
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Thanks for the update. Serious business there and it warms my old heart to see her in capable hands. Jupiter is not to be trifled with and every bit of TLC for those destined for that inferno is appreciated. (Was part of Pioneer F/G encounter team and jeebuz those were some hairy times. We had a heckuva time maintaining control and IIRC even Van Allen was shocked at how nasty it was.)
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To reduce the trip duration and with the same braking impulse, the ion drive would spend part of the trip accelerating then part of the trip decelerating ... not that I'm saying the added complexity is worth it.
My point was with 18kw at 1 au but only 400w at Jupiter, how much of the trip would be spent actually accelerating?
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Juno has arrived at the Cape:
http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=4
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I'm surprised it doesn't have an ion engine since it will be over powered until it crosses the asteriod belt.
18kw at 1 au but only 400w at Jupiter.
How would it brake into orbit with the extra energy?
To reduce the trip duration and with the same braking impulse, the ion drive would spend part of the trip accelerating then part of the trip decelerating ... not that I'm saying the added complexity is worth it.
I gave it some thought an ion drive may not be worth it after all.
There won't be enough power once it crosses the asteriod belt and aerobraking is completely out of the question the radiation belts would fry it.
All braking has to be conventional rockets.
Though a mag tether could work in theory but that would be adding to much complexity.
Maybe for the next one some unconventional ideals could be tried out.
Juno is a solar powered vehicle at Jupiter that's already pretty unconventional as it is.
I wonder if it might inspire the nuclear adverse ESA to attempt a Jupiter mission.
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Today's reading assignment:
ESA's LaPlace Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter mission in the competition for Cosmic Vision L-1.
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Today's reading assignment:
ESA's LaPlace Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter mission in the competition for Cosmic Vision L-1.
I did a search nothing concrete yet it's supposed to be a dual mission and they may or may not have a lander.
Even considering launching every thing on some future HLV.
Ares now SLS was listed as a potential LV along with the Delta IV-H.
The out come of Juno may effect the ESA side as one vehicle was shown solar powered but I don't see how solar cells could survive the radiation environment at Europa.
Juno deals with the problem by staying clear of said belts.
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The out come of Juno may effect the ESA side as one vehicle was shown solar powered but I don't see how solar cells could survive the radiation environment at Europa.
If ESA mounts a Europa mission. Wonder where they would get the RTG from? Since there is a very limited supply of Pu238.
Edited for formatting
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The out come of Juno may effect the ESA side as one vehicle was shown solar powered but I don't see how solar cells could survive the radiation environment at Europa.
If ESA mounts a Europa mission. Wonder where they would get the RTG from? Since there is a very limited supply of Pu238.
Juno's orbit is a highly eccentric ellipse. So Juno spends very little time in Jupiter's radiation belt. The orbit's inclination has been selected to minimize radiation exporsure.
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Spacecraft: Juno
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V 551
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Complex 41
Launch Date: Aug. 5, 2011
Launch Time: 11:40 a.m. EDT
The Juno spacecraft arrived at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing
Facility aboard an Air Force C-17 cargo plane at 7:55 p.m. on April
8.
The spacecraft had been shipped from Lockheed Martin Space Systems in
Denver. It was offloaded from the aircraft and taken to the Astrotech
payload processing facility located near Kennedy Space Center. On
April 9, it was moved inside the processing high bay, the lid to the
shipping container was lifted from over the spacecraft, and the
protective wrap surrounding it was removed.
On April 11, Juno was lifted onto a rotation and test fixture and
rotated from the vertical to horizontal configuration so that
electrical testing could begin. Initial testing now is under way.
Antenna installations, including the high gain antenna, begin April
20.
The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times
to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere
and magnetosphere.
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Spacecraft: Juno
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V 551
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Complex 41
Launch Date: Aug. 5, 2011
Launch Time: 11:40 a.m. EDT
Testing of the science instruments is under way. Antenna
installations, including the high gain antenna, began April 20.
Communications system end-to-end testing with the Deep Space Network
and its associated tracking stations is scheduled to begin late next
week.
The Atlas and Centaur stages of the Atlas V rocket are scheduled to
arrive at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station the second week of May.
The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times
to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere
and magnetosphere.
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Pics of High Gain Antenna attached to Juno
http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=230
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Spacecraft: Juno
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V 551
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 41
Launch Date: Aug. 5, 2011
Launch Time: 11:40 a.m. EDT
The Plasma Waves Instrument (WAVES) has been installed, and a
deployment test successfully was conducted on May 1. Communications
system end-to-end testing with the Deep Space Network and its
associated tracking stations was completed this week. The work to
install the three solar arrays and the associated magnetometer boom
will begin on May 18.
The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times
to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere
and magnetosphere.
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I'm surprised it doesn't have an ion engine since it will be over powered until it crosses the asteriod belt.
18kw at 1 au but only 400w at Jupiter.
How would it brake into orbit with the extra energy?
I don't think it works that way. Acceleration would reduce the approach velocity, as outer planets tend to sort of overrun approaching spacecraft . There are mission studies where advanced RTG powered ion engine missions get to the outer gas giants with minimal approach velocity and go into orbit. Jupiter is the target in Figure 6 of
http://sgc.engin.umich.edu/erps/IEPC_1991/IEPC1991-035.pdf
However, the other answer, that there is insufficient electric power, particularly beyond the orbit of Mars, dominates the reason to not consider it.
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I'm surprised it doesn't have an ion engine since it will be over powered until it crosses the asteriod belt.
18kw at 1 au but only 400w at Jupiter.
How would it brake into orbit with the extra energy?
I don't think it works that way. Acceleration would reduce the approach velocity, as outer planets tend to sort of overrun approaching spacecraft . There are mission studies where advanced RTG powered ion engine missions get to the outer gas giants with minimal approach velocity and go into orbit. Jupiter is the target in Figure 6 of
http://sgc.engin.umich.edu/erps/IEPC_1991/IEPC1991-035.pdf
However, the other answer, that there is insufficient electric power, particularly beyond the orbit of Mars, dominates the reason to not consider it.
My point was that there is "excess" energy in the beginning, but the lack of electrical power near Jupiter would negate the use of Ion thrusters for braking.
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Spacecraft: Juno
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V 551
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 41
Launch Date: Aug. 5, 2011
Launch Time: 11:40 a.m. EDT
This week a cruise system verification test was conducted, and a
Jupiter orbit insertion system verification test was also completed.
The work to install the three solar arrays begins May 13. Later in
processing, the magnetometer will be installed; a solar array
illumination test and a magnetometer boom deployment test also are
planned.
The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles to find
out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and
magnetosphere.
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Spacecraft: Juno
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V 551
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 41
Launch Date: Aug. 5, 2011
Launch Time: 11:40 a.m. EDT
Solar arrays No. 2 and No. 3 were installed onto the spacecraft May
13. Array No. 3 was deployed on May 16 and a solar array illumination
test was conducted May 17. Later this week, solar array No. 1 will be
attached, the magnetometer will be installed, a solar array
illumination test will be conducted and a magnetometer boom
deployment test is planned.
The Atlas V rocket is scheduled to arrive at Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station next week.
The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times
to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere
and magnetosphere.
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I'm sorry if this is the wrong thread. But I will just be in Orlando by launch date and I wonder if there's a way to watch the launch. I just have to buy the normal visit ticket and take the bus to the best available spot? The LC will be closed down? Other way?
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Spacecraft: Juno
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V-551
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 41
Launch Date: Aug. 5, 2011
Launch Time: 11:40 a.m. EDT
Solar array No. 1 with its associated magnetometer boom was installed
May 21. A deployment test was conducted on May 23, and a solar array
illumination test also was performed. On May 24, a magnetometer
functional test was done. The solar arrays now are being stowed for
flight.
The Atlas V booster stage arrived by Antonov cargo aircraft at the
Skid Strip on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the afternoon of
May 23. The following morning it was offloaded and transported to the
Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center (ASOC) to begin processing. The
Centaur upper stage arrived on May 25 and also was taken to the ASOC
the next day. Later at the launch pad, the Atlas V-551 configuration
for Juno will have five solid rocket boosters attached.
The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times
to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere
and magnetosphere.
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Thanks for all the updates, jacqmans.
Is this the first flight of Atlas V in the 551 config? If not, how many times has this config flown?
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Is this the first flight of Atlas V in the 551 config? If not, how many times has this config flown?
New Horizons maybe.
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Is this the first flight of Atlas V in the 551 config? If not, how many times has this config flown?
New Horizons maybe.
This is #2 for a 551. New Horizons is correct. And if it is anything like that launch, if you blink you will probably miss is leaving the pad.
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Spacecraft: Juno
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V-551 (AV-029)
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 41
Launch Date: Aug. 5, 2011
Launch Time: 11:39 a.m. EDT
Juno's three solar arrays have been stowed for flight. The spacecraft
is currently powered on for electrical testing.
Since its arrival, the Atlas V booster stage has been undergoing
checkout in the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center (ASOC) on Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station. It is scheduled to be hoisted into
position on the launcher in the Vertical Integration Facility at
Launch Complex 41 on June 13. The Atlas V-551 configuration for Juno
will have five solid rocket boosters which will be attached starting
June 15. The Centaur upper stage will be brought to the launch pad
the last week of June.
The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times
to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere
and magnetosphere.
-
Hi - new here.
This thread so far was very enlightening and interesting. I have seen a lot of pictures of Juno with all the protective plastic wrappings around the magnetometer and the other parts and I am sure they will be removed before flight, of course. But how about the wrapping over the HGA? Does that stay on?
I am asking partly because I am reworking a paper model of the probe and I want to depict it in flight.
(the original model is to be found here: http://jleslie48.com/gallery_models_postapollo.html)
With that 551 as a booster, the launch will be spectacular!
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Hi - new here.
This thread so far was very enlightening and interesting. I have seen a lot of pictures of Juno with all the protective plastic wrappings around the magnetometer and the other parts and I am sure they will be removed before flight, of course. But how about the wrapping over the HGA? Does that stay on?
I am asking partly because I am reworking a paper model of the probe and I want to depict it in flight.
(the original model is to be found here: http://jleslie48.com/gallery_models_postapollo.html)
With that 551 as a booster, the launch will be spectacular!
No, all that "wrapping" is MLI and will stay on for flight including the HGA
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No, all that "wrapping" is MLI and will stay on for flight including the HGA
The HGA allright, I see. Thanks, Jim. I was wondering about possible signal weakening by covering that dish. but there apparently isn't. Okay, I came here to gain more knowledge.
But that white plastic wrapping with the four red square tape sectors on it which is over the magnetometer in most of the assembly photos will be removed, won't it?
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No, all that "wrapping" is MLI and will stay on for flight including the HGA
The HGA allright, I see. Thanks, Jim. I was wondering about possible signal weakening by covering that dish. but there apparently isn't. Okay, I came here to gain more knowledge.
But that white plastic wrapping with the four red square tape sectors on it which is over the magnetometer in most of the assembly photos will be removed, won't it?
which photos?
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which photos?
Well, ones like these:
http://www.astroman.com.pl/img/magazyn/952/o/LM__4_Juno_Spacecraft.jpg
(the panels on the spacecraft's body are wrapped in see-through plastic)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lockheedmartin/5529194195/
(the magnetometer panel wrapped)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lockheedmartin/5529194437/in/photostream/
On this one you can see all instrument sections on the hexagon are wrapped in plastic.
It's these wrappings. Are they removed before launch?
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go to ksc multimedia
klick on or search on Juno and you will see the spacecraft as it is being prepared for launch.
BTW, the magnetometers are on a boom at the end of one of the solar arrays, the covered panel is one of 6 antennas for the microwave radiometer.
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Yeah, sorry, I just realised that myself. *stupid*
I'll go and check out KSC multimedia. Thanks again, Jim.
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Yeah, sorry, I just realised that myself. *stupid*
I'll go and check out KSC multimedia. Thanks again, Jim.
No problem, I get to see the spacecraft daily and schedule the photographers.
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Yeah, sorry, I just realised that myself. *stupid*
I'll go and check out KSC multimedia. Thanks again, Jim.
No problem, I get to see the spacecraft daily and schedule the photographers.
Your a lucky man Jim to work around all this equipment.
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Got a lot wiser after seeing those pictures. Thanks for the tip, Jim. You have a very enviable job.
As far as I have now seen, the probe seems to have been delivered to Titusville in a relatively "unpacked" state, as it were, and is now for a big part wrapped in MLI. I assume the MWR and other science payloads on the sides of the hexagon remain uncovered. At least that's what I have seen in the video simulations. The big square (to put it indignantly) at this picture, is that the :Gravity Science" part? None of the drawings do discern that quite well because it always seem to be on the sides not shown...
(this might be the wrong thread for these questions...)
(http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/4/15/1868213//JUNO.jpg)
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That is one of the MWR antennas.
Gravity science has no dedicated instrument
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That is one of the MWR antennas.
Gravity science has no dedicated instrument
Thanks!
That's what I already thought, since the shape and structure of it is the same, albeit twice the size, of that antenna at the other section.
These graphics (http://juno.wisc.edu/Images/using/Spacecraft/Juno-Payload-System.jpg) don't show much of the equipment.
-
Spacecraft: Juno
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V-551 (AV-029)
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 41
Launch Date: Aug. 5, 2011
Launch Time: 11:39 a.m. EDT
At the Astrotech payload processing facility near Kennedy Space
Center, Juno's Advanced Stellar Compass is undergoing testing. The
spacecraft's main engine assembly and rocket engine modules
successfully completed a functional test earlier this week. Thermal
blanket closeouts continue.
At Launch Complex 41, the Atlas V first stage booster was hoisted into
position on the launcher in the Vertical Integration Facility on June
13. The first of five solid rocket boosters was attached on June 15.
The Centaur upper stage will be brought to the launch pad the last
week of June.
The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times
to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere
and magnetosphere.
-
STATUS REPORT: ELV-062311
EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT
Spacecraft: Juno
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V-551 (AV-029)
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 41
Launch Date: Aug. 5, 2011
Launch Time: 11:39 a.m. EDT
At the Astrotech payload processing facility near Kennedy Space
Center, Juno's flight software is being installed into the
spacecraft's primary computer.
At Launch Complex 41, the last of five solid rocket boosters was
attached to the Atlas booster on June 21. The Centaur upper stage
will be brought to the launch pad and stacked atop the Atlas stage on
Friday.
The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times
to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere
and magnetosphere.
-
MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-131
NASA WILL HOST 150 PEOPLE FOR TWEETUP AT LAUNCH OF JUPITER-BOUND MISSION
WASHINGTON -- NASA will host a two-day launch Tweetup for 150 of its
Twitter followers on Aug. 4 - 5 at the agency's Kennedy Space Center
in Florida. The Tweetup is expected to culminate in the launch of the
Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft aboard an Atlas V rocket.
The launch window opens at 11:39 a.m. EDT on Aug. 5. The spacecraft is
expected to arrive at Jupiter in 2016. The mission will investigate
the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.
Juno's color camera will provide close-up images of Jupiter,
including the first detailed glimpse of the planet's poles.
The Tweetup will provide @NASA Twitter followers with the opportunity
to tour the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex; speak with
scientists and engineers from the Juno and other upcoming missions;
and, if all goes as scheduled, view the spacecraft launch. The event
also will provide participants the opportunity to meet fellow tweeps
and members of NASA's social media team.
Juno is the second of four space missions launching this year, making
2011 one of the busiest ever in planetary exploration. Aquarius was
launched June 10 to study ocean salinity; Grail will launch Sept. 8
to study the moon's gravity field; and the Mars Science
Laboratory/Curiosity rover heads to the Red Planet no earlier than
Nov. 25.
Tweetup registration opens at 3 p.m. on Friday, June 24, and closes at
3 p.m. on Monday, June 27. NASA will randomly select 150 participants
from online registrations. For more information about the Tweetup and
registration, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/tweetup
-
Really nicely done website for this mission ...
http://missionjuno.swri.edu/
-
MEDIA ADVISORY: M23-11
NASA OFFERS MEDIA ACCESS TO JUPITER-BOUND SPACECRAFT
CAPE CANVAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Juno spacecraft, set to launch aboard
a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in August, will be the focus
of a media opportunity at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 16, at the Astrotech
Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla.
The event is an opportunity to photograph the Juno spacecraft and
interview project and launch program officials. The spacecraft will
be seen just prior to its encapsulation into the payload fairing of
the Atlas 551 launch vehicle. Launch is scheduled for Aug. 5.
Juno is the first of NASA's three planetary missions launching this
year, making 2011 one of the busiest ever in planetary exploration.
The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to
find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere
and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary
core.
For the July 16th event, U.S. news media representatives may proceed
directly to Astrotech, located in the Spaceport Florida Industrial
Park, 1515 Chaffee Drive, Titusville. Access will be available
starting at 9:45 a.m., and the event will begin at 10 a.m.
STS-135 mission badges will be accepted. Government photo
identification, such as a driver's license or passport, will be
required. Media who are foreign nationals may attend only if they
possess an STS-135 mission badge or a permanently issued NASA Kennedy
media accreditation badge from the Kennedy Space Center. Kennedy's
Press Site will not be open on Saturday.
Media should call Kennedy's recorded update phone line on Friday
evening at 321-867-2525 to confirm the date has not changed.
For the media event, procedures for optically sensitive spacecraft
must be followed by individuals entering the cleanroom where the
spacecraft is being prepared for launch. Full cleanroom attire (bunny
suits) must be worn and will be furnished. Please do not wear
perfume, cologne or makeup. Long pants and closed-toe shoes must be
worn -- no shorts or skirts.
Photographers will need to clean camera equipment under the
supervision of contamination-control specialists. All camera
equipment must be self-contained; no portable lights can be allowed.
Non-essential equipment such as suede, leather or vinyl camera bags
or other carrying cases must be left outside the cleanroom. No
notebook paper, pencils, or conventional pens are permitted; special
pens and cleanroom paper will be provided. No food, tobacco, chewing
gum, lighters, matches or pocketknives will be allowed.
Flash photography cannot be permitted. There is adequate metal halide
lighting in the facility for photography (white with slight green
cast; suggested exposure for ISO-ASA 400 is 1/30 sec. at f/5.6). Use
of wireless microphones and cellular telephones are not allowed
inside the cleanroom. Also, because the Juno spacecraft is
magnetically sensitive, magnets or devices containing magnets may not
be brought in.
Project management for Juno is the responsibility of NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spokespersons from JPL,
Southwest Research Institute, Lockheed Martin and the NASA Launch
Services Program will be available for questions and interviews.
For more information about Juno, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/juno
-end-
-
MEDIA ADVISORY: M25-11
JUNO MEDIA PHOTO OPPORTUNITY CANCELLED
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The opportunity for the news media to see and
photograph NASA's Juno spacecraft at Astrotech on Saturday, July 16,
has been cancelled.
The Juno spacecraft carries two redundant Flux Gate Magnetometer
instruments that will measure Jupiter's powerful magnetic
environment. Lab testing of heaters similar to ones on Juno, designed
to keep the instruments warm in space, indicated a small probability
that wire connections may not operate as expected. As a precaution,
NASA and Juno mission personnel decided to inspect the quality of
Juno's heater elements, and if necessary, repair solder joints
connecting the heaters' electrical wires to their mounting surfaces
to ensure mission success.
Work is expected to be completed over the weekend. The launch period
for Juno is not expected to be affected.
Juno is planned for encapsulation into the payload fairing on Monday.
Photos and video will be taken by NASA prior to and during the
encapsulation process and will be provided to the news media.
The launch of Juno aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket
continues to be scheduled for Aug. 5 at 11:34 a.m. EDT.
For more information about Juno, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/juno
-
STATUS REPORT: ELV-071511
EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT
Spacecraft: Juno
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V-551 (AV-029)
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 41
Launch Date: Aug. 5, 2011
Launch Time: 11:34 a.m. EDT
At the Astrotech payload processing facility near Kennedy Space
Center, Juno has been loaded with its complement of fuel and oxidizer
propellants. Spin testing was conducted on July 12-13.
At Launch Complex 41, power-on testing for the fully integrated Atlas
V launch vehicle began on July 5. The Combined Systems Test, a launch
vehicle electrical test, was performed July 12. The next major test
of the Atlas V will be the "wet dress rehearsal" on July 19. The
rocket is fully loaded with liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and RP-1
fuel for this test and a full countdown is performed.
The Juno spacecraft carries two redundant Flux Gate Magnetometer
instruments that will measure Jupiter's powerful magnetic
environment. Lab testing of heaters similar to ones on Juno, designed
to keep the instruments warm in space, indicated a small probability
that wire connections may not operate as expected. As a precaution,
NASA and Juno mission personnel decided to inspect the quality of
Juno's heater elements, and if necessary, repair solder joints
connecting the heaters' electrical wires to their mounting surfaces
to ensure mission success. Work is expected to be completed over the
weekend. The launch period for Juno is not expected to be affected.
Encapsulation of Juno into the payload fairing still is planned for
Monday. Photos and video will be taken by NASA prior to and during
the encapsulation process and will be provided to the news media.
Juno then will be transported to the launch pad and attached to the
rocket on July 26. The launch of Juno aboard a United Launch Alliance
Atlas V rocket continues to be scheduled for Aug. 5 at 11:34 a.m.
EDT.
The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times
to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere
and magnetosphere.
-
The next major test
of the Atlas V will be the "wet dress rehearsal" on July 19. The
rocket is fully loaded with liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and RP-1
fuel for this test and a full countdown is performed.
Any idea when/if this will be done today? Thanks.
-
Yes. Usually the simulated t-zero is around 1pm if all goes smoothly.
-
The vehicle is still out at the pad. I managed to get some long range shots - one from the press site and one from the gate of LC39A.
-
MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-131
NASA WILL HOST 150 PEOPLE FOR TWEETUP AT LAUNCH OF JUPITER-BOUND MISSION
http://www.nasa.gov/tweetup
Any other NSF folks make the Tweetup list? I just found out got promoted off the waitlist. :-)
-
Oh, there's certainly more than 1 NSF member going to the tweetup! I know I'll be there :)
Any news from the review today?
-Todd
-
STATUS REPORT: ELV-072111
EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT
Spacecraft: Juno
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V-551 (AV-029)
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 41
Launch Date: Aug. 5, 2011
Launch Time: 11:34 a.m. EDT
At the Astrotech payload processing facility near NASA's Kennedy Space
Center, Juno was encapsulated into the Atlas payload fairing on July
18. It will be hoisted onto the payload transporter on July 22.
Transportation to the launch pad is scheduled for July 26. There it
will be hoisted atop the rocket and a series of interface checks will
begin.
At Launch Complex 41, the Atlas V was moved from the Vertical
Integration Facility to the launch pad on July 18. A "wet dress
rehearsal" was conducted on July 19. The rocket was fully loaded with
liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and RP-1 fuel for this test, and a
full countdown was performed. The Atlas V was moved back into the
Vertical Integration Facility on July 20.
The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times
to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere
and magnetosphere.
-
STATUS REPORT: ELV-072111
EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT
Spacecraft: Juno
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V-551 (AV-029)
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 41
Launch Date: Aug. 5, 2011
Launch Time: 11:34 a.m. EDT
Does that count as formal setting of the launch date? I'm a lot more familiar with the SSP FRR process, so I'm not sure how this works.
-
Does that count as formal setting of the launch date? I'm a lot more familiar with the SSP FRR process, so I'm not sure how this works.
They are contractually set months in advance and are tweaked as needed. ELV's have FRR's and LRR's too but they are within a week of a launch
-
Does that count as formal setting of the launch date? I'm a lot more familiar with the SSP FRR process, so I'm not sure how this works.
They are contractually set months in advance and are tweaked as needed. ELV's have FRR's and LRR's too but they are within a week of a launch
Any insight on when those will take place for Juno? Sounds like out-of-town launch attendees will need to buy flights before the final word comes down, regardless. (Not that schedules don't frequently change even after then...)
-
Juno is launching on 8/5. This is a planetary mission, the launch dates don't change unless something really bad happens.
-
H,,,i can the weather change the date of lift off ?
i will be in savannah the 5 , i m arriving at orlando the 6...:-)
thanks
-
Weather is always a factor
-
Can you see this on the launchpad from the KSC viewing gantry?
(Once it's out there, obviously)
-
Can you see this on the launchpad from the KSC viewing gantry?
(Once it's out there, obviously)
yes
-
MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-153
NASA BRIEFING TO PREVIEW UPCOMING MISSION TO JUPITER
CAPE CANVAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA will hold a news briefing at 1 p.m. EDT
on Wednesday, July 27, at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in
Florida to discuss preparations for the upcoming Juno mission to
Jupiter. The briefing will be carried live on NASA Television and the
agency's website.
Juno, scheduled to launch Aug. 5, will improve our understanding of
our solar system's beginnings by revealing the origin and evolution
of Jupiter. Juno will get closer to Jupiter than any other spacecraft
and will provide images and the first detailed glimpse of its poles.
Briefing participants are:
-- Jim Green, director, Planetary Science Division, Science Mission
Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington
-- Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator, Southwest Research
Institute, San Antonio
-- Jan Chodas, Juno project manager, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL),
Pasadena, Calif.
-- Steve Levin, Juno project scientist, JPL
-- Kaelyn Badura, Pine Ridge High School, Deltona, Fla.; high school
student, Juno Education program participant and Goldstone Apple
Valley Radio Telescope Project
U.S. media without permanent Kennedy accreditation need to apply for
credentials by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 26. New accreditation for
international journalists is closed. Credentialing requests should be
submitted online at:
https://media.ksc.nasa.gov
For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For more information about Juno, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/juno
Ustream will carry the briefing live with a chat box available at:
http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2
-
Juno is launching on 8/5. This is a planetary mission, the launch dates don't change unless something really bad happens.
One-hour launch window on August 5th. Not clear how that moves for successive days, but I'll guess the window each day is close to the same length. Anyone with inside knowledge want to confirm?
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/news/juno20110705.html
NASA's Spacecraft T-Minus One Month to Jupiter Period
07.05.11
PASADENA, Calif. - NASA's Juno spacecraft is 30 days before its first launch window opens. "The launch window is the length of time allotted every day for an attempt to launch the spacecraft," said Jan Chodas, Juno project manager from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "The launch period is the period of time in days when everything is in the right place to get your mission off to the right start."
For a mission like Juno, getting everything in the right place includes considering the size of the rocket and spacecraft, where our home planet -- and in particular Juno's launch pad -- is pointed at any moment, and its location in space relative to other celestial objects like Juno's final target, Jupiter.
"One month from today, our first launch window opens at 11:34 a.m. EDT (8:34 a.m. PDT) and lasts 69 minutes," said Chodas. "Our primary launch period is 22 days long, and so if weather or other issues come up on Aug. 5, we have 21 more days to get Juno flying. Once we get Juno into space, it's a five-year cruise to Jupiter."
Juno is scheduled to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from pad 41-C at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
More information about Juno is online at http://www.nasa.gov/juno and http://missionjuno.swri.edu.
-
It increases to 90 minutes
-
It increases to 90 minutes
Moves earlier, later, stays the same?
-
Time/window don't change much over the course of the month. Slightly earlier, maybe an hour-ish.
-
Time/window don't change much over the course of the month. Slightly earlier, maybe an hour-ish.
Thanks for the info. The #NASATweetup says they'll host one extra day if there's a delay on launch. Helpful to know when that would be, for travel planning.
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MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-156
NASA SETS LAUNCH COVERAGE EVENTS FOR MISSION TO JUPITER
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Juno spacecraft is set to launch toward
Jupiter aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on Aug. 5. The
launch window extends from 11:34 a.m. to 12:33 p.m. EDT, and the
launch period extends through Aug. 26.
The spacecraft is expected to arrive at Jupiter in 2016 on a mission
to investigate the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and
magnetosphere. Juno's color camera will provide close-up images of
Jupiter, including the first detailed views of the planet's poles.
NASA will host a prelaunch news conference in the News Center at the
agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Aug. 3, at 1
p.m. EDT. Conference participants are:
-- Colleen Hartman, assistant associate administrator, Science Mission
Directorate
NASA Headquarters, Washington
-- Omar Baez, NASA launch director at Kennedy
-- Vernon Thorp, program manager, NASA Missions, United Launch
Alliance, Denver
-- Jan Chodas, Juno project manager, Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pasadena, Calif.
-- Tim Gasparini, Juno program manager, Lockheed Martin Space Systems,
Denver
-- Clay Flinn, Atlas V launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron,
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
A Juno mission science briefing will follow the prelaunch news
conference. Briefing participants are:
-- Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator, Southwest Research
Institute, San Antonio
-- Toby Owen, Juno co-investigator, University of Hawaii
-- Jack Connerney, Juno Instrument lead, NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center, Greenbelt, Md.
-- Andy Ingersol, Juno co-investigator, Cal Tech, Pasadena
-- Fran Bagenai, Juno co-investigator, University of Colorado, Boulder
-- Candy Hansen, Juno co-investigator, Planetary Science Institute,
Tucson
A news conference will be held at the Kennedy News Center
approximately 2.5 hours after launch, and a news release will be
issued as soon as Juno's condition is determined. Spokespersons will
be available for interviews.
To cover the media events, journalists must complete the online
accreditation process at:
https://media.ksc.nasa.gov/
Accreditation for U.S. reporters must be received by 5 p.m. on
Tuesday, Aug. 2. Journalists may obtain their NASA access badge at
the Kennedy Badging Office located near Gate 3 on State Road 405,
just past the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Two forms of
government issued identification, one with photo, are required to
receive an access badge. Kennedy's Badging Office hours are 6 a.m. to
3 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information about
accreditation, contact Laurel Lichtenberger at 321-867-4036.
Journalists who are foreign nationals may attend the Juno launch and
the prelaunch news conference if they possess a white machine badge
with a green dot or a permanently issued NASA media accreditation
badge from Kennedy.
Atlas V Rollout Media Event
Aug. 4: Media opportunity to observe rollout of the Atlas V rocket
from the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad. Journalists
should be at the Kennedy press site at 7:15 a.m. for transportation
to the viewing location near Launch Complex 41.
Remote Camera Placement at Launch Complex 41
Aug. 4: To set up remote sound-activated cameras at the Atlas V launch
pad, photographers will taken to Launch Complex 41. Journalists
should meet in the parking lot at the Kennedy Press Site at 12:30
p.m.
Launch Day Press Site Access
Aug. 5: Journalists will cover the Juno launch from the Kennedy Press
Site. Access will be through Gate 2 on State Road 3 or Gate 3 on
State Road 405, east of the Kennedy visitor complex beginning at 8
a.m. There will be no access through Gate 1 at Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station.
Kennedy News Center Hours
Wednesday, Aug. 3: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 4: 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 5: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
NASA Television Coverage
On Aug. 3, NASA Television's Media and Education Channels will carry
the Juno prelaunch news conference live beginning at 1 p.m. On Aug.
5, NASA TV coverage of the launch will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude
after spacecraft separation from the Atlas V occurs approximately 53
minutes and 49 seconds after launch. For NASA TV downlink
information, schedule information and streaming video, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
Audio only of the prelaunch press conference and the launch coverage
will be carried on 321-867-1220/1240/1260/7135. On launch day,
mission audio of launch countdown activities, without NASA TV
commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting at 7 a.m. Launch
audio also be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940
MHz heard within Brevard County.
For extensive prelaunch and launch coverage online, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
A prelaunch webcast will be streamed at noon on Aug. 7. Live countdown
coverage through NASA's Launch Blog begins at 9 a.m. on Aug. 5.
Coverage features live updates as countdown milestones occur, as well
as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and
liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact Jeanne Ryba
at 321-867-7824.
To view the webcast and the blog or to learn more about the Juno
mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/juno
The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch
countdown at:
http://www.twitter.com/nasa
Recorded Juno status reports and launch updates will be available on
the Kennedy media phone line starting Monday, Aug. 1 at 321-867-2525.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Juno mission for the
principal investigator, Scott Bolton. The Juno mission is part of the
New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center
in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems built the
spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility
of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy.
-end-
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Where's the best place to watch this launch ?
-
Where's the best place to watch this launch ?
Follow it on here? :)
(I know, "smart a$$")
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Where's the best place to watch this launch ?
Follow it on here? :)
(I know, "smart a$$")
The press site at the Turning Basin next to LCC and the VAB? But if you don't have press credentials or a NASATweetup badge, you can always watch from the Visitors Center, which has the benefit of providing piped-in sound/video from NASA TV. Drawback - can't see the rocket on the pad. (I don't believe they allow viewing from the Causeway during Atlas launches.)
For off-site viewing and other general information, see: http://www.launchphotography.com/Launch_Viewing_Information.html
EDIT: Ah, yes, the Apollo/Saturn V Center would be excellent -- accessible on the free bus tour that comes with Visitor Center passes. Not sure how they ration that or if it is just first-come, first-serve.
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Will there be an impact on this launch, in case of a US government shutdown on August 4, due to the budget crisis ?
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Here is your windows chart:
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av029/launchwindows.html
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The best places to view are the Saturn V Center on the KSC tour (which will be open, earlier than normal that day and first come first serve), or Playalinda Beach (TBD; normally would, but this is a 551 so it's possible they will have it closed [similarly almost certainly will be closed for MSL given the RTG]).
http://www.launchphotography.com/Delta_4_Atlas_5_Falcon_9_Launch_Viewing.html
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Here is your windows chart:
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av029/launchwindows.html
Great! That's very helpful.
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Nice shot! Looks like the Kamags get a lot of use around KSC, not just carrying shuttle payloads: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/ksctransporters.html Must be remarkable to see those things driving around Titusville.
That's the actual Atlas V fairing, right? Nice shot of the conditioning equipment.
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The fairing is shipped vertical to the Atlas V Assembly?
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RELEASE: 11-251
NASA'S JUPITER-BOUND JUNO SPACECRAFT MATED TO ITS ROCKET
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Juno spacecraft completed its last
significant terrestrial journey on Wednesday, with a 15-mile
(25-kilometer) trip from Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville,
Fla., to its launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The
solar-powered, Jupiter-bound spacecraft was secured into place on top
of its rocket at 10:42 a.m. EDT (7:42 a.m. PDT).
Juno will arrive at Jupiter in July 2016 and orbit its poles 33 times
to learn more about the gas giant's interior, atmosphere and aurora.
"We're about to start our journey to Jupiter to unlock the secrets of
the early solar system," said Scott Bolton, the mission's principal
investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.
"After eight years of development, the spacecraft is ready for its
important mission."
Now that the Juno payload is atop the most powerful Atlas rocket ever
made -- the United Launch Alliance Atlas V 551 -- a final flurry of
checks and tests can begin and confirm that all is go for launch. The
final series of checks begins Wednesday with an on-pad functional
test. The test is designed to confirm that the spacecraft is healthy
after the fueling, encapsulation and transport operations.
"The on-pad functional test is the first of seven tests and reviews
that Juno and its flight team will undergo during the spacecraft's
last 10 days on Earth," said Jan Chodas, Juno's project manager at
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. "There are
a number of remaining prelaunch activities that we still need to
focus on, but the team is really excited that the final days of
preparation, which we've been anticipating for years, are finally
here. We are ready to go."
The launch period for Juno opens Aug. 5, 2011, and extends through
Aug. 26. For an Aug. 5 liftoff, the launch window opens at 11:34 a.m.
EDT and remains open through 12:43 EDT.
JPL manages the Juno mission for principal investigator Scott Bolton.
The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed
Martin Space Systems of Denver built the spacecraft. Launch
management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch
Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. JPL
is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
More information about Juno is available at:
http://www.nasa.gov/juno
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Thanks for the advice can you see the vechicle on the pad from the Saturn V centre ?
How early do you think I'd have to get there to get a good spot?
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The best places to view are the Saturn V Center on the KSC tour (which will be open, earlier than normal that day and first come first serve), or Playalinda Beach (TBD; normally would, but this is a 551 so it's possible they will have it closed [similarly almost certainly will be closed for MSL given the RTG]).
http://www.launchphotography.com/Delta_4_Atlas_5_Falcon_9_Launch_Viewing.html
Tying the security envelope to mission parameters like the number of strap-on SRBs and nuclear power sources certainly makes sense, but I hadn't thought of that before. I would imagine launch azimuth is another major factor. A search didn't turn up that data for Juno, but maybe someone else on NSF knows. For an outer planet mission, should be more or less in-plane with local Earth rotation, no? If so, then you might be able to get closer north/south than otherwise would be the case for an earth-orbiting launch.
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Thanks for the advice can you see the vechicle on the pad from the Saturn V centre ?
How early do you think I'd have to get there to get a good spot?
Yes you can see the top half of the launch tower and the top of the rocket sticking up behind it.
Normally the saturn V center is the last stop on the free tour, but on launch day they run busses directly to the center. And they may start before the normal 10:00 AM start.
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Tying the security envelope to mission parameters like the number of strap-on SRBs and nuclear power sources certainly makes sense, but I hadn't thought of that before.
Think about protesters running up the beach to stop the launch...
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Think about protesters running up the beach to stop the launch...
That is when you strategically place a bunch of signs and clear a path into the flame trench ::)
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Think about protesters running up the beach to stop the launch...
I could be wrong, but I thought that Juno wasn't RTG-powered but used solar arrays. If I'm right, then idiots determined to get an SRB suntan shouldn't be an issue.
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Think about protesters running up the beach to stop the launch...
I could be wrong, but I thought that Juno wasn't RTG-powered but used solar arrays. If I'm right, then idiots determined to get an SRB suntan shouldn't be an issue.
Also, if this launch animation is to be trusted as accurate -- and they seemed to have tried -- the trajectory is more south-easterly than any typical shuttle-to-ISS launch. That would be away from Playlandia.
http://youtu.be/Urj-8tpdzd8 (see roughtly 2:20 on)
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Is there anyway to find out if Playalinda Beach will be closed, without just turning up on launch day?
Some googling reveals it's a nudist beach, that could be a fun experience :D
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Is there anyway to find out if Playalinda Beach will be closed, without just turning up on launch day?
Some googling reveals it's a nudist beach, that could be a fun experience :D
Sounds like a good place to hang out ... ;)
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Is there anyway to find out if Playalinda Beach will be closed, without just turning up on launch day?
Some googling reveals it's a nudist beach, that could be a fun experience :D
Sounds like a good place to hang out ... ;)
Now I understand the name.
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Is there anyway to find out if Playalinda Beach will be closed, without just turning up on launch day?
Some googling reveals it's a nudist beach, that could be a fun experience :D
As long as you can accept that not all bodies are heavenly.
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Think about protesters running up the beach to stop the launch...
I could be wrong, but I thought that Juno wasn't RTG-powered but used solar arrays. If I'm right, then idiots determined to get an SRB suntan shouldn't be an issue.
Solar arrays is correct. The RTG reference was about MSL.
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The fairing is shipped vertical to the Atlas V Assembly?
This is with the payload encapsulated. Almost all rockets integrate their payloads vertically.
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-MSL has an RTG. Playalinda was closed for New Horizons; maybe because of the RTG, maybe 551, or both.
-Playalinda is no longer a nudist beach by law, but people do it anyway.
-It doesn't matter what the azimuth is, the distance to the pad is fixed. Accidents can happen on the pad.
-I notice the official launch animation (which is more of an on pad animation since it only shows ten seconds of launch) includes an ILS logo on the rocket. Someone needs to be brought up to date.
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Great pic Jim, thanks!
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Great pic Jim, thanks!
Lucky fellow!
Professional obligation to be present, Jim, or a case of you've-got-access, might-as-well-use-it?
-Alex
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Thanks for the pix, Jim.
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Nice shot! Looks like the Kamags get a lot of use around KSC, not just carrying shuttle payloads: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/ksctransporters.html Must be remarkable to see those things driving around Titusville.
There are at least 6 Kamags in the area and KSC only owns 3 of them.
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Quick call security a bandit is about to steal Juno ;)
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I like the minimalistic mission decal design on the fairing. Elegant and fits with NASA's logo.
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Nice shot! Looks like the Kamags get a lot of use around KSC, not just carrying shuttle payloads: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/ksctransporters.html Must be remarkable to see those things driving around Titusville.
There are at least 6 Kamags in the area and KSC only owns 3 of them.
Actually by my count KSC owns 4 KAMAGs:
2xPayload Canister transporters
1xSRM segment transporter
1xKAMAG Lowrider as Purge 2 in the recovery convoy.
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Jim, do the different color tape bands have a significance?
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Alot of decent pics of Juno setup
http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm enter juno
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Is there anyway to find out if Playalinda Beach will be closed, without just turning up on launch day?
Some googling reveals it's a nudist beach, that could be a fun experience :D
http://www.nps.gov/cana/planyourvisit/park-closure-notices.htm
That page will be updated with any closure notice usually about 3 or 4 days before they close. Shuttle launches they closed about 3 days prior to launch, but I don't think they do that with the unmanned. Honestly haven't watched it close enough to be sure.
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Is it me, is this Atlas V's anodize more silverish and less copperish than past Atlas V's?
Or is the pictures color balance off?
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Just the white balance, the CCB is its usual coppery color in other images.
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Finding LCC for the shuttle is no problem, but I'm having difficulty finding a document that details the criteria for Atlas V launches. Plenty of news reports that talk about this criteria or that criteria that was violated on previous launches that it appears to be pretty similar to the shuttle's LCC (without the RTLS part of course).
I'm heading down for the Juno launch next week and see some showers on the long range forecast and would love to know the gory details as we watch the forecast.
Any pointers?
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The KSC Visitors Center has released details about events for the Juno launch. Bill Nye the Science Guy + viewing for 2000 people at Apollo-Saturn V Center!
http://kennedyspacecenter.com/juno-mission.aspx
The Juno Mission to Jupiter
Activity Dates: August 4 - 5, 2011
On August 5, 2011, the Juno spacecraft is scheduled to launch between 11:34 a.m. and 12:43 p.m. aboard an Atlas V rocket. Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, will be the spacecraft's final destination in July of 2016. At the time of launch, Jupiter will be 445 million miles away from the Earth.
Juno will orbit Jupiter 33 times for approximately one year, skimming close to the surface above the planet's cloud tops every 11 days. Juno's primary goal is to map the gravitational and magnetic fields of Jupiter, which will help gain more understanding of the origin and evolution of the planet.
On August 5, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will open at 7 a.m. Prime viewing from the Apollo/Saturn V Center for the rocket launch will be available to the first 2,000 guests. Launch is scheduled between 11:34 a.m. and 12:43 p.m. Alternate launch viewing is available at the main Visitor Complex.
General admission is required and will provide access to the following:
August 4
All exhibits, programs and attractions, including the KSC Tour
Special History of Science and Juno Exhibits
LEGO "Build the Future" Activities
Bill Nye Presentation (seating is limited!)
August 5
All exhibits, programs and attractions
Special History of Science and Juno Exhibits
LEGO "Build the Future" Activities
Juno Rocket Launch
Special Activities and Presentations
Bill Nye "The Science Guy"
Come experience the exhilaration of a real rocket launch with America's favorite science guy and Executive Director of the Planetary Society, Bill Nye. On August 4, he prepares you for what to expect for the Juno Mission to see the Atlas rocket lift off on its way to Jupiter. Space for Bill Nye's 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. presentations in the IMAX Theater are limited on a first-come first-serve basis.
LEGO "Build the Future" Event
Let's build and explore the future. Come and help us launch imagination by building the future in space. A NASA-LEGO® building event will take place on August 3 and 4 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. as well as 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. after the scheduled launch of the Juno spacecraft on August 5. Join us in the IMAX Theater Hubble Gallery and see what else you'll learn and experience! Until then, visit legospace.com.
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Finding LCC for the shuttle is no problem, but I'm having difficulty finding a document that details the criteria for Atlas V launches. Plenty of news reports that talk about this criteria or that criteria that was violated on previous launches that it appears to be pretty similar to the shuttle's LCC (without the RTLS part of course).
I'm heading down for the Juno launch next week and see some showers on the long range forecast and would love to know the gory details as we watch the forecast.
Any pointers?
Use shuttle. Data for commercial vehicles is going to be ITAR or propriety.
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The KSC Visitors Center has released details about events for the Juno launch. Bill Nye the Science Guy + viewing for 2000 people at Apollo-Saturn V Center!
Awesome, whats the turn out normally like for unmanned launches?
Will I need to get there at 7am as the KSC VC opens to be in the first 2000?
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The Press Kit has been released
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And here's the Mission Booklet published by ULA
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A preview - ahead of the more expansive launch day article - with some additional info on the preps, along with some additional info on the dual shipping that recently took place:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/07/nasa-juno-frr-completed-atlas-delta-share-ride-mariner/
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Finding LCC for the shuttle is no problem, but I'm having difficulty finding a document that details the criteria for Atlas V launches. Plenty of news reports that talk about this criteria or that criteria that was violated on previous launches that it appears to be pretty similar to the shuttle's LCC (without the RTLS part of course).
Use shuttle. Data for commercial vehicles is going to be ITAR or propriety.
From a hobbyist's point of view, I guess that is one advantage to the NASA-owned, NASA-operated launch vehicle paradigm: the traditional degree of technical openness we've seen from the Shuttle program.
-Alex
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I think it's really because the Shuttle predated those restrictions and it had already all been made public.
One of my favorites was when the Marshall eye-tar Barney Fifes went around telling people to remove Saturn V cutaway posters that could be purchased at the Space and Rocket Center.
Close second was in the mid 90s when an export officer at one of the Boeing facilities decided anything with the word "radar" in it was restricted.
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Will there be an impact on this launch, in case of a US government shutdown on August 4, due to the budget crisis ?
To answer my own question:
Congress may be facing a looming Tuesday (Aug. 2) deadline to raise the U.S. national debt ceiling, but NASA will be open for business as usual next week, the agency's chief told employees.
In a memo to space agency workers Friday (July 29), NASA Administrator Charles Bolden reminded employees that the mission goes on next week as Congress works to find a resolution to the U.S. debt ceiling crisis.
source: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=26081.msg785660#msg785660
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A preview - ahead of the more expansive launch day article - with some additional info on the preps, along with some additional info on the dual shipping that recently took place:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/07/nasa-juno-frr-completed-atlas-delta-share-ride-mariner/
MSL was the first use of the Delta Mariner for Atlas V. The Juno Atlas came via Antonov An-124, like previous ones.
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Also there's this:
"Built by Lockheed Martin, Juno will investigate the planet by orbiting Jupiter’s poles 33 times – at 160,000 km per hour, making it the fastest man-made object in history"
I think the Galileo entry probe holds the record for the fastest man-made object in history. Not that it really means much unless you specify fastest relative to *what*...
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Also there's this:
"Built by Lockheed Martin, Juno will investigate the planet by orbiting Jupiter’s poles 33 times – at 160,000 km per hour, making it the fastest man-made object in history"
I think the Galileo entry probe holds the record for the fastest man-made object in history. Not that it really means much unless you specify fastest relative to *what*...
I don't think it is orbiting at that velocity
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I don't think it is orbiting at that velocity
The 44 km/s at perijove doesn't sound that far-fetched to me, it does skim very low above the cloudtops, only 5000 km according to the press kit.
Still, no orbiter will ever match the almost 48 km/s of Galileo probe which came in with some hyperbolic excess velocity and slammed deep into the gravity well at entry interface.
Edit: yep, for an object travelling at 45 km/s toward Jupiter's cloudtops, that 5000 km altitude difference is traversed in 110 seconds meaning Jupiter's gravity adds some 2.7 km/s which accounts for most of the Galileo probe - Juno difference. The rest of several hundred m/s being accounted for by the Juno JOI burn.
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I believe the Helios probes hold the fastest velocity record.
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I don't think it is orbiting at that velocity
The 44 km/s at perijove doesn't sound that far-fetched to me, it does skim very low above the cloudtops, only 5000 km according to the press kit.
Still, no orbiter will ever match the almost 48 km/s of Galileo probe which came in with some hyperbolic excess velocity and slammed deep into the gravity well at entry interface.
Edit: yep, for an object travelling at 45 km/s toward Jupiter's cloudtops, that 5000 km altitude difference is traversed in 110 seconds meaning Jupiter's gravity adds some 2.7 km/s which accounts for most of the Galileo probe - Juno difference. The rest of several hundred m/s being accounted for by the Juno JOI burn.
copy
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From the NASA tweetup agenda, Thursday we'll go on a tour of KSC and CCAFS, including the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center and Launch Complex 41. Where exactly is the former?
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http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Cape+Canaveral,+FL&hl=en&ll=28.524624,-80.597495&spn=0.007956,0.013937&sll=28.513914,-81.015994&sspn=0.509231,0.891953&t=h&z=17
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From the NASA tweetup agenda, Thursday we'll go on a tour of KSC and CCAFS, including the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center and Launch Complex 41. Where exactly is the former?
I will be in the ASOC every day until launch
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From the NASA tweetup agenda, Thursday we'll go on a tour of KSC and CCAFS, including the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center and Launch Complex 41. Where exactly is the former?
I will be in the ASOC every day until launch
Thanks for the locator link. It was one of my top candidate locations. :D
If you cross paths with a motley crew numbering some 150± wandering around the site Thursday afternoon, wave. Anything good in the high bay these days for us to see?
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From the NASA tweetup agenda, Thursday we'll go on a tour of KSC and CCAFS, including the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center and Launch Complex 41. Where exactly is the former?
I will be in the ASOC every day until launch
Thanks for the locator link. It was one of my top candidate locations. :D
If you cross paths with a motley crew numbering some 150± wandering around the site Thursday afternoon, wave. Anything good in the high bay these days for us to see?
MSL Atlas and Centaur
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From the NASA tweetup agenda, Thursday we'll go on a tour of KSC and CCAFS, including the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center and Launch Complex 41. Where exactly is the former?
I will be in the ASOC every day until launch
Thanks for the locator link. It was one of my top candidate locations. :D
If you cross paths with a motley crew numbering some 150± wandering around the site Thursday afternoon, wave. Anything good in the high bay these days for us to see?
MSL Atlas and Centaur
Well that's certainly worth seeing! (If they let us in there.) Also, looking back at my STS-133 causeway photos, I realized I had a picture of the ASOC taken from there. (Attached.) What are the two tall buildings to the right? On Google Maps it's apparent they are both a good deal farther away, down Titan III Road. The middle one is blocking the view of SLC-41 (except for one lightning tower).
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SMAB and SMARF
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Quick question. At top speed, how fast will this sucker be going (in mph)?
Thanks.
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Quick question. At top speed, how fast will this sucker be going (in mph)?
99419.390 mph.
Courtesy of this - http://www.metric-conversions.org/length/kilometers-to-miles.htm
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Is there anyway to find out if Playalinda Beach will be closed, without just turning up on launch day?
Some googling reveals it's a nudist beach, that could be a fun experience :D
http://www.nps.gov/cana/planyourvisit/park-closure-notices.htm
That page will be updated with any closure notice usually about 3 or 4 days before they close. Shuttle launches they closed about 3 days prior to launch, but I don't think they do that with the unmanned. Honestly haven't watched it close enough to be sure.
Per ULA's press kit (attached ground trace map) the launch looks pretty much straight out to sea. Without RTG type issues, Playlandia seems like it should be open?
Also, wonder if our friends in NW Australia should be watching for a Centaur burn? (Can one see that sort of thing?)
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The vehicle's trajectory out to sea is not related to whether it would be open or not. It should be open, but as it has been closed for other Atlas V missions before at NASA's discretion, it remains to be seen.
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From the NASA tweetup agenda, Thursday we'll go on a tour of KSC and CCAFS, including the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center and Launch Complex 41. Where exactly is the former?
I will be in the ASOC every day until launch
Any live web cam feed we could watch you work?
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I believe the Helios probes hold the fastest velocity record.
How do these compare with the "Dawn" probe for velocity?
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Is there anyway to find out if Playalinda Beach will be closed, without just turning up on launch day?
Some googling reveals it's a nudist beach, that could be a fun experience :D
http://www.nps.gov/cana/planyourvisit/park-closure-notices.htm
That page will be updated with any closure notice usually about 3 or 4 days before they close. Shuttle launches they closed about 3 days prior to launch, but I don't think they do that with the unmanned. Honestly haven't watched it close enough to be sure.
Per ULA's press kit (attached ground trace map) the launch looks pretty much straight out to sea. Without RTG type issues, Playlandia seems like it should be open?
Freudian slip? ;)
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Quick question. At top speed, how fast will this sucker be going (in mph)?
99419.390 mph.
Courtesy of this - http://www.metric-conversions.org/length/kilometers-to-miles.htm
Hot damn! That's extremely fast. Will this really be the fastest man made moving object in history? (heard that somewhere earlier in reference to this mission)
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Hot damn! That's extremely fast. Will this really be the fastest man made moving object in history? (heard that somewhere earlier in reference to this mission)
Pluto New Horizons was the only other Atlas V 551 launch, and massed a few thousand kilos less.
-Alex
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Hot damn! That's extremely fast. Will this really be the fastest man made moving object in history? (heard that somewhere earlier in reference to this mission)
Fastest relative to what ?
Anyway, as ugordon already said, the Galileo probe was faster relative to Jupiter (which is what the above number refers to).
Messenger orbits that Sun at ~48 km/s, simply by virtue of being in orbit around Mercury.
Edit:
The New Horizons "record" refers to launch velocity. The Dawn "record" refers to dV produced by the spacecraft itself. Voyager 1 holds the record for greatest hyperbolic excess relative to the sun AFAIK. Apples, oranges and orangutans.
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Messenger orbits that Sun at ~48 km/s, simply by virtue of being in orbit around Mercury.
One can take this to silly proportions and measure that speed relative to Earth instead. Depending on where Mercury and Earth are in their orbits, that relative speed can approach 90 km/s. This is why I'm not a big fan of these "fastest ever" games. A snail's pace in one system can be Ludicrous Speed (TM) in another frame of reference.
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No, as stated above, the Helios probes hold the record with a relative velocity [to the sun] around 160,000 mph.
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From the NASA tweetup agenda, Thursday we'll go on a tour of KSC and CCAFS, including the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center and Launch Complex 41. Where exactly is the former?
I will be in the ASOC every day until launch
Any live web cam feed we could watch you work?
Nope, I will be in a small support room
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http://www.nps.gov/cana/planyourvisit/park-closure-notices.htm
That page will be updated with any closure notice usually about 3 or 4 days before they close. Shuttle launches they closed about 3 days prior to launch, but I don't think they do that with the unmanned. Honestly haven't watched it close enough to be sure.
That page frequently lacks info for anything but the shuttle. The people who run the place tend not to even know there is a launch ("what launch?" the day before). In the past Playalinda has, for whatever reason (examples include MRO and NRO L-30 in June 2007), been closed last minute by security despite them saying they aren't closing. Those along with New Horizons are the only closures I recall for Atlas V, though I have not checked every time.
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NASA doesn't determine whether an area is open for launch or not. Air Force Range Safety does.
On the fastest object debate, recall that Pluto had a Star 48 on it too. This one is just the Centaur.
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The New Horizons Atlas 551 did some pretty fancy throttle work, ducking power down during the SRM burn to delay max-q, up again to maintain control requirements, etc. Then the standard 2.5g and 5.0g segments (are those closed loop?).
Anyway, any info if the Juno launch will do similar early throttling? The press kit mentions the 2.5g and 5.0g segments.
--Nick
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Anyway, any info if the Juno launch will do similar early throttling?
I would assume so. The vehicle configurations are the same. That thing will jump off the pad faster than you can say "liftoff" so early throttling for max-q reasons is likely.
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Anyway, any info if the Juno launch will do similar early throttling?
I would assume so. The vehicle configurations are the same. That thing will jump off the pad faster than you can say "liftoff" so early throttling for max-q reasons is likely.
NH was just beautiful to watch come off the pad...
This thing should be *slightly* faster - without the Star 48, it is just a little bit lighter.
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This thing should be *slightly* faster - without the Star 48, it is just a little bit lighter.
Not quite, NH was a very light spacecraft, while Juno is not. In any case, payload mass is indistinquishable in the initial acceleration profile as it makes up only a fraction of GLOW.
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This thing should be *slightly* faster - without the Star 48, it is just a little bit lighter.
Not quite, NH was a very light spacecraft, while Juno is not. In any case, payload mass is indistinquishable in the initial acceleration profile as it makes up only a fraction of GLOW.
The PNH payload included the STAR-48 and spin table.
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What was the total mass of that setup?
NH itself is under 500 kg and Juno is over 3600 kg.
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What was the total mass of that setup?
NH itself is under 500 kg and Juno is over 3600 kg.
I'm sure a lot of the difference is down to the differing delta-v requirements for Pluto (which much further away and is also out-of-plane) and Jupiter.
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I'm sure a lot of the difference is down to the differing delta-v requirements for Pluto (which much further away and is also out-of-plane) and Jupiter.
I understand all that, I was addressing the point Juno is lighter since it doesn't have a Star 48. My point was even with the kick stage, the NH setup could still be lighter than Juno.
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Star-48 is about 5000 lbs.
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I got that, so the spin table would need to be a tonne to match Juno's payload system weight. Doesn't strike me as likely.
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There is also the fairing - Juno is flying with the short fairing (3,524kg per the user's guide) and I think NH used the medium (4,003kg).
I suspect it'll all come out to a wash - or near enough as to make no difference to the naked eye.
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Anyway, any info if the Juno launch will do similar early throttling?
I would assume so. The vehicle configurations are the same. That thing will jump off the pad faster than you can say "liftoff" so early throttling for max-q reasons is likely.
NH was just beautiful to watch come off the pad...
(snip)
That it was!
My advice: Don't blink! Pray for clear skies.
And don't take photos, unless that is your main goal. Buy professional ones and enjoy the very, very brief time you can see the rocket flying. It will move like the proverbial bat-out-of-Hell.
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People, think about this. The Atlas V core booster holds over 250,000 kg of propellant. Each SRB weighs nearly 47,000 kg. A difference of 1,000 kg in payload out of a 500,000 kg in gross weight is going to be completely invisible.
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ULA:
L-4:
All launch preparations are progressing well in support of the Atlas V Juno launch set for Friday, August 5 for NASA. The launch window opens at 11:34 a.m. EDT and extends until 12:43 p.m. The L-4 forecast shows a 70 percent chance of favorable weather for launch.
Mission Booklet:
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Just an FYI for people going to the launch -- putting this here as we don't get the viewing/going to threads for these launches (at least not yet!).
Informal get together for anyone coming for the launch in Titusville. Chris Gebhardt and I will be at Dogs R Us -- it's a sports bar/restaurant on Rte. 1, Thursday evening
We should be there from about 6:30 Thursday night for a couple hours anyway. Don't want to tie up this thread with a lot of posts for this, so PM me for any directions or info you need. Food is pretty decent, and beer is pretty cheap as it goes these days. Hope to see you there!
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The local news has picked up on this launch, so alot more eyes are on the launch.
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I read the Launch Readiness Review is on Wednesday. Can someone tell us what time, and when it would be expected to end? More importantly, can we can get an immediate update on the conclusions?
I have to get on a plane to Florida at 3:10 pm EDT and I'd really rather not if the launch is postponed (presumably because of weather fears on the 24- and 48-hour delays).
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I read the Launch Readiness Review is on Wednesday. Can someone tell us what time, and when it would be expected to end? More importantly, can we can get an immediate update on the conclusions?
I have to get on a plane to Florida at 3:10 pm EDT and I'd really rather not if the launch is postponed (presumably because of weather fears on the 24- and 48-hour delays).
Not sure if they have another readiness review on Wednesday, as they already had their FRR, but the pre-launch briefing is 1pm, so for sure we'd know of any delay by then. Quite sure we'll know on site well before that if there is to be a delay, but certainly no later than the 1pm briefing.
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LRR is wednesday at 0900. Shuttle screwed up the names and sequence of readiness reviews. LRR is always the day before launch or in the case of Atlas V, roll to the pad. FRR is many days before launch, before a milestone such as Delta II second stage prop load.
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Just an FYI for people going to the launch -- putting this here as we don't get the viewing/going to threads for these launches (at least not yet!).
Informal get together for anyone coming for the launch in Titusville. Chris Gebhardt and I will be at Dogs R Us -- it's a sports bar/restaurant on Rte. 1, Thursday evening
We should be there from about 6:30 Thursday night for a couple hours anyway. Don't want to tie up this thread with a lot of posts for this, so PM me for any directions or info you need. Food is pretty decent, and beer is pretty cheap as it goes these days. Hope to see you there!
Wish I could...what about for GRAIL? ;D
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The local news has picked up on this launch, so alot more eyes are on the launch.
NASA HQ sent $200K to KSC 2 weeks before the launch to do public affairs and outreach with. Highly unusual. There's a full court press to show NASA is still doing stuff after Wheels Stop.
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Just an FYI for people going to the launch -- putting this here as we don't get the viewing/going to threads for these launches (at least not yet!).
Informal get together for anyone coming for the launch in Titusville. Chris Gebhardt and I will be at Dogs R Us -- it's a sports bar/restaurant on Rte. 1, Thursday evening
We should be there from about 6:30 Thursday night for a couple hours anyway. Don't want to tie up this thread with a lot of posts for this, so PM me for any directions or info you need. Food is pretty decent, and beer is pretty cheap as it goes these days. Hope to see you there!
Wish I could...what about for GRAIL? ;D
Will see how our schedules work Phil, but most likely if you're in the area we'll make sure we can get together someplace!
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Latest NOAA data for Tropical Storm Emily puts the cone in the CCAFS area over the weekend:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at5.shtml?5-daynl#contents
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We'll find out what they really think at tomorrow's 1pm news conference, right? Anything preliminary is just speculation (or L2 -- hint hint).
Where's rdale when we need him?
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=profile;u=1271
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No more hurricane info from me after the year of the Ike debacle... Those forecasts stay private (well, depends on how much you're willing to pay :) )
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No more hurricane info from me after the year of the Ike debacle... Those forecasts stay private (well, depends on how much you're willing to pay :) )
Sad face. My novice's inkling is that they'll take a decent launch chance on Friday over the poor forecast for the weekend. (A rollback's not that hard for an Atlas, right?) My guess is I will be on a plane to Florida by 3pm tomorrow. Besides, the #NASATweetup people have a lot of social media stoking planned for Thursday.
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No more hurricane info from me after the year of the Ike debacle... Those forecasts stay private (well, depends on how much you're willing to pay :) )
Sad face. My novice's inkling is that they'll take a decent launch chance on Friday over the poor forecast for the weekend. (A rollback's not that hard for an Atlas, right?) My guess is I will be on a plane to Florida by 3pm tomorrow. Besides, the #NASATweetup people have a lot of social media stoking planned for Thursday.
Well the cone is only going near Florida late Friday, so it is entirely conceivable that the weather will be good for launch that day. Just remember for viewing, no matter how low the odds are, they are still higher than the zero percent chance if you don't go.
Plus you can always yell at the sky to "prove rdale wrong" like I did for STS-135 (meant in good fun)
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It is a near certainty they would not roll out if there is a chance at landfall. They are in no rush with 22+ days and everything looking good so far.
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Nothing new, just the L-3 sent out by PAO Tuesday night:
Today, final preparations continued in support of the Atlas V Juno launch set for Friday, August 5 for NASA. The launch window opens at 11:34 a.m. EDT and extends until 12:43 p.m. The L-3 forecast continues to show a 70 percent chance of favorable weather for launch, but the team is watching tropical storm Emily. Tomorrow, the launch team will participate in the Launch Readiness Review.
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It is a near certainty they would not roll out if there is a chance at landfall. They are in no rush with 22+ days and everything looking good so far.
So is that "landfall" or not? I guess we'll find out tomorrow.
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What you are showing there are the models, not the official storm track and cone, though in this case it's pretty close to the cone. I'll wait a few minutes and put the 5am update here. The track has moved a little left, or a little right each update, time will tell on this storm. There is a chance it may not even survive the higher mountains of Hispaniola, but we should know that by tomorrow morning.
And rdale - I don't remember the Ike debacle, but your forecasts are still better than most official ones!!
Not much if any difference from the 11pm graphic. Probably won't know a lot more until tomorrow morning, and seeing how it survives over the land tonight.
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The launch forecast is available at:
http://www.patrick.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070716-027.pdf
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Juno Mission Prelaunch News Conference
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7036
Juno Mission Science Briefing
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7037
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And rdale - I don't remember the Ike debacle, but your forecasts are still better than most official ones!!
In the Ike thread here people were repeating some NWS forecasts saying tens of thousands would die, and that JSC would be wiped out (even one poster said the manned space program would end) or crippled for many months (with surge forecasts of 20+ feet across the complex.) I indicated that the death forecasts were WAY overblown, and that JSC would not bear the brunt of the surge. That got Houston-area members VERY upset, because I obviously didn't know what I was talking about.
So I keep hurricane outlooks internal now to make sure nobody gets upset at my forecasts...
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News release: 2011-241 Aug 3, 2011
Juno Spacecraft to Carry Three Figurines to Jupiter Orbit
The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-241&cid=release_2011-241
PASADENA, Calif. – NASA's Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft will carry the 1.5-inch likeness of Galileo Galilei, the Roman god Jupiter and his wife Juno to Jupiter when the spacecraft launches this Friday, Aug. 5. The inclusion of the three mini-statues, or figurines, is part of a joint outreach and educational program developed as part of the partnership between NASA and the LEGO Group to inspire children to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
In Greek and Roman mythology, Jupiter drew a veil of clouds around himself to hide his mischief. From Mount Olympus, Juno was able to peer through the clouds and reveal Jupiter's true nature. Juno holds a magnifying glass to signify her search for the truth, while her husband holds a lightning bolt. The third LEGO crew member is Galileo Galilei, who made several important discoveries about Jupiter, including the four largest satellites of Jupiter (named the Galilean moons in his honor). Of course, the miniature Galileo has his telescope with him on the journey.
An image of the three figurines can be found at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/multimedia/lego20110803.html .
The launch period for Juno opens Aug. 5 and extends through Aug. 26. For an Aug. 5 liftoff, the launch window opens at 8:34 a.m. PDT (11:34 a.m. EDT) and remains open through 9:43 a.m. PDT (12:43 p.m. EDT). The spacecraft is expected to arrive at Jupiter in 2016. The mission will investigate the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere. Juno's color camera will provide close-up images of Jupiter, including the first detailed glimpse of the planet's poles.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
More information about Juno is online at http://www.nasa.gov/juno and http://missionjuno.swri.edu . You can follow the mission on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/NASAJuno .
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Image advisory: 2011-240 Aug. 3, 2011
Juno Jupiter Mission to Carry Plaque Dedicated to Galileo
The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-240&cid=release_2011-240
PASADENA, Calif. -- A plaque dedicated to the famous astronomer Galileo Galilei will be carried to Jupiter aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft. The launch period for Juno opens Aug. 5, 2011, and extends through Aug. 26. For an Aug. 5 liftoff, the launch window opens at 8:34 a.m. PDT (11:34 a.m. EDT) and remains open through 9:43 a.m. PDT (12:43 p.m. EDT).
Among his many achievements, Galileo Galilei discovered that moons orbited Jupiter in 1610. These satellites -- Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto -- are also known as the Galilean moons.
An image of the plaque is online at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/multimedia/galileo20110803.html .
The plaque, which was provided by the Italian Space Agency, measures 2.8 by 2 inches (71 by 51 millimeters), is made of flight-grade aluminum and weighs six grams (0.2 ounces). It was bonded to Juno's propulsion bay with a spacecraft-grade epoxy. The graphic on the plaque depicts a self-portrait of Galileo. It also includes -- in Galileo's own hand -- a passage he made in 1610 of observations of Jupiter, archived in the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale in Florence.
Galileo's text included on the plaque reads as follows: "On the 11th it was in this formation -- and the star closest to Jupiter was half the size than the other and very close to the other so that during the previous nights all of the three observed stars looked of the same dimension and among them equally afar; so that it is evident that around Jupiter there are three moving stars invisible till this time to everyone."
Juno is scheduled to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Italian Space Agency in Rome is contributing an infrared spectrometer instrument and a portion of the radio science experiment. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
More information about Juno is online at http://www.nasa.gov/juno and http://missionjuno.swri.edu . You can follow the mission on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nasajuno .
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STATUS REPORT: ELV-080311
EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT
Spacecraft: Juno
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V-551 (AV-029)
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 41
Launch Date: Aug. 5, 2011
Launch Window: 11:34 a.m. - 12:43 p.m. EDT
During the overnight hours of July 27, the Juno spacecraft was
transported from the Astrotech payload processing facility near
Kennedy Space Center to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station. It officially was declared to be atop the Atlas V
rocket at 10:42 a.m.
The "on-pad functional test," a stand-alone spacecraft state of health
test of Juno, successfully was conducted July 28. The "integrated
systems test" to verify the connections between the spacecraft and
the booster also was performed July 29.
The Flight Readiness Review was held July 29, and all work has been
approved to proceed toward a launch on Aug. 5. There was then a final
review, the Launch Readiness Review, on Aug. 3. At the conclusion of
this review a "go" was given to continue preparations to move the
Atlas V from the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch
Complex 41 to the pad surface on the morning of Aug. 4. However, the
weather will be reviewed before the move toward the launch pad begins
to assure no significant change in the forecast and the track of
Tropical Storm Emily.
The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times
to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere
and magnetosphere.
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In the Ike thread here people were repeating some NWS forecasts saying tens of thousands would die, and that JSC would be wiped out (even one poster said the manned space program would end) or crippled for many months (with surge forecasts of 20+ feet across the complex.) I indicated that the death forecasts were WAY overblown, and that JSC would not bear the brunt of the surge.
While I agree the numbers were crazy, (Thanks to how the MSM spun New Orleans) a few miles further west, where the eyewall and its surge had hit the mouth of Galveston Bay instead of Bolivar, and the surge would've come right up Clear Lake. Hard to say how much farther outside the normal banks it would've gotten.
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News release: 2011-241 Aug 3, 2011
Juno Spacecraft to Carry Three Figurines to Jupiter Orbit
There will be LEGO figures onboard Juno but NASA didn't give people the opportunity to submit their names to fly onboard the spacecraft. How odd.
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We have roll out! Here's a shot from the Turning Basin grandstands.
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News release: 2011-241 Aug 3, 2011
Juno Spacecraft to Carry Three Figurines to Jupiter Orbit
There will be LEGO figures onboard Juno but NASA didn't give people the opportunity to submit their names to fly onboard the spacecraft. How odd.
Um... why?
I mean, I know that the <100g weight won't send any reasonably-designed mission over its mass budget but, nonetheless... Why?
That aside, I'm reminded of Jim's oft-uttered admonition that spacecraft are not LEGOs. Well, now they carry LEGOs, so we're one step closer! :P
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Latest Predictions for Emily:
Would say that tomorrow is definitely the best day, hopefully Florida gets a good soaking but no landfall (hoping the same for my state)
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at5.shtml?5-daynl#contents
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Juno is at the pad
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Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla. (August 4, 2011) - A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with the Juno spacecraft rolls out to its Space Launch Complex-41 launch pad arriving at 9 a.m. EDT today. Juno will improve our understanding of our solar system’s beginnings by revealing the origin and evolution of Jupiter. After a five-year journey, Juno will spend a year and 33 orbits studying many scientific aspects of the largest planet in our solar system. The launch of the Juno mission is set for Friday, Aug. 5 with the launch period opening at 11:34 a.m. EDT. Photos by Pat Corkery, United Launch Alliance.
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Atlas-V really looks a radically different machine with lots of solids and the 5m PLF - more solid and formidable. You'd be forgiven for thinking that the -4xx and the 5xx were completely different vehicles
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Memories of January, 2006 are springing to mind :)
News release: 2011-241 Aug 3, 2011
Juno Spacecraft to Carry Three Figurines to Jupiter Orbit
There will be LEGO figures onboard Juno but NASA didn't give people the opportunity to submit their names to fly onboard the spacecraft. How odd.
Um... why?
The LEGO figures are meant to inspire young kids to get into space exploration...but you would think NASA would allow people to send their names into space (a la Cassini and New Horizons) on Juno as a way to get the general public a little more interested in this mission...especially considering the fact this is the only real outer planet mission that will be launching in a while.
(And this is assuming that Titan Mare gets approved)
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The LEGO figures are meant to inspire young kids to get into space exploration...but you would think NASA would allow people to send their names into space (a la Cassini and New Horizons) on Juno as a way to get the general public a little more interested in this mission...especially considering the fact this is the only real outer planet mission that will be launching in a while.
(And this is assuming that Titan Mare gets approved)
no, because this spacecraft will be purposely destroyed at the end of its mission.
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Atlas-V really looks a radically different machine with lots of solids and the 5m PLF - more solid and formidable. You'd be forgiven for thinking that the -4xx and the 5xx were completely different vehicles
The Atlas V 5xx looks even more impressive with the long PLF, add another 20ft to the height of the short PLF use for the Juno mission. Maybe someday the Atlas V 552 with the long PLF will make an appearance.
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The LEGO figures are meant to inspire young kids to get into space exploration...but you would think NASA would allow people to send their names into space (a la Cassini and New Horizons) on Juno as a way to get the general public a little more interested in this mission...especially considering the fact this is the only real outer planet mission that will be launching in a while.
(And this is assuming that Titan Mare gets approved)
no, because this spacecraft will be purposely destroyed at the end of its mission.
That didn't stop NASA from placing a CD filled with 600,000+ names onboard Deep Impact's impactor (as opposed to the orbiter itself) before it got obliterated by Comet Tempel in 2005.
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Another KSC Webcam pointing Juno's way:
Also has a live stream: ( http://kscwmserv1.ksc.nasa.gov/channel8 )
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I'm sure a lot of the difference is down to the differing delta-v requirements for Pluto (which much further away and is also out-of-plane) and Jupiter.
Well, NH actually did a Jupiter flyby, and Pluto will be nearly at the ecliptic during the encounter, so the transfer plane is only different because of the Earth's inclination. The difference is that Juno will encounter Jupiter at a much slower velocity, thus allowing it to propulsively capture...
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you would think NASA would allow people to send their names into space
Don't need NASA's help: Go outside at night with a laser pointer and a Morse book ;) Those photons will go farther than an Earth-launched spacecraft..
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you would think NASA would allow people to send their names into space
Don't need NASA's help: Go outside at night with a laser pointer and a Morse book ;) Those photons will go farther than an Earth-launched spacecraft..
Just make sure no planes are nearby ;)
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you would think NASA would allow people to send their names into space
Don't need NASA's help: Go outside at night with a laser pointer and a Morse book ;) Those photons will go farther than an Earth-launched spacecraft..
My laser pointer has been broken for...13 years ;D
Godspeed Juno!
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Wondering if - given the size of this thread and the importance of this mission - if we should have this as the pre-launch, a live thread for the coverage, and of course we can now have a mission thread later in the new section.
Will have a think and decide when I get back from work.
An amazing 4,000 word preview coming up later too, via William. Really is some read!
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And here's that overview - a really supberb/must read article - by William Graham:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/08/ula-atlasv-nasa-juno-jupiter/
New thread for the live updates shorlty, will link up here.
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And on to the live launch day thread:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=26327.0