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#20 by jacqmans on 08 Oct, 2008 16:15
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LOCKHEED MARTIN SENSOR ABOARD FOR INTERSTELLAR BOUNDARY EXPLORER (IBEX) MISSION LAUNCH
Palo Alto, Calif, October 08, 2008 -- NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission -- the first designed to globally image the extreme edge of our solar system -- is ready for launch on a Pegasus rocket from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, on October 19. The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] Space Systems Company's Advanced Technology Center (ATC) has lead the development of the IBEX-Lo sensor. The Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) awarded the contract to the ATC. IBEX-Lo is one of two sensors on the Small Explorer spacecraft that will measure neutral atoms created by the interaction of the solar wind with the interstellar medium - the gas, dust and radiation environment between the stars. Such neutral atoms are created beyond the orbit of Pluto and then enter our solar system. The energy bands are split into two ranges, one measured by IBEX-Lo and the other by IBEX-Hi. A team at Los Alamos National Laboratory and SwRI built the IBEX-Hi sensor.
The IBEX spacecraft will fly in a highly elliptica Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin Corporation is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2007 sales of $41.9 billion.
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#21 by antonioe on 10 Oct, 2008 04:41
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I heard at Chandler they have a "straight arrow" box next to the toilet paper rolls...
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#22 by eeergo on 14 Oct, 2008 14:47
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#23 by jacqmans on 14 Oct, 2008 21:11
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MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-205
NASA TO WEBCAST IBEX SPACECRAFT LAUNCH ON PEGASUS ROCKET OCT. 19
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first NASA spacecraft to image and map the
dynamic interactions taking place where the hot solar wind slams into
the cold expanse of space will be launched on Sunday, Oct. 19, at
1:48 p.m. EDT, during a launch window that extends from 1:44 p.m. to
1:52 p.m. The two-year mission will begin from the U.S. Army's Reagan
test site at Kwajalein Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands in the
south Pacific Ocean.
Called the Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, the spacecraft
will conduct extremely high-altitude orbits above Earth to
investigate and capture images of processes taking place at the
farthest reaches of the solar system. Known as the interstellar
boundary, this region marks where the solar system meets interstellar
space.
Carrying the IBEX spacecraft into orbit will be a Pegasus XL rocket
built by Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va. The Pegasus will
be deployed from the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft over the
Pacific Ocean about 125 miles north of Kwajalein. The spacecraft also
was built by Orbital Sciences.
Live coverage of the IBEX launch will be provided via the Web. No live
NASA Television coverage is planned. The live streaming video of the
countdown and launch will be available on the NASA home page at:
http://www.nasa.gov
Audio coverage of the launch will be available at 321-867-1220, 1240,
1260, and 7135. Streaming video and audio coverage will begin at
12:15 p.m. on Oct. 19. It will conclude after spacecraft separation
from the Pegasus, approximately 12 minutes after launch.
For more information about IBEX, including a launch blog, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ibex
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#24 by faustod on 16 Oct, 2008 18:53
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Orbital Sciences’ L-1011 takes off from Vandenberg for the Kwajalein Atoll.
Under its wing is NASA’s IBEX spacecraft on a Pegasus XL.
Foto: NASA KSC Multimedia
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#25 by MBK004 on 16 Oct, 2008 19:51
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Orbital Sciences’ L-1011 takes off from Vandenberg for the Kwajalein Atoll.
Umm, that picture isn't the L-1011 with a Pegasus under it, its of a 737NG. What's up?
Under its wing is NASA’s IBEX spacecraft on a Pegasus XL.
Foto: NASA KSC Multimedia -
#26 by just-nick on 16 Oct, 2008 19:59
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Orbital Sciences’ L-1011 takes off from Vandenberg for the Kwajalein Atoll.
Umm, that picture isn't the L-1011 with a Pegasus under it, its of a 737NG. What's up?
Under its wing is NASA’s IBEX spacecraft on a Pegasus XL.
Foto: NASA KSC Multimedia
NASA PAO hired the same guy who edited the airplane landing scene in "The Usual Suspects." -
#27 by Heg on 16 Oct, 2008 23:31
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Orbital Sciences’ L-1011 takes off from Vandenberg for the Kwajalein Atoll.
Umm, that picture isn't the L-1011 with a Pegasus under it, its of a 737NG. What's up?
Under its wing is NASA’s IBEX spacecraft on a Pegasus XL.
Foto: NASA KSC Multimedia
It's a pathfinder plane.
"From the runway of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a Pathfinder aircraft takes off. The Pathfinder will accompany Orbital Sciences’ L-1011 aircraft carrying NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft and Pegasus XL rocket on its flight to the Kwajalein Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pathfinder will carry the contingency crew and launch team members. (...)"
http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=37937 -
#28 by cd-slam on 17 Oct, 2008 05:04
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Orbital Sciences’ L-1011 takes off from Vandenberg for the Kwajalein Atoll.
Umm, that picture isn't the L-1011 with a Pegasus under it, its of a 737NG. What's up?
Under its wing is NASA’s IBEX spacecraft on a Pegasus XL.
Foto: NASA KSC Multimedia
How about this one. {:O)
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#29 by faustod on 17 Oct, 2008 06:23
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Orbital Sciences’ L-1011 takes off from Vandenberg for the Kwajalein Atoll.
Umm, that picture isn't the L-1011 with a Pegasus under it, its of a 737NG. What's up?
Under its wing is NASA’s IBEX spacecraft on a Pegasus XL.
Sorry for the mistake!
I simply switched the two pictures and posted the wrong one.
Foto: NASA KSC Multimedia -
#30 by John44 on 17 Oct, 2008 19:05
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NASA teleconference - Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) Mission.
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4350&Itemid=2
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#31 by jacqmans on 17 Oct, 2008 19:34
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STATUS REPORT: ELV-101708
EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT
Mission: IBEX (Interstellar Boundary Explorer)
Launch Vehicle: Pegasus XL (Orbital Sciences)
Launch Facility: Reagan Test Site, Kwajalein Pacific Atoll
Launch Date: Oct. 19, 2008
Launch Time: 1:44 p.m. - 1:52 p.m. EDT
(05:44 a.m. - 05:52 a.m. local Kwajalein time on Oct. 20)
After mating to the Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier aircraft on Oct.
6, the aircraft carrying the Pegasus XL rocket with IBEX departed
Vandenberg Air Force Base Oct. 11.
After an overnight stop at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, the ferry
flight continued and arrived at the Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein
Atoll in the South Pacific Oct. 12. The following day, an IBEX
spacecraft state of health check was performed without problems.
A Combined Systems Test to verify the status of the integrated
Pegasus/IBEX with the L-1011 and data communications interfaces with
the Reagan Test Site was done on Oct. 15. A launch countdown dress
rehearsal was successfully conducted on Oct. 16. Wheels-up from
Kwajalein for the launch is scheduled for 12:50 p.m. on Oct. 19.
Pegasus deployment from the L-1011 carrier aircraft is targeted to
occur within the eight-minute launch window at 1:48 p.m.
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#32 by jcm on 17 Oct, 2008 19:51
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Has anyone seen a press kit for this launch - with times of staging events and SRM burn, payload weights, etc.?
NASA seem to be going out of the press kit business for robotic spacecraft.
- Jonathan -
#33 by Analyst on 18 Oct, 2008 07:21
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NASA seem to be going out of the press kit business for robotic spacecraft.
- Jonathan
No press kit. I still look for a GLAST press kit. There are several pdf's from the PIs, but nothing "official" from NASA.
Analyst -
#34 by Chris Bergin on 18 Oct, 2008 16:06
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The media resources seem to be angled towards the payload's mission (and I know most of us want resources on the vehicle)
http://www.orbital.com/search/search.asp?zoom_query=ibex
Enough for a launch preview, which will be up tomorrow, leading into full live coverage. -
#35 by Chris Bergin on 18 Oct, 2008 23:03
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Moved to the live coverage area.
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#36 by Chris Bergin on 19 Oct, 2008 14:47
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#37 by otisbow on 19 Oct, 2008 14:59
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Is there going to be a live NASA web cast? If so how can I find it?
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#38 by William Graham on 19 Oct, 2008 15:02
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There is some coverage on http://www.ibex.swri.edu/multimedia/video.shtml
I think the launch itself will be broadcast by NASA, but they haven't released a URL for the feed yet.
There's also coverage on the ELV portal:
http://countdown.ksc.nasa.gov/elv/ -
#39 by toddbronco2 on 19 Oct, 2008 15:26
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Ok, I'm confusing myself with the time conversion. Sunrise on Kwaj will occur at 6:37 MHT, so that's ~3 hours from now? So the launch will be just before sunrise? Will there be any daylight, or is this going to be in the dark?
