LIVE: Delta II - Kepler, March 6, 2009

[MBK004]

Live coverage of DII/Kepler.

Threads merged.

[zinfab]

Boy, that blows chunks. Here's hoping the material they got stuck with is strong enough to 'do the job.'

[iamlucky13]

Well, I'm glad they caught the fraud. This is serious stuff. False certifications don't just risk space missions. People have died from counterfeit parts.

http://www.businessweek.com/1996/24/b34791.htm
(old article about counterfeit certifications on airplanes)

Even if the material doesn't check out, Kepler will still probably fly, but be delayed.

[jacqmans]

News release: 2008-240                                                Dec. 18, 2008

NASA's Kepler Spacecraft Ready to Ship to Florida

PASADENA, Calif. -- Engineers are getting ready to pack NASA's Kepler spacecraft into a container and ship it off to its launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

The mission, scheduled to launch on March 5, will seek to answer an age-old question -- are there other Earths in space? 

"Kepler is ready to begin its journey to its launch site, and ultimately to space, where it will answer a question that has been pondered by humankind at least as long ago as the ancient Greeks," said James Fanson, the project manager for the mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Kepler will monitor more than 100,000 stars for signatures of planets of various sizes and orbital distances. It has the ability to locate rocky planets like Earth, including those that lie in a star's "habitable zone," a region where liquid water, and perhaps life, could exist. If these Earth-size worlds do exist around stars like our sun, Kepler is expected to be the first to find them, and the first to measure their frequency.

"Kepler's mission is to determine whether Earth-size planets in the habitable zone of other stars are frequent or rare; whether life in our Milky Way galaxy is likely to be frequent or rare," said William Borucki, the Kepler science principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.

Kepler is currently at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. It passed all its environmental tests ensuring that it is prepared for the harsh trip to space. It also passed what's called the "pre-ship review," meaning that it is ready to be shipped via convoy to Florida in early January. Its first stop will be Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., where the spacecraft will be processed before being carried to its launch pad at Cape Canaveral. Kepler will launch atop a Delta II rocket.

"An outstanding team of engineers overcame some difficult hurdles to achieve this considerable milestone," said Ball Aerospace Program Manager John Troeltzsch. "The culmination of this effort will put a spectacular mission in orbit designed to increase our understanding of the cosmos."

Kepler is a NASA Discovery mission. In addition to being the home organization of the science principal investigator, NASA Ames Research Center is responsible for the ground system development, mission operations and science data analysis. Kepler mission development is managed by JPL. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. is responsible for developing the Kepler flight system and supporting mission operations.

More information about the Kepler mission is at http://www.nasa.gov/kepler . More information about extrasolar planets and NASA's planet-finding program is at http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov  .

[scienceguy]

So if Kepler finds Earth-like planets at 1 AU around sun-like stars, we should be hearing about them around 2011, right? (launch 2009, detect one transit, wait a year, detect another transit, wait a year, detect the confirming transit)

[Ronsmytheiii]

This looks like the rocket that will carry Kepler:

[jacqmans]

Mission: Kepler
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7925
Launch Pad: 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Launch Date: March 5, 2009
Launch Time: 10:48 p.m. EDT

Kepler arrived at the Astrotech payload processing facility near
Kennedy Space Center this afternoon. Work is under way to remove the
spacecraft from the shipping container. Initial testing will begin on
Friday.

Launch preparations for the Delta II rocket continue on schedule at
Pad 17-B. Loading the first stage with liquid oxygen as a leak check
and to serve as a countdown demonstration and certification for the
launch team is scheduled for Jan. 19. A flight simulation which
exercises the electrical and mechanical systems of the rocket as they
will operate after liftoff during flight will be conducted on Jan.
20.

Leak checks of the first stage fuel system are complete, and the
checkout of the guidance and vehicle control system was finished
before the holidays, as planned.

[madscientist197]

So if Kepler finds Earth-like planets at 1 AU around sun-like stars, we should be hearing about them around 2011, right? (launch 2009, detect one transit, wait a year, detect another transit, wait a year, detect the confirming transit)

Yes, but the temperature range is the really important factor -- there's no reason to exclude non G-type stars. I would be very surprised if they don't confirm a few planets in habitable temperature zones within a year of launch, say orbiting around red dwarfs.

This is a pretty cool mission -- it should also give us some nice statistics on solar variability.

[faustod]

From NASA KSC Multimedia
Kepler in final phases of preparation.

[Ronsmytheiii]

from live webcam:

http://kscwmserv1.ksc.nasa.gov/ae%20video%20channel%202

[jacqmans]

Mission: Kepler
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7925
Launch Pad: 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Date: March 5, 2009
Launch Time: 10:48 p.m. EDT

Testing of the Kepler spacecraft is under way. Post-arrival
state-of-health checks were finished with no issues. Completed this
week were a solar array light sensor test, a solar array illumination
test, and a reaction control subsystem leak test. A Kepler mission
scenario test is scheduled for Jan. 24-25.

Launch preparations for the Delta II rocket continue on schedule at
Pad 17-B. On Jan. 19, the first stage will be loaded with liquid
oxygen as a leak check, and to serve as a countdown demonstration and
certification for the launch team. A flight simulation that will
exercise the electrical and mechanical systems of the rocket as they
will operate after liftoff during flight will be conducted on Jan.
20.

[John44]

 NASA KEPLER SPACECRAFT ARRIVES IN FLORIDA FOR LAUNCH PROCESSING
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4640

[jacqmans]

Mission: Kepler
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7925
Launch Pad: 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Date: March 5, 2009
Launch Time: 10:48:43 p.m. EDT

Testing of the Kepler spacecraft instruments is complete.
Compatibility tests with the Deep Space Network are under way. A
Kepler mission scenario test is scheduled for Jan. 24-25.

Launch preparations for the Delta II rocket continue on schedule at
Pad 17-B. Loading the first stage with liquid oxygen as a leak check,
as well as to serve as a countdown demonstration and certification
for the launch team, was successfully completed Jan. 19. A flight
simulation exercising the electrical and mechanical systems of the
rocket as they are to operate during the flight after liftoff was
successfully conducted the following day.

Routine testing to flight qualify the Delta II for the upcoming launch
is continuing. The Kepler spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at Pad
17-B and be attached to the Delta II on Feb. 18.

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: 03-09

NASA TO SHOW KEPLER SPACECRAFT DURING MEDIA OPPORTUNITY JAN. 30

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Kepler spacecraft, that will be
launched in March aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket,
will be the focus of a media opportunity on Friday, Jan. 30. The
event will be held at the Astrotech Space Operations facility in
Titusville, Fla., and will start at 10 a.m. EST.

The event will include an opportunity to photograph the space
telescope and to interview project officials from NASA and Ball
Aerospace, builder of the spacecraft. Media may proceed directly to
Astrotech located in the Spaceport Florida Industrial Park, 1515
Chaffee Drive, Titusville. Access begins at 9:45 a.m. The event will
last approximately two hours.

Spokespeople available will be:

- Jim Fanson, Kepler project manager
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

- John Troeltzsch, program manager
Ball Aerospace

- Armando Piloto, Kepler KSC mission manager
NASA's Kennedy Space Center

For the media event, procedures for optically sensitive spacecraft
must be followed by individuals entering the clean room where the
spacecraft is being processed. Guidelines for controlled access to
the clean room have been developed by quality control personnel and
will be monitored prior to entering the facility. Full clean room
attire (bunny suits) must be worn and will be furnished.
Photographers may be requested to clean cameras or accessories using
alcohol wipes which will be provided.

Long pants, shirts with sleeves and closed-toe shoes must be worn --
no shorts or skirts. Non-essential equipment, such as camera bags or
other carrying cases, should be left outside the clean room. No
pencils or felt-tipped pens can be permitted inside the clean room;
only ball-point pens may be used. No food, tobacco, chewing gum,
lighters, matches or pocket knives will be allowed. Please do not
wear perfume, cologne or makeup.

Wireless microphones and electronic flash photography are permitted in
this facility. There is adequate metal halide lighting in the
facility for photography (white with a slight green cast; suggested
exposure for ISO-ASA 400 is 1/30 sec. at f/5.6).

Kepler is designed to survey more that 100,000 stars in our galaxy to
determine the number of sun-like stars that have Earth-size and
larger planets, including those that lie in a star's "habitable
zone," a region where liquid water, and perhaps life, could exist. If
these Earth-size worlds do exist around stars like our sun, Kepler is
expected to be the first to find them and the first to measure how
common they are.

The Delta II rocket is being prepared for flight by United Launch
Alliance at Space Launch Complex 17 on Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station. The liftoff is currently planned for March 5 at 10:48 p.m.
EST.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. is responsible for
designing and developing the spacecraft and its instruments. Ball
Aerospace in Boulder, Colo., built the spacecraft for JPL. The NASA
Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., is responsible for
mission science. The NASA Launch Services Program at the Kennedy
Space Center is responsible for the launch management and the
countdown for the Delta II.

For more information about Kepler and its mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/kepler

[Ford Mustang]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-018

NASA KEPLER LAUNCH INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ACCREDITATION ENDS FEB. 5

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The launch of NASA's Kepler telescope, the
first mission capable of finding Earth-size and smaller planets
around other stars, is scheduled for March 5 at 10:48 p.m. EST, from
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

Because of U.S. Air Force requirements, international journalists must
apply for accreditation more than 30 days in advance of the launch.
For the Kepler mission, the deadline is Feb. 5. Reporters may apply
for Kepler accreditation online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

U.S. journalists living within the United States who need
accreditation have until Feb. 27 to apply. Reporters should confirm
they have been accredited before they travel.

For more information about Kepler accreditation, contact Laurel
Lichtenberger at 321-867-4036.

For more information about the Kepler mission on the Web, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/kepler

[Ford Mustang]

Mission: Kepler
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7925
Launch Pad: 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Date: March 5, 2009
Launch Time: 10:48:43 p.m. EDT

Compatibility tests with the Deep Space Network have been successfully
completed. The Kepler mission scenario test has also been finished.
Also this week, sun sensor testing and an attitude determination and
control subsystem test were done.

Kepler will be moved to a hazardous processing facility on Feb. 2 for
fueling of the spacecraft which will last for most of the week.

At Pad 17-B, routine work to prepare the Delta II rocket for the
upcoming launch continues. Work is under way to prepare the second
stage of the launch vehicle to receive the Kepler spacecraft, which
is scheduled for Feb. 18.

[punkboi]

Photos of the Names In Space DVD being attached to the Kepler spacecraft:

http://www.ballaerospace.com/gallery/kepler/gallery14.htm

 

[Ronsmytheiii]

couple of webcam images from the pad:

[Jim]

Kepler propellant loading preps are on
http://countdown.ksc.nasa.gov/elv/

AE Video 2 Streaming Feed

[Ronsmytheiii]

I dont know if this is the top of the first of second stage, however here is a live cam shot of the top of Kepler's Delta II: