FAILED: Taurus XL, GLORY - March 4, 2011 - VAFB

[jacqmans]

RELEASE: 09-24

NASA’S NEXT CLIMATE-RESEARCH SATELLITE ONE STEP CLOSER TO ORBIT

Greenbelt, Md. – The Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor (APS), an advanced scientific instrument that will be launched on the Glory satellite, has successfully completed environmental testing and was officially turned over to NASA on March 11 by the Raytheon Company, Waltham, Mass., which built the instrument. APS was delivered on March 9 to the Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Va., for integration with the Glory spacecraft.

The milestone comes after four months of testing at a Raytheon facility in El Segundo, Calif., during which the APS underwent a series of vibration, electromagnetic compatibility, calibration, and thermal vacuum tests.

"APS is on track and ready to go," said Jeff Hein, the APS instrument manager for Glory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "It was a very robust set of tests, and the instrument performed well."

With this round of environmental tests complete, engineers and technicians at Orbital Sciences, the spacecraft and launch vehicle provider, can now install APS on the spacecraft. After APS is integrated, the entire spacecraft will undergo additional system-level environmental tests in preparation for launch.

"The APS performance was excellent at the beginning of the test program and has been essentially unchanged throughout all of the testing," said APS instrument scientist Brian Cairns of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. "The instrument should provide extremely precise measurements that will allow us to provide the highest-quality aerosol observations ever retrieved from space."

Once in orbit, APS will study tiny airborne aerosol particles to better understand their influence on climate. The instrument will view aerosols through polarizing filters that screen out certain orientations of light waves. The technique will allow scientists to measure and characterize aerosols that would otherwise be obscured by background glare from the Earth’s surface and from atmospheric gases.

Aerosols are of great interest to climatologists. Some types, including black carbon from traffic exhaust, promote warming by absorbing sunlight. Others, such as sulfates from coal power plants, exert a cooling effect by reflecting incoming solar radiation back into space. For some types of aerosols — including naturally occurring mineral dust particles — it isn’t clear how they might affect climate. Overall, aerosols represent one of the greatest areas of uncertainty in understanding the climate system.

In addition to APS, Glory will carry a second instrument — the Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) — that will measure the sun’s energy output. The TIM instrument recently completed calibration at a first-of-its-kind radiometer facility — the TSI Radiometer Facility — at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Related Links:

Glory APS Science

http://glory.giss.nasa.gov/aps/

Glory Mission Page

http://glory.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html

[jacqmans]

Mission Overview
 
The Earth's energy balance and the effect on climate requires measuring black carbon soot and other aerosols, and the total solar irradiance. Glory is a low Earth orbit (LEO) scientific research satellite designed to achieve two major goals:

+ Collect data on the properties of aerosols, including black carbon, in the Earth's atmosphere and climate system. It will enable a greater understanding of the seasonal variability of aerosol properties.

+ Collect data on solar irradiance for the long-term effects on the Earth climate record. Understanding whether the temperature increase and climate changes are by-products of natural events or whether the changes are caused by man-made sources is of primary importance.
   
Glory: Explaining the Earth's Energy Budget

An accurate description of Earth's energy budget is important for scientists in order to anticipate changes to our climate. Shifts in the global climate and the associated weather patterns impact life by altering landscapes and changing the availability of natural resources. Scientists are working to better understand exactly how and why this energy budget changes. The Glory mission will provide significant contributions toward this critical endeavor. 


LAUNCH INFORMATION
+ Launch Date: June 2009
+ Launch Site: Vandenberg AFB, California
+ Vehicle: Taurus XL

ORBIT

+ Altitude: 705km
+ Inclination: 98.2 degrees
+ Circular, Sun-synchronous (A-Train)

DESIGN LIFE

+ 3 years; 5 year goal

[Lee Jay]

Does this mean they've figured out the issue on OCO?

[faustod]

Launch date: June 2009?
In the http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=8184.285 thread it's in January 2010.

[William Graham]

Last I heard was NET 26 January 2010, but that was before OCO.

The June date slipped several months ago.

[punkboi]

Last I heard was NET 26 January 2010, but that was before OCO.

The June date slipped several months ago.

Really?  That's news to me

[William Graham]

Last I heard was NET 26 January 2010, but that was before OCO.

The June date slipped several months ago.

Really?  That's news to me

News to me, too. We were carrying it on our schedule as early fall.

I got that date from MSDB

[jacqmans]

RELEASE: 10-023

NASA CUES UP UNIVERSITY CUBESATS FOR GLORY LAUNCH THIS FALL

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA will launch small research satellites for
several universities as part of the agency's Educational Launch of
Nanosatellite, or ELaNA, mission. The satellites are manifested as an
auxiliary payload on the Taurus XL launch vehicle for NASA's Glory
mission, planned for liftoff in late November.

The satellites, called CubeSats because of their shape, come from
Montana State University, the University of Colorado and Kentucky
Space, a consortium of state universities. The University of Florida
was selected as an alternate in case one of the three primary
spacecraft cannot fly.

CubeSats are in a class of small research spacecraft called
picosatellites. They have a size of approximately four inches, a
volume of about one quart, and weigh no more than 2.2 pounds.

To place these satellites into orbit by an agency expendable launch
vehicle, NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is adapting the
Poly-Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or PPOD. This deployment system,
designed and manufactured by the California Polytechnic State
University in partnership with Stanford University, has flown
previously on Department of Defense and commercial launch vehicles.

Montana State designated its satellite as Explorer 1 Prime, or E1P.
The name honors the launch and scientific discoveries of the
Explorer-1 mission, which detected the Van Allen radiation belts more
than 50 years ago. E1P will carry a miniature Geiger tube to measure
the intensity and variability of the electrons in the Van Allen
belts.

Colorado's satellite is named Hermes. Its mission is to improve
CubeSat communications through the on-orbit testing of a high
data-rate communication system that will allow the downlink of large
quantities of data.

The Kentucky vehicle is called KySat-1. It includes a camera to
support a scientific outreach program intended for, but not limited
to, Kentucky students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The
satellite also has a 2.4-gigahertz industrial, scientific and medical
band radio, which will be used to test high-bandwidth communications
in the license-free portion of the S-band.

The satellites will hitch a ride to space with the Taurus rocket's
primary payload, NASA's Glory spacecraft. The Glory climate mission,
developed by NASA's Science Mission Directorate, will extend the
nearly 30-year record of precise measurements of the sun's energy
output. It also will obtain first-ever, global measurements of the
distribution of tiny airborne aerosol particles. Aerosols represent
one of the greatest areas of uncertainty in understanding Earth's
climate system.

The ELaNA project is managed by NASA's Launch Services Program at
Kennedy. For more information about the program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy 

[jacqmans]

June 14, 2010

STATUS REPORT: ELV-061410

EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT

Spacecraft: Glory
Launch Vehicle: Taurus XL
Launch Site:  Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Date:  November 22, 2010
Launch Time: 2:09 a.m. PST
Altitude/Inclination: 440 miles/98.2 degrees

The Taurus XL "0" stage, which serves as the initial booster for
liftoff of the rocket, arrived on June 7 at Orbital Sciences Hangar
1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to begin processing.
Receiving inspections are now under way. No anomalies have been noted
so far.

The 0 stage joins the other three stages of the Taurus XL vehicle in
the hangar which are derivatives of the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL
rocket. Those stages are undergoing electrical buildup and testing.
The UHF communications antenna arrived early last week and is being
attached now. Ordnance installation on the second stage is also under
way.

The Glory spacecraft is currently scheduled to arrive at Vandenberg on
Oct. 7 to begin processing for launch.

Data from the Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand
the Earth's energy budget. An accurate description of the Earth's
energy budget is important in order to anticipate future changes to
our climate. Shifts in the global climate and the associated weather
patterns impact human life by altering landscapes and changing the
availability of natural resources. The Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor
instrument will measure aerosols (human-caused and naturally
occurring) to determine their relative influence on the global
climate. The Total Irradiance Monitor instrument will monitor the Sun
to understand short- term solar mechanisms causing energy budget
changes and will contribute to the vital long-term solar record.

[Ben the Space Brit]

Has Orbital given any indication of what they have done to mitigate the fault that caused the failure of the OCO launch?

[Kim Keller]

Has Orbital given any indication of what they have done to mitigate the fault that caused the failure of the OCO launch?

Redesigned the fairing deployment system.

[jacqmans]

June 21, 2010

STATUS REPORT: ELV-062110

EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT

Spacecraft: Glory
Launch Vehicle: Taurus XL 3110
Launch Site:  Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Date:  November 22, 2010
Launch Time: 2:09 a.m. PST
Altitude/Inclination: 440 miles/98.2 degrees

The Taurus rocket is in Orbital Sciences Hangar 1555 located on north
Vandenberg Air Force Base. Since its arrival last week, the Taurus XL
"0" stage solid rocket motor receiving inspections have been
completed and processing is under way.

Range Safety System equipment installation and interface checkout on
the vehicle is under way today. Installation of the UHF
communications antenna continues. On Stage 1, thrust vector control
system installation is scheduled for next week. Work to finish
ordnance installation on the second stage will be done the week of
June 28.

At the pad, initial checkout of the launch pad power system is
complete.

The Glory spacecraft is currently scheduled to arrive at Vandenberg on
Oct. 12 to begin processing for launch.

Data from the Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand
the Earth's energy budget. An accurate description of the Earth's
energy budget is important in order to anticipate future changes to
our climate. Shifts in the global climate and the associated weather
patterns impact human life by altering landscapes and changing the
availability of natural resources. The Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor
instrument will measure aerosols (human-caused and naturally
occurring) to determine their relative influence on the global
climate. The Total Irradiance Monitor instrument will monitor the Sun
to understand short- term solar mechanisms causing energy budget
changes and will contribute to the vital long-term solar record.

[jacqmans]

STATUS REPORT: ELV-062810

EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT

Spacecraft: Glory
Launch Vehicle: Taurus XL 3110
Launch Site:  Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Date:  Nov. 22, 2010
Launch Time: 2:09 a.m. PST
Altitude/Inclination: 440 miles/98.2 degrees

The Taurus rocket is in Orbital Sciences Hangar 1555 located on north
Vandenberg Air Force Base. Cable installation is being done on stages
1 and 3. On stage 1, thrust vector actuator installation also is
under way.

On stage 2, installation of the UHF communications antenna continues,
a cable harness installation is being done, and the work to finish
ordnance installation is scheduled to be done this week.

Cable connections with the launch vehicle ground support equipment are
occurring as necessary. The vehicle's avionics system was to have
arrived at Vandenberg on June 25.

The Glory spacecraft is currently scheduled to arrive at Vandenberg on
Oct. 12 to begin processing for launch.

Data from the Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand
the Earth's energy budget. An accurate description of the Earth's
energy budget is important in order to anticipate future changes to
our climate. Shifts in the global climate and the associated weather
patterns impact human life by altering landscapes and changing the
availability of natural resources.

The Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor instrument will measure aerosols
(human-caused and naturally occurring) to determine their relative
influence on the global climate.

The Total Irradiance Monitor instrument will monitor the Sun to
understand short-term solar mechanisms causing energy budget changes
and will contribute to the vital long-term solar record.

[TheFallen]

STATUS REPORT : ELV-071410 

Expendable Launch Vehicle Status Report   

Spacecraft: Glory
Launch Vehicle: Taurus XL 3110
Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Date: Nov. 22, 2010
Launch Time: 2:09 a.m. PST
Altitude/Inclination: 440 miles/98.2 degrees

The Taurus rocket is in Orbital Sciences Hangar 1555 located on north Vandenberg Air Force Base. Prelaunch processing of the vehicle is going well.

On stage 0, ordnance installation is beginning. On stage 1, thrust vector actuator installation continues. Cable installation on stages 1 and 3 has been completed. On stage 2, installation and connection of the first UHF communications antenna are finished. The second of the two antennas is being installed this week and then will be mated to the associated electrical cable harness. The next phase of second stage ordnance installation work began this week.

Range Safety equipment installation and associated interface verification checks are continuing. Cable connections with the launch vehicle ground support equipment are scheduled to be completed this week.

The Glory spacecraft is currently scheduled to arrive at Vandenberg on Oct. 12 to begin processing for launch.

Data from the Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand the Earth's energy budget. An accurate description of the Earth's energy budget is important in order to anticipate future changes to our climate. Shifts in the global climate and the associated weather patterns impact human life by altering landscapes and changing the availability of natural resources.

The Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor instrument will measure aerosols (human-caused and naturally occurring) to determine their relative influence on the global climate.

The Total Irradiance Monitor instrument will monitor the Sun to understand short-term solar mechanisms causing energy budget changes and will contribute to the vital long-term solar record.

[TheFallen]

"At Vandenberg AFB, the Taurus XL rocket for the Glory launch Nov. 22 was powered on for the first time July 20 to begin electrical testing."

http://twitter.com/NASAKennedy/status/19093951297

[jacqmans]

STATUS REPORT: ELV-072310

EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT

Spacecraft: Glory
Launch Vehicle: Taurus XL 3110
Launch Site:  Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Date:  Nov. 22, 2010
Launch Time: 2:09 a.m. PST
Altitude/Inclination: 440 miles/98.2 degrees

The Taurus rocket is in Orbital Sciences Hangar 1555 located on north
Vandenberg Air Force Base where integration of the vehicle's flight
hardware components continues.

The launch vehicle was powered on for the first time July 20 to begin
electrical tests. Initial testing of the guidance system and
calibration of the vehicle's power bus telemetry system are planned.

The Range Safety C-band transponder installation was completed this
week, and vehicle receiver testing with the Western Range is planned
for next week.

On stage 1, thrust vector actuator installation continues. On stage 2,
the next significant work will be installation of additional cable
harnesses during the first week of August.

The Glory spacecraft currently is scheduled to arrive at Vandenberg on
Oct. 12 to begin processing for launch.

Data from the Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand
the Earth's energy budget. An accurate description of the Earth's
energy budget is important in order to anticipate future changes to
our climate. Shifts in the global climate and the associated weather
patterns impact human life by altering landscapes and changing the
availability of natural resources.

The Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor instrument will measure aerosols
(human-caused and naturally occurring) to determine their relative
influence on the global climate.

The Total Irradiance Monitor instrument will monitor the Sun to
understand short-term solar mechanisms causing energy budget changes
and will contribute to the vital long-term solar record.

[jacqmans]

STATUS REPORT: ELV-073010

EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT

Spacecraft: Glory
Launch Vehicle: Taurus XL 3110
Launch Site:  Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Date:  Nov. 22, 2010
Launch Time: 2:09 a.m. PST
Altitude/Inclination: 440 miles/98.2 degrees

The Taurus rocket is in Orbital Sciences Hangar 1555 located on north
Vandenberg Air Force Base where integration of the vehicle's flight
hardware components continues.

Electrical testing is under way. Testing of the Taurus XL guidance
system has been successfully completed. The flight computer was
installed this week on July 26. Testing of the second stage telemetry
system is under way. Testing of the vehicle's stage 0 and first stage
power bus telemetry system is expected to be performed in mid-August,
and vehicle receiver testing with the Western Range is also planned
in that time frame.

The Glory spacecraft currently is scheduled to arrive at Vandenberg on
or about Oct. 13 to begin processing for launch.

Data from the Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand
the Earth's energy budget. An accurate description of the Earth's
energy budget is important in order to anticipate future changes to
our climate. Shifts in the global climate and the associated weather
patterns impact human life by altering landscapes and changing the
availability of natural resources. The Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor
instrument will measure aerosols (human-caused and naturally
occurring) to determine their relative influence on the global
climate. The Total Irradiance Monitor instrument will monitor the Sun
to understand short-term solar mechanisms causing energy budget
changes and will contribute to the vital long-term solar record.

[jacqmans]

STATUS REPORT: ELV-080610

EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT

Spacecraft: Glory
Launch Vehicle: Taurus XL 3110
Launch Site:  Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Date:  Nov. 22, 2010
Launch Time: 2:09 a.m. PST
Altitude/Inclination: 440 miles/98.2 degrees

The Taurus rocket is in Orbital Sciences Hangar 1555 located on north
Vandenberg Air Force Base where integration of the vehicle's flight
hardware components continues.

This week installation of the vehicle's avionics platform and the
second stage electrical cable harness is under way, and testing of
the second stage telemetry system is occurring. Other associated
cabling is being performed on both the first and second stages. Some
vehicle safe and arm devices are also beginning to be attached.
Testing of the flight computer is scheduled for next week. Testing of
the vehicle's first stage and 0-stage power bus telemetry system is
expected to be performed in mid-August, and vehicle receiver testing
with the Western Range is also planned in that time frame.

The Glory spacecraft currently is scheduled to arrive at Vandenberg on
or about Oct. 13 to begin processing for launch.

Data from the Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand
the Earth's energy budget. An accurate description of the Earth's
energy budget is important in order to anticipate future changes to
our climate. Shifts in the global climate and the associated weather
patterns impact human life by altering landscapes and changing the
availability of natural resources.

The Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor instrument will measure aerosols
(human-caused and naturally occurring) to determine their relative
influence on the global climate.

The Total Irradiance Monitor instrument will monitor the Sun to
understand short-term solar mechanisms causing energy budget changes
and will contribute to the vital long-term solar record.

[Space Pete]

GLORY image section is now up at the KSC Media Gallery.

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/search.cfm?cat=198

[jacqmans]

STATUS REPORT: ELV-080616

EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT

Spacecraft: Glory
Launch Vehicle: Taurus XL 3110
Launch Site:  Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Date:  Nov. 22, 2010
Launch Time: 2:09 a.m. PST
Altitude/Inclination: 440 miles/98.2 degrees

The Taurus rocket is in Orbital Sciences Hangar 1555 located on north
Vandenberg Air Force Base where integration of the vehicle's flight
hardware components continues.

Launch vehicle receiver testing with the Western Range in under way.
Flight computer testing began Friday and will wrap up early this
week. The Vehicle Verification Test, an electrical systems test, is
scheduled to begin this week.

The Glory spacecraft currently is scheduled to arrive at Vandenberg on
or about Oct. 13 to begin processing for launch.

Data from the Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand
the Earth's energy budget. An accurate description of the Earth's
energy budget is important in order to anticipate future changes to
our climate. Shifts in the global climate and the associated weather
patterns impact human life by altering landscapes and changing the
availability of natural resources.

The Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor instrument will measure aerosols
(human-caused and naturally occurring) to determine their relative
influence on the global climate.

The Total Irradiance Monitor instrument will monitor the Sun to
understand short-term solar mechanisms causing energy budget changes
and will contribute to the vital long-term solar record.