Author Topic: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013  (Read 111387 times)

Online catdlr

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #300 on: 06/28/2013 04:07 am »
Summary  Video:

Latest Solar Mission Launched on NASA TV

Published on Jun 27, 2013
NASA Television provided live launch coverage of the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS mission on June 26, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

IRIS is a NASA Small Explorer Mission to observe the characteristics of solar material as it moves through the little-understood interface region between the sun's photosphere and corona that powers the sun's million-degree atmosphere and drives the solar wind.

IRIS was air-launched on an Orbital Sciences Corporation Pegasus rocket.

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Offline Kim Keller

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #301 on: 06/28/2013 04:12 am »
congratulations to the whole OSC team! I finde it very interesting how with a moving launch platform the countdown is just another platform. Do they have multiple solutions precomputed?

No, just the one. The pilot's job is to manage his groundspeed and position so that the drop point matches up reasonably close with T-0. The position is the driver, not the clock.

BTW, it's good to remember that everything done during the Pegasus count is manual. There is no auto-sequencer, no computer scripts. There's just the guys in the cockpit flying as precisely as possible, and the two panel operators in the main cabin executing manual switch throws and computer commands. That makes for an interesting final count.

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #302 on: 06/28/2013 04:41 am »
Launch Managers Verify IRIS is Ready to Launch

Published on Jun 27, 2013
NASA Launch Manager Tim Dunn conducts the launch readiness poll.

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #303 on: 06/28/2013 04:41 am »
IRIS Separates and Deploys Array

Published on Jun 27, 2013
The spacecraft has separated from the rocket.


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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #304 on: 06/28/2013 04:43 am »
IRIS and Pegasus Prepared for Launch

Published on Jun 27, 2013
NASA Mission Manager Jim Hall describes the processing of the IRIS spacecraft and Pegasus launch vehicle.

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #305 on: 06/28/2013 04:44 am »
Pegasus Away

Published on Jun 27, 2013
The Pegasus rocket is released from the L-1011.

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Offline Artyom.

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #306 on: 06/28/2013 04:44 am »
Congrats Orbital :) !!

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #307 on: 06/28/2013 04:46 am »
Launch Manager Discusses Launch

Published on Jun 27, 2013
NASA Launch Manager Tim Dunn discusses the successful launch of the IRIS spacecraft.

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Offline jcm

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #308 on: 06/28/2013 05:27 am »
Congratulations Orbital and the IRIS team!
IRIS and the Pegasus third stage cataloged as 39197/2013-033A, 39198/2013-033B
in a 616 x 663 km x 97.9 deg orbit
-----------------------------

Jonathan McDowell
http://planet4589.org

Offline John44

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #309 on: 06/28/2013 05:51 am »
IRIS (Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph) Mission Launch
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8358

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #310 on: 06/28/2013 06:03 am »
RELEASE: 13-192

NASA LAUNCHES SATELLITE TO STUDY HOW SUN'S ATMOSPHERE IS ENERGIZED

WASHINGTON -- NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS)
spacecraft launched Wednesday at 7:27 p.m. PDT (10:27 p.m. EDT) from
Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The mission to study the solar
atmosphere was placed in orbit by an Orbital Sciences Corporation
Pegasus XL rocket.

"We are thrilled to add IRIS to the suite of NASA missions studying
the sun," said John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator for
science in Washington. "IRIS will help scientists understand the
mysterious and energetic interface between the surface and corona of
the sun."

IRIS is a NASA Explorer Mission to observe how solar material moves,
gathers energy and heats up as it travels through a little-understood
region in the sun's lower atmosphere. This interface region between
the sun's photosphere and corona powers its dynamic million-degree
atmosphere and drives the solar wind. The interface region also is
where most of the sun's ultraviolet emission is generated. These
emissions impact the near-Earth space environment and Earth's
climate. The Pegasus XL carrying IRIS was deployed from an Orbital
L-1011 carrier aircraft over the Pacific Ocean at an altitude of
39,000 feet, off the central coast of California about 100 miles
northwest of Vandenberg. The rocket placed IRIS into a
sun-synchronous polar orbit that will allow it to make almost
continuous solar observations during its two-year mission.

The L-1011 took off from Vandenberg at 6:30 p.m. PDT and flew to the
drop point over the Pacific Ocean, where the aircraft released the
Pegasus XL from beneath its belly. The first stage ignited five
seconds later to carry IRIS into space. IRIS successfully separated
from the third stage of the Pegasus rocket at 7:40 p.m. At 8:05 p.m.,
the IRIS team confirmed the spacecraft had successfully deployed its
solar arrays, has power and has acquired the sun, indications that
all systems are operating as expected.

"Congratulations to the entire team on the successful development and
deployment of the IRIS mission," said IRIS project manager Gary
Kushner of the Lockheed Martin Solar and Atmospheric Laboratory in
Palo Alto, Calif. "Now that IRIS is in orbit, we can begin our 30-day
engineering checkout followed by a 30-day science checkout and
calibration period."

IRIS is expected to start science observations upon completion of its
60-day commissioning phase. During this phase the team will check
image quality and perform calibrations and other tests to ensure a
successful mission.

NASA's Explorer Program at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,
Md., provides overall management of the IRIS mission. The principal
investigator institution is Lockheed Martin Space Systems Advanced
Technology Center. NASA's Ames Research Center will perform ground
commanding and flight operations and receive science data and
spacecraft telemetry.

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory designed the IRIS telescope.
The Norwegian Space Centre and NASA's Near Earth Network provide the
ground stations using antennas at Svalbard, Norway; Fairbanks,
Alaska; McMurdo, Antarctica; and Wallops Island, Va. NASA's Launch
Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is
responsible for the launch service procurement, including managing
the launch and countdown. Orbital Sciences Corporation provided the
L-1011 aircraft and Pegasus XL launch system.

For more information about the IRIS mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/iris
Jacques :-)

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #311 on: 06/28/2013 06:03 am »
ORBITAL SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES NASA’S IRIS SATELLITE ABOARD PEGASUS ROCKET

-- Latest Pegasus Mission Is 28th Consecutive Successful Launch Over
16-Year Period --

-- Company’s Air-Launched Rocket Accurately Deploys NASA’s Newest
Heliophysics Science Satellite Into Low-Earth Orbit --

(Dulles, VA 27 June 2013) -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB)
announced today that its Pegasus® rocket successfully launched the
Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) satellite for the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).  The IRIS spacecraft was
deployed into its targeted orbit approximately 400 miles above the Earth
and early results confirm that the satellite is operating as anticipated at
this stage of its mission.

The launch of the Pegasus rocket originated from Vandenberg Air Force Base
(VAFB), California when Orbital’s’ L-1011 “Stargazer” carrier aircraft took
off from the airfield at approximately 6:30 p.m. (PDT).  Following a
one-hour preplanned positioning flight, the Pegasus rocket was released at
approximately 40,000 feet from Orbital’s L-1011 “Stargazer” carrier
aircraft at 7:27 p.m. (PDT). After a 13-minute powered flight sequence,
Pegasus launched the 440-pound IRIS satellite into its polar,
sun-synchronous Earth orbit.

“The Pegasus rocket carried out another successful mission for NASA today,
extending its record of consecutive successful missions to 28 over a
16-year period,” said Mr. Ron Grabe, Orbital’s Executive Vice President and
General Manager of its Launch Systems Group. “We are proud of our launch
team and are pleased to have contributed to a successful beginning of this
important NASA heliophysics science mission.”

The launch of IRIS marks the 45th overall mission for the Pegasus program.
Its launch history now includes 42 launches to orbit, which collectively
have deployed more than 80 satellites for Earth and space science missions
overseen by NASA; military and technology demonstration spacecraft for the
U.S. Department of Defense; and communications and imaging satellites for
commercial customers.  Pegasus technology has also been used to launch
three hypersonic flight experiments in Earth’s stratosphere for NASA’s
HyperX program.

IRIS is a NASA Small Explorer (SMEX) mission designed to observe how solar
material moves, gathers energy and heats up as it travels through a
little-understood region in the Sun’s lower atmosphere.  This interface
region between the Sun’s photosphere and corona powers its dynamic
million-degree atmosphere and drives the solar wind.  The interface region
also is where most of the Sun’s ultraviolet emission is generated that
impacts the near-Earth space environment and Earth’s climate.

About the Pegasus Rocket

Pegasus is the world’s leading launch system for the deployment of small
satellites into low-Earth orbit. Its patented air-launch system, in which
the rocket is launched from beneath Orbital’s “Stargazer” L-1011 carrier
aircraft over the ocean, reduces cost and provides customers with
unparalleled flexibility to operate from virtually anywhere on Earth with
minimal ground support requirements.  It is the world’s only small space
launch vehicle that is certified with NASA’s Payload Risk Category 3, which
the space agency reserves for its highest value space missions.

Jacques :-)

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #312 on: 06/28/2013 06:04 am »
ATK Provides Propulsion and Composite Structures for Successful Launch of Pegasus Rocket
IRIS Spacecraft Fills Crucial Gap to Advance Sun-Earth Connection Studies

ARLINGTON, Va., June 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ATK (NYSE: ATK) supported the successful launch of an Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) air-launched Pegasus XL® rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

The Pegasus XL rocket carried NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin, into a sun-synchronous polar orbit for continuous solar observations throughout the two-year mission. IRIS is designed to make detailed measurements of the flow of energy and plasma through the sun's atmosphere and heliosphere.

ATK is the major propulsion provider for the Pegasus XL rocket, delivering motors for all three stages of the Pegasus rocket. ATK's Orion motors have provided reliable propulsion for the Pegasus since its first mission in 1990. They are manufactured in Magna, Utah.

ATK also provided several structures and components from its Clearfield, Utah, facility for the Pegasus rocket. The three composite rocket motor cases were manufactured using ATK's advanced filament winding processes. Several other composite structures—including the interstage assembly that joins the 50-inch diameter second stage case to the 38-inch diameter third stage case, raceway covers used to protect flight critical cabling, and the fairing that encases the third stage motor and payload—were manufactured using hand lay-up processes. ATK also manufactured the flexseals that facilitate movement of the second and third stage nozzles.

For the IRIS mission, ATK manufactured the camera structure for the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory at its San Diego, Calif. facility.

The Pegasus rocket traveled under Orbital's L-1011 "Stargazer" carrier aircraft to an altitude of approximately 39,000 feet, where it was released horizontally before the first-stage Orion 50 SXL motor ignited. Approximately 130 seconds into the flight, the Orion 50 XL second-stage ignited and a composite payload fairing was jettisoned. After a several-minute coast period, the third-stage Orion 38 motor burned until approximately 10 minutes into the flight. Three minutes later, when the Pegasus released IRIS into its intended orbit.

This was the 42nd mission launched by Pegasus rockets. Pegasus, which has deployed over 80 satellites into orbit, has set the standard for reliable small launch vehicles using ATK's Orion motors.

Key partners supporting the manufacturing of ATK's Orion motors include Reinhold Industries and Votaw Precision Technologies, both located in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., and Central Valley Machine, in Logan, Utah. Reinhold provides the Pegasus nozzle assemblies, while Votaw provides the saddle assembly and Central Valley Machine provides the critical attach hardware. All of these suppliers are vital to the success of the Pegasus program.   

Jacques :-)

Offline JBF

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #313 on: 06/28/2013 10:34 am »
Congratulations Orbital.
"In principle, rocket engines are simple, but that’s the last place rocket engines are ever simple." Jeff Bezos

Offline Kim Keller

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #314 on: 07/03/2013 01:00 pm »
The view from the ground:


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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #315 on: 07/03/2013 01:47 pm »
Nice one!

Offline robertross

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #316 on: 07/04/2013 01:13 am »
The view from the ground:



hey, she's really moving! Thanks

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Re: LIVE: Pegasus XL - IRIS - NET June 27, 2013
« Reply #317 on: 02/25/2014 05:09 pm »
Pegasus IRIS Launch June 27,2013

Published on Feb 25, 2014
Highlights of Orbital's Peagsus rocket launch of NASA's IRIS spacecraft from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA.

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