SpaceX Falcon 9 - DSCOVR - SLC-40, Cape Canaveral - Feb 2015 - DISCUSSION THREAD

[Chris Bergin]

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/12/spacex-foot-eelv-door-double-launch-contract-win/

Ugordan with the find on the description of DSCOVR payload: https://www.fbo.gov/utils/view?id=168229cf3e11961a9b8324a5dc8f80d3


Other threads for DSCOVR:
SCRUB: SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 - DSCOVR - SLC-40 - Feb 8, 2015 - UPDATES
SCRUB: SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 - DSCOVR - ATTEMPT 2 - Feb 10, 2015 - UPDATES
SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 - DSCOVR - ATTEMPT 3 - Feb 11, 2015 - UPDATES
The Falcon 9 v1.1 DSCOVR & RECOVER Party Thread

[Antares]

Aka Triana and Goresat

[Nomadd]

 Despite the cracks from some about a $100 million screensaver, I always though that a publicly available, real time feed of the planet from that location would be one of the psychologically important accomplishments of the whole space program. There's just something about seeing it in real time that would give a lot of people a perspective they've never had.
 I was never sure if that feed was still a part of the mission.

[Ronsmytheiii]

More on DSCOVR

http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2012/03/01/Nguyen-DSCOVR-Mission-Briefing-HPS-v01b.pdf

[Lurker Steve]

This has been sitting in storage since  Nov 2001 ??  How much does NASA spend every year to store satellites it has built but never launched ?

[Jim]

This has been sitting in storage since  Nov 2001 ??  How much does NASA spend every year to store satellites it has built but never launched ?

This is the only NASA one.  There is a thread on others with other organizations.

[kevin-rf]

Cough, Cough, Link: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=25114.0

[AnalogMan]

Update of launch date

Date Posted: 2013-03-13
Mission: DSCOVR
Change: Launch date advanced to NET 11/15/2014
Source: GSFC MCE Brad Johnson 3/13/2013

http://msdb.gsfc.nasa.gov/change_log.php

[a_langwich]

DSCOVR goes to Sun-Earth L1...what's the orbital target for the Falcon 9 for this mission?  And then DSCOVR's thrusters take over, there's no other upper stage?

[guckyfan]

DSCOVR goes to Sun-Earth L1...what's the orbital target for the Falcon 9 for this mission?  And then DSCOVR's thrusters take over, there's no other upper stage?

According to the pdf linked in post 3 DSCOVR will be sent on a trajectory to the L1 point by the launch vehicle. From there its the thrusters.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

DSCOVR will be launched with the Sunjammer solar sail experiment on the same rocket.

Source: http://msdb.gsfc.nasa.gov/change_log.php

[AnalogMan]

Here is presentation on the Sunjammer payload made to the NASA Advisory Council Technology & Innovation Committee April 18, 2013.

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/743684main_NBarnes_Solar%20Sail_April%202013.pdf

(Copy also attached)

[douglas100]

Thanks for the link. Sunjammer is pretty cool.

[Ben the Space Brit]

So, they're launching one element to SEL-1 and Sunjammer will be released where? Simultaneously with the other payload? I wonder what the total payload mass is here that F9 is going to have to push through escape into a heliocentric orbit.


[edit]
Fixed typo

[douglas100]

So, they're launching one element to SEL-1 and Sunjammer will be released where? Simultaneously with the other payload? I wonder what the total payload mass is here that F9 is going to have to push through escape into a heliocentric orbit.

If you look at AnalogMan's link, you'll see that Sunjammer is launched mated with a "carrier" which has a considerable mass of hydrazine prop on board. A "wet" mass of 153 kg is given. Not sure if that is the mass of the carrier plus Sunjammer itself, but if it is, the carrier will be able to place Sunjammer on a very different trajectory from DISCOVR before the sail is deployed. My (probably wrong) BOTE calculation gives a delta V of almost 2 km per second for the system. So it's possible that Sunjammer may not be pushed through escape with DISCOVR. Pure speculation, though.

[StephenB]

Thanks for the link. Sunjammer is pretty cool.

Wow, I didn't realize that Sunjammer has over 7X the surface area of the Japanese Ikaros sail.

[Danderman]

I am guessing that this 2014 flight would use Falcon 9 v1.1.

[Barrie]

Despite the cracks from some about a $100 million screensaver, I always though that a publicly available, real time feed of the planet from that location would be one of the psychologically important accomplishments of the whole space program. There's just something about seeing it in real time that would give a lot of people a perspective they've never had.
 I was never sure if that feed was still a part of the mission.

If 100 million people watch it, it is a $1 screensaver.

[Jim]

So, they're launching one element to SEL-1 and Sunjammer will be released where? Simultaneously with the other payload? I wonder what the total payload mass is here that F9 is going to have to push through escape into a heliocentric orbit.


[edit]
Fixed typo

Less than a Delta II's capability.

[arachnitect]

I am guessing that this 2014 flight would use Falcon 9 v1.1.

1. Almost certainly yes.

2. Before someone brings up Jason-3, note that this launch was purchased by USAF, not NASA.