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#40
by
Jim
on 10 Dec, 2016 12:46
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Got a tour of the L-1011. Interesting to see the main cabin gutted. There is a lot more room without overhead compartments. The cockpit is still early 1970's with steam gauges. GPS has been added but it still drives mechanical instruments. The crew uses iPads for flight path visualization.
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#41
by
catdlr
on 10 Dec, 2016 23:46
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CYGNSS Mission Previewed during Briefing
NASA
Published on Dec 10, 2016
On Dec. 10, a news briefing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida previewed the science of NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) spacecraft. CYGNSS, which is scheduled to take off aboard an Orbital Sciences ATK air-launched Pegasus XL launch vehicle Dec. 12, for deployment over the Atlantic Ocean, will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the lifecycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The CYGNSS constellation consists of eight microsatellite observatories that will measure surface winds in and near a hurricane’s inner core, including regions beneath the eyewall and intense inner rainbands that previously could not be measured from space.
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#42
by
catdlr
on 10 Dec, 2016 23:48
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CYGNSS From Mission to Launch Processing
NASAKennedy
Published on Dec 10, 2016
NASA's CYGNSS mission will see eight microsatellites deploy from a single Pegasus rocket to study hurricane winds.
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#43
by
catdlr
on 10 Dec, 2016 23:49
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CYGNSS Mission to Probe Hurricanes
NASAKennedy
Published on Dec 10, 2016
NASA's CYGNSS mission will use eight small satellites - all deploying from the same rocket - to measure wind speeds and take other readings to help decipher hurricane strength from space. The mission will start with an air-launch aboard an Orbital ATK Pegasus rocket.
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#44
by
Zed_Noir
on 11 Dec, 2016 19:18
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Got a tour of the L-1011. Interesting to see the main cabin gutted. There is a lot more room without overhead compartments. The cockpit is still early 1970's with steam gauges. GPS has been added but it still drives mechanical instruments. The crew uses iPads for flight path visualization.
AIUI the L-1011 internal fittings not required for pressurization and control runs are remove to reduce the empty weight of the aircraft.
As for the instrumentation. An upgraded will needed hardware development and re-certification for one of the last flight worthy L-1011. So don't expect any upgrades before they retire the Stargrazer and move on to the
Birdzilla Stratolaunch Roc.
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#45
by
Galactic Penguin SST
on 12 Dec, 2016 00:21
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Moved for live coverage.
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#46
by
catdlr
on 12 Dec, 2016 01:31
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Building the Pegasus XL Rocket SFI Interview with Orbital ATK's Eric Denbrook
SpaceFlight Insider - Official Page
Published on Dec 11, 2016
SpaceFlight Insider spoke with Orbital ATK's Director of Operations at Vandenberg, Eric Denbrook, about what is involved in constructing the Pegasus XL rocket. The interview was conducted on Dec. 10, 2016 and took place in front of the booster, and the Lockheed-Martin L-1011 aircraft that will carry it aloft during a planned Monday, Dec. 12, 2016 launch.
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#47
by
Chris Bergin
on 12 Dec, 2016 01:58
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#48
by
tehwkd
on 12 Dec, 2016 06:16
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A0401/16 = Lime
N0054/16 = Red
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#49
by
jacqmans
on 12 Dec, 2016 06:31
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Orbital ATK Set to Launch Pegasus Rocket Carrying NASA's CYGNSS Spacecraft
Pegasus Launch will be 43rd Flight for World’s First Commercial Rocket Aboard the Company’s Stargazer L-1011 Airplane
Dulles, Virginia 11 December 2016 – Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, announced it is prepared to launch the company’s air-launched Pegasus rocket aboard its Stargazer L-1011 airplane from Cape Canaveral on Monday, December 12 at approximately 8:24 a.m. EST. Pegasus will be carrying NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) to study the inner core of tropical cyclones. The data provided will help scientists and meteorologists better understand and predict the path of a hurricane.
Live coverage of the mission will be available on NASA Television starting two hours prior to launch at
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv. Details about the mission can be viewed at Orbital ATK’s mission page.
Pegasus is the world’s first privately developed commercial rocket and the leading launch system for the deployment of small satellites into Low-Earth orbit. The Pegasus rocket is launched from beneath Orbital ATK's Stargazer L-1011 carrier airplane, providing customers with unparalleled flexibility to operate from virtually anywhere on Earth with minimal ground support requirements.
As a NASA Category 3 certified launch vehicle, Pegasus is able to launch NASA’s most valuable satellites. The launch was provided through NASA Launch Services Program (LSP) who acts as a broker, matching spacecraft with launch vehicles. This will be the first Pegasus mission in 13 years to launch from Cape Canaveral. The previous 42 Pegasus missions have been conducted from six separate sites in the U.S., Europe and the Marshall Islands.
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#50
by
catdlr
on 12 Dec, 2016 06:44
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Launching Pegasus Orbital ATK's Chief Pilot for Pegasus talks upcoming CYGNSS flight
SpaceFlight Insider - Official Page
Published on Dec 11, 2016
Orbital ATK's Chief Pilot for the company's Pegasus Air Launch Program, Don Walter talked with SpaceFlight Insider on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016 about what is involved in launching a rocket attached to Lockheed-Martin's L-1011 aircraft.
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#51
by
Lee Jay
on 12 Dec, 2016 09:45
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So, they are launching into a descending node of 35 degrees by flying slightly south of east from around 28 degrees? Does that provide the same rotation advantage as flying due east at 35 degrees?
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#52
by
sdsds
on 12 Dec, 2016 09:53
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My guess is that the performance hit is trivial and the drop zones and overall iip trace look better. Is there a mission booklet or something that shows when and where they cross Africa?
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#53
by
Chris Bergin
on 12 Dec, 2016 11:01
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#54
by
Chris Bergin
on 12 Dec, 2016 11:05
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Not sure if the departure time right now.
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#55
by
Chris Bergin
on 12 Dec, 2016 11:08
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Visibility an issue for Pegasus...based on Stargazer heading back with Pegasus still under her belly.
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#56
by
Chris Bergin
on 12 Dec, 2016 11:13
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Fog situation is improving.
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#57
by
Chris Bergin
on 12 Dec, 2016 11:19
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7:40 take off. 20 mins time.
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#58
by
Chris Bergin
on 12 Dec, 2016 11:20
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Engines are starting up.
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#59
by
Chris Bergin
on 12 Dec, 2016 11:22
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