NASA TV to Air Orbital ATK Resupply Mission Launch, BriefingsNASA commercial cargo provider Orbital ATK is targeting its seventh commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for 11:11 a.m. EDT Tuesday, April 18. Coverage of the launch begins at 10 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website.Two prelaunch briefings will air the day prior to launch. At 10:30 a.m., mission managers will provide an overview and status of launch operations and at 1 p.m., scientists and researchers will discuss some of the investigations to be delivered to the station.Dubbed S.S. John Glenn, the Cygnus spacecraft name is a tribute to the former astronaut and U.S. Senator from Ohio. It will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Coverage of the spacecraft’s solar array deployment will begin at 12:40 p.m. April 18, and will be followed by a 2 p.m. press conference with mission managers.Under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract, Cygnus will carry more than 7,600 pounds of science research, crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory in support of the Expedition 50 and 51 crew members.The new experiments will include an antibody investigation that could increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment and an advanced plant habitat for studying plant physiology and growth of fresh food in space. Another new investigation bound for the U.S. National Laboratory will look at using magnetized cells and tools to make it easier to handle cells and cultures, and improve the reproducibility of experiments. Cygnus also is carrying 38 CubeSats, including many built by university students from around the world as part of the QB50 program. The CubeSats are scheduled to deploy from either the spacecraft or space station in the coming months.When it arrives to the space station, Expedition 51 Commander Peggy Whitson of NASA and Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) will grapple Cygnus. Whitson will use the space station’s robotic arm, Canadarm2, to take hold of the spacecraft. After Canadarm2 captures Cygnus, ground commands will be sent for the station’s arm to rotate and install it on the bottom of the station’s Unity module.Cygnus will remain on the station until July, when it will depart with several tons of trash for a fiery reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. Prior to re-entry, a third experiment will be conducted to study how fire burns in space.This is Orbital ATK’s third launch from Cape Canaveral. Missions from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia are scheduled to resume for the eighth and subsequent contracted flights.For an updated schedule of prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage, visit:https://www.nasa.gov/content/orbital-atk-crs-7-briefings-and-events
Anyone ready for a launch? #AtlasV #OA7 set to launch April 18 at 11:11 a.m. http://www.ulalaunch.com/atlas-v-to-launch-oa7-for-orbital-atk-nasa.aspx
KSC Visitor Complex Verified account @ExploreSpaceKSC 5m5 minutes agoLaunch Alert! #KennedySpaceCenter viewing tickets on sale for #OA7 launch April 18 at 11:11 am EDT https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/info/tickets
#tbt to preparing our #OA7 #Cygnus spacecraft for fairing encapsulation. Launch scheduled for 4/18 at 11:11 am ET aboard @ulalaunch #AtlasV!
So the payload did have to be destacked/restacked...
Launch day overall probability of violating weather constraints: 20% Primary concern(s): Cumulus Clouds24-hour delay overall probability of violating weather constraints 30% Primary concern(s): Cumulus Clouds, Thick Clouds
Watch World’s First Live 360 Degree Video of Rocket Launch April 18 NASA, in coordination with United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Orbital ATK, will broadcast the world’s first live 360-degree stream of a rocket launch. The live 360 stream of the cargo resupply mission liftoff to the International Space Station may be viewed on the NASA Television YouTube channel starting 10 minutes prior to lift off at:http://youtube.com/nasatelevisionOrbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft will launch on a ULA Atlas V rocket carrying more than 7,600 pounds of science research, crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory. Launch is targeted for Tuesday, April 18 during a 30-minute window that opens at 11:11 a.m. EDT.To view in 360, use a mouse or move a personal device to look up and down, back and forth, for a 360-degree view around Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Note: not all browsers support viewing 360 videos. YouTube supports playback of 360-degree videos on computers using Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Opera browsers. Viewers may use the YouTube app to view the launch on a smart phone. Those who own virtual reality headsets will be able to look around and experience the view as if they were actually standing on the launch pad.While virtual reality and 360 technology have been increasing in popularity, live 360 technology is a brand new capability that has recently emerged. Recognizing the exciting possibilities opened by applying this new technology to spaceflight, NASA, ULA, and Orbital ATK seized this opportunity to virtually place the public at the base of the rocket during launch. Minimum viewing distance is typically miles away from the launch pad, but the live 360 stream enables viewers to get a pads-eye view.For information about Orbital ATK’s cargo resupply mission, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk
360 degrees? Who is going to watch the camera facing directly away from the launch, I wonder?
System Cert Review successful today. Launch Readiness Review tomorrow. Pgo at 80% for cumulus clouds. Looking good #OA7
Launch day overall probability of violating weather constraints: 10% Primary concern(s): Cumulus Clouds24-hour delay overall probability of violating weather constraints: 20% Primary concern(s): Cumulus Clouds