[meteorite-list] Aquarius/Juno/GRAIL/MSL Update - May 19, 2011

[Ron Baalke]

May 19, 2011

George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
george.h.diller at nasa.gov

STATUS REPORT: ELV-051911

EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT

Spacecraft: Aquarius
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7320
Launch Site:  Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Pad:  Space Launch Complex 2
Launch Date:  June 9, 2011
Launch Window: 7:20:13 - 7:25:13 a.m. PDT
Altitude/Inclination: 408.2 statute miles/98 degrees 

At Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft was 
installed into its transportation canister and placed on the 
spacecraft transporter. Friday, it is scheduled to be moved from the 
payload processing facility on south Vandenberg to NASA's Space 
Launch Complex 2 on north Vandenberg and hoisted atop the Delta II 
rocket. 

The Aquarius/SAC-D mission is a collaboration between NASA and 
Argentina's space agency with participation by Brazil, Canada, France 
and Italy. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center 
in Florida is managing the launch. United Launch Alliance of Denver, 
Colo., is NASA's launch service provider of the Delta II 7320. 


Spacecraft: Juno
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V 551
Launch Site:  Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad:  Space Launch Complex 41
Launch Date:  Aug. 5, 2011
Launch Time: 11:40 a.m. EDT 

Solar arrays No. 2 and No. 3 were installed onto the spacecraft May 
13. Array No. 3 was deployed on May 16 and a solar array illumination 
test was conducted May 17. Later this week, solar array No. 1 will be 
attached, the magnetometer will be installed, a solar array 
illumination test will be conducted and a magnetometer boom 
deployment test is planned.

The Atlas V rocket is scheduled to arrive at Cape Canaveral Air Force 
Station next week.

The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times 
to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere 
and magnetosphere. 


Spacecraft: GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory)
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7920 Heavy
Launch Site:  Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad:  Space Launch Complex 17B
Launch Date:  Sept. 8, 2011
Launch Time: 8:37:06 a.m. and 9:16:12 a.m. EDT 

The GRAIL spacecraft is scheduled to arrive by Air Force C-17 cargo 
plane on May 20. It is being shipped from the Lockheed Martin plant 
in Denver, Colo.

At NASA's Space Launch Complex 17B, with the Delta II fully stacked on 
the launch pad, prelaunch testing of the rocket begins on May 20.

GRAIL's primary science objectives will be to determine the structure 
of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance 
understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon. 


Spacecraft: Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity)
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V-541
Launch Site:  Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Launch Pad:  Space Launch Complex 41
Launch Date:  Nov. 25, 2011
Launch Time: 10:21 a.m. EST 

The cruise stage, back shell and heat shield for the Mars Science 
Laboratory payload arrived at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing 
Facility aboard an Air Force C-17 cargo plane on the evening of May 
12. These are the first flight elements to arrive for the Mars 
Science Laboratory mission. During the overnight hours of May 13, 
they were taken to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) 
located in the KSC Industrial Area. They have now been removed from 
their shipping containers and placed on test stands so that 
processing activities can begin. The Curiosity rover will arrive late 
next month.

The rover's 10 science instruments will search for signs of life, 
including methane, and help determine if the gas is from a biological 
or geological source. The unique rover will use a laser to look 
inside rocks and release the gasses so that its spectrometer can 
analyze and send the data back to Earth. 

Previous status reports are available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/status/index.html 
	
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