SPACECRAFT AND EXPENDABLE VEHICLES STATUS REPORTSeptember 10, 2003 George
H. Diller Kennedy
Space Center 321/867-2468
MISSION:
Gravity Probe B (GP-B) LAUNCH
VEHICLE: Delta II LAUNCH
PAD:
SLC-2, Vandenberg Air Force Base LAUNCH
DATE:
December 6, 2003 LAUNCH
TIME: 5:52:02 p.m. PST Gravity
Probe B is at NASA spacecraft processing hangar 1610 on North Vandenberg Air
Force Base. The pumping down of
the dewar which is filled with cryogenic helium is continuing this week. This brings the environment within the
dewar to a near vacuum. It will
then be refilled to the level necessary to achieve and maintain superfluid
conditions. Preparations
are beginning for the planned erection next week of the Delta II launch vehicle
at Space Launch Complex 2. Due to
some observed delaminations within the layers of material that comprise the
solid rocket booster nozzle exit-cone liners, some additional time is necessary
to perform a precautionary change out of three of the nine boosters assigned
for this mission. The additional
time required means that the launch is being rescheduled for Saturday, Dec.
6. The
start of erection activities of the Boeing Delta II remains scheduled to begin
on Sept. 15 with the erection of the first stage. The second stage is now planned for mating atop the first
stage on Sept. 18. Attachment of
the nine strap-on solid rocket boosters in sets of three is scheduled for Oct.
6-8. Gravity
Probe B will be transported from the spacecraft hangar to Space Launch Complex
2 on Nov. 18 and hoisted atop the second stage. The Delta II fairing will be
installed around the spacecraft on Nov. 24 as part of final preparations for
launch. Gravity Probe B arrived at
Vandenberg Air Force Base on July 11 from the Lockheed Martin plant in
Sunnyvale, Calif.
Gravity
Probe B is a relativity experiment developed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight
Center, Stanford University and Lockheed Martin. The spacecraft will test two extraordinary predictions of
Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity that he advanced in 1916. Gravity Probe B consists of four
sophisticated gyroscopes to be launched into a 400-mile-high orbit for a
mission lasting 18 months. -- end -- |
