Posted on 07/15/2015 8:19:14 AM PDT by Jack Hydrazine
The countdown is beginning for today’s launch of the Atlas 5 rocket to haul the Air Force’s GPS 2F-10 navigation satellite into orbit. Clocks are picking up the seven-hour sequence of work that will prepare the booster, payload and ground systems for blastoff at 11:36 a.m. EDT (1536 GMT).
The launch team will begin powering up the rocket to commence standard pre-flight tests. Over the subsequent few hours, final preps for the Centaur's liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen systems will be performed, along with a test of the rocket's guidance system and the first stage propulsion and hydraulic preps, internal battery checks and testing of the GPS metric tracking system used to follow the rocket as it flies downrange, plus a test of the S-band telemetry relay system.
A planned hold begins when the count reaches T-minus 120 minutes. Near the end of the hold, the team will be polled to verify all is in readiness to start fueling the rocket for launch.
Supercold liquid oxygen begins flowing into the Centaur upper stage, followed by the first stage filling. Liquid hydrogen fuel loading for Centaur will be completed a short time later.
A final hold is scheduled at the T-minus 4 minute mark. That pause will give everyone a chance to finish any late work and assess the status of the rocket, payload, Range and weather before proceeding into the last moments of the countdown.
The launch window extends 18 minutes to 11:54 a.m. EDT (1554 GMT).
Atlas 5 rocket set to launch GPS satellite.
It would be funny if it got lost In space....... : )
You mean they’re not testing the prayer rugs in zero-G?
It looks like the link for the spaceflightnow web page is not working now.
You can also view the live launch coverage here.
http://www.floridatoday.com/space/
FROM WHERE ????
I heard those rugs are on back order.
Cape Canaveral.
Looks like those Russian engines worked this time.
That means vehicle speed is increasing at the rate of 100 mph every second.
When I was on active duty, before GPS, "2nd Lieutenants with a map" were the most dangerous weapons in the US Army inventory.
I was lucky, my first tour was in Germany, where it was easy to navigate...all those small towns with churches for landmarks to navigate by. lol
Four years later, I knew my battalion's operating areas like the back of my hand. Came in handy during my stint as Battalion S-4 (Supply Officer).
Good launch so far! Nice on-board camera coverage too.
Atlas V...I wonder if there are any remnants of the original design of Atlas ICBMs of the 50’s, other than the name?
The basic missile design (presuurized tanks used as the structural body itself, engines below the twin tanks) remains the same.
Most significant changes are the computers and instruments (all digital now) and the engines themselves - much more powerful.
Atlas V uses Russian-made RD-180 engines in its first stage.
The last of the old three engined Atlases flew in 2004. Not too shabby, 45 years from the first launch of the operational Atlas.
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