Posted on 07/15/2004 2:38:43 AM PDT by bd476
If all goes well, a Delta II rocket will take off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California at 3:01:59. This will be the fourth attempt. Live coverage right now in countdown mode on NASA TV webstream. Image is clear on dial-up ISP. Listen for a loud sonic boom on the West Coast.
"Image : Aura's Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) is designed to profile atmospheric chemistry across the globe. Aerosols are one of the trace gases humans introduce into the atmospheric chemistry through pollution. Credit: NASA"
"Aura is part of the Earth Observing System (EOS), a program dedicated to monitoring the complex interactions that affect the globe using NASA satellites and data systems. The spacecraft is specifically designed to answer three basic questions about our atmosphere."
"Is the Earth's ozone layer recovering?
Earth's stratosphere contains the ozone layer, a barrier that protects life from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. One of Aura's main goals is to monitor levels of ozone and the pollutants that contribute to depleting it.
Is air quality getting worse?
The lower level of our atmosphere, known as the troposphere, is also affected by human activity. Aura will make the first space-based observations of the troposphere to discover global patterns and trends that shape its health.
How is the Earth's climate changing?
Water vapor and ozone in the upper layers of our atmosphere are important factors in maintaining global temperature. Aura will study the levels and distribution of these key gases to better understand how they regulate climate."
Associate Administrator for Earth Science
Dr. Ghassem Asrar has been involved with the Aura spacecraft since he helped design it almost a decade ago.
"I served as the Earth Observing System (EOS) chief scientist, helping define the scientific objectives for the EOS program and Aura mission," says Asrar.
The Earth Observing System is a group of three different spacecraft: Terra, Aqua and Aura. The three satellites will provide the most comprehensive picture of Earth available. Terra and Aqua are already in orbit, and have been sending back incredible data; now it's time for Aura to join the team.
"This is a major achievement for the Agency and the nation," explains Asrar. "For all of us, this is really a dream come true."
Weather As An Issue for Cancelling A Launch:
"Weather is a concern for a launch attempt on Thursday morning. The current forecast calls for only a 60 percent probability of acceptable weather conditions. The primary concerns are for thick clouds and the possibility of triggered lightning in the launch area due to the remnants of daytime thunderstorm activity in Southern California.
In addition, Tropical Storm Blas, off the coast of Baja California, could prevent a P3 aircraft from flying to its launch support position. The P3 relays telemetry from the launch vehicle back to the launch team at Vandenberg."
Yesterday's Cancelled Launch:
"The launch of NASA's Aura spacecraft atop a Boeing Delta II rocket was scrubbed this morning due to an issue with one of the two batteries on the second stage of the Delta II launch vehicle. At approximately three minutes before the scheduled liftoff time, as the batteries were being transferred to internal power, the battery current level dropped below prescribed limits, triggering a launch hold."
Aura Satellite Earth Observing Mission
People Involved in Aura Project
Congrats, guys. Looks like this one got off the pad OK.
Is it the same video as on the NASA TV web stream?
NASA, JPL and the whole team of scientists must be pretty pleased. Great to see it on NASA TV live!
Are you up North now? I was glued to the computer, watching and listening to NASA TV. I wish I'd sneaked outside for a look up at the sky, although with all the city lights, probably wouldn't have seen much.
Awesome. Amazing amount of power and speed and so good that it was successfully launched.
We're in San Francisco. The rocket left the atmosphere low on the horizon (< 20 degrees) in the Southern sky. If you don't have a clear view of the North and West horizon (I'm guessing since you're not in Northern CA), you might not have been able to see it.
We have an unobstructed view of the horizon in about a 270 degree swath, so I just pointed out general South for us to keep our eyes on. Sure enough, at 3:02, we saw the rocket scooting off on a column of fire.
The trailing flames looked white on NASA TV, but they were blood red and fireball orange to the naked eye.
Okay, I had to go check. Yes, I could have watched it on my iPaq from the front porch.
I'm happy that lift-off finally happened. It would be great to see a launch up close.
Thank you for the mention.
Thanks to the Admin Moderator for allowing today's new launch announcement in Breaking News. Yesterday's launch was scrubbed, then someone was kind enough to remove the thread from breaking news and amend the title. I'm sure glad today's launch was successful.
Oops, pinged the wrong person. . .
Proud to be! That is a way cool Ipaq, Flyer, and a necessity for any self-respecting Geek.
Thanks for the ping, and glad it is up there. :-)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.