SPACECRAFT AND EXPENDABLE VEHICLES STATUS REPORT<br />September 17, 2004<br /><br /><br />George H. Diller<br /><br />NASA Kennedy Space Center<br /><br />321/867-2468<br /><br /><br />MISSION: Swift<br /><br />LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II<br /><br />LAUNCH PAD: 17-A Cape Canaveral<br /><br />LAUNCH DATE: Oct. 26, 2004<br /><br />LAUNCH WINDOW: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EDT<br /><br />Launch of the Swift observatory has been rescheduled for Oct. 26 based on<br />the recovery schedule developed after Hurricane Frances. The date is<br />subject to change based on the track of Hurricane Jeanne next week. The<br />one-hour launch window extends from 1 - 2 p.m. EDT.<br /><br /><br />Swift is in the clean room at NASA's Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force<br />Station. The spacecraft was removed from its shipping container on<br />Thursday, where it had been reinstalled as a precaution for Hurricane<br />Frances. The spacecraft is covered in a protective double bag and will<br />remain so until the threat from Hurricane Jeanne can be determined.<br />However, some electrical testing can still be performed in the interim.<br /><br /><br />The stacking of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-A has been<br />rescheduled to begin on Tuesday, Sept. 21 with the hoisting of the first<br />stage onto the launch pad. Attachment of the three strap-on solid rocket<br />boosters is scheduled for Sept. 22. The payload fairing will be lifted<br />inside the clean room with the mobile service tower on Sept. 23. The second<br />stage will be hoisted into position atop the first stage on Sept. 25.<br /><br /><br />The Swift observatory will pinpoint the location of distant yet fleeting<br />explosions that appear to signal the births of black holes. Gamma-ray<br />bursts are the most powerful explosions known in the universe, emitting more<br />than 100 billion times the energy that the Sun does in a year. Yet they<br />last only from a few milliseconds to a few minutes, never to appear in the<br />same spot again.<br /><br /><br />The Swift satellite is named for the nimble bird, because it can swiftly<br />turn and point its instruments to catch a burst "on the fly" to study both<br />the burst and its afterglow. This afterglow phenomenon follows the initial<br />gamma-ray flash in most bursts and it can linger in X-ray light, visible<br />light and radio waves for hours or weeks, providing great detail for<br />observations.<br /><br /><br />Swift is a medium-class Explorer mission managed by NASA's Goddard Space<br />Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The observatory was built for NASA by<br />Spectrum Astro, a division of General Dynamics. The Kennedy Space Center in<br />Florida is responsible for Swift's integration with the Boeing Delta II<br />rocket and the countdown management on launch day.<br /><br /><br />MISSION: Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART)<br /><br />LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL<br /><br />LAUNCH SITE: Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.<br /><br />LAUNCH DATE: Oct. 19, 2004<br /><br />LAUNCH WINDOW: 11:19:13 a.m. - 11:26:13 a.m. PDT<br /><br /><br />At Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Pegasus XL launch vehicle completed its<br />buildup and testing is in progress. The first of three Pegasus Flight<br />Simulations was completed Aug. 18 and the second on Sept. 9. The final<br />simulation is scheduled to be conducted on Sept. 30.<br /><br /><br />The upper stage that will provide maneuvering for the spacecraft during<br />mission operations is scheduled to be mated to DART this week. Installation<br />of the Advanced Video Guidance Sensor (AVGS) hardware, the primary<br />technology demonstration experiment, was completed into the satellite Sept.<br />15 after arriving at Vandenberg Sept. 12. The optical characterization<br />testing and final performance verification test will be conducted later this<br />month.<br /><br /><br />DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation as an<br />advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting<br />satellite. The DART spacecraft weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet<br />long and 3 feet in diameter. The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL vehicle will<br />launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles.<br /><br /><br />The DART satellite provides a key step in establishing autonomous rendezvous<br />capabilities for the U.S. Space Program. While previous rendezvous and<br />docking efforts have been piloted by astronauts, the unmanned DART satellite<br />will have computers and cameras to perform its rendezvous functions.<br /><br /><br />Once in orbit, DART will make contact with a target satellite, the Multiple<br />Paths, Beyond-Line-of-Site Communications (MUBLCOM), also built by Orbital<br />Sciences and launched in 1999. DART will then perform several<br />close-proximity operations, such as moving toward and away from the<br />satellite using navigation data provided by on-board sensors. The entire<br />mission will last only 24 hours and will be accomplished without human<br />intervention. The DART flight computer will determine its own path to<br />accomplish its mission objectives.