SPACECRAFT AND EXPENDABLE VEHICLES STATUS REPORT<br />March 13, 2003<br /><br /><br />George H. Diller<br />Kennedy Space Center<br />321/867-2468<br /> <br />MISSION: Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)<br />LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL<br />LAUNCH PAD: Skid Strip, Canaveral Air Force Station<br />LAUNCH DATE: March 30, 2003 NET <br />LAUNCH WINDOW: 6:50 a.m. - 8:50 a.m. EST (Drop time 7:00 a.m.)<br /><br /><br /> In the Multipurpose Payload Processing Facility (MPPDF), mating of<br />the GALEX spacecraft to Pegasus launch vehicle is underway today. Once the<br />electrical connections have been established, a Flight Simulation test will<br />be performed. <br /><br /><br /> GALEX will be transported to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station the<br />last week of March for mating to the Orbital Sciences L-1011 carrier<br />aircraft.<br /><br /><br /> A request for a launch date of Apr. 2 has been made to the Eastern<br />Range. That date is not available at this time. As an alternative,<br />schedule options are being developed for a launch date as early as Mar. 30.<br /> <br /> The GALEX program management is by NASA's Goddard Space Flight<br />Center and is part of Goddard's Small Explorer (SMEX) program. Spacecraft<br />project management is the responsibility of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,<br />and the California Institute of Technology is the lead for mission science.<br /><br /><br />MISSION: Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF)<br />LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II Heavy<br />LAUNCH PAD: 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station<br />LAUNCH DATE: April 15, 2003 NET<br />LAUNCH TIME: 4:34:07 a.m. EDT<br /><br /><br /> The SIRTF spacecraft arrived at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday,<br />Mar. 6. It was shipped from the Lockheed Martin plant at Sunnyvale, Calif.<br />Testing and final preparations for launch are being performed in a class<br />10,000 laminar flow clean room at NASA Spacecraft Hangar AE on Cape<br />Canaveral Air Force Station.<br /><br /><br /> Once inside the high bay, the spacecraft was rotated to vertical<br />and the protective coverings removed. Spacecraft systems functional testing<br />is underway this week.<br /><br /><br /> The erection of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-B<br />began on Monday, Feb. 24 with the erection of the first stage. Erection of<br />the nine solid rocket boosters was completed this week. The second stage is<br />planned for hoisting atop the first stage on Friday, March 12. A leak<br />check of the first stage that includes loading liquid oxygen aboard is<br />scheduled for March 22. A flight simulation to test the vehicle's systems<br />that will operate during power flight is scheduled for March 26. <br /><br /><br />MISSION: Mars Exploration Rovers (MER-1/MER-2)<br />LAUNCH VEHICLES: Delta II/Delta II Heavy<br />LAUNCH PADS: 17-A/17-B<br />LAUNCH DATES: May 30/June 25<br />LAUNCH TIMES: 2:28 p.m. / 12:34 a.m. EDT<br /><br /><br />At Kennedy Space Center, the second of the two Mars Exploration Rovers,<br />MER-1, arrived on Tuesday, March 11 and has begun its prelaunch testing in<br />the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF). A functional test of the<br />MER-2 rover systems was conducted on Mar. 6 and Mar. 9 and included<br />deployment of the lander petals, the rover's solar arrays, camera mast and<br />camera. The camera also took test images. A similar test for MER-1 is<br />scheduled to occur late next week. <br /><br /><br />Once functional testing and mission simulation of the flight elements is<br />complete, they will be integrated together. Each spacecraft will be mated<br />to a solid propellant upper stage booster that will propel the spacecraft<br />out of Earth orbit. After mating to the upper stage, the stack will undergo<br />spin balance testing. Approximately ten days before launch the payload will<br />be transported to the launch pad for mating with their respective Boeing<br />Delta II rockets.<br /><br /><br />The Boeing Delta II vehicle for the first launch of the two launches<br />scheduled on May 30 is planned for erection on Pad 17-A at Space Launch<br />Complex 17 beginning April 18. The Delta for the second launch on June 25<br />will begin erection activities on May 1 on Pad 17-B. <br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /> # # #