SPACECRAFT AND EXPENDABLE VEHICLES STATUS REPORT<br />May 27, 2003<br /><br /><br />George H. Diller<br />Kennedy Space Center<br />321/867-2468<br /> <br />MISSION: Mars Exploration Rover (MER-A)<br />LAUNCH VEHICLES: Delta II<br />LAUNCH PADS: 17-A<br />LAUNCH DATES: NET June 8<br />LAUNCH TIMES: 2:05:55 p.m. / 2:44:07 p.m. EDT<br /><br /><br /> The MER-2 rover, mated to the upper stage booster and contained<br />within its payload transporter rolled out of the Payload Hazardous Servicing<br />Facility this morning at 2:20 a.m. It arrived at Pad 17-A at 4:30 a.m. It<br />was hoisted atop the Boeing Delta II rocket at 9:15 a.m. A spacecraft state<br />of health check is scheduled to occur on Wednesday and the integrated<br />vehicle/spacecraft Flight Program Verification test will follow on Thursday.<br />Installation of the fairing around the spacecraft is scheduled to occur this<br />Saturday, May 31. Fueling of the Delta second stage with its complement of<br />storable hypergolic propellants is currently planned to occur June 5.<br /><br /><br /> Some additional schedule margin is being added to complete the<br />management reviews required prior to launch. Therefore, launch is being<br />retargeted to occur no earlier than June 8. A final decision on the launch<br />date will be made next Monday, June 2.<br /><br /><br /> MER-A will have two launch opportunities each day during the<br />launch period that closes on June 19. Arrival at Mars is set for Jan 4,<br />2004, regardless of the launch date within that period.<br /> <br /> The Delta first stage for MER-A was erected on Pad 17-A on April<br />23. The second stage erection was completed on April 28, and the fairing<br />was installed in the white room on April 30. The solid rocket booster<br />erection began on May 13 with the first set of three motors being attached<br />to the first stage. The second set of three was erected on May 14, and the<br />final set was hoisted into position on May 15. The Simulated Flight Test,<br />an electrical test of the vehicle's systems used during powered flight, was<br />successfully completed on May 21. <br /><br /><br />MISSION: Mars Exploration Rover (MER-B vehicle/MER-1 rover)<br />LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II Heavy<br />LAUNCH PAD: 17-B<br />LAUNCH DATE: June 25, 2003<br />LAUNCH TIME: 12:38:16 a.m. / 1:19:19 a.m. EDT<br /><br /><br /> Fueling of MER-1 began today and will be completed tomorrow May<br />28. Spin balance testing will begin the next day on May 29 and is to be<br />followed by mating to the Delta third stage (upper stage booster) on June<br />14. Transportation to the launch pad is scheduled for June 15. <br /><br /><br /> The MER-B vehicle's first stage is on Pad 17-B. Erecting the nine<br />solid rocket boosters in sets of three a day was completed May 22. The<br />second stage will be hoisted atop the first stage tomorrow, May 28. <br /><br /><br /> The MER-B launch period closes July 15.<br /><br /><br />MISSION: SCISAT-1/Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment<br />LAUNCH VEHICLE: Pegasus XL<br />LAUNCH FACILITY: Vandenberg Air Force Base, California<br />LAUNCH DATE: NET July 25, 2003<br />LAUNCH TIME: 10:36:55 p.m. - 11:34:04 p.m. PDT<br /><br /><br /> The SCISAT spacecraft is completing final testing at the Canadian<br />Space Agency's David Florida Laboratories. The pre-ship review prior to<br />transportation of the spacecraft to Vandenberg Air Force Base is scheduled<br />for Friday, May 30. It is currently scheduled to arrive at Vandenberg on<br />June 19.<br /><br /><br /> SCISAT-1 weighs approximately 330 pounds and will be placed in a<br />400-mile-high polar orbit to investigate processes that control the<br />distribution of ozone in the upper atmosphere. <br /><br /><br /> Meanwhile, the Pegasus XL rocket is undergoing prelaunch<br />preparations at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California by Orbital Sciences<br />Corporation.<br /><br /><br /> The scientific mission of SCISAT-1/ACE (Atmospheric Chemistry<br />Experiment) mission is to measure and understand the chemical processes that<br />control the distribution of ozone in the Earth's atmosphere, particularly at<br />high altitudes. The data from the satellite will provide Canadian and<br />international scientists with improved measurements relating to global ozone<br />processes and help policy makers assess existing environmental policy and<br />develop protective measures for improving the health of our atmosphere,<br />preventing further zone depletion. The mission is designed to last two<br />years.<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: August 27, 2003 <br />LAUNCH TIME: TBD<br /><br /><br /> The SIRTF observatory is in NASA's class 10,000 laminar flow clean<br />room at spacecraft Hangar AE awaiting its return to the launch pad,<br />currently anticipated to occur in mid-August. <br /><br /><br /> Project management of SIRTF for NASA is by the Jet Propulsion<br />Laboratory. The observatory has been built for NASA by Lockheed Martin and<br />Ball Aerospace.