Updates GRAIL mission news and updates

[agentgonzo]

They're called launch "opportunities".
The launch "window" is only one, it opened yesterday and it closes on October 19th.

No, they are instantaneous (1-second) launch windows. The wider timespan (Sept-Oct) is called the launch period. See http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/grail/news/grail20110907.html

A launch window is a period of time in which you can launch (at any time in the period). They cannot launch Grail at Midnight in a week's time, for instance.

 

[Ripley]

:facepalm:

 

[orb]

Florida Today - The Flame Trench: Moon Mission Is "Go" For Saturday Launch:

NASA and United Launch Alliance resolved a minor technical issue today, clearing the way for the planned launch early Saturday of a Delta II Heavy rocket and twin NASA spacecraft that will map the gravitational field of the moon.

The mirror-image lunar explorers are now set to blast off from Launch Complex 17B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 8:29 a.m. A second opportunity would come at 9:08 am. if need be.

The weather forecast calls for a 60 percent chance conditions will be acceptable for launch. However, meteorologists are concerned about the possibility that thick, electrically charged clouds or rains showers could sweep into the area, prohibiting a launch.

In the event of a weather delay, NASA and United Launch Alliance would aim to make another attempt on Sunday. The launch times that day would be 8:26 a.m. or 9:05 a.m. There is a 70 percent probability of acceptable conditions on Sunday.

{...}

Spaceflight Now: Mission Status Center:

After draining the supercold liquid oxygen from the first stage following yesterday's scrub, a heater system stayed on longer than planned, a NASA spokesperson explained. But today's review determined no components could have been harmed by the extra heat, clearing the rocket for launch.

The launch weather forecast for Cape Canaveral still calls for a 60 percent chance of favorable conditions. "Primary concerns for launch are thick clouds, cumulus clouds and flight through precipitation," meteorologists report.

The outlook includes scattered low- and mid-level clouds, broken high clouds, isolated showers in the area, good visibility, northwesterly winds of 10 knots and a temperature of 77 degrees F.

Meanwhile, the downrange tracking station on Antigua expects to be up and running to support tomorrow's launch despite the approaching Tropical Storm Maria. If weather severely worsens and the site isn't able to support, workarounds with space-based telemetry coverage and Florida's Jupiter Inlet facility can substitute for Antigua.

 

[IronRain]

Moon passes over KSC

 

[IronRain]

GRAIL Delta II MST rollback timelapse

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3UgG-VCnyg&feature=feedu"]GRAIL Delta II MST rollback timelapse - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Codz]

Coverage started.

---------- Post added at 12:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:53 AM ----------

T-4:00 hold started. All go for launch so far.

 

[N_Molson]

Launch delayed to 9:08 (local time) for RED high-altitude winds reason.

SpaceFlight Now :

1221 GMT (8:21 a.m. EDT)
HOLD EXTENDED. The latest balloon has found "red" upper level winds. So liftoff has been pushed back to the second launch opportunity today at 9:08:52 a.m. EDT.

 

[Codz]

Weather is red for winds. Going back to the second window at 9:08 EST.

 

[orb]

The current targeted time of launch and launch timer are as always in this calendar event.

SPACE.com: Winds Delay Launch of Twin NASA Moon Probes Again

 

[orb]

T-4 minutes and counting, so maybe they will finally launch today.

 

[N_Molson]

T-4 minutes & counting !

:ninja:

 

[Star Voyager]

Liftoff!

 

[Codz]

My stupid computer froze at T-25! I had to make a mad dash to the other computer.

 

[N_Molson]

Looks very good so far. :thumbup: TLI in about 60 minutes.

SpaceFlight Now :

1317 GMT (9:17 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 9 minutes. Mission events have occurred at the planned times. A very good flight thus far.

1316 GMT (9:16 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 7 minutes, 45 seconds. Delta is 92.6 miles in altitude, 1,069 miles downrange from the launch pad and traveling at 16,903 mph.

1316 GMT (9:16 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 7 minutes, 20 seconds. SECO 1 has been confirmed. The second stage's Aerojet-made engine completed its initial burn for the launch. Delta and GRAIL have arrived in a preliminary orbit around Earth following launch today from Cape Canaveral. The vehicle will coast for about an hour before the second stage is re-ignited to dispatch its payload to the Moon.

 

[orb]

SPACE.com: NASA Launches Twin Spacecraft to Probe Inside the Moon

Florida Today - The Flame Trench: NASA Moon Mapper Launch From Cape

Aviation Week: Grail Satellites Launched To Map Lunar Gravity


Now in coasting phase. Second burn of 2nd stage in about 55 minutes from now.

Remaining timeline:

T+67:56.7|Second Stage Restart

{colsp=2} Delta's second stage engine reignites for the firing that accelerates the payload out of Earth orbit on the circuitous route to the Moon.

T+72:28.8|Second Stage Cutoff 2

{colsp=2} The stage shuts down to complete its second burn after propelling GRAIL on the departure trajectory from Earth.

T+81:58.8|GRAIL-A Deploy

{colsp=2} The first of the twin GRAIL spacecraft is released from the launch dispenser system atop the rocket's second stage.

T+90:13.8|GRAIL-B Deploy

{colsp=2} NASA's second GRAIL spacecraft is released from the Delta 2-Heavy rocket to begin the journey from the Earth to the Moon to map the lunar gravity field.

 

[N_Molson]

"BBQ roll mode" at 1°/second.

My stupid computer froze at T-25! I had to make a mad dash to the other computer.

It's why redundancy is essential to manned programs ! :lol:

SpaceFlight Now :

1321 GMT (9:21 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 12 minutes, 30 seconds. The preliminary parking orbit achieved by the Delta 2 rocket is right on the planned mark.

1328 GMT (9:28 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 20 minutes. Live telemetry continues to be received via NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. Today's launch is the fourth Delta 2 flight to use TDRS during the long mission instead of ordering support from mobile telemetry assets and faraway ground sites after the rocket passes out of view from the Eastern Range.

1333 GMT (9:33 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 25 minutes. As the rocket coasts in this parking orbit, it performs a "BBQ roll" maneuver to keep the thermal conditions on the vehicle equal.

 

[orb]

SPACE.com: Photos: NASA Launches Twin Grail Gravity Probes to Moon (PHOTO GALLERY)


A couple of images from NASA:

Click on images to enlarge



















​

A video from the launch:

 

[orb]

The precise liftoff time:

• 13:08:52.775 UTC / 09:08:52.775 EDT

EDIT: 2nd stage 2nd ignition now.

 

[N_Molson]

TLI !

SpaceFlight Now :

1419 GMT (10:19 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 70 minutes, 15 seconds. GRAIL has been accelerated to 23,907 mph.

1419 GMT (10:19 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 70 minutes, 25 seconds. SECO 2. The GRAIL twins have left Earth orbit with that final push delivered by the Delta 2 rocket's second stage.

1418 GMT (10:18 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 70 minutes, 5 seconds. Now 23,167 mph.

1418 GMT (10:18 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 69 minutes, 40 seconds. Now 22,271 mph.

1418 GMT (10:18 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 69 minutes, 10 seconds. Delta now traveling at 21,383 mph.

1417 GMT (10:17 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 68 minutes, 35 seconds.
Engine controls, chamber pressure and hydraulics all look good.

1417 GMT (10:17 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 68 minutes, 10 seconds. Velocity now 19,644 mph.

1416 GMT (10:16 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 67 minutes, 20 seconds. Good pitch and yaw controls. A very smooth flight.

1415 GMT (10:15 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 67 minutes. Delta is traveling at 17,966 mph.

1415 GMT (10:15 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 66 minutes, 35 seconds. Rock solid chamber pressure on the second stage.

1414 GMT (10:14 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 65 minutes, 55 seconds. The second stage engine has ignited for the firing to propel its spacecraft payload out of Earth orbit for the roundabout trek to the Moon.

---------- Post added at 02:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:15 PM ----------

Now waiting for payloads separation.

1422 GMT (10:22 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 74 minutes. The GRAIL spacecraft are not heading straight to their destination, instead taking a circuitous route lasting three-and-a-half months across 2.6 million miles of space before braking into lunar orbit on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, respectively.

"If you leave Earth and go barreling to the Moon, you need a lot of fuel to slow down (and enter lunar orbit). We want to use small spacecraft with small fuel tanks. So as a consequence of that, we use something called a low-energy trajectory where we go out to a point called the Earth-Sun Lagrange Point, which is like a void in the ocean," said GRAIL principal investigator Maria Zuber.

The lengthy trip also allows the satellites to "out-gas" on the way, ensuring this phenomena isn't mistaken for gravity measurements during the science-gathering portion of the mission later.

"We need this time to do out-gassing. There's little tiny particles on the spacecraft and those need to out-gas because that's inducing a force on the spacecraft, like internal gravity," said David Lehman, GRAIL project manager from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

"The other reason is we have two small spacecraft on one medium-size rocket. We did that for cost savings. If we had two bigger spacecraft, we would need two rockets," Lehman added

---------- Post added at 02:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:25 PM ----------

GRAIL-A separated. Awesome video of the separation (not a 3D view, the real stuff) :thumbup:

1428 GMT (10:28 a.m. EDT)

T+plus 79 minutes, 54 seconds. GRAIL-A SEPARATION! The first of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory spacecraft has been released into orbit.

1428 GMT (10:28 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 79 minutes, 30 seconds. Roll, pitch and yaw rates have nulled out.

1427 GMT (10:27 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 79 minutes. The rocket has repositioning itself to the proper orientation for release of GRAIL-A.

1426 GMT (10:26 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 78 minutes. Live television being downlinked from the Delta rocket via the Vandenberg Air Force Base tracking station in California to show release of GRAIL-A.

---------- Post added at 02:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:29 PM ----------

Nice view of the Earth getting smaller and smaller

---------- Post added at 02:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:34 PM ----------

Good separation of Grail-B. Launch 100% successful ! :thumbup:

The two probes have been separated with an angle of 45°, so that they won't collide.

1437 GMT (10:37 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 88 minutes, 12 seconds. GRAIL-B SEPARATION! The second of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory has been deployed from the Delta 2-Heavy rocket's second stage to begin the journey to the Moon.

The GRAIL duo will create an unprecedented lunar gravity map that scientists can follow in their quest to determine the Moon's interior structure from crust-to-core.

1436 GMT (10:36 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 87 minutes, 45 seconds. The yaw maneuver is complete, creating a 45-degree attitude change.

1435 GMT (10:35 a.m. EDT)
T+plus 86 minutes, 35 seconds. The Delta 2 rocket is performing a maneuver to get into the proper position for releasing GRAIL-B.

 

[Codz]

Amazing launch, simply awesome NASA! Job well done :thumbup: