| NASA’s
Aura spacecraft, the latest in the Earth Observing System
(EOS) series, is at the Astrotech payload processing facility
located on North Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Fueling of
the spacecraft was completed May 14. The next major activity
is the mating to the payload attach fitting, the interface
with the Delta II, scheduled to occur on May 24. Transportation
of the spacecraft to Space Launch Complex 2 for mating
to the second stage of the Delta II is scheduled for June
2.
The build-up
of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Space Launch
Complex 2, located on North Vandenberg Air Force Base,
has been completed. The first stage was stacked April
29 and the second stage May 1. Work to install the nine
solid rocket boosters was completed May 5. A vehicle control
system check was successfully completed Monday. This procedure
qualifies the first and second stage subsystems through
a series of detailed tests. The first stage leak check
is scheduled for Friday. It will include a simulated countdown
and the loading of liquid oxygen aboard the first stage.
A Simulated Flight test of the vehicle’s electrical
and mechanical systems will follow on May 24.
Aura’s
four state-of-the-art instruments will study the dynamics
of chemistry occurring in the atmosphere. The spacecraft
will provide data to help scientists better understand
the Earth’s ozone, air quality and climate change.
The EOS Aura
satellite, instruments and science investigations are
managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Md. Government oversight of launch preparations
and the countdown management on launch day is the responsibility
of the NASA Launch Services Program based at John F. Kennedy
Space Center. The launch service is provided to NASA by
Boeing Launch Services.
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