Swift Processing Notes

NASA has set the launch of the Swift spacecraft for no earlier than Saturday, Nov. 20. The one-hour launch window opens at 12:10 p.m. EST.

Mission managers met this afternoon to confirm the work necessary for a Saturday launch attempt is on schedule. Since the team was not able to repeat the anomalous condition that was seen earlier on the Command Receiver Decoder system, the suspect components are being replaced. The system will be retested Friday, Nov. 19.

Retraction of the mobile service tower, the gantry surrounding the Delta II, is scheduled to occur at 3 a.m. on Saturday. Loading of RP-1, a highly refined kerosene fuel, aboard the first stage, is scheduled to begin at approximately 9:40 a.m. on Saturday. Loading of the cryogenic liquid oxygen into the first stage will begin approximately one hour later.

Swift is a medium-class Explorer mission managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The observatory was built for NASA by Spectrum Astro, a division of General Dynamics. The Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for Swift's integration with the Boeing Delta II rocket and the countdown management on launch day. (November 10, 2004 status reports)

Today at Pad 17-A, a loading of liquid oxygen aboard the Delta first stage is being performed to check for leaks. This also serves as a "minus count" crew certification exercise for the launch team. Friday, Oct. 22, a Flight Simulation is scheduled. This is a "plus count" flight events test to very the operation of the vehicle's systems during powered flight. Testing of the guidance system aboard the Boeing Delta II rocket was completed Wednesday, Oct. 20.

Swift is in the clean room at NASA's Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Wednesday, the spacecraft was weighed and early this morning it was mated to the payload attach fitting, the interface between the spacecraft and the second stage of the Delta II rocket. Work to prepare Swift for transportation to Pad 17-A will begin next week. Because of rescheduling the launch of an Air Force Global Positioning Satellite from adjacent pad 17-B, the launch date for Swift is under review but is currently expected be known within a day or so.

The Swift observatory will pinpoint the location of distant yet fleeting explosions that appear to signal the births of black holes. Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions known in the universe, emitting more than 100 billion times the energy that the Sun does in a year. Yet they last only from a few milliseconds to a few minutes, never to appear in the same spot again.

The launch of Swift is scheduled to occur on Monday, Nov. 8 from Pad 17-A on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch time is 12:04 p.m. EST at the opening of a one-hour launch window. The stacking of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-A continues this week.

Swift is in the clean room at NASA's Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A "first motion" solar array deployment test was completed on Tuesday, Oct. 12. An Aliveness Test, an overall state of health test for the spacecraft, is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 14 followed by a solar array illumination test on Friday, Oct. 15. Swift will be mated to the payload attach fitting on Oct. 19.

At Pad 17-A, the first major power-on testing of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle is now under way. The stacking of the first stage on the pad occurred Oct. 1, followed by attachment of the three strap-on solid rocket boosters on Oct. 2. The payload fairing was lifted into the clean room of the mobile service tower on Oct. 4. The second stage was hoisted into position atop the first stage on Oct. 8.

The Swift observatory will pinpoint the location of distant yet fleeting explosions that appear to signal the births of black holes. Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions known in the universe, emitting more than 100 billion times the energy that the Sun does in a year. Yet they last only from a few milliseconds to a few minutes, never to appear in the same spot again.

The Swift satellite is named for the nimble bird, because it can swiftly turn and point its instruments to catch a burst "on the fly" to study both the burst and its afterglow. This afterglow phenomenon follows the initial gamma-ray flash in most bursts and it can linger in X-ray light, visible light and radio waves for hours or weeks, providing great detail for observations.

Swift is a medium-class Explorer mission managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The observatory was built for NASA by Spectrum Astro, a division of General Dynamics. The Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for Swift's integration with the Boeing Delta II rocket and the countdown management on launch day. (October 13, 2004 status reports)

Swift is in the clean room at NASA's Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Two Observatory Operational Simulations are underway this week. The final installation of the flight blankets to provide thermal stability during the mission was completed on Oct. 3. A "first motion" solar array deployment test is scheduled to occur on Oct. 11 and will be followed by an illumination test.

The stacking of the Boeing Delta II first stage on Pad 17-A occurred Oct. 1, followed by attachment of the three strap-on solid rocket boosters on Oct. 2. The payload fairing was lifted into the clean room of the mobile service tower on Oct. 4. The second stage will be hoisted into position atop the first stage once the wind at the launch pad falls within allowable limits.

Swift is a medium-class Explorer mission managed by NASA's GoddardCenter in Greenbelt, Md. The observatory was built for NASA by Spectrum Astro, a division of General Dynamics. The KennedyCenter in Florida is responsible for Swift's integration with the Boeing Delta II rocket and the countdown management on launch day. (October 7, 2004 status reports)

Due to Hurricane Jeanne, the launch of Swift has been retargeted to occur no earlier than Nov. 2. Integrated schedules involving the launch of Swift from Pad 17-A and the pending launch of an Air Force Global Positioning Satellite from Pad 17-B are now being developed. A firm launch date for Swift should be known next week.

Swift is in the clean room at NASA's Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Observatory was covered in a protective double bag with a dry nitrogen purge during Hurricane Jeanne. The bag is being removed today in preparation for a resumption of testing.

The final installation flight blankets to provide thermal stability during the mission will occur on Sunday, Oct. 3. The two remaining Observatory Operational Simulations are scheduled Oct. 6 through 8.

The start of stacking of the Boeing Delta II first stage on Pad 17-A has been rescheduled for Friday, Oct. 1, due to Hurricane Jeanne. Attachment of the three strap-on solid rocket boosters is scheduled for Oct. 2. The payload fairing will be lifted into the clean room of the mobile service tower on Oct. 4. The second stage will be hoisted into position atop the first stage on Oct. 5.

Swift is in the clean room at NASA's Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Observatory Integrated Systems Tests is underway today. An Observatory Operational Simulation is scheduled for Sept. 23-24 with two others planned to occur next week.

The start of stacking of the Boeing Delta II first stage on Pad 17-A has been rescheduled for Thursday, September 23 due to higher than allowable wind at the launch complex. Attachment of the three strap-on solid rocket boosters is scheduled for Sept. 24. The second stage will be hoisted into position atop the first stage on Sept. 25.

Launch of the Swift observatory has been rescheduled for Oct. 26 based on the recovery schedule developed after Hurricane Frances. The date is subject to change based on the track of Hurricane Jeanne next week. The one-hour launch window extends from 1 - 2 p.m. EDT.

Swift is in the clean room at NASA's Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The spacecraft was removed from its shipping container on Thursday, where it had been reinstalled as a precaution for Hurricane Frances. The spacecraft is covered in a protective double bag and will remain so until the threat from Hurricane Jeanne can be determined. However, some electrical testing can still be performed in the interim.

The stacking of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-A has been rescheduled to begin on Tuesday, Sept. 21 with the hoisting of the first stage onto the launch pad. Attachment of the three strap-on solid rocket boosters is scheduled for Sept. 22. The payload fairing will be lifted inside the clean room with the mobile service tower on Sept. 23. The second stage will be hoisted into position atop the first stage on Sept. 25.

The Swift observatory is in the clean room at NASA's Hangar AE on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. In preparation for Hurricane Frances, the spacecraft is covered in a protective double bag and has also been installed in its shipping container for additional protection.

The stacking of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-A has been postponed until after the hurricane.

The Swift satellite is named for the nimble bird, because it can swiftly turn and point its instruments to catch a burst on the fly to study both the burst and its afterglow. This afterglow phenomenon follows the initial gamma-ray flash in most bursts and it can linger in X-ray light, visible light and radio waves for hours or weeks, providing great detail for observations.

Swift is a medium-class Explorer mission managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The observatory has been built for NASA by Spectrum Astro, a division of General Dynamics. The Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for Swift's integration with the Boeing Delta II rocket and the countdown management on launch day. (September 1, 2004 status reports)

Testing of the Burst Alert Telescope instrument is currently underway. Testing of the X-Ray Telescope and Ultraviolet Telescope is scheduled for next week with the Mission Operations Center at Penn State University. Solar array testing will occur the first week of September and installation of flight blankets is scheduled for mid-September. Observatory testing with the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System was completed earlier this week. The Observatory Integrated Systems Test was completed on Aug. 12. This was an unabridged performance evaluation of the spacecraft's on-board systems.

The stacking of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-A will begin on Sept. 1 with the hoisting of the first stage into the pad launcher mechanism. Attachment of the three strap-on solid rocket boosters is scheduled to begin Sept. 2. The second stage will be hoisted into position atop the first stage on Sept. 7. The payload fairing will be lifted inside the clean room within the mobile service tower on Sept. 8.

The Swift satellite is named for the nimble bird, because it can swiftly turn and point its instruments to catch a burst's on the fly to study both the burst and its afterglow. This afterglow phenomenon follows the initial gamma-ray flash in most bursts and it can linger in X-ray light, visible light and radio waves for hours or weeks, providing great detail for observations.

Swift is a medium-class Explorer mission managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt , Md. The observatory has been built for NASA by Spectrum Astro, a division of General Dynamics. The Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for Swift's integration with the Boeing Delta II rocket and the countdown management on launch day. (August 26, 2004 status reports)

The Swift satellite, which will pinpoint the location of distant yet fleeting explosions that appear to signal the births of black holes, arrived at Kennedy Space Center on July 29 to begin preparations for launch.

The Observatory Integrated Systems Test was completed on Aug. 12. This was an unabridged performance evaluation of the spacecraft's on-board systems.

The spacecraft was powered down, secured and temporarily covered as part of predetermined hurricane procedures based on the threat of tropical storm conditions on Friday. There were no issues with the spacecraft that occurred during Hurricane Charley. With severe thunderstorms forecasted to occur over the next several days during the afternoon, the spacecraft will remain covered for the present time. With a spacecraft cooling purge on the observatory, this will not prevent powered-up tests from continuing.

Fault protection system testing was completed on Aug. 10, followed by the software regression testing on Aug. 15. These tested the overall software programming to evaluate performance since they were updated previously. The installation of the flight blankets has been rescheduled for mid-September.

The stacking of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-A will begin on Sept. 1 with the hoisting of the first stage into the pad launcher mechanism. Attachment of the nine strap-on solid rocket boosters, in sets of three, is scheduled for Sept. 2-6. The second stage will be hoisted into position atop the first stage on Sept. 7. The payload fairing will be lifted inside the clean room within the mobile service tower on Sept. 8.

Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions known in the universe, emitting more than 100 billion times the energy that the Sun does in a year. Yet they last only from a few milliseconds to a few minutes, never to appear in the same spot again.

Swift, a medium-class explorer mission, is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and built by Spectrum Astro, a division of General Dynamics. (August 18, 2004 status reports)

The Observatory Integrated Systems Test is underway this week and will be completed tomorrow, Aug. 12. This is an unabridged performance evaluation of the spacecraft's on-board systems. The Observatory Abbreviated Integrated System Test was successfully completed on Aug. 6. This was a quick-look state of health test of the spacecraft's systems conducted after it was shipped to KSC.

The spacecraft is being powered down, secured and temporarily covered as part of pre-determined hurricane procedures based on the threat of tropical storm conditions on Friday.

Fault protection system testing is scheduled Aug. 13 followed by software regression testing on August 14. This tests the overall software programming to evaluate performance since were installed. The installation of the flight blankets is planned next week, Aug. 16-17.

The stacking of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-A will begin on Sept. 1 with the hoisting of the first stage into the launcher. Attachment of the nine strap-on solid rocket boosters, in sets of three, is scheduled for Sept. 2-6. The second stage will be hoisted into position atop the first stage on Sept. 7. The payload fairing will be lifted inside the clean room within the mobile service tower on Sept. 8.

Swift, a medium-class explorer mission, is managed by NASA' Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and built by Spectrum Astro, a division of General Dynamics. (August 11, 2004 status reports)

Today the Observatory Abbreviated Integrated System Test is being performed. This is a state-of-health test of the spacecraft's systems. Upcoming activity next week includes software installation and testing and the Observatory Integrated Systems Test.

Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions known in the universe, emitting more than one hundred billion times the energy that the Sun does in a year. Yet they last only from a few milliseconds to a few minutes, never to appear in the same spot again.

Swift, a medium-class explorer mission, is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and built by Spectrum Astro, a division of General Dynamics.

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November 24, 2004	& Curator: Elaine Marconi (elaine.marconi-1@ksc.nasa.gov) Web Development: JBOSC Web Development Team A Service of the NASA/KSC External Relations and Business Development Directorate Lisa A. Malone, Director