Updates GRAIL mission news and updates

[agentgonzo]

From tl8: trs-new.jpl.nasa.gov/dspace/bitstream/2014/41633/1/10-1859.pdf

 

[Jarvitä]

T- 10 minutes, weather green at this time.

 

[orb]

NASASpaceflight: LIVE: ULA Delta II preparing to launch GRAIL spacecraft to the Moon


SPACE.com:

• NASA to Launch Twin Moon Gravity Probes Thursday, Weather Permitting
• NASA's New Moon Probes Carrying Lunar Cameras for Kids

Spaceflight Now:

• Tower rollback for Delta 2 launch of GRAIL (PHOTO GALLERY #1)
• Tower rollback for Delta 2 launch of GRAIL (PHOTO GALLERY #2)
• Tower rollback for Delta 2 launch of GRAIL (PHOTO GALLERY #3)
• Tower rollback for Delta 2 launch of GRAIL (PHOTO GALLERY #4)

 

[Jarvitä]

Entered a planned 10-minuted hold at T- 4 minutes.

 

[orb]

Now targeting new T-0 at 13:16:12 UTC because of "red" upper level winds.

SPACE.com: Windy Weather Delays Launch of NASA's Moon Gravity Mission

 

[agentgonzo]

You can also see the trajectory, separation on Nasa's new 'eyes on the solar system' website:

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eyes/player/index.html

Hit the destination menu in the bottom left, then Moon --> Grail-A or -B

 

[Codz]

So far go for 9:16 EST T-0.

-------------

Scrubbed.

 

[orb]

Scrubbed due to upper level winds.


In the meantime, tower rollback photos from NASA:

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[PhantomCruiser]

Dang, better safe than not.

 

[agentgonzo]

24-hour cycle. Will try again tomorrow

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Tomorrow's launch windows are at 8:33:25 a.m and 9:12:31 a.m. EDT respectively.

 

[Codz]

Friday isn't looking much better weather wise.

 

[agentgonzo]

They can try it every day until 19th October.

 

[Codz]

Well at least its not as constraining as Juno.

 

[orb]

NASA / NASA JPL: NASA GRAIL Moon Mission Launch Rescheduled

Florida Today - The Flame Trench: Delta II, GRAIL will try again Friday

CBS News Space: GRAIL moon launch delayed by high winds aloft

Aviation Week: Winds Delay Grail Launch For A Day


Spaceflight Now:Mission Status Center - weather forecast for Friday:

The weather forecast for Friday's launch calls for another 40 percent chance of acceptable conditions, with anvil and cumulus cloud concerns again. Those odds do not factor in upper level winds, since that issue is determined by the rocket engineering team and not the local weather folks.

The specifics tomorrow include scattered clouds at 3,000 and 10,000 feet, a broken deck at 25,000 feet, isolated showers in the area, good visibility, westerly winds from 270 degrees at 10 knots and a temperature around 78 degrees F.

 

[IronRain]

Video of the launch scrub

 

[IronRain]

Spaceflight Now:

The GRAIL lunar gravity mappers will forego making another launch attempt on Friday so engineers can examine data recorded during Thursday's post-scrub defueling of the Delta 2-Heavy rocket.

Here is the NASA statement explaining the decision to slip launch until Saturday morning:

"The launch of a Delta 2 rocket carrying NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) has been postponed one day to allow additional time to review propulsion system data from Thursday’s detanking operation after the launch attempt was scrubbed due to upper level winds. The postponement will allow the launch team additional time to review the data.

"The launch now is planned for Saturday, Sept. 10 from Space Launch Complex 17B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. There are two instantaneous launch opportunities at 8:29:45 a.m. and 9:08:52 a.m. EDT. The forecast for Sept. 10 shows a 60 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for a Saturday morning launch."

 

[Codz]

That's unfortunate.

 

[agentgonzo]

Here's a list of all the launch windows until the 19th October (all times EDT):

DATE|93° Azimuth|99° Azimuth
Sept. 8|08:37:06 |09:16:12
Sept. 9|08:33:25 |09:12:31
Sept. 10|08:29:45 |09:08:52
Sept. 11|08:26:02 |09:05:11
Sept. 12|08:22:15 |09:01:25
Sept. 13|08:18:22 |08:57:33
Sept. 14|08:14:01 |08:53:13
Sept. 15|08:09:27 |08:48:40
Sept. 16|08:04:56 |08:44:10
Sept. 17|08:00:29 |08:39:43
Sept. 18|07:56:08 |08:35:23
Sept. 19|07:51:54 |08:31:09
Sept. 20|07:47:44 |08:27:00
Sept. 21|07:43:21 |08:22:33
Sept. 22|07:37:52 |08:17:08
Sept. 23|07:35:00 |08:14:58
Sept. 24|07:59:20 |08:40:14
Sept. 25|07:41:24 |08:19:18
Sept. 26|07:22:19 |08:01:18
Sept. 27|07:16:18 |07:55:24
Sept. 28|07:11:33 |07:50:39
Sept. 29|07:06:37 |07:45:44
Sept. 30|07:01:33 |07:40:44
Oct. 1|06:56:37 |07:35:52
Oct. 2|06:51:54 |07:31:12
Oct. 3|06:47:22 |07:26:42
Oct. 4|06:43:00 |07:22:20
Oct. 5|06:38:44 |07:18:05
Oct. 6|06:34:36 |07:13:57
Oct. 7|06:30:33 |07:09:54
Oct. 8|06:26:36 |07:05:57
Oct. 9|06:22:44 |07:02:06
Oct. 10|06:18:58 |06:58:21
Oct. 11|06:15:18 |06:54:41
Oct. 12|06:11:43 |06:51:07
Oct. 13|06:08:13 |06:47:38
Oct. 14|06:04:46 |06:44:14
Oct. 15|06:01:25 |06:40:53
Oct. 16|05:58:07 |06:37:38
Oct. 17|05:54:57 |06:34:29
Oct. 18|05:52:00 |06:31:34
Oct. 19|05:49:36 |06:29:15

 

[Ripley]

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