Expendable Launch Vehicle Status Report

[KSC News Center <ksc@mediaservices.nasa.gov>]

Oct. 15, 2010

George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
george.h.diller@nasa.gov

STATUS REPORT: ELV-101510

EXPENDABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE STATUS REPORT

Spacecraft: Glory
Launch Vehicle: Taurus XL 3110
Launch Site:  Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Date:  Feb. 23, 2011
Launch Time: 2:10 a.m. PST
Altitude/Inclination: 440 miles/98.2 degrees 

The Taurus rocket is in Orbital Sciences Hangar 1555 on north 
Vandenberg Air Force Base where integration and testing of the 
vehicle's flight hardware components continue. The second half of the 
payload fairing arrived at Vandenberg on Oct. 13 to begin processing. 
Avionics subsystem installation and application of thermal blankets 
to the launch vehicle will continue next week. Work to mate Stage 1 
to Stage 2 is scheduled to start Oct. 26.

Data from the Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand 
the Earth' energy budget. An accurate description of the Earth's 
energy budget is important in order to anticipate future changes to 
our climate. Shifts in the global climate and the associated weather 
patterns impact human life by altering landscapes and changing the 
availability of natural resources.

The Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor instrument will measure aerosols 
(human-caused and naturally occurring) to determine their relative 
influence on the global climate. The Total Irradiance Monitor 
instrument will monitor the Sun to understand short-term solar 
mechanisms causing energy budget changes and will contribute to the 
vital long-term solar record.

Previous status reports are available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/status/index.html 
 

	
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