Expendable Launch Vehicle Status Report

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

Nov. 24, 2010

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

STATUS REPORT: ELV-112410

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. Work to mate Stage 1 
to Stage 2 was completed Nov. 15. New flight software was then loaded 
aboard the Taurus launch vehicle, and a flight simulation is now 
under way.

The avionics system batteries are being charged, and the vehicle's 
reaction control system tanks are undergoing initial pressurization. 
Installation of the acoustic blankets to the forward end of the 
rocket's first stage solid propellant motor is finished. Application 
of the avionics system thermal blankets is also complete.

Data from the Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand 
the Earth's 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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