The Intrepid invited 1,500 guests to witness the landing at JFK and welcome the Enterprise to New York. Accompanying the 747 and shuttle in flight were NASA's C-9 Pathfinder plane and two T-38 training jets assigned to capture aerial imagery of the flyover. On today's ferry flight, Enterprise is expected to fly by the Intrepid and the Statue of Liberty, among other New York City landmarks, on its way into the JFK airport. While the shuttle never flew in space, it performed vital approach and landing tests in the late 1970s. It arrived in Washington 18 years earlier on November 18, 1985, completing what was thought by many to be its final landing. From Shuttles to Rockets: Long History for Calif.Enterprise had been on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center since December 2003.Gallery: Dazzling Pre-Dawn Launch of Shuttle Discovery.That mission will use an unmanned Atlas 5 rocket to launch the Orbital Test Vehicle 2, the second test flight of the Air Force's robotic X-37B space plane. The next United Launch Alliance mission to fly is scheduled for March 4. NASA's space shuttles, which launch using liquid-fueled rockets and twin solid-rocket boosters, generate nearly 7 million pounds of thrust, making the shuttle fleet the country's most powerful launch system today, United Launch Alliance spokesman Mike Rein explained. The liquid-fueled Delta 4-Heavy generates about 2 million pounds of thrust. While the Delta 4-Heavy is the largest American rocket in service today, it is not the country's most powerful booster. The rocket is actually made up of three boosters, each called a Common Booster Core, that are stacked side-by-side to give the vehicle a three-column look.Įach Delta 4-Heavy rocket is capable of launching satellites or other payloads of up to 24 tons into low-Earth orbit, and up to 11 tons into the higher geosynchronous orbits commonly used by navigation and communications satellites. Like its name suggests, the Delta 4-Heavy rocket is a heavy-lift version of the expendable Delta 4 rocket, which is built by the United Launch Alliance - a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. "Most important is the critical NRO payload launched today, which will significantly enhance the effectiveness and safety of the brave men and women defending our nation every day." "Today’s launch was the second Delta IV Heavy launch for the NRO in two months and was also the largest rocket ever launched from the West Coast," said Jim Sponnick, vice president of mission operations for the United Launch Alliance. The last launch from the SLC-6 pad was in 2006, when a regular Delta 4 rocket sent up a U.S. defense department the opportunity to launch massive spy satellites like those typically carried by Delta 4-Heavy rockets into polar orbits - the ultimate high ground for observing the entire planet's surface, according to Spaceflight Now. The Air Force spent three years and $100 million to modify the launch pad to support Delta 4-Heavy rockets, Hauboldt said. NASA did perform some launch pad tests using its shuttle prototype Enterprise in 1985, but no space shuttle missions ever blasted off from California. The SLC-6 launching pad was originally built to loft NASA space shuttles from California. This extends our ability to cost effectively deliver payloads of all sizes and compliments." "We've really restored a national capability for heavy lift on the Western Range, something we have not had since the last of the Titan 4Bs flew out of Vandenberg. "This launch marks a significant milestone in our nation's space capability," said Air Force launch director Lt. It is the largest rocket to launch from the West Coast since the Titan 4B rockets retired in 2005.
All four previous launches have been from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.įor its West Coast debut, the Delta 4-Heavy blasted off from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 6, or SLC-6. Today's launch marked the fifth flight of the Delta 4-Heavy rocket since its debut in 2004. It stands 235 feet (72 meters) high, making it just a bit taller than a 23-story building. The Delta 4-Heavy rocket is a massive unmanned booster. The rocket soared into calm afternoon skies and was clearly visible in television cameras until the classified mission entered a media blackout 6 1/2 minutes after launch. While the exact mission the satellite – known only as NROL-49 – is classified, the rocket's launch was unmistakable. EST, 2100 GMT) carrying a secret satellite for the U.S. The unmanned Delta 4-Heavy rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:10 p.m. spy satellite on a classified mission, making it the biggest rocket launch ever from the country's West Coast. The largest American rocket currently in use blasted off from the California coast today (Jan.
0 kommentar(er)
