[meteorite-list] Deep Impact Update - November 10, 2004

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Nov 10 17:35:46 2004
Message-ID: <200411102235.OAA23931_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

SPACECRAFT AND EXPENDABLE VEHICLES STATUS REPORT
November 10, 2004

George Diller
NASA Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468

[snip]

MISSION: Deep Impact
LAUNCH VEHICLE: Delta II
LAUNCH PAD: SLC 17-B/Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
LAUNCH DATE: December 30, 2004
LAUNCH WINDOW: 2:39:42 p.m. (EST) instantaneous

NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft arrived in Florida on Oct. 23 to begin final
preparations for launch on Dec. 30. The spacecraft was shipped from Ball
Aerospace & Technologies in Boulder, Colo., to the Astrotech Space
Operations facility located near the Kennedy Space Center.

Deep Impact was removed from its shipping container and is undergoing its
Functional and Mission Readiness testing, scheduled for completion on Nov.
23. These tests involve the entire spacecraft flight system (including the
flyby and impactor, associated science instruments and the spacecraft's
basic subsystems), along with loading updated flight software.

The high gain antenna used for spacecraft communications will be installed
on Nov. 29. The solar array will then be stowed and an illumination test
performed as a final check of its performance on Nov. 30. Deep Impact will
then be ready to begin preparation for fueling on Dec. 6 and is scheduled to
be completed on Dec. 9.

The stacking of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-B will begin on
Nov. 22 with the hoisting of the first stage into the launcher. Hoisting
of the nine strap-on solid rocket boosters, in sets of three, is scheduled
for Nov. 23, Nov. 29, and Dec. 1. The second stage will be hoisted into
position atop the first stage on Dec. 3.

The overall Deep Impact mission management for this Discovery class program
is conducted by the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. Deep Impact
project management is handled by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena,
Calif. The spacecraft has been built for NASA by Ball Aerospace and
Technologies Corporation.

[snip]
Received on Wed 10 Nov 2004 05:35:42 PM PST