Special Countdown Issue
SORCE
Mission Activity –
Isn’t
it nice when a plan comes together! So far, so good -- the SORCE
launch remains set for Saturday, January 25 from Kennedy Space
Center (KSC). The launch is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. Eastern Time,
1:10 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.
Tuesday’s Flight Readiness Review at KSC went smoothly.
According to Gary Rottman, there were no action items resulting
from the review and things are progressing as expected.
At approximately
3:30 a.m. Wednesday morning the engineering crew began transporting
the integrated spacecraft and Pegasus to the launch site. The
fairing is on the left side of the photo and has a protective
covering that will remain in place until launch day. Photo by
David Gathright.
Tentative Dates for Upcoming Events:
- 1/21/03 Flight Readiness Review (KSC)
- 1/22/03 SORCE/Pegasus Transported to
Hot Pad
- 1/24/03 Launch Readiness Reviews (GSFC/KSC)
- 1/25/03 SORCE Launch (KSC)
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Very early
Wednesday morning the integrated spacecraft and Pegasus were transported
from the high bay area to the hot pad, which is right next to
the final launch site. The launch vehicle and payload were moved
over the 6-mile causeway by the same large trailer that transported
the Pegasus into the high bay area when it arrived from Vandenberg
Air Force Base in mid December for integration.
Following are a sequence of photos showing the process for reuniting
the Pegasus with the L-1011 aircraft carrier. Once the two have
been joined, payload operations and testing will continue until
launch.
The Pegasus
(shown on the right) arrived at the hot pad early Wednesday morning
before sunrise. The fairing is the gray portion on the left side
above the trailer wheels. Photo by David Gathright.
The L-1011 aircraft carrier was lifted off the ground with hydraulic
jacks under the wings, and then gently lowered onto the Pegasus
and secured. The Pegasus is not shown in this photo.
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