We have booster ignition and liftoff of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 5:34 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying NASA’s Lucy spacecraft! The rocket is on its way, carrying the spacecraft to begin its voyage to explore the Trojan asteroids. About four minutes …
T-4 Minutes and Counting
The NASA launch conductor has polled mission managers for “go” to launch. The Lucy countdown is now underway, proceeding toward a liftoff at 5:34 a.m. EDT. During the last four minutes of the countdown, the Atlas and Centaur propellant tanks will be brought up to flight pressure, the rocket and spacecraft will be confirmed on …
Weather Looks Good for Launch of NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft
A weather update from Will Ulrich, weather officer with the 45th Weather Squadron, reports conditions look good for launch of the Lucy mission.
The Lucy Science Payloads
Lucy will explore the Trojan asteroids with a suite of remote sensing instruments: L’Ralph – an instrument provided by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, that consists of two parts: L’Ralph Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA), an infrared imaging spectrometer that will reveal the absorption lines that serve as the fingerprints for …
The Lucy Mission – First to the Trojan Asteroids
Lucy will explore the Jupiter Trojan asteroids. During its 12-year mission, the spacecraft will explore a record-breaking number of asteroids, flying by one main belt asteroid and seven Trojan asteroids. These small bodies are remnants of our early solar system, now trapped in stable orbits associated with – but not close to – the giant …
NASA’s Lucy Ready for Launch atop Atlas V Rocket
Good morning, and welcome to launch day for NASA’s Lucy spacecraft. The first space mission to explore a diverse population of small bodies known as the Jupiter Trojan asteroids will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Launch is targeted …
Workhorse Rocket to Launch Lucy to Trojan Asteroids
The rocket standing ready on the pad with NASA’s Lucy spacecraft at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, is a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 configuration. It is the workhorse of the Atlas V fleet, delivering about half of all Atlas V missions to date. The 401 designation …
NASA, Boeing to Provide Update on Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2
NASA and Boeing will hold a joint teleconference at 2:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Oct. 19, to update media on the company’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. Teams will discuss work on the oxidizer isolation valve issue that was discovered ahead of the planned uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission to the International Space Station in August. Participants in …
Crew Work and Station Attitude Update Before Soyuz Crew Departure
Three Russian inhabitants of the International Space Station are preparing to depart for Earth on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the rest of the Expedition 65 crew worked on a variety of life science activities as well as important orbital plumbing duties on Friday. Russia’s Soyuz MS-18 crew ship will return to Earth just after midnight Eastern …
ISS Daily Summary Report – 10/15/2021
Payloads: Bio-Monitor: A crewmember removed and stowed the Bio-Monitor hardware. Bio-Monitor is a Canadian onboard instrument that serves as a platform for scientific experiments on the ISS. The instrument performs on-orbit monitoring of crew member physiological parameters, with wearable sensors that only minimally interfere with crew member daily activities. European Physiology Modules (EPM): A crewmember …