Gravity Probe B launched
Posted: Tue, Apr 20, 2004, 8:16 PM ET (0016 GMT)
A Delta 2 successfully launched NASA's Gravity Probe B mission on Tuesday after years of delays. The Delta 2 7920 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 2W at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, at 12:57:24 pm EDT (1657:24 GMT), during a one-second launch window. The spacecraft separated from the booster's second stage 75 minutes after liftoff, entering a polar orbit approximately 640 kilometers in altitude. The launch of the spacecraft was delayed one day when launch controllers could not confirm that the proper upper altitude wind profile data had been properly entered into the vehicle's computers; other problems with the spacecraft delayed its launch for several years. Gravity Probe B, whose origins date back more than four decades, will be used to confirm one aspect of Einstein's general theory of relativity during its 16-month mission. The spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin at a total mission cost of over $700 million.
A Delta 2 successfully launched NASA's Gravity Probe B mission on Tuesday after years of delays. The Delta 2 7920 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 2W at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, at 12:57:24 pm EDT (1657:24 GMT), during a one-second launch window. The spacecraft separated from the booster's second stage 75 minutes after liftoff, entering a polar orbit approximately 640 kilometers in altitude. The launch of the spacecraft was delayed one day when launch controllers could not confirm that the proper upper altitude wind profile data had been properly entered into the vehicle's computers; other problems with the spacecraft delayed its launch for several years. Gravity Probe B, whose origins date back more than four decades, will be used to confirm one aspect of Einstein's general theory of relativity during its 16-month mission. The spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin at a total mission cost of over $700 million.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, July 30
SpaceX looks to compete with the carriers
Semafor — 7:26 am ET (1126 GMT) Rocket Lab To Launch HASTE Missions From Alaska Under USSF Contract
Aviation Week — 7:24 am ET (1124 GMT) Space Force to Launch 18 Comms and Targeting Missions by End of 2027
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 7:23 am ET (1123 GMT) SpaceX Starship Heat Shield Can’t Support Rapid Flights, Experts Say
Bloomberg News — 7:20 am ET (1120 GMT) SpaceX Begins Recovery Of First Flown Starship V3
Aviation Week — 7:18 am ET (1118 GMT) |
