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
|
|
Tuesday, March 10
Firefly Delays Alpha Launch Attempt at Vandenberg Due to Sensor Reading
Noozhawk — 7:32 am ET (1132 GMT) Monday’s launch of Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha Flight 7 test flight Monday evening scrubbed
KEYT-TV Santa Barbara, CA — 7:32 am ET (1132 GMT) DoW announces death of USASMDC Soldier
US Army — 7:31 am ET (1131 GMT) Seventh US service member killed is identified as Army Space Brigade sergeant
AP — 7:30 am ET (1130 GMT) A Dark Matter
Business Standard — 7:25 am ET (1125 GMT) |
