George Diller/NASA Launch Commentator: We're joined now at the Public Affairs
Console in the Mission Director's Center by Bruce Reid. He is the mission manager for the Landsat
Data Continuity Mission spacecraft for NASA's Launch Services Program.
And Bruce will be walking through some of the things that we've been doing to get the
Atlas V and the LDCM satellite ready for our launch today.
Bruce, first of all, tell us a little bit, have there been any unique
requirements we've had to do to prepare for LDCM?
Bruce Reid/ NASA Mission Manager: Well George, the LDCM spacecraft is unique as are all the NASA spacecraft.
And so, it's always a challenge on every mission to meet those particular requirements.
For instance the LDCM spacecraft needs to have 60 minutes of continuous sunlight after separation.
So we've designed the trajectory such that that will occur.
And also they have very stringent tipoff rate requirements,
so the launch vehicle with do a compensation maneuver just before separation.
So, ah, every NASA mission is unique in its own way and we work
out those requirements to make sure everything is met.
George Diller/NASA Launch Commentator: Well Bruce, we have some video now if you'd tell us
a little bit as we go along some of the things that are happening here.
Bruce Reid/ NASA Mission Manager: This is the Atlas V booster rolling out to the pad.
This is all the way back in October. And you can see the booster's
pretty large . . . about 100 feet long.
And it looks like they've got the front end of it attached to the 60-ton crane.
It's a mobile service tower. And we have a break-over fixture at the rear of
the booster to allow it to go into the vertical position.
And you see a good shot there of the RD-180 engine and the twin nozzles.
So the booster is positioned over the fixed launch platform and it's
aligned and lowered down on to the launch heads.
So this is the Centaur stage. You can see the RL-10 engines there built by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.
This is a cryogenic stage -- liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen and
it will be hoisted atop the interstage adapter which is on the booster.
This is the fully encapsulated LDCM spacecraft.
Encapsulation occurred at the Astrotech facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base.
And then it's set up on top of the transport trailer and moved out to Space launch Complex-3.
This was on January 25. And you can see we have air going into the payload fairing.
This is the environmental control system to keep the payload cool and to meet the humidity requirements.
And they're going to go ahead and attach the encapsulated assembly and hoist up into the tower.
And you saw a good shot there of the LDCM logo.
And the black portion at the bottom of the payload fairing is the isolation diaphragm which maintains
those environments throughout the entire transport and hoist operation.
And they'll go ahead and put this through some doors that open and center it on top of the Centaur.
And then we'll lower down carefully. I think you'll get a good shot here of the
Centaur equipment module as it's being carefully lowered down and
then they'll go ahead and install all the bolts. Ready for launch.
George Diller/NASA Launch Commentator: Bruce, thanks very much.
And uh, best of luck to you, and uh, the Goddard Team, the Orbital Sciences Team,
and uh, the entire NASA Launch Services Program that's here,
they're working on this for quite some time for today for a launch
that has held its schedule here at the end pretty well.
So Bruce thanks very much for coming by.
Bruce Reid/ NASA Mission Manager: Thank you, George.