(UPDATE) Tuesday: Student experiments launching from Wallops-

 

(From Shore Daily news info:)

The Wallops Flight Facility launched  a Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning. 

The rocket carried nine student-developed experiments to suborbital space as part of NASA’s RockSat programs.  The experiments were developed by teams from universities and community colleges and include instruments to study greenhouse gasses, measure electron density and test a space-rated robotic arm.

The rocket was expected to reach an altitude of about 100 miles before descending by parachute into the Atlantic Ocean for recovery.

(Previous story:)

(View news story:)

RockSat-X to liftoff from Wallops Island Tuesday (wtkr.com)

NASA and Salisbury University sign formal agreement.

 

(WMDT)

 “It formalizes the work that we were doing informally where we would have one or two interns a year to now having a full cohort of students that are reinforcing what they’re learning in the classroom with the work we’re doing at Wallops,” NASA Wallops Flight Facility Director David Pierce said.

(View news story:)

New formal agreement establishes partnership between NASA and Salisbury University - 47abc (wmdt.com)

Engine Test A Success

If you thought you heard thunder and your windows rattled.  Or if your house shook and you thought it was an earthquake be advised you are safe. 

The engine of the Antare's rocket was tested for 30 seconds last night, just shortly after 6:00 PM,  from NASA's Wallops Flight Center.  I can't imagine what our friends- who live within sight of NASA and see every launch and testing that goes on from there- may have witnessed. 

And I don't want to think about what the sight and sound will be like when the Antare's rocket is  finally launched later this year.

 

NASA commercial partner Orbital Sciences of Dulles, Va., successfully conducted an engine test of its Antares rocket Friday, Feb. 22, from Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Va. The company fired dual AJ26 rocket engines for approximately 30 seconds while the rocket was bolted down on the pad. Known as a "hot fire" test, it demonstrated the readiness of the rocket's first stage and launch pad fueling systems to support upcoming test flights. Credit: NASA

 

 

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. -- NASA commercial partner Orbital Sciences of Dulles, Va., successfully conducted an engine test of its Antares rocket Friday, February 22, at the nation's newest launch pad.

The company fired dual AJ26 rocket engines for approximately 30 seconds while the first stage of Orbital's Antares rocket was held down on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va. The test demonstrated the readiness of the rocket's first stage and launch pad fueling systems to support upcoming test flights.
"This pad test is an important reminder of how strong and diverse the commercial space industry is in our nation,” said Phil McAlister, director of Commercial Spaceflight Development at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “A little more than one year after the retirement of the space shuttle, we had a U.S company resupplying the space station, and another is now taking the next critical steps to launch from America’s newest gateway to low-Earth Orbit. Today marks significant progress for Orbital, MARS and the NASA team."

Orbital is building and testing its new rocket and Cygnus cargo spacecraft under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. A demonstration flight of Antares and Cygnus to the space station is planned for later this year. Following the successful completion of the COTS demonstration mission to the station, Orbital will begin conducting eight planed cargo resupply flights to the orbiting laboratory through NASA's $1.9 billion Commercial Resupply Services contract with the company.
Wallops, which has launched more than 16,000 rockets in its 67-year history, provided launch range support for the hot fire test, including communications, data collection, range safety and area clearance.

NASA initiatives like COTS are helping develop a robust U.S. commercial space transportation industry with the goal of achieving safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the space station and low-Earth orbit. In parallel, NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with commercial space partners developing capabilities to launch U.S. astronauts from U.S. soil in the next few years.

**For more information about upcoming Orbital test flights, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orbital**

International Observe the Moon Night at the Wallops Visitors Center Sept. 22. 2012

WALLOPS ISLAND, VA--In celebration of International Observe the Moon Night, NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, in partnership with the Sussex County Astronomy Society, is sponsoring a free, public event from 6:30 to 10 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 22, at the NASA Visitor Center.

The all-ages event will kick-off with children's activities and interactive exhibits. At 7 p.m., Doug Voss, Wallops program manager, will give an overview of the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission, scheduled to launch from Wallops in summer 2013. At dusk, telescopes are available on the Visitor Center observation deck for viewing the moon, stars, and other objects in the night sky.

This year's event is dedicated to astronaut Neil Armstrong; to honor the wishes of the Armstrong family, attendees will be encouraged to wink at the moon. Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, passed away Aug. 25.

Information on the NASA Visitor Center is available on the Internet at: http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/wvc

Information on International Observe the Moon Night is available at: http://observethemoonnight.org

Information on the Sussex County Astronomy Society is available at: http://www.sussexastronomy.com

Rocket Launches Scheduled September 8-15 From Wallops Island

Two Terrier-Lynx suborbital rockets are scheduled for launch September 8 -15 for the Department of Defense from NASA’s launch range at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Based on the approved range schedule, the first rocket is scheduled between 8 and 10 p.m., September 8. The backup launch days are September 11 and 12.

The second rocket is scheduled for launch between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m., September 15. The rockets may be visible to residents in the mid-Atlantic region.

These launches will not be shown live on the Internet nor will launch status updates be provided once the countdown begins. The NASA Visitor Center will not be open for viewing the launches.

For more information: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/news/shark.html

NASA Testing High-Altitude Suborbital Rocket ~ September 5

WALLOPS ISLAND, VA – NASA will conduct a test flight of a Talos-Terrier-Oriole suborbital sounding rocket between 7 and 10 a.m., September 5, from the agency’s launch range at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

This will be the first flight of this launch vehicle which is being developed, using motors that currently exist in the sounding rocket fleet, to support high altitude space science research.

The backup launch day is September 6.

Chuck Brodell, project manager with the Wallops sounding rocket programs office, said, “One of the main objectives of this mission is to develop alternative high altitude vehicle three and four stage configurations that will augment the current NASA stable of suborbital research vehicles. In addition we will test several new hardware developments as well as flight support systems.”

This will be the first flight of the Oriole motor as a third stage for the NASA Sounding Rocket Program and the first flight of the Terrier as a second stage.

The 3-stage, 65-foot tall vehicle is projected to lift its 1,664 pound payload to approximately 176 miles above the Earth. After a 10 minute flight, the payload is expected land in the Atlantic Ocean about 300 miles off the Wallops Island coast. The payload will not be recovered.

The launch may be visible to observers on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, the three lower counties on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and southern Delaware.

The NASA Visitor Center at the Wallops Flight Facility will open at 6 a.m. on launch day for public viewing.

The mission will be available live on Ustream beginning at 6 a.m. on launch day at: http://www.ustream.com/channel/nasa-wallops

Mission status on launch day also can be followed on Twitter and Facebook at: http://www.twitter.com/NASA_Wallops and http://www.facebook.com/NASAWFF

Mission status also is available on the Wallops launch status line at 757-824-2050.

NASA Wallops Island Rocket Launch Rescheduled

The launch attempt NASA/Wallops Island  for Friday  August 24 was scrubbed due to boats in the hazard area.

A launch attempt will not be made on Saturday, August 25 due to projected inclement weather.

A new launch date is to be determined.

NASA Wallops Island Rocket Launch Thursday

NASA will launch a Terrier-Improved Malemute suborbital sounding rocket carrying university student developed experiments on August 23 from the agency's launch range at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Based on the approved range schedule, the launch window is between 6:30 and 10:30 a.m. The backup launch days are August 24 and 25.

Four university experiments will be flown as part of an educational project called RockSat-X, which is designed to provide students hands-on experience in designing, fabricating, testing and conducting experiments for space flight. The project is a joint effort between NASA and the Colorado Space Grant Consortium.

The selected experiments for this years RockSat-X launch are from Baylor University, University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Puerto Rico and Virginia Tech.

The experiments will fly on a two-stage Terrier-Improved Malemute rocket to a projected altitude of 98 miles. After the 15-minute flight, the payload carrying the experiments will land via a parachute in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 66 miles off the coast of Virginia. The 875-pound payload will be recovered for re-use and experiment analysis.

The NASA Visitor Center will open at 5:30 a.m. on launch day for public viewing.

The mission will be available live on Ustream beginning at 5:30 a.m. on launch day at:

http://www.ustream.com/channel/nasa-wallops

Mission status on launch day also can be followed on Twitter and Facebook at:

http://www.Twitter.com/NASA_Wallops

https://www.facebook.com/NASAWFF

Mission status also is available on the Wallops launch status line at 757-824-2050.

More information on the RockSat-X mission is available at:

www.nasa.gov/wallops

Rocket Mission Carrying University Student Experiments

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. -- University students will put their academic skills to the test when atmospheric and technology experiments they developed fly on a NASA suborbital sounding rocket. The launch will take place between 6:30 and 10 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 23, from the agency's Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island, Va.
Four university experiments will be flown as part of an educational project called RockSat-X, which is designed to provide students hands-on experience in designing, fabricating, testing and conducting experiments for space flight. The project is a joint effort between NASA and the Colorado Space Grant Consortium at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The selected experiments for this year's RockSat launch are from Baylor University in Waco, Texas; University of Colorado at Boulder; the University of Puerto Rico; and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Va.

"RockSat-X is part of a series of student flight programs designed to enhance students' skills and prepare them for careers at NASA and in the aerospace industry," said Chris Koehler, director of the Colorado Space Grant Consortium.

The program begins with a hands-on workshop called RockOn and then proceeds to the RockSat-C and RockSat-X programs. At each level, the experiments become more complex, which provides students an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the requirements for developing space-based experiments.

The experiments will fly on a two-stage Terrier-Improved Malemute rocket to a projected altitude of 98 miles. After the 15-minute flight, the payload carrying the experiments will splash down via parachute in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 66 miles off the coast of Virginia. The 875-pound payload will be recovered for re-use and experiment analysis.

The University of Puerto Rico will use a mass spectrometer to conduct an analysis of atmospheric particles and pressure. Virginia Tech and Baylor universities have teamed up to measure nitric oxide and atmospheric dust. The University of Colorado will be testing a device to assist in de-orbiting small spacecraft and the Colorado Space Grant Consortium will fly seven cameras to capture all the action in high-definition, which will be made available to the public shortly after recovery.

The RockSat-X concept provides students with a payload structure with pre-defined mechanical, power and data interfaces and volume and mass limits. This is the second RockSat-X mission, with the first having been flown July 11, 2011.

The project will be the ninth suborbital rocket mission this year from NASA's launch facility on Wallops Island and the first of four launches scheduled through mid-September.

RockSat-X program information is available at:

http://spacegrant.colorado.edu/rockon/

The launch will be available live on Ustream at:

http://www.ustream.com/channel/nasa-wallops

For more about NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/wallops

NASA Rocket Launch Rescheduled For Monday

NASA'S  WALLOPS FLIGHT CENTER
IRVE-3 Launch Scrub: Bad weather in recovery zone off N.C. coast has postponed attempt. We'll try again Monday, July 23 5-8 a.m.



NASA managers are rescheduling the launch of an inflatable heat shield technology demonstration flight from the agency's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va., until no earlier than Sunday, July 22.

The Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3) launch was postponed for one day to allow for additional testing of launch vehicle systems. NASA has three consecutive days of launch opportunities for IRVE-3, with a liftoff window from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. EDT each day.


IRVE-3 is part of the Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) Project within the Game Changing Development Program, part of NASA's Space Technology Program.


The rocket will be visible to residents in the Wallops and southern Chesapeake Bay region.


The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will open at 4:30 a.m. on launch day for viewing the launch.


Further information on this mission including how to view the launch on the Internet and following the countdown on Twitter and

Facebook is available at: www.nasa.gov/wallops

NASA Television will air the IRVE-3 launch live and stream it on the agency's website at: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Further information on the IRVE-3 is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/hiad

NASA Rocket Launch from Virginia

Photo/Wikipedia

NASA Rocket Launch from Virginia Scheduled July 21

NASA will launch an inflatable aeroshell/heat shield technology demonstrator on a Black Brant XI sounding rocket July 21 from the agency’s launch range at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

NASA researchers are working to develop a new kind of lightweight inflatable spacecraft outer shell to slow and protect vehicles as they blaze through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds.

Based on the approved range schedule, the rocket is set for launch between 6 and 8 a.m. EDT. The backup launch days are July 22 - 24.

The Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3), developed at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., will be flown on a suborbital flight test ride on a three-stage launch vehicle. Approximately 20 minutes after launch, the test article is projected to splash down in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 100 miles east of Cape Hatteras, NC.

The rocket launch may be visible to residents in the Wallops and southern Chesapeake Bay region.

The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will open at 4:30 a.m. on launch day for viewing the launch.

The launch will be webcast beginning at 5 a.m. on launch day at: http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/webcast and http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-wallops

Launch status can be followed on launch day on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/NASA_Wallops and Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/NASAWFF

Launch status also is available on the Wallops launch status line at 757-824-2050.

Further information on the IRVE-3 is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/hiad

Rocket Launch Posponed

NASA is postponing the launch of two suborbital sounding rockets from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on July 15.

 The postponement will allow scientist to review the results from two previous rockets launched from Wallops on July 10 and make adjustments to the project to enhance the science data obtained during the flights.

Further information on the mission is available on the Internet at:  www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/rockets-atmosphere.html 

The next launch currently scheduled at the Wallops Flight Facility is a Terrier-Improved Orion suborbital sounding rocket carrying experiments from four universities. The launch is set for 7 to 10 a.m. July 21. The backup launch day is July 22.

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility

The rocket launch from NASA's  Wallops Flight Facility was a SUCCESS this morning!




Photo by JMS Photography



The second set of launches for this mission will be launches no earlier than Tuesday July 12. Window 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m EDT