[Launch Alert] Vandenberg Launch Delayed

[Brian Webb]

                             LAUNCH ALERT

			           Brian Webb
		         Ventura County, California
		        E-mail: kd6nrp@earthlink.net
	         Web Site: http://www.spacearchive.info

				             2004 April 8 (Thursday) 19:53 PDT
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                   NEXT VANDENBERG LAUNCH DELAYED

The launch date for NASA's Gravity Probe B has been postponed two
days to April 19th. A Delta II rocket carrying the satellite is
slated for a morning launch from Vandenberg at 10:01 PDT.

The launch was postponed due to a launch pad ground support equipment
problem.

This information is courtesy of the Gravity Probe B team.

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        NASA's X-43A FLIGHT RESULTS IN TREASURE TROVE OF DATA
                          NASA News Release

NASA's extremely successful X-43A hypersonic research aircraft flight
of March 27, 2004, resulted in a treasure trove of the first actual
scramjet flight data ever obtained.

The initial data review of the flight was conducted on March 31,
confirming that high-fidelity flight data was obtained throughout the
vehicle's boost, stage separation and descent to splash down in the
Pacific Ocean.

"The data clearly shows, and without question, that scramjets work,"
said Griff Corpening, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center's X-43A
chief engineer. "But we did see a couple of areas that differed from
what was seen in the wind tunnels, thus reinforcing the need for
flight testing," Corpening said.

Two very significant aviation milestones occurred on this joint
effort by NASA Langley Research Center, NASA Dryden, and their
industry partners: First, controlled accelerating flight at Mach 7
under scramjet power, and second, the successful stage separation at
high dynamic pressure of two non-axisymmetric vehicles. This was the
first time an airbreathing scramjet-powered aircraft has flown freely.

As icing on the cake that capped the mission's success, the flight
resulted in the setting of a new aeronautical speed record. The X-43A
reached a speed of over Mach 7, or about 5,000 mph, faster than any
known aircraft powered by an airbreathing engine has ever flown.

"We flew very closely to how we predicted we would fly in terms of
Mach, dynamic pressure, vehicle angle of attack, vehicle yaw, and
vehicle roll," Corpening said.

The March 27 flight, originating from NASA's Dryden Flight Research
Center, began with NASA's B-52B launch aircraft carrying the X-43A
out to the test range over the Pacific Ocean off the California
coast. The X-43A was boosted up to its test altitude of about 95,000
ft., where it separated from its modified Pegasus booster and flew
freely under its own power.

Planning is underway for the next flight, currently scheduled for
this fall. The recent flight success allows engineers to zero in on
where to focus their attention, allowing the Hyper-X team to move
more quickly and with more confidence in preparing for the Mach 10
flight, Corpening added.

NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., and Dryden Flight
Research Center, Edwards, Calif., jointly conduct the Hyper-X
program. ATK GASL (formerly MicroCraft, Inc.) in Tullahoma, Tenn.,
built both the vehicle and the engine, and Boeing Phantom Works in
Huntington Beach, Calif., designed the thermal protection and onboard
systems. The booster is a modified Pegasus rocket built by Orbital
Sciences Corp. Chandler, Ariz.

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           NASA'S AURA SATELLITE DELIVERED TO LAUNCH SITE
                          NASA News Release

NASA's Aura spacecraft, the latest in the Earth Observing System (EOS)
series, arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., to begin launch
preparations.

Packed in a special shipping container, Aura was transported from
Northrop Grumman's Space Park manufacturing facility in Redondo Beach,
Calif. The spacecraft will undergo final tests and integration with a
Delta II rocket for launch in June.

Aura's four state-of-the-art instruments will study the atmosphere's
chemistry and dynamics. The spacecraft will provide data to help
scientists better understand the Earth's ozone, air quality and
climate change.

"The entire Aura team is very excited to see all our efforts come to
fruition and is looking forward to a successful launch," said Rick
Pickering, Aura Project Manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
in Greenbelt, Md.

Aura fulfills part of NASA's commitment to study the Earth as a global
system and represents a key agency contribution to the U.S. Global
Change Research Program. This mission will continue the global data
collection underway by NASA's other EOS satellites, Terra, which
monitors land, and Aqua, which observes Earth's water cycle.

The Aura spacecraft is part of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, a
long-term research effort to determine how human-induced and natural
changes affect global environment.

For more information about Aura on the Internet, visit:

    http://aura.gsfc.nasa.gov

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                          WEB SITE UPDATES

The following updates were made to my Space Archive web site
(www.spacearchive.info) during the past few weeks:

Minuteman III Launch Photos

A series of photos of the spectacular 2002 September Minuteman III
launch were posted at:

     http://www.spacearchive.info/minuteman-gt-180gm.htm

Audio Files

The following audio files were added to the File Library
(www.spacearchive.info/library.htm):

     bv-5.mp3

     minuteman-gt-184gm.mp3

     x-43a-flight-2-story.mp3

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Copyright � 2004 Brian Webb. All rights reserved. This newsletter may
be distributed in its entirety without restriction. Excerpts may be
reprinted elsewhere without permission if the source is clearly
identified as follows:

  Reprinted from Launch Alert (www.spacearchive.info/newsletter.htm)