New Horizons Arrives At Ksc Options

[BPCooper]

Thank's for posting that. I assume that the day-by-day vs arrival year is based on how close to Jupiter it winds up coming; and then later, Pluto's distance? The impression given on the NH website is that immediately after Feb 2nd it jumps to 2019 (and that before and after there are no variances).

[Alan Stern]

The plot shown is an old version of the launch window depiction. It should
not have been shown at OPAG, but little things like this happen.

Back in 2004, I realized that 28 Jan was very close to being able to make
2015, energetically. Our mission design team was thus able to make
28 Jan an Aug 2015 arrival. Just one month later than all the other 2015
arrivals, which are in July. We could even have moved some of the other 2016
days to 2015, but at the expense of our radio science, which requires a near
opposition geometry to minimize IPM scintillation; to preserve the
radio science, we stuck with 2016 July.

The bottom line is that about a year ago we moved the arrival for a 28 Jan '06
launch from July 2016 to Aug 2015, giving us 18 days total for 2015 arrivals.

-Alan

[Guest_BruceMoomaw_*]

You got any word on how serious the possible storm damage to the booster was, Alan?

[Alan Stern]

Bruce- It's only superficial. The threat to launch is the possible Boeing strike.

-Alan

[BPCooper]

The Boeing strike should have no effect on NH processing (and certainly not Atlas processing). Like I said, there was no damage to the booster itself, only some ground equipment.

[Alan Stern]

The Boeing strike should have no effect on NH processing (and certainly not Atlas processing). Like I said, there was no damage to the booster itself, only some ground equipment.

To the contrary, the Boeing strike could effect processing of our Boeing third stage.
We are actively working with KSC, Atlas, and Boeing, to mitigate possible effects,
but there is no guarantee.

-Alan

[BPCooper]

To the contrary, the Boeing strike could effect processing of our Boeing third stage.
We are actively working with KSC, Atlas, and Beoing, to mitigate possible effects,
but there is no guarantee.

-Alan

That's right, I forgot about that. Thanks. I shouldn't doubt you of course :-)

The stage itself is Thiokol, by the way, but I know it has a Boeing spin table and adapter attached.

[ljk4-1]

Actually, the blood-chilling thing about "nucular" is how many non-Bushians pronounce it the same way -- including Tony Blair, Walter Mondale, and (as the supreme insult) Clinton's first Defense Secretary, Les Aspin.  A DEFENSE SECRETARY who can't say "nuclear" is a bit much.  And what the hell was Tony learning in those pricey private schools, besides a plummy accent?

At an interview regarding the Huygens landing on Titan, Blair admitted he learned very little science in school and did not care for the subject.

Par for the course for most political leaders. Which goes a long way towards explaining the state of things in the world, along with a certain US leader who thinks kids having to learn ID along with evolution is a "fair and balanced" idear.

[BPCooper]

The Boeing strike should have no effect on NH processing (and certainly not Atlas processing). Like I said, there was no damage to the booster itself, only some ground equipment.

http://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av010/051102srbreplace.html

Article noting the SRB replacement. This differs from what I was told, in fact it differs from what KSC PAO said (that there was no noticible anything, even a scuff, on the rocket and that the SRB replacement was purely for precaution). Apparently there was a tiny ding.

Regardless, they said today there will be no impact to the launch date.

[BPCooper]

I had the privelege to go inside the clean room at the PHSF today to photograph New Horizons, and I thought I would share my photos:

http://www.launchphotography.com/NewHorizonsProcessing.html

It was a pleasure meeting Alan and the other members of the NH/APL team.

[mike]

It's amazing to me that such humble-looking machines are the first man-made objects to travel so far. The king of Spain couldn't send out a little probe to determine whether there was a quick route to India. And yet, these humble-looking machines will show us things we could never have imagined (until we see them, and then it will all be perfectly obvious, but I digress), and New Horizons will likely outlive me (and you, and that other guy).

Thanks for the pictures.

[ljk4-1]

It's amazing to me that such humble-looking machines are the first man-made objects to travel so far.  The king of Spain couldn't send out a little probe to determine whether there was a quick route to India.    And yet, these humble-looking machines will show us things we could never have imagined (until we see them, and then it will all be perfectly obvious, but I digress), and New Horizons will likely outlive me (and you, and that other guy).

Thanks for the pictures.

Will anything of note other than a microchip full of names be placed on NH before it is launched?

[dvandorn]

I'm impressed by NH's relatively small physical size. As someone who remembers the early Mariners and such, it's an interesting comparison. There's a huge amount of sensing capability packed into that thing, which is no larger than the Voyagers.

In fact, it looks to me to be perhaps smaller than the Voyagers, overall.

NH looks like a 21st-century space probe, all right!

-the other Doug

[mchan]

I had the privelege to go inside the clean room at the PHSF today to photograph New Horizons, and I thought I would share my photos:

http://www.launchphotography.com/NewHorizonsProcessing.html

It was a pleasure meeting Alan and the other members of the NH/APL team.

Great photos. Thanks for sharing.

For seeing the launch in person, is the view better from Jetty Park or from along the Indian River due west of complex 41?

What is the launch azimuth for the NH launch?

Thanks,
Mike

[mchan]

I'm impressed by NH's relatively small physical size.  As someone who remembers the early Mariners and such, it's an interesting comparison.  There's a huge amount of sensing capability packed into that thing, which is no larger than the Voyagers.

In fact, it looks to me to be perhaps smaller than the Voyagers, overall.

NH looks like a 21st-century space probe, all right!

-the other Doug

Voyager's HGA dish appeared to be larger than the main spacecraft bus structure, while NH's main structure appears slightly larger than the HGA. Voyager also had the boom mounted scan platform and RTGs vs all body mounted for NH. Oh, and Voyager had a mag boom which was cut from NH.

It would be interesting to see a side by side to scale graphic showing all the spacecraft that are or will be on solar system escape trajectories.

Mike