CST-100 Starliner (Orbital Flight Test) - Atlas V N22 (AV-080) - CCAFS SLC-41 - 20.12.2019, 11:36 UTC.

[tnt22]

 Stephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 7 мин. назад

Covering Starliner's first mission to the space station will require sleep shifting.

- Launch - Dec. 20 at 6:36am EST

- Docking - Dec. 21 at 8:08am EST

- Undocking - Dec. 28 at 2:16am EST

- Deorbit burn - Dec. 28 at 5:02am EST

- Landing - Dec. 28 at White Sands at 5:48am EST

[ronatu]

Готовят мне на день рождения подарок...

[Чебурашка]

Посадка в 5:48..
А на месте посадки, случаем,  не будет ещё темно?

[tnt22]

Чебурашка написал:
Посадка в 5:48..
А на месте посадки, случаем,  не будет ещё темно?

White Sands - часовой пояс MT (-2 h от EST) - ну, мягко так скажем, темновато... зимой около 4-х утра

[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2019/12/12/flight-readiness-concludes-for-boeings-orbital-flight-test/
https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2019/12/12/flight-readiness-concludes-for-boeings-orbital-flight-test/

Flight Readiness Concludes for Boeing's Orbital Flight Test

Linda Herridge
Posted Dec 12, 2019 at 2:28 pm


Ken Bowersox, deputy associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations at NASA Headquarters, speaks during the flight readiness review for Boeing's upcoming Orbital Flight Test in Operations Support Building 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Dec. 12, 2019. Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The uncrewed Orbital Flight Test will be the Starliner's first flight to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA and Boeing are proceeding with plans for Boeing's Orbital Flight Test following a full day of briefings and discussion called a Flight Readiness Review that took place at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.


Ken Bowersox, deputy associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations at NASA Headquarters, speaks during the flight readiness review for Boeing's upcoming Orbital Flight Test in Operations Support Building 2 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Dec. 12, 2019. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Launch of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled for 6:36 a.m. EST Friday, Dec. 20, from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The uncrewed flight test will be Starliner's maiden mission to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

NASA is working with its commercial partners to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil for the first time since 2011. Safe, reliable and cost-effective human transportation to and from the space station will allow for additional research time and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's testbed for exploration.

NASA will hold a post-flight readiness review teleconference at 3 p.m. EST for media from Kennedy with the following representatives:

[/li]
• Jim Morhard, NASA Deputy Administrator
  
• Phil McAlister, director, NASA Commercial Spaceflight Development
  
• Kathy Lueders, manager, NASA Commercial Crew Program
  
• Kirk Shireman, manager, International Space Station Program
  
• John Mulholland, vice president and program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program
  
• Steve Koerner, director, Flight Operations
  

[tnt22]

 Boeing Space @BoeingSpace 22 мин. назад

Starliner, we are a go for launch!  After today's successful Flight Readiness Review, #Starliner's Orbital Flight Test to @Space_Station lifting off on @ulalaunch #AtlasV takes flight Dec. 20 at 6:36 a.m. ET.

See the launch live: http://boeing.com/starliner

[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/12/12/u-s-crew-ship-launch-plans-proceed-mind-and-body-research-on-station/

U.S. Crew Ship Launch Plans Proceed; Mind and Body Research on Station

Mark Garcia
Posted Dec 12, 2019 at 2:43 pm


A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, topped by the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, stands at the launch pad in Florida. Credit: Boeing

NASA and Boeing are proceeding with plans for Boeing's Orbital Flight Test following a full day of briefings and a Flight Readiness Review that took place at the Kennedy Space Center.

Launch of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled for 6:36 a.m. EST Friday, Dec. 20, from Florida. The uncrewed flight test will be Starliner's maiden mission to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
...

[tnt22]

Чебурашка написал:
Посадка в 5:48..
А на месте посадки, случаем,  не будет ещё темно?

Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 27 мин. назад

NASA deputy administrator Jim Morhard: I'm happy to announce we're go for launch on Dec. 20.  NASA's Phil McAlister: still some standard work to complete and a couple of issues to close, but the 20th is looking good. Backup dates of Dec. 21 and 23.


11 мин. назад

Boeing's John Mulholland says if the launch doesn't take place by Dec. 23 they have several other dates available in December, including Dec. 25 (Merry Christmas!)


3 мин. назад

Mulholland says the time Starliner will be on station, about a week, is to make sure two landing sites are available on consecutive days. No constraints on landing at night (as will be the case here).

[tnt22]

https://tass.ru/kosmos/7338039

13 ДЕК, 00:57
Партнеры США не высказали оговорок в связи с предстоящим запуском Starliner к МКС
Полет запланирован на 20 декабря

НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 13 декабря. /ТАСС/. Участники программы Международной космической станции (МКС) не высказывали возражений или озабоченности в связи с запланированным на 20 декабря первым полетом к МКС нового американского космического корабля Starliner в беспилотном режиме. Об этом сообщили в четверг представители NASA в ходе телеконференции, транслировавшейся из Центра управления полетами имени Джонсона в Хьюстоне (штат Техас).

"Наши международные партнеры - профессионалы высокого класса, - отметил представитель NASA. - Они хорошо осведомлены по поводу тех вопросов, которыми мы сейчас занимаемся. Они участвовали в обзоре этой программы, осуществляемой корпорацией Boeing. Никто из них не высказал какой-либо озабоченности или оговорок в связи с процедурой подготовки к запуску".

Запуск корабля Statliner ракетой-носителем Atlas V намечен на 06:36 по времени восточного побережья США (14:36 мск) 20 декабря, стыковка с МКС ожидается через 24-25 часов. В том случае, если запуск придется отложить, окна старта откроются 21, 23, 25 и 28 декабря. Контроль за сближением корабля с МКС будут осуществлять астронавты NASA Кристина Кук и Джессика Меир. Starliner оснащен стыковочной системой, которая будет использоваться при экспедициях на Луну и на Марс. Полет нового корабля продлится около восьми суток, а затем он вернется на Землю. По словам представителей NASA, пилотируемый полет может состояться в середине будущего года.
...

[tnt22]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/12/12/nasa-gives-go-ahead-for-starliner-test-flight-to-space-station/

NASA gives go-ahead for Starliner test flight to space station
December 12, 2019 | Stephen Clark


Boeing's first space-ready Starliner capsule stands atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad. Credit: United Launch Alliance

NASA officials cleared Boeing's Starliner spacecraft for flight Thursday after a "thorough and comprehensive" review of the crew capsule's readiness, setting the stage for final pre-launch preparations at Cape Canaveral ahead of liftoff Dec. 20 on an unpiloted demonstration mission to the International Space Station.

The Starliner's Orbital Flight Test will blast off on top of a 172-foot-tall (52.4-meter) United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket fr om Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The test flight is a prerequisite for the first Starliner launch with astronauts on-board, a milestone mission scheduled some time in 2020.

"Together, NASA and Boeing are ready to demonstrate the capabilities of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft ton top of a human-rated Atlas 5 rocket," said James Morhard, NASA's deputy administrator. "This is the first flight test to the International Space Station of this new crew-capable system."

During a full day of briefings and discussion Thursday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, representatives from NASA, Boeing and United Launch Alliance reviewed the status of flight hardware, software and the space station's readiness to receive the Starliner spacecraft.

"We are go for launch for the Orbital Flight Test next Friday, Dec. 20," said Phil McAlister, director of NASA's commercial spaceflight development programs. "There's still some standard open work to complete, and a couple of technical issues we have to close out, so we could move off the 20th. But right now, the 20th is looking good."


Ken Bowersox, deputy associate administrator for human exploration and pperations at NASA Headquarters, speaks during the Flight Readiness Review for Boeing's upcoming Orbital Flight Test. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

John Mulholland, vice president and general manager of Boeing's commercial crew program, said engineers continue to assess several unresolved issues, including a NASA verification of data showing the Starliner for the Orbital Flight Test matches Boeing's design.

"Part of our requirements was to provide that dataset to the International Space Station program, Mulholland said. "They are almost complete with that review, but they are conducting a thorough review of that to make sure that they're satisfied with the thoroughness of our build."

Mulholland said final analysis and qualification of the Starliner's "mission data load," which will be loaded into the capsule's computer Tuesday, is also ongoing.

The launch time Dec. 20 is set for 6:36 a.m. EST (1136 GMT), roughly the moment Earth's rotation brings Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 launch pad under the space station's orbital plane.

The Atlas 5's Russian-made RD-180 main engine and two Aerojet Rocketdyne solid rocket boosters will power the launcher off the pad. A dual-engine Centaur upper stage will power the Starliner into space and deploy the capsule on a preliminary suborbital trajectory. The capsule's own thrusters will fire about a half-hour after liftoff to reach a stable orbit and begin its pursuit of the station.

"While officially getting the authority to proceed with the launch, it's important to remember that the launch of the Starliner is just the beginning," Mulholland said Thursday. "The spacecraft will spend about eight days in orbit, and we've got a highly skilled team who will be executing the mission."

Boeing, ULA and NASA have backup launch opportunities reserved with the U.S. Air Force's Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral for Dec. 21 and Dec. 23.

Assuming the launch occurs Dec. 20, docking of the Starliner spacecraft with the International Space Station's Harmony module is scheduled for Dec. 21 at 8:08 a.m. EST (1308 GMT).

The space station crew will open hatches and enter the Starliner spacecraft, retrieving cargo and performing inspections during the ship's week-long stay.

At the conclusion of the eight-day test flight, the Starliner is scheduled to undock from the space station Dec. 28 around 2:16 a.m. EST (0716 GMT). After backing away to a safe distance, the 16.5-foot-tall (5-meter) capsule will fire its service module engines at 5:02 a.m. EST (1002 GMT) for a deorbit burn.

After slowing its speed enough to fall back into the atmosphere, the Starliner will jettison its disposable service module. The crew module will orient itself to fly belly first, exposing its heat shield to temperatures up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,650 degrees Celsius).

While the service module burns up in the atmosphere, the spacecraft's crew module will unfurl three main parachutes to slow down for landing. The capsule will inflate airbags to cushion its touchdown at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico on Dec. 28 at 5:48 a.m. EST (1048 GMT).

Recovery teams will be on standby at White Sands, the mission's preferred landing site, to safe and retrieve the spaceship. They will transport the capsule back to Florida for refurbishment and reuse on a future crewed Starliner flight.

"Mainly, the focus of this flight is to prove out ... the spacecraft's ability to get to the International Space Station and dock safely, transfer the cargo, and then safely return back to White Sands," Mulholland said.


ULA's mission poster for the Starliner's Orbital Flight Test. Credit: United Launch Alliance

The Flight Readiness Review held Thursday was a major milestone in the Starliner's first launch campaign.

"The Boeing team, in particular, went above and beyond in the last few months to complete the necessary testing and prepare the necessary certification products required for this review," McAlister said. "Everyone is eager to see this mission fly, but the NASA team did a thorough and comprehensive job verifying all the safety products.

"If someone saw something that gave them pause or required additional work, they spoke up, we talked about it, and in some cases, we developed additional data to help close the open item," McAlister said. "The team worked quickly but they didn't hurry, and I think that speaks to the competence and professionalism of the team."

NASA is paying Boeing more than $4.8 billion for the Starliner program through a series of agreements and contracts since 2010. While the decade-long development of the Starliner spacecraft is nearing the finish line, the unpiloted test flight later this month is a precursor to future flights with astronauts.

Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson, a former space shuttle commander, will fly on the Starliner's first crewed test flight next year. NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Nicole Mann will join Ferguson on the mission to the space station, wh ere they could stay for up to six months.

The Starliner's demonstration flight this month will also test the capsule's life support systems before astronauts fly next year. An instrumented test dummy named "Rosie the Astronaut" will ride in one of the capsule's seats to collect data on the environments astronauts will see on future missions.

"This uncrewed test flight is not just another contract milestone," McAlister said Thursday. "Its just a phenomenal opportunity for us to learn the true performance of the spacecraft. Computer models are great, but they only go so far. Seeing how the spacecraft actually performs in the operational environment of space is a huge confidence-building measure, and it's going to provide us with the critical data we need for the final certification."

McAlister cautioned that the Starliner's first trip to space will be risky.

"While we've done everything we think is necessary prior to flight, there will undoubtedly be some unexpected results," he said. "This is a test, and testing inevitably identifies some items that were unanticipated, and some of those items may even be unwelcome, but we are going to work through all those challenges that may arise in order to get our crew members to space, and our spacecraft will be better because of it."

NASA's other commercial crew partner, SpaceX, conducted the first unpiloted test flight of its Crew Dragon spacecraft to the station in March. Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's commercial crew program, said Thursday that SpaceX could launch its first Crew Dragon flight with astronauts in the first quarter of 2020.

After the Starliner and Crew Dragon complete their first crewed missions, NASA plans to certify both vehicles for regular crew rotation flights to the space station. Each capsule will carry at least four astronauts for NASA and international partners to and from the station, ending U.S. reliance on Russian Soyuz crew ferry ships.

A fifth seat on Starliner missions could be sold commercially for space tourists or private astronauts.

"We have not had this capability in the United States since the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011, and we are looking forward to ending that gap," McAlister said.

[Бампер]

Эмблема еще не появилась?

[Виктор Левашов]

[tnt22]

 Aerojet Rocketdyne‏ @AerojetRdyne 2 ч. назад

Here's a quick recap of @AerojetRdyne's propulsion that you will see in action on next week's #Starliner flight! #OFT #TeamStarliner

[tnt22]

https://www.ulalaunch.com/explore/blog-detail/blog/2019/12/13/atlas-v-starliner-oft-by-the-numbers

Atlas V Starliner OFT: By the Numbers
Dec 13, 2019, 11:47 AM

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on its Orbital Flight Test to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Here is a look at the launch by the numbers.



The Atlas V with Starliner stands 172 feet tall and will weigh 979,223 pounds when fully fueled for liftoff.
 
The Common Core Booster first stage is structurally rigid and constructed of isogrid aluminum barrels to stand 107 feet long and 12.5 feet in diameter.
 
The RD-180 main engine burns 48,800 gallons of liquid oxygen and 25,000 gallons of RP-1 fuel, a highly refined kerosene, to generate 860,300 pounds of thrust.
 
This will be the 87th RD-180 to fly since 2000.
 
The first stage is augmented by two AJ60 solid rocket boosters that stand 66 feet long, 62 inches in diameter and each generate 348,500 pounds of thrust.
 
The SRBs are constructed of a continuous graphite-epoxy composite casing with the throttle profile designed into the propellant grain.
 
There have been 115 AJ60s launched since 2003.
 
The Centaur upper stage features pressure-stabilized tanks constructed of corrosion-resistant stainless steel. It is 42 feet long and 10 feet in diameter.
 
The Centaur is powered by two RL10A-4-2 engines that consume 12,300 gallons of liquid hydrogen and 4,150 gallons of liquid oxygen to generate a combined 44,600 pounds of thrust to shape the desired trajectory for Starliner.
 


There have been 80 flights of the Atlas V rocket since Aug. 21, 2002, successfully launching national security payloads, commercial spacecraft and scientific exploration missions with 100 percent mission success.
 
There have been 251 flights of the Centaur upper stage since May 1962, including 228 launches on Atlas rockets and 23 atop Titan vehicles.
 
There have been 166 Dual Engine Centaurs flown to date, with 143 launches by Atlas and 23 by Titan rockets. A total of 85 Single Engine Centaurs have launched, all on Atlas.
 
This will be the 497th and 498th RL10 production engines since 1962.
 
The Launch Vehicle Adapter provides the structural attachment of Starliner to the Atlas V rocket for ascent. It is constructed of a truss structure and metallic ring. The LVA also features a 70-inch-long aeroskirt to enhance the aerodynamic characteristics, stability and loads of the Atlas V.
 
During Project Mercury on Feb. 20, 1962, the Atlas 109-D rocket launched the first American to orbit the Earth, John Glenn, and his Friendship 7 capsule. 
 
Atlas 107-D launched Scott Carpenter and Aurora 7 on  May 24, 1962 to orbit the Earth three times; Sigma 7 and Walter Schirra were launched by Atlas 113-D on Oct. 3, 1962 to complete 6 orbits; and Atlas 130-D launched Faith 7 and Gordon Cooper on a 34-hour voyage in orbit on May 15, 1963, completing the Mercury missions.
 


The Mobile Launch Platform will transfer the Atlas V rocket from the Vertical Integration Facility to the Space Launch Complex-41 pad. The combined MLP and rocket weight at rollout will be 1.6 million pounds.

The pad includes the 200-foot-tall Crew Access Tower and 48-foot-long Crew Access Arm to reach the Starliner crew module hatch.
 
This will be the 66th Atlas V launch from the Space Launch Complex-41 and the 93rd overall launch from the pad since Titan began using the site in 1965.
 
The powered flight of Atlas V to launch Starliner's Orbital Flight Test lasts 11 minutes and 58 seconds The first stage of flight will last 4 minutes and 29 seconds. The single burn of the Centaur lasts 7 minutes and 9 seconds.
 
Atlas V will accelerate Starliner to 17,475 mph.
 
Starliner will be deployed at T+plus 14 minutes and 54 seconds on a suborbital trajectory with parameters of 98 by 39 nautical miles at 51.6 degrees.

[tnt22]

https://tass.ru/kosmos/7348271

14 ДЕК, 11:21
"Рози-ракетчица" отправится к МКС в кабине нового корабля Starliner
Так назвали манекен, снабженный многочисленными датчиками

НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 14 декабря. /ТАСС/. Манекен, названный "Рози-ракетчица" (Rosie the Rocketeer), будет находиться во время первого полета в кабине нового американского космического корабля Starliner, который планируется вывести на орбиту 20 декабря ракетой-носителем Atlas V.

Как сообщил в пятницу интернет-портал Space.com, идею назвать так манекен, снабженный многочисленными датчиками, предложила руководитель подразделения корпорации Boeing по военно-космическим программам Лианна Каре по аналогии с созданным в 1943 году художником Норманом Роквеллом образом "Клепальщицы Рози" (Rosie the Riverter), ставшим символом женщин, занятых в военной промышленности в годы Второй мировой войны. Информация с этих датчиков будет использована для оценки перегрузок, которые будут испытывать астронавты при старте и при возвращении на Землю.

По словам руководителя департамента NASA по коммерческим космическим программам Фила Макаллистера, последняя партия грузов для экипажа МКС будет загружена в Starliner в субботу, после чего люк корабля будет закрыт. Старт ракеты-носителя намечен на 06:36 по времени восточного побережья США (14:36 мск) 20 декабря, а стыковка с МКС ожидается через 24-25 часов.
...
Корабль будет пристыкован к МКС вплоть до 28 декабря, а затем вернется на Землю. Спуск с использованием парашютной системы будет осуществлен на территории полигона Уайт-Сэндз в штате Нью-Мексико.

NASA прекратило пилотируемые полеты в 2011 году после завершения программы использования возвращаемых кораблей Space Shuttle. С тех пор астронавты доставляются на МКС российскими "Союзами".

Помимо Starliner, разработанного корпорацией Boeing, компания SpaceX создала свой корабль Crew Dragon, это модификация грузового корабля Dragon, который уже доставляет грузы для МКС. В автоматическом режиме этот корабль был отправлен к станции 2 марта 2019 года и пристыковался к ней на следующий день.

На МКС сейчас работают россияне Александр Скворцов и Олег Скрипочка, американцы Эндрю Морган, Кристина Кук и Джессика Меир, а также астронавт Европейского космического агентства итальянец Лука Пармитано.

[свернуть]

[tnt22]

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-provide-coverage-of-boeing-orbital-flight-test-for-commercial-crew

Dec. 14, 2019
MEDIA ADVISORY M19-139

NASA to Provide Coverage of Boeing Orbital Flight Test for Commercial Crew


A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, topped by the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, stand on Space Launch Complex 41 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Dec. 4, 2019. The vehicle was in place on the launch pad for Boeing's wet dress rehearsal ahead of the upcoming Orbital Flight Test, an uncrewed mission to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
Credits: Boeing

The launch of Boeing's Orbital Flight Test (OFT) to the International Space Station, as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, is targeted for 6:36 a.m. EST Friday, Dec. 20. The uncrewed flight test will be the Boeing CST-100 Starliner's maiden mission to the space station.

Live coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency's website Tuesday, Dec. 17, with prelaunch events.

Starliner will launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. About 31 minutes after launch, Starliner will reach its preliminary orbit. It is scheduled to dock to the space station at 8:08 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21. Starliner will carry about 600 pounds of crew supplies and equipment to the space station and return some critical research samples to Earth with a parachute-assisted landing at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico at 5:47 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 28.

The flight test will provide valuable data on the end-to-end performance of the Atlas V rocket, Starliner spacecraft, and ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking and landing operations. The data will be used as part of NASA's process of certifying Boeing's crew transportation system for carrying astronauts to and from the space station. NASA's Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry through a public-private partnership to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil for the first time since 2011.

NASA TV mission coverage is as follows (all times are Eastern):

Tuesday, Dec. 17

2 p.m. (no earlier than) – Prelaunch briefing from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Participants include:

[/li]
• Kathy Lueders, manager, NASA Commercial Crew Program
  
• Joel Montalbano, deputy manager, International Space Station Program
  
• John Mulholland, vice president and program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program
  
• John Elbon, chief operating officer, United Launch Alliance
  
• Pat Forrester, astronaut office chief, Johnson Space Center
  
• Will Ulrich, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron
  

Thursday, Dec. 19

9:30 a.m. – NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine near the Countdown Clock with:

[/li]
• Robert Cabana, director, Kennedy Space Center
  
• Mike Fincke, NASA Astronaut, Starliner Crew Flight Test
  
• Nicole Mann, NASA Astronaut, Starliner Crew Flight Test
  
• Chris Ferguson, Boeing Astronaut, Starliner Crew Flight Test
  
• Suni Williams, NASA Astronaut, Starliner first operational mission crew
  
• Josh Cassada, NASA Astronaut, Starliner first operational mission crew
  

Friday, Dec. 20

5:30 a.m. – NASA TV launch coverage begins for the 6:36 a.m. launch.

9 a.m. – Administrator postlaunch news conference. Participants include:

[/li]
• NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine
  
• Jim Chilton, Boeing senior vice president, Space and Launch Division
  
• Astronauts Chris Ferguson, Mike Fincke, and Nicole Mann
  

9:30 a.m. – Launch team postlaunch news conference

[/li]
• Steve Stich, deputy manager, NASA Commercial Crew Program
  
• Boeing representative (to be determined)
  
• ULA representative (to be determined)
  
• Kirk Shireman, manager, International Space Station Program
  

Saturday, Dec. 21

5 a.m. – Coverage of rendezvous, docking and hatch opening

Friday, Dec. 27

8:15 a.m. – Coverage of hatch closing

11:45 p.m. – Coverage of undocking

Saturday, Dec. 28

4:30 a.m. – Coverage of deorbit and landing begins

The goal of NASA's Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable and cost-effective human space transportation to and from the International Space Station and low-Earth orbit, which could allow for additional research time and increase the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity's testbed for exploration. Commercial partnerships are an important part of NASA's Artemis program, which will send the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024.

-end-

Last Updated: Dec. 14, 2019
Editor: Karen Northon

[tnt22]

 Tory Bruno‏ @torybruno 9 ч. назад

Hydrazine load completed. #OFT is near

[tnt22]

https://www.ulalaunch.com/explore/blog-detail/blog/2019/12/13/atlas-v-starliner-oft-by-the-numbers

Atlas V Starliner OFT: By the Numbers
Dec 13, 2019, 11:47 AM

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on its Orbital Flight Test to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Here is a look at the launch by the numbers.



The Atlas V with Starliner stands 172 feet tall and will weigh 979,223 pounds when fully fueled for liftoff.
 
The Common Core Booster first stage is structurally rigid and constructed of isogrid aluminum barrels to stand 107 feet long and 12.5 feet in diameter.
 
The RD-180 main engine burns 48,800 gallons of liquid oxygen and 25,000 gallons of RP-1 fuel, a highly refined kerosene, to generate 860,300 pounds of thrust.
 
This will be the 87th RD-180 to fly since 2000.
 
The first stage is augmented by two AJ60 solid rocket boosters that stand 66 feet long, 62 inches in diameter and each generate 348,500 pounds of thrust.
 
The SRBs are constructed of a continuous graphite-epoxy composite casing with the throttle profile designed into the propellant grain.
 
There have been 115 AJ60s launched since 2003.
 
The Centaur upper stage features pressure-stabilized tanks constructed of corrosion-resistant stainless steel. It is 42 feet long and 10 feet in diameter.
 
The Centaur is powered by two RL10A-4-2 engines that consume 12,300 gallons of liquid hydrogen and 4,150 gallons of liquid oxygen to generate a combined 44,600 pounds of thrust to shape the desired trajectory for Starliner.
 


There have been 80 flights of the Atlas V rocket since Aug. 21, 2002, successfully launching national security payloads, commercial spacecraft and scientific exploration missions with 100 percent mission success.
 
There have been 251 flights of the Centaur upper stage since May 1962, including 228 launches on Atlas rockets and 23 atop Titan vehicles.
 
There have been 166 Dual Engine Centaurs flown to date, with 143 launches by Atlas and 23 by Titan rockets. A total of 85 Single Engine Centaurs have launched, all on Atlas.
 
This will be the 497th and 498th RL10 production engines since 1962.
 
The Launch Vehicle Adapter provides the structural attachment of Starliner to the Atlas V rocket for ascent. It is constructed of a truss structure and metallic ring. The LVA also features a 70-inch-long aeroskirt to enhance the aerodynamic characteristics, stability and loads of the Atlas V.
 
During Project Mercury on Feb. 20, 1962, the Atlas 109-D rocket launched the first American to orbit the Earth, John Glenn, and his Friendship 7 capsule. 
 
Atlas 107-D launched Scott Carpenter and Aurora 7 on  May 24, 1962 to orbit the Earth three times; Sigma 7 and Walter Schirra were launched by Atlas 113-D on Oct. 3, 1962 to complete 6 orbits; and Atlas 130-D launched Faith 7 and Gordon Cooper on a 34-hour voyage in orbit on May 15, 1963, completing the Mercury missions.
 


The Mobile Launch Platform will transfer the Atlas V rocket from the Vertical Integration Facility to the Space Launch Complex-41 pad. The combined MLP and rocket weight at rollout will be 1.6 million pounds.

The pad includes the 200-foot-tall Crew Access Tower and 48-foot-long Crew Access Arm to reach the Starliner crew module hatch.
 
This will be the 66th Atlas V launch from the Space Launch Complex-41 and the 93rd overall launch from the pad since Titan began using the site in 1965.
 
The powered flight of Atlas V to launch Starliner's Orbital Flight Test lasts 11 minutes and 54 seconds The first stage of flight will last 4 minutes and 29 seconds. The single burn of the Centaur lasts 7 minutes and 9 seconds.
 
Atlas V will accelerate Starliner to 17,475 mph.
 
Starliner will be deployed at T+plus 14 minutes and 54 seconds on a suborbital trajectory with parameters of 98 by 39 nautical miles at 51.6 degrees.

[tnt22]

Boeing Space‏ @BoeingSpace 1 ч. назад

We're getting all decked out for our Dec. 20 holiday season flight to @Space_Station. This splash of color representing our partnership with @NASA and continued commitment to the future of human spaceflight really makes #Starliner shine.

[tnt22]

 Boeing Space‏ @BoeingSpace 37 мин. назад

#TeamStarliner hard at work today in the Orbital Flight Test countdown.
Final mission software data load
Interior closeouts
Window inspection
Side hatch closed
#Starliner configured for launch

#OFT launches Dec. 20 at 6:36 a.m. ET  

http://boeing.com/starliner