[meteorite-list] Rocket Trouble Delays Rosetta Launch Until Next Week

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:31:29 2004
Message-ID: <200402271608.IAA21275_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/ariane/v158/040227delay.html

Rocket trouble delays Rosetta until next week
BY JUSTIN RAY
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
February 27, 2004

Launch of Europe's ambitious Rosetta mission to orbit a comet and deliver a
tiny lander onto the icy surface has been postponed yet again -- this time by
insulating foam that detached from the Ariane 5 rocket's main stage.

Originally scheduled for blastoff in January 2003, Rosetta was grounded by
concerns with the Ariane 5 in the wake of a failed launch and missed its
window to reach comet Wirtanen.

After reprogramming the mission to target another comet, Thursday
morning's initial launch attempt was thwarted by high-altitude wind
conditions.

While preparing for another countdown Thursday evening, the
foam trouble prompted officials to halt the launch. This delay is
expected to stretch into early next week.

To make repairs and perform a thorough inspection of the main stage, the
Ariane 5 must be rolled off the launch pad and returned to its assembly
building.

The rocket's main stage uses super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid
oxygen to feed the Vulcain 1 engine during the first 10 minutes of
flight. The stage is covered with insulation to protect the cryogenic
propellants inside -- a concept similar to the foam on space shuttle
external tanks.

There is not yet a sense of urgency to get Rosetta airborne. The
available period in which the craft can embark on its trek to comet
Churyumov-Gerasimenko extends to March 17.

Rosetta will travel 10 years before arriving at its destination,
becoming the first spacecraft to orbit a comet. A lander called
Philae will separate from the Rosetta mothership and land on the
comet's nucleus for detailed research.

Comets are believed to be time capsules holding important clues
about the birth of the solar system and its early development. The
Rosetta mission seeks to understand the properties of comets and
the processes that take place inside them.

"Working in unison, the lander and the orbiter will revolutionize our
understanding of comets," Rosetta project scientist Gerhard Schwehm
said. "They will lead to amazing discoveries about the most
primitive building blocks of the solar system."
Received on Fri 27 Feb 2004 11:08:36 AM PST