Report #14
Photos: (left) FUSE in Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida. (April 1999; photo: NASA) (Right) FUSE Delta II rocket stack--sans FUSE! (June 1999; photo courtesy of Gary Kushner, U Col.) (Click on either photo to see enlarged version.)
FUSE AT CCAS, READY FOR LAUNCH!Things are looking very positive now for a June 23 launch of FUSE. Stacking of our Delta II rocket on launch pad 17A began on the afternoon of June 3. As of June 8, the first stage, second stage and the three solid rocket boosters have all been assembled. The fairing is the last remaining large piece of hardware yet to be brought to the rocket. The satellite itself has been performing well. Testing from the SCC will end no later than June 12, the same day the solar arrays will be installed. The next day the covers over the telescope mirrors and gratings, which protect the delicate optical coatings from contamination during ground testing, will be removed for the last time. The satellite will be taken to the pad on the morning of June 16, one week before launch. The final inspections and installation of the fairing takes place on June 19. The final launch countdown simulation starts at 6:30 p.m. on June 9, and continues through the "launch" the next morning. The real window opens at 11:36 am on June 23 and lasts for approximately 76 minutes. This is the final pre-launch Satellite Status Report. But watch this space! We expect to transitions to a "Mission Status Report" series immediately following launch! Reported by: Scott Friedman, JHU Project Scientist, and Bill Blair, Chief of Mission Planning.
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