WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.000
NAIL: Next, you will hear from the people closest to the missions. From the Pegasus rocket to the advanced micro

00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:11.000
satellites, we'll get an up-close, in-depth look at NASA's newest experimental satellite mission.

00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:17.000
Launch director Chuck Dovale will be here to take us through our important launch day preparations and activities.

00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:25.000
ST5 team members Art Azarbarzin, Christopher Stevens and Jim Slavin will give us a mission briefing and answer

00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:32.000
webcast viewer questions. At the end of the show, we'll announce who submitted the winning entries from our mission

00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:38.000
question board.  But first, Air Force Capt. David Bieger, our launch weather officer, joins us. Welcome, captain.

00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:45.000
CAPT. DAVID BIEGER: Thanks, Tiffany. It's great to be here.  NAIL: David, since ST5 differs from a typical flight pattern

00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:51.000
because the satellites will be launched from the bottom of a jet plane, what special weather conditions do you have to be

00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:56.000
aware of and how does the forecast look on launch day?  BIEGER: Well, that's a good question, Tiffany. I'm going to

00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:02.000
focus on several things. First, going to focus on monitoring airfield minimums for takeoff and landing of the L-1011 aircraft,

00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:08.000
and this is to protect both the crew on board as well as the launch vehicle. I'm also going to monitor solar constraints for

00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:13.000
safety, that are designed to protect the vehicle against both natural and triggered lightning. And lastly, I'm going to monitor

00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:19.000
for turbulence and precipitation along the flight path and in the drop box to ensure safety of the launch vehicle and L-1011

00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:25.000
through flight through the upper atmosphere.  If any of these constraints are outside of established minimums, Orbital and

00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:31.000
the 30th Space Wing will hold or scrub the launch to ensure mission assurance and safety of the local population. Taking a

00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:37.000
look at satellite, a vigorous, upper-level low will track north of the central coast, with an associated frontal boundary

00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:42.000
extending westward through the drop box. This will bring a broad area of moisture to the mid and upper levels and

00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:48.000
enhance showering thunderstorm development below flight level.  A deck stratocumulous and cumulous clouds will move toward

00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:54.000
the central coast ahead of the boundary, with rain showers likely at Vandenberg. This is a concern for launch because there cannot

00:01:54.000 --> 00:02:00.000
be any precipitation below 24,000 feet at the airfield or along the flight path and we cannot have thunderstorms within 10

00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:07.000
nautical miles of the launch vehicle.  The launch forecast for T-0 calls for several layers of cumulous clouds from 2,000 to

00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:14.000
20,000 feet. Showers and thunderstorms will be present in the drop box below flight level, and upper-level winds are

00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:21.000
expected from 90 to 95 knots due west. The overall probability that weather constraints will be violated for launch is 80

00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:27.000
percent, and this is due to several constraints. The chief among them are turbulence, cumulous clouds and precipitation at

00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:33.000
the airfield. Should we have to make a second attempt, that system's going to track into southern California, take away a

00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:38.000
lot of the showers and thunderstorms.  We'll have lingering moisture, cumulous clouds and strato-cumulous clouds, but

00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:43.000
our overall probability of violating constraints on a 24-hour slip will only be 20 percent.

00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:47.000
NAIL: Thank you, David, for joining us today.  BIEGER: My pleasure.

00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:52.000