GEORGE DILLER: STEREO's launch campaign, as we learned earlier from our center director,
Jim Kennedy, is directed by the elite engineers of NASA's Launch Services Program.
So here now is a look at how this team oversees the scientific missions
launch from the Cape from concept to conclusion, and makes them a high-flying reality.
REX ENGELHARDT: Just a few days from now, NASA's twin STEREO satellites will
take their positions flanking the Earth on a mission to monitor solar storms.
Known as coronal mass ejections, STEREO will track these storms as they erupt from the sun's surface and travel toward Earth.
I'm Rex Engelhardt, STEREO's mission integration manager for the Launch Services Program.
It's my job to coordinate spacecraft and to make sure STEREO and its Delta II rocket are in synch and ready for liftoff.
STEREO is an enlightening mission jointly managed by NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center and Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Lab.
For the first time, we'll be able to watch and record a solar storm's
development and collision with Earth in incredible 3-D detail.
Successful planning for missions like STEREO begins years before
launch and needs thoughtful cooperation between the engineers who build the spacecraft and rockets.
Now here's more on how the Launch Services Program gets the job done.
TIFFANY NAIL: NASA's missions into Earth orbit or distant planets
all begin the same way: with a rocket streaking into space.
The stakes are high when racing into the sky at thousands of miles per hour.
Everything has to go right because once the engines ignite, there's no turning back.
I'm Tiffany Nail, launch specialist with NASA's Launch Services Program.
Launching a rocket is a tricky task that reaps out-of-this-world rewards.
When missions like the Mars rovers reach space and safely land,
the world is treated to stunning sights and amazing discoveries.
The job of making such missions take flight belongs to NASA's Launch Services Program, or LSP for short.
Based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the LSP offers guidance and oversight for rocket launches.
With its team of world-class engineers, the program bridges the gap
between spacecraft and rocket, making sure the two machines perform as one.
Here's how it works:
At NASA centers around the country, spacecraft missions begin taking shape up to 10 years before liftoff.
When scientists develop missions to seek answers to the universe's greatest questions,
it's important to consider what type of rocket to use.
After the rocket is selected, the team's role transitions from consultant to project manager.
At this point, the program assigns a four-person mission integration team to orchestrate the rest of the work.
Headed by the mission integration manager, or "MIM," this team directs the
dozens of engineers who will oversee the day-to-day details of the launch.
Speaking of launch, the day is getting close, but LSP's job isn't done yet!
In the last days before liftoff, LSP engineers are on the job around the clock --
at the launch pad and behind the scenes -- making sure everything is shipshape and ready for flight.
Not wanting the public to miss out on the excitement, the LSP also sponsors
prelaunch webcasts and live countdown coverage on the Internet.
On launch day itself, the LSP team sits side by side with spacecraft
and rocket engineers, ready for anything as the clock ticks down.
Be advised that the range still is red and we are expecting radar 116 which is a mandatory asset to be back up at 1830 zulu to support the launch.
Before finally clearing the rocket for launch, the launch manager takes a series of readiness polls.
It's a chance for the team to give their thumbs up showing that NASA and the spacecraft team are set for liftoff.
If all team members confirm that the rocket and spacecraft systems are ready,
the NASA launch manager gives the "go" for launch.
NASA advisory team is ready. I copy, NASA advisory team is ready for launch.
Then, with a "3-2-1 liftoff," the rocket roars from the pad, turning years of hard work and dreams into reality.
It's a brilliant sight to see and one that lights America's Vision for
Space Exploration as we continue to boldly venture into the solar system.
OMAR BAEZ: I'm Omar Baez, launch manager for NASA's Launch Services Program.
You are watching the LSP team in action as STEREO spends its last hours on the ground.
Final spacecraft and rocket preparations are under way at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
STEREO currently sits atop a Delta II rocket, awaiting liftoff from Launch Pad 17-B.
The Delta II is one of the most reliable launch vehicles and perfectly suited for placing satellites into orbit.
Equipped with three stages and nine strap-on boosters, the Delta II has
plenty of power to lift the twin STEREO satellites into position.
Years of planning and hard engineering work are about to culminate with a beautiful launch from Florida's sandy eastern shore.
The launch team is ready and the countdown has begun.
Go Delta! Go STEREO!
Music.