Have you ever wondered why we launch rockets into space? NASA Launch Commentator
George Diller explains how these missions affect our daily lives.
: Five, four, three, two, one, engines start, and lift off.
Why do we send anything into space? Well, it turns out, sending spacecraft into space has a major
impact on your life -- and in ways you might not even realize. Hi, I'm George Diller, a NASA launch commentator.
And right now, you're starting on a fascinating tour behind the scenes of NASA's Launch Services Program.
Do you ever wonder how you can receive television shows through a household satellite dish, or
how are we're able to monitor the weather and other forces of nature at work on Earth? And how
much effort did it really take to get the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, safely to the red planet?
None of this happens overnight. Every mission is a product of months, often even years, of
challenging work. Every spacecraft must be designed, developed, built, tested and prepared for
launch, and finally shipped to the launch site -- either Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in
Florida or Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
How do these engineering marvels get to the launch site? And once they get there, who puts on the
finishing touches to prepare the spacecraft for flight?
Spacecraft are shipped either fully put together or in sections. They arrive on trains, planes,
trucks -- even boats! Then, they're taken into a processing facility, where engineers and
technicians get them ready for launch. The processing facility is a cleanroom environment. But in
the space business, a clean room goes a lot further than just putting things away and making the bed.
Anyone working on a spacecraft has to put on a special suit, affectionately known as a "bunny
suit," over their own clothing. They have to tape their jewelry to their skin to keep it from
getting loose in the work area, cover their beards, and tie a string around their glasses so they
don't accidentally come off. It sounds extreme, but there's a good reason: they need to keep the
spacecraft and its delicate parts as clean and bacteria-free as possible!
When the spacecraft is finally ready for launch, it starts the last leg of its journey on Earth.
It is taken to the launch pad, where it is added to the launch vehicle. NASA's Launch Services
Program, operated from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, uses many types of rockets for launch
vehicles They choose the rocket that is best-suited to the weight and the destination of the spacecraft, and the mission's goals.
Most rockets lift off vertically. Most of us have seen rockets that sit on a launch pad, and then
when the countdown clock gets to zero, the engines ignite and send the rocket on its way. But
there's also another, more unusual type of rocket. It's small enough to attach to the underside
of a modified commercial airplane. The airplane flies to just the right place and the right
altitude, then drops the rocket -- which lights its own engine and sends its spacecraft into space.
As you can see, launching a space mission is no small job. It takes a lot of time, research,
effort and care to make sure that each and every spacecraft and launch vehicle is ready for the
flight. But these missions help us live safer, healthier lives and that makes everything worth it.
Thank you, George.