WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.000 GEORGE DILLER: This is Delta Launch Control, 26 minutes, 43 seconds into the launch of NOAA-N. 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:19.000 Joining us here in the Mission Director's Center is Marty Davis, the NOAA-N Program Manager from the Goddard Space Flight Center. 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:28.000 And, Marty, first of all, you've been following this for a long time. So how did that feel for you when you saw the ignition? 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:33.000 MR. DAVIS: It's always really good when it's your mission, and this is one of them. 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:37.000 MR. DILLER: Well, we're launching a polar-orbiting weather satellite, 00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:45.000 but we've got Geo-synchronous and I guess there's one coming up at the Cape next month. Why is it we need both? 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:57.000 MR. DAVIS: Well, they're complementary systems, George. The polar-orbiting has -- the orbit has an altitude of about 470 miles. 00:00:57.000 --> 00:01:07.000 So it's relatively close to the Earth. The geostationary is at 22,300 miles. Kind of far. 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:17.000 And so each mission, polar and geo, fill in for the disadvantages of the other. 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:24.000 POES provides global measurements for large scale, long-term numerical prediction models. 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:30.000 MR. DILLER: By POES you mean? MR. DAVIS: The polar-orbiting. 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:37.000 And GOES, the geostationary, does short-term monitoring of severe weather, hurricanes and rapidly developing storms, 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:44.000 because the polar takes time to get back over the same point on Earth. 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:55.000 Where geo, the geostationary, is in a staring mode. It's -- essentially looks like it's fixed over the -- you know, fixed point on Earth. 00:01:55.000 --> 00:02:03.000 And since the polar-orbiting is closer to the surface, it can get very good resolution on things 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:08.000 like clouds, land surfaces, ocean surfaces. 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:16.000 But it takes several hours for it to get back over the same location and can't keep up with fast developing storms. 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:23.000 Last minute hurricane changes or tornadoes, the Polar-orbiting doesn't do well at. 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:34.000 But yet, the Geo-orbiting do great minute by minute because it's looking at the same point all the time. 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:43.000 But since the GOES, the geostationary, are further away from the surface, it's hard to see small environmental phenomena. 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:47.000 And that's why you do both of them. 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:56.000 Also, GOES can't see and northward of -- 70 degrees north and can't see the polar cap regions. 00:02:56.000 --> 00:03:06.000 And POES can. And winds and clouds of the polar regions are very important to these prediction models. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:15.000 So that's why NOAA supports and operates both polar and geo. And that's what keeps us in business. 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:21.000 And it's just unusual that this time our program office has two launches within a month. 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:28.000 MR. DILLER: That's right. We've got NOAA-N now which is the polar-orbiting satellite and GOES-N. 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:32.000 MR. DAVIS: GOES-N on the 23rd of June is the scheduled launch date. 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:35.000 MR. DILLER: And that's coming up from Cape Canaveral, riding on what? 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:39.000 MR. DAVIS: Delta IV launch vehicle. 00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:45.000 MR. DILLER: All right. So that -- the two satellites complement each other. 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:52.000 We'll have two in orbit. So I kind of gather that at the end of their checkout periods, 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:55.000 they'll be operational during most of the hurricane season. 00:03:55.000 --> 00:04:00.000 MR. DAVIS: Well, POES, the polar-orbiting, will be made operational as soon as it's checked out. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:05.000 The geostationary is actually an in-orbit spare. We'll check it out. 00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:10.000 We'll let NOAA know how well it works. And then we'll turn it over to them. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:15.000 But it doesn't go into operation right away because the assets we presently have in orbit are doing fine. 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:16.000 MR. DILLER: Working fine. 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:17.000 MR. DAVIS: Yeah. 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:23.000 MR. DILLER: So then our next launch from here on a NOAA is coming up when, again? 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:24.000 MR. DAVIS: December '07. 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:25.000 MR. DILLER: '07. On another -- 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:29.000 MR. DAVIS: Delta II. 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:30.000 MR. DILLER: Delta II. And it's a partner to the one we're launching tonight. 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:31.000 MR. DAVIS: Yep. 00:04:31.000 --> 00:04:40.000 MR. DILLER: All right. Well, Marty, we'll look forward to having you come back after spacecraft separation to confirm 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:50.000 that the solar arrays have deployed on NOAA-N and see what data you've been able to glean on how things are going. 00:04:50.000 --> 00:05:00.000 So at this point, we will resume the coast phase, which will be going on for about another 15 minutes or so. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:08.000 And then over -- over the tracking stations in Africa, the heart of East Dock and the Malindi stations, 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:17.000 second stage re-orient itself for the restart for the second burn of the second stage and then spacecraft separation. 00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:27.000 For that coverage, we'll be switching to another satellite transponder. We'll be on the same satellite, AMC6. 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:36.000 But we'll be switching now for the remainder of this coast phase from transponder 9 on AMC6 to transponder 23. 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:46.000 And we'll be resuming about ten minutes after the hour with the second stage restart and spacecraft separation activities. 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:52.000 At 32 minutes, 25 seconds into the flight of NOAA-N, this is Delta Launch Control. 00:05:52.000 --> 00:06:00.000