Mon, Dec 19, 2005
Liftoff Scheduled After Jan. 17
The world's first-ever mission to Pluto is closer to launch as
the New Horizons probe was moved to Launch Complex 41 at NASA's
Kennedy Space Center. The interplanetary spacecraft was moved to
the pad -- where it will be installed atop its Atlas V booster
rocket -- under heavy security Saturday morning.
The probe was moved in the dark, said KSC spokesman George
Diller to USA Today, in order to protect the probe's sensitive
componentry from sunlight. The security had nothing to do with the
probe's plutonium power source, which will not be installed until
just before its expected late-January launch date.
As was previously reported in
Aero-News, the New Horizons probe was slightly damaged
when the strong winds of Hurricane Wilma forced open the
specially-designed hangar door protecting the 200-ft. tall probe
from the elements.
While crews quickly fixed the storm damage, another problem has
since been discovered -- this time by Lockheed Martin. A problem
with a propellant tank similar to the one to be flown on New
Horizon's booster has delayed the target launch date approximately
one week, to allow for additional inspections.
If all goes well, the probe will liftoff sometime between
January 17 and February 14 -- when the launch window closes on the
probe's 10-year journey to the furthest planet from the sun in
Earth's solar system.
Should the mission not launch by Valentine's Day, crews will
have to wait until 2007 to launch New Horizons.
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