After complaints that their cameras were snooping over fences, Google Street View is being forced to lower their lenses by 16 inches and reshoot 12 cities in Japan. The new privacy mandate came a day after Greece halted the mapping service and weeks after UK media speculation that a woman filed for divorce after catching her husband cheating with Street View images. |New Launches|
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The first Heavy from Vandenberg flew in 2011 to successfully deploy a clandestine NRO satellite, becoming the largest rocket ever launched from the U.S. West Coast, and after another Medium went last year, rocket-maker ULA is getting ready to send up its next Heavy carrying a sizable payload for U.S. national security and the intelligence community.”It is a very impressive rocket. It is the a largest, most powerful rocket in the U.S. inventory right now, produces approximately two million pounds of thrust at liftoff and is able to carry over 50,000 pounds to orbit. We only use this rocket, because of how large and complex it is, for our largest spacecraft, which tend to be the most strategically important national security payloads that we have. This is immensely critical,” said Lt. Col. Dan Gillen, commander of the 4th Space Launch Squadron at Vandenberg and the Air Force launch director for the Heavy mission.The first Vandenberg Heavy launch in 2011 as seen from an off-shore oil platform. Credit: Air Force photo provided courtesy of the 30th Communications Squadron Optics sectionThe Delta 4-Heavy is created by taking three Common Booster Cores — the liquid hydrogen-fueled motor that forms a Delta 4-Medium’s first stage — and strapping them together to form a triple-wide rocket, then adding a cryogenic upper stage.The rocket was constructed at ULA’s factory in Decatur, Alabama, then shipped by sea to Vandenberg, completing the month-long, 4,000-mile voyage in December by docking at the base’s harbor once envisioned for receiving the space shuttle fuel tank barge.The stages were unloaded and moved up the road to Horizontal Integration Facility at SLC-6, an unassuming garage-like hangar were the rocket core was fitted with the port and starboard boosters and the upper stage was attached.Then on Monday, riding horizontally on a motorized hauler, the 184,000-pound rocket was driven to the pad where hydraulic pistons on Tuesday pushed the 190-foot-tall vehicle upright to stand atop the pad.”Over the last four-and-a-half months, we’ve been working multiple shifts a day in order to prepare for this milestone this week,” Gillen said.”All of that work has been in the horizontal where we’ve mated the three Common Booster Cores and also integrated the second stage with the first stage. All of that went extremely well and we were able to keep the milestone this week of rolling out to the pad and going to the vertical. On Monday we moved out from the Horizontal Integration Facility out to the pad and then Tuesday morning was when we went to the vertical, and everything went nominally,” Gillen said.File photo of the first Delta 4-Heavy going vertical at Vandenberg. Credit: ULA videoWith the vehicle now standing on the pad, activities in May will focus on system testing and preparations for a realistic launch day simulation. That test, known as the Wet Dress Rehearsal, will occur in June and run through a full countdown and fueling of the rocket’s eight liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks.The secretive payload will be mounted aboard the Heavy in July. The fully assembled rocket, with the shrouded cargo in its nose cone, will measure over 230 feet tall for launch.”This is extremely exciting,” Gillen said of getting the rocket rolled out. “This really marks, in my mind, about the halfway point of the campaign. We’ve been going for four-and-a-half months and we’ve have another four months to get to launch. This is a huge step, it’s great we were able to make this milestone. The whole team is just really excited.”The Delta 4-Heavy replaced the national capability to launch large satellites when the Titan 4 rocket was retired in 2005. It has flown five times from Cape Canaveral since 2004 and once from Vandenberg.Final Shuttle Mission PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The crew emblem for the final space shuttle mission is now available in our store. Get this piece of history!STS-134 PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The final planned flight of space shuttle Endeavour is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-134. Available in our store!Ares 1-X PatchThe official embroidered patch for the Ares 1-X rocket test flight, is available for purchase.Apollo CollageThis beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.Project OrionThe Orion crew exploration vehicle is NASA’s first new human spacecraft developed since the space shuttle a quarter-century earlier. The capsule is one of the key elements of returning astronauts to the Moon.Fallen Heroes Patch CollectionThe official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store. | | | | 2014 Spaceflight Now Inc.Delta 4-Heavy rocket panoramasThese panoramas of the Delta 4-Heavy rocket were shot in early January as the vehicle was undergoing pre-flight assembly inside the Horizontal Integration Facility hangar at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 37.The rocket’s cryogenic upper stage had not yet been attached when these pictures were taken.This vehicle will launch the NROL-26 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.Photo credit: Chris Miller/Spaceflight Now Click for larger image. Credit: Chris Miller/Spaceflight Now Click for larger image. Credit: Chris Miller/Spaceflight Now Click for larger image. Credit: Chris Miller/Spaceflight Now | | | | 2014 Spaceflight Now Inc.Spaceflight Now +Subscribe to Spaceflight Now Plus for access to our extensive video collections!”Chandra’s Universe”NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory is providing new insights into the frontier of X-ray astronomy.Station’s new toiletSpace station commander Mike Fincke shows the new U.S. toilet installed aboard the complex. The astronauts are preparing the station for larger crews beginning in 2009.The Phoenix missionThis video provides a recap of the Mars lander Phoenix and the spacecraft’s mission to the frozen northern plains of the Red Planet to dig up samples of the soil and water ice.”Debrief: Apollo 8″This is the story of NASA’s first journey in orbit around the Moon with comments on the significance of the Apollo 8 flight by several prominent Americans.The Apollo 8 film reportThis is the Manned Space Flight Film Report for the mission of Apollo 8 that orbited around the Moon on Christmas in 1968.Delta 4-Heavy rocket takes flightAmerica’s heavy-lift rocket, the towering white and orange triple-barreled booster responsible for launching vital security and intelligence satellites, makes another of its spectacular ascents from Cape Canaveral. The United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket, flying with upgraded main engines for even more power, blasted off Friday at 9:15 a.m. EDT on the NROL-15 satellite-deployment mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.See our coverage of the launch.Photo credit: Walter Scriptunas II/Spaceflight NowDelta 4-Heavy’s demo flight critical to military missions SPACEFLIGHT NOWPosted: December 9, 2004America’s new heavy-lifting rocket takes its much-anticipated test flight Saturday, if Mother Nature cooperates. The Boeing Delta 4-Heavy rocket was supposed to launch today, but the forecast for strong winds and stormy weather at Cape Canaveral postponed the liftoff by 24 hours. The Delta 4-Heavy rocket is ready for its inaugural flight. Credit: Boeing photo by Carleton BailieLaunch is scheduled for 2:31 p.m. EST (1931 GMT) at the opening of a two-hour, 56-minute window. Saturday’s weather is iffy with a 60 percent chance of violating the launch rules.When the rocket does fly it will cap a six-year development effort that produced this massive vehicle designed to loft large payloads into space.”It really has been a labor of love over the past six years to get to this point, which has taken the efforts of thousands and thousands of people from the U.S. Air Force, The Boeing Company and from all of our suppliers from far-flung reaches to make all of this happen. It’s really the start of a great era in space launch with the Delta 4-Heavy,” said Dan Collins, the Boeing vice president of expendable launch systems.”I’m very proud to be able to lead this organization on the eve of this historic launch and look forward to watching the Delta 4-Heavy demo zoom over the horizon on its way to geosynchronous orbit — as soon as the weather permits.”The rocket, which takes three hydrogen-fueled booster stages and mounts them together, is a technical marvel. Each Common Booster Core has its own Rocketdyne RS-68 main engine generating over 650,000 pounds of thrust at liftoff.”We’ve had a lot of independent folks look at this launch vehicle and the conclusion that’s been come to, by all of the people, is we have a very robust launch system. In fact…it’s much more robust than they had anticipated going in. But even that said, there is a recognition that this launch system is the most complex to come to the pad …since the space shuttle,” Collins said.The Heavy’s main customer — the U.S. government — has purchased two missions, including next year’s launch of a missile-warning satellite and a later classified reconnaissance cargo. This demonstration flight serves as a dress rehearsal for the rocket before the costly national security missions go forward.”We’re confident this mission is ready for flight, and will serve as the foundation for the first operational launch of Delta 4-Heavy next year,” said Col. Mark Owen, the 45th Space Wing commander.”It is tough to communicate to you the level of excitement that I feel and the 45th Space Wing team feels as we stand on the verge of history as the U.S. Air Force joins Boeing and its other mission partners preparing to launch the first Delta 4-Heavy from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.”The Delta 4-Heavy can loft payloads comparable in weight to the Titan 4 rocket that has been in service since 1989. But that Lockheed Martin-built booster is being retired after two more flights next year Florida and California. The Delta promises to provide launches far cheaper than Titan.”This is somewhat similar to a baton pass in a race. With a sense of history, I note that the last heavy-lift Titan 4B from the Cape is stacked out at Launch Complex 40 at the same time we’ve got the first of the next-generation, we’ve got the Delta 4-Heavy out at SLC-37B,” said Col. John Insprucker, the EELV system program director.The Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Program has backup capabilities between the rival Boeing Delta 4 and Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 families. But the two future operational Delta 4-Heavy missions have been awarded to Boeing and there are no plans to use Atlas 5.”The Delta 4-Heavy is their ride to space,” Col. Insprucker said, referring to the two cargos relying on the new rocket.The first operational Delta 4-Heavy, presently scheduled for next August, will carry the final Defense Support Program craft that detects enemy missile launches and nuclear weapon detonations from space. If things go seriously wrong Saturday and the U.S. military was in a pinch to find alternate launch options, that particular satellite could fly aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas 5-551 configuration rocket, company officials said. That version of Atlas 5 uses five strap-on solid boosters. A two-booster configuration next week.The Air Force says the second operational Delta 4-Heavy launch currently booked, carrying a secret National Reconnaissance Office payload, could not fly on existing Atlas 5 configurations available today. The power of an Atlas 5-Heavy would be required to lift that cargo into space.Lockheed Martin’s heavy-lift vehicle is proceeding through development and would be ready to fly its inaugural flight 30 months from the time it’s ordered.The long-range military outlook for Heavy missions is sparse.”The NRO still has another heavy satellite that will be ready to launch in about 2008,” Col. Insprucker said. “After that we’ve got a little hiatus, I think, until probably the Transformational Communication Satellite architecture comes forward.”Meanwhile, NASA’s launch needs for its proposed exploration initiatives to the moon and Mars could provide new business opportunities for both rocket builders.Additional coverage for subscribers:AUDIO:THURSDAY’S 68-MINUTE PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE Apollo 11 special patchSpecial collectors’ patch marking the 35th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing is now available.Choose your store: – – – Inside Apollo mission controlAn insider’s view of how Apollo flight controllers operated and just what they faced when events were crucial. Choose your store: The ultimate Apollo 11 DVD This exceptional chronicle of the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission features new digital transfers of film and television coverage unmatched by any other.Choose your store: – – – Next ISS crewOwn a little piece of history with this official patch for the International Space Station’s Expedition 11 crew. We’ll ship yours today!Choose your store: Apollo CollageThis beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.Apollo 11 special patchSpecial collectors’ patch marking the 35th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing is now available.Choose your store: – Gemini 7Gemini 7: The NASA Mission Reports covers this 14-day mission by Borman and Lovell as they demonstrated some of the more essential facts of space flight. Includes CD-ROM.Choose your store: – – – Apollo patchesThe Apollo Patch Collection: Includes all 12 Apollo mission patches plus the Apollo Program Patch. Save over 20% off the Individual price.Choose your store: – – – Mars Rover mission patchA mission patch featuring NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover is available from our online.Choose your store: – – – Apollo 9 DVDOn the road to the moon, the mission of Apollo 9 stands as an important gateway in experience and procedures. This 2-DVD collection presents the crucial mission on the voyage to the moon. Choose your store: – – – | | | | 2014 Spaceflight Now Inc.Delta 4-Heavy’s engines snuffed out by sensor glitch SPACEFLIGHT NOWPosted: January 7, 2005Errant readings from sensors inside the inaugural Boeing Delta 4-Heavy rocket triggered the premature shutdown of its three main engines during ascent last month, causing a massive underspeed that the vehicle’s upper stage could not overcome and resulting in a final orbit lower than planned, the U.S. Air Force said Friday. A team investigating results of the test launch are confident the problem can be resolved. The Boeing Delta 4-Heavy rocket launches from Cape Canaveral on its test flight. Credit: Boeing photo by Carleton BailieThe three hydrogen-fueled Common Booster Cores were ignited during the final seconds of the December 21 countdown, generating 1.9-million pounds of thrust to propel the 23-story rocket away from pad 37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.About 50 seconds into flight, the center booster’s main engine throttled back to 58 percent thrust as a fuel conservation effort. The starboard and port boosters continued to operate at their maximum power setting of 102 percent thrust, each guzzling a ton of propellant per second.The strap-on boosters were scheduled to fire until T+plus 4 minutes, 5 seconds when the Rocketdyne-made RS-68 engine on each stage would cut off. About three seconds later, the 15-story starboard and port boosters, which provided the vast majority of thrust during the first four minutes of flight, would peel away from the center stage and tumble into the Atlantic Ocean below.But the reconstruction of data received from the rocket shows the engines shut down 8 seconds early after sensors temporarily indicated “dry” fuel conditions despite the stages having plenty of propellant remaining to accomplish the scheduled firing time. The sensors returned to “wet” readings after the shutdown sequence was already activated.Once the outer boosters were shed, the center stage’s RS-68 engine revved back to full throttle. Although the booster was identical to the outer strap-on stages, carrying the same propellant supply and engine package, it employed a more conservative fuel consumption strategy by the lower-throttle setting for the past three minutes and saved enough propellant to operate almost 90 seconds longer.But the same sensor “phenomenon” repeated on the center booster, causing its engine to shut down 9 seconds prematurely, the Air Force said.After the center booster had been jettisoned, the Delta 4-Heavy rocket’s upper stage found itself with a speed deficit of 1,500 feet/second due to the early shutdowns of the main engines. The upper stage ignited for the first of three firings planned over the 6-hour mission to geosynchronous orbit.That first burn of the Pratt & Whitney RL10 upper stage engine was supposed to last seven minutes to reach an initial parking orbit around Earth where a pair of university-built nanosatellites would be released into space. The rocket motor was designed to extend its firing time to compensate for any performance shortfalls experienced by the Common Booster Cores, and it did that. But even through the stage fired much longer than planned it still failed to reach a stable orbit, deploying the nanosats into a suborbital trajectory that took them into the atmosphere before completing a lap around the planet.The upper stage then reignited for its second scheduled burn, shaping the rocket’s track into a highly elliptical egg-shaped geosynchronous transfer orbit. It was in this orbit that the vehicle coasted for five hours to reach the high point about 19,600 nautical miles above the planet where the final engine blast would occur.This firing should have lasted three minutes to circularize the orbit. However, the stage’s precious fuel supply was greatly impacted by the extended maneuvers battling back from the Common Booster Core problem. The stage ran out of fuel about two-thirds of the way through the burn, leaving the instrumented satellite simulator payload — the rocket’s main cargo for this test flight — with an orbit featuring a high point of 19,600 nautical miles (36,400 km), low point of 9,600 nautical miles (19,000 km) and inclination of 13.5 degrees. The orbit’s low point was 10,000 miles off the target and inclination was 3.5 degrees higher than planned.Rocket maker Boeing and its Air Force customer are conducting a planned two-month post-flight review of data obtained during the Delta 4-Heavy’s demonstration mission. The military bought the test launch to put the rocket through a full rehearsal before critical national security satellites begin flying on the big vehicle.Despite missing the targeted orbit, Boeing and the Air Force consider the launch a success since all events during test mission occurred and the rocket completed the entire 6-hour flight.”The overall purpose of this mission was to demonstrate the capability of the Delta 4-Heavy ground and flight systems. The mission profiles were selected to stress the system and reduce the risk to flying an operational mission. This is as close as space systems come to a flight test,” said Col. John Insprucker, Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program director at the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center.To unravel the problem with the RS-68 engines shutting down too soon, Boeing and the Air Force, supported by The Aerospace Corporation, have established an Anomaly Investigation Team to determine the root cause of the anomaly.”The goal is to understand and mitigate the risk of this premature shutdown from occurring on an operational mission,” the Air Force said in a statement Friday.”All data is being reviewed, a sequence of events has been constructed, and a Fault Tree analysis has begun to categorize the potential root causes to include propulsion, avionics, and flight environments, etc. This investigation has a deliberate process to ensure no potential causes are missed, and is getting the proper attention at all levels of the Air Force; however, it is difficult to say how long the investigation will take to complete.”There are several findings, so far,” the statement continued.”First, the initial flight data indicates the Common Booster Cores shut down prematurely and left the second stage approximately 1500 ft/sec short of the planned velocity.”Second, analysis indicates there was sufficient propellant left in the boosters to achieve the mission velocity if not for the premature shutdown. This indicates the vehicle has the necessary performance to achieve the mission as designed. The RS-68 engine performance appears to be healthy.”Third, the engine shutdown sensors appeared to operate properly; however, the sensors temporarily indicated ‘dry’ approximately eight seconds before expected for the strap-ons, and then returned to ‘wet’ after triggering the shutdown sequence. The same phenomenon was repeated on the center booster core nine seconds before expected. Preliminary data checks show the flight software and control system reacted to the engine shutdown sensors properly.”The second stage was programmed to compensate for a first stage velocity deficit if required, and it did this successfully until it expended its propellant reserves. The stage flew flawlessly through all three RL-10 engine burns and a large number of maneuvers, achieving a record-setting 1,115 seconds of burn time. Other than the early Common Booster Core shutdown, the launch, six-hour mission and payload deployment appeared nominal. “The Air Force chose to reduce risk to operational flights by conducting this ‘all-up’ demonstration. Given the repetitive nature of the anomaly on all three Common Booster Cores, the team is confident this anomaly will be resolved prior to an operational Heavy mission,” the Air Force statement said.Two operational Delta 4-Heavy rocket launches were planned for 2005. What, if any, impact the investigation will have on those launch dates is not clear. An August liftoff is scheduled to carry the final Defense Support Program craft that detects enemy missile launches and nuclear weapon detonations from space. A secret National Reconnaissance Office payload is slated to fly on the second operational Heavy mission in December.Additional coverage for subscribers:VIDEO:FROM LIFTOFF TO BOOSTER SEPARATION VIDEO:THE DELTA 4-HEAVY LAUNCH (SHORT VERSION) VIDEO:ONBOARD CAMERA RECORDS LAUNCH VIDEO:ONBOARD CAMERA SEES BOOSTER SEPARATION VIDEO:ONBOARD CAMERA CAPTURES FAIRING JETTISON AUDIO:LISTEN TO THE 68-MINUTE PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE VIDEO:ANIMATION PROVIDES PREVIEW OF A DELTA 4-HEAVY LAUNCH VIDEO:RE-LIVE THE INAUGURAL DELTA 4 LAUNCH FROM 2002 VIDEO:ON-PAD FLIGHT READINESS ENGINE FIRING TEST VIDEO:TAKE TOUR OF LAUNCH PAD 37B Apollo 11 special patchSpecial collectors’ patch marking the 35th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing is now available.Choose your store: – – – Inside Apollo mission controlAn insider’s view of how Apollo flight controllers operated and just what they faced when events were crucial. Choose your store: The ultimate Apollo 11 DVD This exceptional chronicle of the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission features new digital transfers of film and television coverage unmatched by any other.Choose your store: – – – Next ISS crewOwn a little piece of history with this official patch for the International Space Station’s Expedition 11 crew. We’ll ship yours today!Choose your store: Mars rover collectible patchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!This commemorative patch celebrates NASA’s Curiosity rover mission of the Mars Science Laboratory in search of clues whether the Red Planet was once hospitable to life.Apollo patchesThe Apollo Patch Collection: Includes all 12 Apollo mission patches plus the Apollo Program Patch. Save over 20% off the Individual price.Choose your store: – – – Gemini 7Gemini 7: The NASA Mission Reports covers this 14-day mission by Borman and Lovell as they demonstrated some of the more essential facts of space flight. Includes CD-ROM.Choose your store: – – – Apollo patchesThe Apollo Patch Collection: Includes all 12 Apollo mission patches plus the Apollo Program Patch. Save over 20% off the Individual price.Choose your store: – – – Mars Rover mission patchA mission patch featuring NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover is available from our online.Choose your store: – – – Apollo 9 DVDOn the road to the moon, the mission of Apollo 9 stands as an important gateway in experience and procedures. This 2-DVD collection presents the crucial mission on the voyage to the moon. Choose your store: – – – | | | | 2014 Spaceflight Now Inc.Delta 4-Heavy’s hush-hush payload found and identified SPACEFLIGHT NOWPosted: January 23, 2011 The clandestine cargo carried into polar orbit Thursday aboard the first California-launched Delta 4-Heavy rocket was a crucial replacement satellite for the nation’s surveillance and security network, amateur sky-watchers say.As seen from an off-shore oil platform, the Delta 4-Heavy rocket ascends from Space Launch Complex 6. Credit: U.S. Air Force photo provided courtesy of the 30th Communications Squadron Optics sectionThe sophisticated imaging bird follows a long line of Keyhole-type spacecraft that provide ultra-high resolution imagery for the U.S. intelligence community, according to hobbyists who track orbiting satellites with remarkable precision.Ever since the Delta 4-Heavy rocket fired away from Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the amateur observers have been hunting for the new satellite to figure out its identity. The conventional wisdom before the launch said the payload would fly into the Keyhole satellite constellation, and observations from the past few days proved the guess correct.The government agency responsible for operating the country’s fleet of spy satellites, the National Reconnaissance Office, doesn’t publicly reveal the characteristics of the spacecraft being launched. But the satellite trackers, located around the globe, can easily determine the payload by the type of orbit each new craft reach.Built by Lockheed Martin, the telescope-like Keyhole satellites are electro-optical imaging craft that circle the planet in elliptical polar orbits and collect pictures for U.S. national security uses. There have now been 15 such launches since 1976, all but one successfully reaching orbit, said Ted Molczan, a respected observer who keeps tabs on orbiting spacecraft.The newest satellite joins the two primary Keyholes in space today, having launched in and from Vandenberg aboard Titan 4 rockets, plus an older one deployed in 1996 that’s still running in a backup role. The Delta 4-Heavy flight targeted the orbit of the 2001 satellite, apparently to assume the lead observation duties from the aging craft that’s now achieved the record for the longest prime mission duration, Molczan says.”This aged spacecraft probably is nearing the end of its useful life, which typically is determined by the supply of propellant required to maintain the orbit,” said Molczan.The NRO on Thursday hailed the so-called NROL-49 launch as a success, which marked the Delta 4-Heavy’s maiden mission from California and the largest rocket ever flown from the West Coast. “I’m grateful to everybody who worked so hard to make this mission happen, the launch team, the satellite vehicle team and our mission partners. It is always a great feeling to have hard work culminate in success. When the satellite becomes operational, it will assure the U.S. continues to enjoy superior vigilance from above,” Col. Alan Davis, Office of Space Launch director, said in the NRO’s post-launch press release.When the 2005 launch went up, it was supposed to be the final Keyhole before the NRO’s Future Imagery Architecture program began fielding a new generation of optical and radar spy satellites.”Reconnaissance satellites had always been the bread-and-butter of the Lockheed Martin family of companies and they firmly expected that they would be awarded these new contracts. But, in a major surprise, Boeing was the apparent low-bidder and awarded contracts [in 1999] to develop both new satellite programs — even though the company had never designed nor built a reconnaissance spacecraft,” said aerospace journalist Roger Guillemette, who has covered military and intelligence space projects since the 1990s.”After massive cost overruns, missed schedule milestones and unresolved technical issues, the original version of FIA was finally killed in 2005 after more than $15 billion was spent on a program that never built a single piece of flight hardware.”The NROL-49 patch.Needing to fill the void from the cancelled FIA program, the NRO ordered the construction of Keyhole satellites be restarted to build two additional satellites that would protect the nation’s surveillance capabilities. The mission patch for Thursday’s NROL-49 launch actually included the Latin inscription: “melior diabolus quem scies.” Loosely translated: “the devil you know.” Better the devil you know (Keyhole) than the devil you don’t know (FIA).”NROL-49 is believed to be one of two replacement KH-11 ordered from Lockheed Martin as a stop-gap until a successor to FIA becomes available. The second one would replace the 2005 spacecraft, likely around 2013,” Molczan said.The next Delta 4-Heavy launch from Vandenberg is scheduled for late 2013.The FIA program had promised smaller satellites that could fit aboard medium-class rockets and the heavy-lift Titan 4 flew into retirement with the last-planned Keyhole in 2005.”The logic was that constellations of smaller, cheaper spacecraft could be launched in greater quantities resulting in more frequent overhead passes. This increase in imaging opportunities would mean that enemy forces could no longer hide from satellite passes and battlefield commanders would receive more timely overhead imagery,” said Guillemette.”Two new spacecraft designs — electro-optical and radar-imaging — would be developed under the Future Imagery Architecture program. One key goal was to reduce the spacecraft size and weight. Lighter spacecraft would require smaller, less expensive launch vehicles as opposed to the aging KH-11 (optical) and LACROSSE (radar) satellites that weighed as much as a bus and could only be launched by very expensive Titan 4 rockets or the space shuttle.”But the severe technical and budgetary woes killed the original FIA plan and forced the government to buy more of the tried-and-true big Keyhole birds that require a powerful ride into space.”Lockheed Martin was tasked to create updated versions of its venerable KH-11 electro-optical reconnaissance satellite that will still require the heavy-lift launch capacity of the Delta 4-Heavy,” Guillemette said.The Delta 4-Heavy rocket launches from Vandenberg. Credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Joe DavilaThe return to the massive satellites that needed the mighty Titan boosters to reach orbit meant the Air Force would have to bring the new-generation Delta 4-Heavy to Vandenberg for these two missions of extra Keyholes. The pad at Space Launch Complex 6 underwent an extensive upgrade over the past three years to accommodate the giant rocket.Vandenberg is the nation’s launch site for sending intelligence-gathering surveillance craft into polar orbits for imaging nearly all of the planet’s surface. The triple-barreled Delta 4-Heavy dramatically rose into the clear sky with fire and smoke at 1:10 p.m. PST, then headed southward over the open Pacific for an ascent that Molczan said was timed perfectly to achieve the intended Keyhole orbit.And the long-term future for optical reconnaissance appears to be under development once again, Molczan says, which would send up a new breed of satellite several years from now, probably to replace the bird launched Thursday.”Lockheed Martin announced on July 27, that it was developing what is believed to be the successor to the KH-11 and the cancelled FIA optical satellite, for which it expects to receive a multi-billion dollar order to begin construction in 2012. The first launch probably is targeted for about 2017, by which time NROL-49 would be nearing retirement.”John Glenn Mission PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The historic first orbital flight by an American is marked by this commemorative patch for John Glenn and Friendship 7.Final Shuttle Mission PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!The crew emblem for the final space shuttle mission is available in our store. Get this piece of history!Celebrate the shuttle programFree shipping to U.S. addresses!This special commemorative patch marks the retirement of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program. Available in our store!Anniversary Shuttle PatchFree shipping to U.S. addresses!This embroidered patch commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Program. The design features the space shuttle Columbia’s historic maiden flight of April 12, 1981.Mercury anniversaryFree shipping to U.S. addresses!Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alan Shephard’s historic Mercury mission with this collectors’ item, the official commemorative embroidered patch.Fallen Heroes Patch CollectionThe official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store. | | | | 2014 Spaceflight Now Inc.Delta 4/DMSP launch timelineSPACEFLIGHT NOW