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SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive)

    Weather Update

    Vandenberg Air Force Base 30th Operations Support Squadron Launch Weather Officer Lt. Johnny Martin provided a weather update to NASA Launch Manager Tim Dunn and the NASA and United Launch Alliance SMAP launch team a few minutes ago. There is a 100 percent chance of favorable launch weather with no range safety launch commit criteria …

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    NASA Team ‘Go’ to Load Liquid Oxygen

    NASA Launch Manager Tim Dunn has polled his team and given the "go" to begin loading of cryogenic liquid oxygen into the Delta II rocket's first stage. That process, also called tanking, is expected to begin shortly. The Delta II 7320 rocket set to launch SMAP this morning stands 127 feet tall and weighs approximately …

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    SMAP to Measure Soil Moisture from Space

    38_smap_satellite

    Although water in the soil represents only a fraction of Earth's total water, it's important to understand and monitor. SMAP will provide high resolution, space-based measurements of soil moisture, and whether it's frozen or thawed. This is a new capability that will allow scientists to better predict natural hazards of extreme weather, climate change, floods …

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    SMAP Countdown Coverage Begins

    Launch and mission managers are stationed at their consoles and countdown activities are in progress at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive spacecraft awaits liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. Liftoff remains scheduled for 9:20 a.m. EST. SMAP is a three-year mission to study and map …

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    SMAP, Delta II ‘Go’ to Proceed with Launch This Morning

    Managers from NASA and United Launch Alliance (ULA) met yesterday at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and gave a "go" to proceed with the launch of NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) spacecraft atop a ULA Delta II rocket this morning at 9:20 a.m. EST (6:20 a.m. PST). Liftoff is scheduled for the opening …

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    SMAP Earth Mission Launch No Earlier than Saturday

    ULA Delta II rocket with SMAP mission.

    The launch of NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory, which will produce the highest-resolution maps of soil moisture ever obtained from space, has been delayed to a targeted launch date of Jan. 31, pending completion of minor repairs to the United Launch Alliance Delta II launch vehicle. During inspections following the Jan. 29 launch …

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    Launch Coverage Begins at 7 a.m. EST

    Launch of NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket now is scheduled for tomorrow, Jan. 30, at 9:20 a.m. EST. The forecast for Jan. 30 shows a 90 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch tomorrow. Coverage will begin at 7 a.m.

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