PROCEED. L.D. >> L.D. >> N.L.M. >> N.L.M. >> AFLD. >> AFLD. >> PLEASE PROCEED. >> LOOKING AT YOUR SATELLITE IMAGE, NOTHING OF CONCERN. NOTHING ON RADAR, NOT EXPECTING ANY PRECIPITATION. OURD SPEEDS HAVE MAXED OUT, PEAKS TO 22 KNOTS OVER THE LAST HOUR. OUR MAIN WIND DIRECTION IS FROM 100. WE'RE GOOD ON ALL T.C.s. LESS THAN 10% P.O.V. FOR CROWN WINDS. TEMPERATURES 68°° FAHRENHEIT, AD EXPECTED TO REMAIN SO THROUGH THE COUNT. CONCLUDES THE WEATHER BRIEF. >> AND THERE YOU HEA IT. THAT WAS JESSICA WILLIAMS, THE LAUNCH OFFICER FOR THE 45th WEATHER. 22-KNOT WIHAT WAS SUSTAINED. THAT CAN HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE ROCKET, BUT THERE'S YOUR FORECAST UP ON YOUR SCREEN NOW. THE WINDS, 20 KNOTS, OBSERVED AT 22 KNOTS JUST A FEW MOMENTS AGO. THE TEMPERATURE 68°, AND ONLY A 10% VIOLATION. MICK, THOSE WINDA FACTOR. >> YEAH. LOOKING AT WINDS HERE AT SLIP 41, THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS GOOD, THAT EVERYTHING IS IN GOOD SHAPE. REALLY HAPPY TO HEAR A 10 % P.O.V. TONIGHT. >> THERE IT IS, THE ATLAS FIVE IN ITS VERTICAL INTEGRATION FACILITY. NOT FAR FROM THE PAD, BUT WE WERE THERE T DAY IT MOVED OUT, SATURDAY, AS THE ATLAS FIVE, 190-FOOT TALL ROCKET WENT BY. >> 58 METERS. >> 58 METERS FOR OUR EUROPEAN FRIENDS. >> MICK HAS BEEN DOING THE METRICS, CONVERTING IT FOR OUR EUROPEAN FRIENDS. >> I HAD A GREAT TIME WITH YOU ON THE ROLLOUT SHOW YESTERDAY, PAD.THE ATLAS GET READY FOR THE A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A ROLLOUT YESTERDAY AND EXCITING TO WATCH THAT 411 GO THERE. >> IT WAS AND WE'LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS ROCKET AND ITS UNIQUE CONFIGURATION ON THE BAD. BUT YOU CAN SEE IT THERE. EVERYTHING IS LOOKING GOOD. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MON THE COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE LAUNCH PADS, BUT NOW, WE'RE GOING TO SEND IT BACK TO YOU, JOSHUA. >> WE WANT TO BRING YOU ANOTHER UPDATE THIS AFTERNOON. FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE SPACE ENTHUSIASTS, YOU WILL KNOW THAT WE PLANNED TO LA AN ANTERES ROCKET, BUT NASA HAS PUSHED IT TO NO EARLIER THAN FEBRUARY 14 . BE SURE TO TUNE IN IN JUST FEW DAYS. WE ARE GOING TO SEND YOU OVER NOW TO UNDERSTAND THE INCREDIBLE PARTNERSHIP HAPPENING BETWEEN ESA AND NASA. >> I AM JOINED BY NASA'S SCIENCE MISSION DIRECTORATE, AND THE DIRECTOR OF SCIENCE. THE COLLABORATION. US ABOUT >> OKAY. BOTH AGENCIES HAVE AN IMPRESSIVE SUITE OF MISSIONS OUT THERE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND FOR ASTROPHYSICS, BUT MANY PROJECTS ARE DONE IN COLLABORATION. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE SUN, THERE HAVE BEEN TWO MISSIONS. ULYSSES SOHO, WHICH WE'VE DONE 20 YEARS AGO, AND THIS ONE. >> AND NASA'S PROJECTS ARE USED TO IT.ND SO WE'RE WHAT HAPPENS IS THE SCIENCE COMMUNITY WORKS TOGETHER AS ONE. WHEN WE DO, IT'S AN INTERNATIONAL LOCKING OF ARMS. IT'S NOT EASY, BECAUSE IT'S DIFFERENT CULTURES, B WE LEARN TO DO IT. MOST SPACE INSTRUMENTS ARE DONE IN EUROPE. COUPLE SENSOR INSTRUMENTS, ONE FULL HEAD DONE HERE IN THE U.S., AND OF COURSE WE'RE SO PROUD TO LAUNCH IT HERE IN THE UNITED STATES. >> AND GUNTER, SOLAR ACTIVIES ARE GOING TO MONITOR THE SUN. WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT TO NASA'S ACTIVITY PLANS? >> WELL, YOU KNOW, THE SUN GIVES US LIVE, BUT IT POSES DANGERS. IT'S A STRONG, UNKNOWN HIDDEN FORCE, THE MAGNETIC FIELD. THE MAGNETIC FIELD CAN CREATE EXPLOSIONS THAT CREATE MAGNETIC STORMS THAT CAN AFFECT THE LIFE OUT THERE, AFFECT OF LIFE OF ASTRONAUTS, SO TO UNDERSTAND THE SUN IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE FOR ALL OF US AND THEREFORE FOR THE SPACE AGENCIES. >> SO WE'RE GOING TO LEARN A LOT. NOW THOMAS, YOU HAD AN EARLY TOUCH ON THIS PROJECT. CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? >> YEAH. OF ALL THE MISSIONS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, OVER 100, AS SCIENCE DIRECTOR, THIS IS ONE THAT USED TO WORK ON WHEN I WAS A LOT YOUNGER. YOU KNOW, IT WAS OVER A DOZEN YEARS AGO. I WAS PART OF THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEFINITION TEAM, AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM THAT CAME UP WITH THIS DESIGN, AND ACTUALLY, IT WAS PART OF THE MISSION TEAM, TOO. BECAUSE I, ALONG WITH THE TEAM CAME UP WITH A SENSOR THAT IS NOW SITTING ON TOP OF THIS ROCKET. HOW EXCITING IS THAT? >> YOU'RE SUPER EXCITED. >> YEAH. >> WELL, JOSHUA, THE COLLABORATORS HAVE GOTTEN ATLAS READY, SO LET'S GET BACK TO LAUNCH. >> WE'RE GOING TO HEAD OUT NOW TO THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER PRESS SITE, WHERE NASA EDGES BLAIR ALLEN HAS MORE ON NASA'S HELIO PHYSICS EFFORTS. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH, JOSHUA. JOINING US NOW IS NICKY FOX, AND NICKY, I'M SO GLAD TO HAVE YOU ON THE SHOW. NASA EDGES, WE'RE SO EXCITED ABOUT HELIO PHYSICS. I'M WONDERING, FROM A SOLAR ORBITER POINT, HOW CAN- STANDPOINT, HOW CAN BOTH AGENCIES BENEFIT FROM THIS PARTNERSHIP? >> WELL, I COME FROM EUROPE, SO I'M PARTICULARLY HAPPY TO SEE AN INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP. ESA-NASA LAUNCHING, IT IS A WONDERFULTIME, AND WE CANNOT WAIT TO WELCOME SOLAR ORBITER UP TO THE FLEET. I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PARKER SOLAR FLEET AND SOLAR ORBITER. PARKER EXPLO A REGION WE'VE NEVER BEEN TO, SOLAR ORBITER IMAGING, MONITORING THE POLES OF A STAR FOR THE FIRST TIME. JUST INCREDIBLE. >> THERE'S THAT CROSSOVER SIDE WHERE THEY'LLK AT THE SAME AREA AT ONE POINT. TELL US ABOUT THAT. >> THERE ARE MANY TIMES THEY'LL LOOK AT THE SAME AREA. WE'RE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE SUN, AND THAT'S JUST AS EXCITING. THE BEGINNING OF THE SOLAR ORBITER MISSION, SHE'LL STILL BE IN THAT ELLIPTICAL PLANE, SO WILL PARKER ORBITER. AND THEN, AS SHE MOVED OUT OF THE ECLIPTIC, YES, THE ORBITER GIVING SOLAR VIEWS. IT'S JUST FABULOUS. >> I'M SO EXCITED. WE'RE GOING TO GET A LOT OF IMAGES, AND IT' FABULOUS, BUT WE'VE GOT TO GET IT BACK TO JOSHUA. >> THE WORK OF ORBITER IS A PARTNERSHIP EFFORT, BUT IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME WE'VE MONITORED THE SUN. >> THREE, TWO, ONE. LIFTOFF OF THE MIGHTY DELTA FOUR ROCKET WITH THE SOLAR PROBE. >> YOU MAY REMEMBER THIS, SEEN HERE IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS AUGUST 12, 2018. THE MISSIONS ARE COMPLIMENTARY, FOCUSED ON STUDYING DIFFERENT AFFECTS OF THE SUN. JUST AS WITH PARKER, THE SOLAR ORBITER MISSION THERE WE SEE POISED TO FLY TONIGHT HAS BEEN LAUNCHED HERE BY SOLAR SERVICES PROGRAM, OR S.S.P. THEY ENSURE THAT MISSIONS GET OFF THE GROUND AND ON THEIR WAY TO THE CORRECT CELESTIAL DESTINATION. LET'S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS YEAR'S FLIGHT MANIFEST. [♪♪♪] [♪♪♪] . >> LOTS OF GREAT SCIENCE AHEAD FOR L.S.P. THIS YEAR. DARRELL AND MICK, OVER TO YOU FOR A LAUNCH COUNT DOWN UPDATE. >> THANKS, JOSHUA. WE JUST ENTERED THE PLANNED FOUR-MINUTE HOLD. THIS IS A 15UTE PERIOD OF TIME WHERE THEY HOLD UP EVERYTHING AND MAKE SOME EVALUATIONS AT THIS POINT IN TIME. >> THAT'S CORRECT. THE TEAM WILL USE THIS 15 MINUTES TO TAKE A LAST LOOK AT ALL THEIR SYSTEMS, MAKE SURE EVERYTHING'S GOOD, EVERYTHING'S READY TO GO, VERIFY ALL THEIR RED LINE LIMITS AND OPERATIONAL LIMITS, AND THAT THEY'RE DOWN FOR THE COUNT. THIS IS THE LAST TIME FOR THIS HOLD. SO FAR, WE'RE NOT WORKING ANY ISSUES, AND CHIEF SERVICES ENGINEER PULLED HIS TEAM, AND THEY'RE READY TO GET OUT OF THE COUNT AFTER THIS HOLD. >> IN THE CAMERA VIEW THAT WE'RE SHOWING YOU, YOU CAN SEE THE CONDENSATION VIEW. JUST WHERE IT LINES UP WITH THE U, L, AND A, THAT IS ALL ICE, CHILLED DOWN TO WHERE IT'S - 184° CELSIUS. HEY, YOUKNOW, THIS IS AN INTERESTING ROCKET BECAUSE IT IS CONFIGURED IN A VERY UNIQUE WAY. TELL US ABOUT THAT. >> YEAH. THE VEHICLE WE'RE FLYING THIS EVEN IS A -- EVENING IS A UNIQUE CONFATION BECAUSE WE'RE FLYING ONE BOOSTER ROCKET. THIS CONFIGURATION HAS FLOWN FIVE TIMES, INCLUDING NASA'S OSIRIS REX MISSION. OUR FIRST STAGE OR BOOSTER IS POWERED BY RU-180 ENGINE. IT BURNS R.P.-1 OR LIQUID NITROGEN. THE R.P.-1 HELPS DELIVER THE THRUST WE NEED,OUT 160,000 POUNDS OR 1.2 MILLION POUNDS WITH THE SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER -- THAT'S 1.2 NEWTONS, IN CASE YOU'RE WONDERING. >> THANK YOU. >> WE MOVE UP TO THE CENTAUR R.L.-10 ENGINE. IT'S A CRYOGENIC ENGINE. IT PRODUCES ABOUT 22,000 POUNDS OF THRUST OR 99.2 KILO-NEWTONS. >> I WAS HOPING YOU HAD THAT METRIC CONVERSION. >> UNIQUE CONFIGURATION THAT WE'RE HAPPY TO FLY TONIGHT. >> ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MICK, AND TO THIS POINT, THE COUNT HAS GONE THROUGH SMOOTH. WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO JOSHUA IN THE STUDIO AND CONTINUE TO MONITOR. >> THANK YOU, GENTLEMEN. HOPEFULLY, SMOOTH THINGS AHEAD. HERE'S W GOING TO HAPPEN THROUGH LAUNCH AFTER SPACECRAFT SEPARATION. >> AND LIFTOFF OF THE UNITED LAUNCH ALLIANCE ATLAS FIVE ROCKET. >> AT IGNITION, IT GENERATES MORE THAN 1.5 NEWTONS OF THRUST TO LIFT IT TO A HYPERBOLIC TRAJECTORY. THE ATLAS FIVE REACHED MACH 1, THE SPEED OF SOUND, AT 58 SECONDS. THE SINGLE S.R.B. IS JETTISONNED AT 2:03. THE VEHICLE NOW WEIGHS LESS THAN 14% OF WHAT IT DID AT LIFTOFF. TEN SECONDS LATER, THE FIRST BURN OF THE CENTAUR MAIN ENGINE BEGINS. APPROACHING PAY LOAD FERRY JETTISON, IT'S TRAVELING AT MORE AT 4:27, THE PAY LOAD FERRING IS JETTISONNED. IT NOW WEIGHS LESS THAN 7% OF NEXT, THE MISSION ENTERS A COAST PHASE IN PREPARATION FOR THE SECOND BURN. BECAUSE THIS TARGETED EARTH ESCAPE TRAJECTORY VARIES BY DAY, THE ROCKET WILL ADJUST TO COMPENSATE FOR THIS. NEARLY SEVEN MINUTES LATER, FINAL CUTOFF OF THE CENTAUR MAIN ENGINE OCCURS. AT 52:47, CENTAUR RES THE ORBITER TO BEGIN ITS NEARLY TWO-YEAR JOURNEY TO THE SUN. IT WILL HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW THE SUN CONTROLS THE HELIO SPHERE. >> FOR THOSE OF YOU JUST JOINING US, WELCOME TO TEAM COVERAGE OF THE LAUNCH OF THE SOLAR ORBITER MISSION, DESTINED FOR UNPRECEDENTED VIEWS OF OUR SUN, A STAR. >> THE ATLAS FIVE ROCKET FOR THIS MISSION IS IN A 411 CONFIGURATION, SENDING SOLAR ORBITER TO A HIGH LATITUD ORBIT, ENABLING VIEWS OF THE SUN'S POLES. AFTER LIFTOFF, IT WILL TAKE JUST UNDER TWO YEA TO REACH ITS OPERATIONAL ORBIT FOR A SEVEN-YEAR PLANNED MISSION. >> WE DO HAVE A TWO-HOUR LAUNCH WINDOW, BUT LAUNCH IS STILL SCHEDULED FOR 11:03 M. EASTERN TIME, AND THERE, YOU SEE THE ROCKET ON SCREEN. THIS IS AN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIVE MISSION BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY AND NASA. THE SPACECRAFT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED BY AIRBUS DEFENSE AND SPACE. ENGINEERING AND TEST CENTER IN THE NETHERLANDS IS MANAGING THE EFFORT, AND THE OPERATIONS SPACE CENTER IN GERMANY WILL OPERATE SOLAR ORBITER'S FLIGHT AFTER LAUNCH. IT WILL EXPERIENCE SUN LIGHT 13 TIMES MORE INTENSE THAN WE EXPERIENCE HERE ON EARTH, AND IT IS EQUIPPED WITH A HEAT SHIELD CAPABLE OF ABSORBING HEAT OF 900° FAHRENHEIT OR 500° CELSIUS. ONE PHENOMENON TO BE EXPLORED IS THAT THE SUN GOES THROUGH AN 11 YEAR CYCLE THAT INVOLVES EMERGING AND VANISHING SUN SPOTS, AS WELL AS A SHIFT OF ITS ENTIRE MAGNETIC FIELD. THE MISSION TENDS TO ANSWER SOME CAUSE AND EFFECT QUESTIONS SUCH ASOW DO THE ENERGYIC PARTICLES ORIGINATE THAT LEAD TO SUPREME SPACE WEATHER? THE ANSWERS CANNOT ONLY HAVE AN IMPACT ON OUR DAILY LIVES AND THE ELECTRONICS WE DRAW ON, BUT AN IMPACT ON OURE SPACE MISSIONS AS WE HEAD TO THE MOON, MARS, AND BEYOND. LET'S HEAD BACK TO DARRELL AND MICK FOR MORE ON THE COUNT. >> THANK YOU, JOSHUA. WE ARE CURRENTLY IN A HOLD, T-MINUS FOUR MINUTES AND HOLDING. >> EVERYTHING IS GOOD. U.L.A. LAUNCH CONDUCTOR SCOTT BARNEY IS GIVING HIS BRIEFING TO HIS TEAM OF WHAT'S GOI TO HAPPEN AS THEY GET READY TO PICK UP THE POLE AT T-MINUS FOUR MINUTES AND COUNTING, BUT AS WE SEE ON THE SCREEN HERE IS THE TEAM AND THE MISSION DIRECTOR CENTER AT E., WHICH OUR ESA FOLKS UP FRONT. >> AND JUST A FEW MILES AWAY IS THE OPERATIONS CENTER, WHERE THE U.L.A. LAUNCH TIME IS GOING THROUGH THEIR COUNT. AND IN DENVER, WE HAVE A TEAM OUT THERE, AS WELL. THE DENVER OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER IN DENVER, COLORADO. AND WE HAVE OPERATIONS TEAMS IN GERMANY. >> WE HAVE ESA TEAMS SRTING FROM GERMANY, WHERE THEY WILL CONTROL THE SPACECRAFT AFTER IT SEPARATES THIS EVENING. >> WE'VE HAD SOME FUN TALKING ABOUT THE CONVERSIONS BETWEEN STANDARD AND METRIC, BUT WE WERE TALKING EARLIER, MICK. THAT ACTUALLY -- THAT PLAYED A ROLE IN WORKING WITH THIS INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION BECAUSE MUCH OF WHAT WE DO HERE IS STANDARD, AND OVERSEAS IS METRICS, SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF CONVERSION THAT'S GONE ON BETWEEN? >> YEAH. IT'S BEENUN WORKING WITH OUR INTERNATIONAL TEAM. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME PROBLEMS WITH CONVERSIONS AND COMMUNICATION, BUT THAT IS KEY, COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE TEAMS. ALL OF US HAVE DONE VERY WELL, AND AS TIM DUNN PUT IT, WE ALL SPEAK THE INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE OF MISSION SUCCESS, AND THAT'S WHAT'S GOTTEN US HERE THIS EVENING. WORKING WITH OUR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS HAS BEEN FUN, AND WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE THIS ATLAS FIVE GET ON ITS WAY AND GET US SOME SCIENCE. >> WE LOOK AT THE SHOT ON THE GROUND AS THE WATER CONDENSES AROUND THE SUPER COOLED LIQUID OXYGEN. IN JUST A FEW SECONDS, WE ARE GOING TO GET A STATUS PULL FRO LAUNCH DIRECTOR SCOTT BARNEY OF U.L.A., AND HE'S GOING TO GIVE THAT, BEFORE A FINAL CHECK BEFORE WE BEGIN TO RESUME THE COUNT. LET'S LISTEN IN AS SCOTT CONDUCTED THAT POLL AT UNITED LAUNCH ALLIANCE. >> ATLAS SYSTEMS, PROPULSION. GO. >> HYDRAULIC. >> GO. >> PNEUMAT GO. WATER. GO. L.H. 2. GO. >> >> GROUND. FACILITY. GO. RFFTS. >> GO. >> FLIGHT CONTROL. >> GO. G.C.Q. >> GO. >> OPERATIONS SUPPORT. >> GO. >> COM. >> UMBILICALS. >> GO. >> E.C.S. >> GO. >> RED LINE MONITOR. >> QUALITY. >> GO. >> OP SAFETY MEASURE. >> U.L.A. SAFETY OFFICER. >> GO. RANGE COORDINATO >> CLEAR TO PROCEED. >> LAUNCH DIRECTOR. >> YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO LAUNCH. >> A.L.C. VERIFIED IS SET FOR 2303. >> AND WE ARE CONFIRMED TO GO TO LAUNCH AT 11:03. WE JUST GOT THE CONFIRMATION FROM BARNEY. >> IT'S AWESOME TO HEAR THERE'S A GO FROM THE TEAM. TARGETING AN 11:03 P.M. EASTERN TIME LIFTOFF. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I AM TO HEAR THAT POLL. >> AND NOW, THEY'RE CONFIGURING THE SPACECRAFT TO GO OFF LAND POWER AND PREPARE FOR LAUNCH POWER. >> THEY'RE PREPARING THE SOLAR ORBITER TO GET READY. WE JUST HEARD THAT SPACECRAFT IS ON INTERNAL POWER. EVERYTHING IS READY TO GO, SO WE'VE HEARDM THE SPACECRAFT AND LAUNCH VEHICLE THAT EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD TO GET SOLAR ORBITER OFF THE GROUND. THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL THING TO HEAR. >> AND NOW TIM DUNN, NASA'S LAUNCH DIRECTOR WILL BE LOOKING AT HIS TEAM AND CONDUCT HIS PORTION OF THE BUSINESS. >> YES. HE'LL CHECK IN WITH HIS NASA ENGINEER AND L.S.P. AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE READY TO PROCEED FORWARD, SO WE'LL HEAR >>S A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT IF YOU ARE IN THE AREA AND READY TO WATCH THIS ROCKET LAUNCH, IT'S GOING TO BE A BEAUTY. THIS SPOT RIGHT HERE IS OUR BANANA CREEK VIEWING AREA. WE'VE GOT A COUPLE HUNDRED PEOPLE OUT THERE, PROBABLY A THOUSAND ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. LET'S COUNT IT DOWN, THREE, TWO, AND ONE, AND HAVE RESUMED OUR COUNT DOWN. WE ARE 3:53 AWAY FROM LIFTOFF. . >> AND THIS IS -- YOU MENTIONED THIS EARLIER ABOUT THE CONFIGURATION WITH THAT ONE SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER ON T SIDE. SOMETIMES PEOPLE HAVE ASKEW DOES THAT WORK WITH THE BOOSTER ON THE ONE SIDE OF THE ROCKET? DOESN'T THAT KIND OF PUSH IT OVER? >> YEAH, BUT THE R.D.-180 HAS A LOT OF CONTROLT THAT IT CAN OFFSET THAT ONE SOLID ON THE 411 VEHICLE. THE 411 IS A GREAT VEHICLE TO PROVIDE A GREAT RIDE FOR TONIGHT'S MISSION AS IT HAS FOR MISSIONS IN THE PAST. IT MAKES SURE THAT THE MISSION GETS OFF THE PAD AND HEADS TO SPACE LIKE IT'S SUPPOSED TO. >> 2:45 AS WE GET DOWN TO THE FINAL COUNT. TEAMS ARE IN A FINAL FLURRY OF ACTIVITY, TALKING TO VARIOUS TEAM MEMBERS BEFORE THIS LAUNCH TAKES OFF. IT'S AN EXCITING TIME BEFORE WE GET DOWN TO THE FINAL FEW MINUTES. TALK ABOUT THE TEAMS AND THE ACTIVITY THAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW. >> YEAH. IT TAKES A LOT OF CONTROL BETWEEN THE TEAMS, MAKE SURE THEY'RE ALL TALKING TOGETHER. HEY'RE ACTUALLY PREPARING THE TANKS, GETTING TO FLIGHT PRESSURES, GETTING ALL THE VALVES IN THE RIGHT POSITION, AND TOPPING OFF THE AVIATION TANKS FOR CENTAUR BOOSTER. >> VERY GOOD,ND THE COUNT NOW GOING UNDER 1:40. LET'S LISTEN IN AS THE ACTIVITY BEGINS TO PICK UP ON THE COUNT DOWN NET. . >> OUR FRIENDS AT THE UNITED SPACE FORCE WILL FOLLOW. >> F.D.R. HAS STARTED, 1:15. >> 1:10. >> LOCKING THE VENT VALVES WILL BRING THE BOOSTER AND TANKS UP TO FLIGHT PRESSURE, GETTING EVERYTHING READY FOR LAUNCH THIS EVENING. WE JUST HEARD FROM THE RANGE OFFICER THAT THE RANGE IS GREEN AND READY TO MOVE FORWARD. >> THE RANGE IS GREEN,T IS A BEST STEP MOVING FORWARD. EVERYTHING'S CLEAR. BASICALLY MEANS THAT THERE'S NO -- NOTHING TO EXCEED LAUNCH, NOTHING OUT THERE IN THE WATER, NOTHING OUT THERE IN THE AIR. >> T-MINUS 30 SECONDS AS WE COUNT DOWN TO THE LAUNCH OF THE ATLAS FIVE ROCKET. >> 25 SECONDS. >> GO, PLEASE. >> GO SOLAR ORBITER. >> THERE, YOU HEARD THE FINAL SPACE CHECK FOR CENTAUR AND BOOSTER SPACECRAFT. THERE WE GO. T-MINUS TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX, FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE, ZERO. AND LIFTOFF OF OUR SOLAR ORBITER, AN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION TO GIVE US NEW IMAGES AND A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR LIFE-GIVING STAR. >> AFTER 15 SECONDS. >> NOW, YOU HEAR THE VOICE OF U.L.A.'S LAUNCH COMMENTATOR. >> NOW 25 SECONDS INTO FLIGHT. CHAMBER PRESSURE ON THE S.R.B. LOOKS GOOD. ENGINEERING PARERS ON THE R.D.-80 ALSO LOOK GOOD. 35 SECONDS IN, VEHICLE IS COMPLETING THE PITCH-OVER MANEUVER. NOW 41 SECONDS INTO FLIGHT. >> 45 SECONDS INTO FLIGHT, EVERYTHING IS LOOKING GOOD. >> WED THAT THE R.D.-180 ENGINE IS THROTTLING DOWN. GOING TO PULL THOSE ENGINES DOWN FOR JUST A LITTLE BIT. >LIGHT ENGINE IS NOW SUPER SONIC. VEHICLE'S NOW PASSING THROUGH MAX-X, MAXIMUM DYNAMIC PRESSURE. >> MAXIMUM DYNAMIC PRESSURE IS THE HIGHEST PRESSURE ON THE ROCKET BECAUSE IT'S REACHED THE HIGHEST RESISTANCE FROM EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE. MATE IT THROUGH, AND THEY'RE THROTTLING BACK UP. >> AND WE HAVE BURNOUT ON THE SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER. >> THEY'RE GOING TO LET THAT GO AT 2:47. >> ALL SPEEDS AND INJECTOR PRESSURES LOOK GOOD. >> ALL RIGHT. STAND BY NOW FOR BOOSTER JETTISON. >> AND COMING INTO TWO MINUTES INTO FLIGHT, THE ATLAS VEHICLE IS NOW JUST ONE HALF OF ITS LIFTOFF WT. R.D.-180 CONTINUES TO LOOK GOOD. AND STANDING BY FOR S.R.V. JETTISON SHORTLY. >> AND LOOK TO YOUR SCREEN, YOU'LL SEE IT. THERE IT GOES. >> ATLAS FIVE HAS GONE TO Q-ALPHA CLOSED LIMITED STEERING. VEHICLE BODY WEIGHTS LOOK GOOD. NOW 2:35 INTO FLIGHT. >> IN THE SECOND STAGE, R.C.M. PRESS STAGE IS NOW OPEN. SYSTEMS NOW PRESSURIZING TO FLIGHT LEVELS. >> FLYING AT OVER 5,000 MILES PER HOUR. >> NOW THREE MINUTESTO FLIGHT. APPROXIMATELY ONE MINUTE TO BECO. PUMP SPEEDS AND INJECTOR PRESSURES LOOK GOOD. 3:15 IN. ABOUT TO CUT THAT BOOSTER. >> VEHICLE BODY RATES LOOK STABLE. >> NOW 3:30 IN, RD-180 NOW THROTTLING TO MAINTAIN A CONSTANT 3-G ACCELERATION. AND WE'VE BEGUN BOOST PHASE CHILL DOWN. CHILL DOWN PHASE HAS ENDED. STANDING BY FOR BECO. AND WE HAVE BECO, BOOSTER ENGINE CUTOFF. AND WE HAVE GOOD INDICATION OF ATLAS-CENTAUR SEPARATION. WE HAVE PRESTART ON THE R.L.-10, STANDING BY FOR IGNITION. >> NEXT MAJOR MILESTONE IS THE FERRING. >> BODY RATES LOOK GOOD. AND WE HAVE GOOD INDICATION OF PAY LOAD FERRING JETTISON. THIS FIRST BURN OF TODAY'S MISSION WILL LAST APPROXIMATELY EIGHT MINUTES. AND THE R.C.S. SYSTEM IS NOW PERFORMING THE INITIAL FIRINGS TO WARM UP THE R.C.S. CATALYST BED. JUST IN RESPONSE LOOKS GOOD. AND T CENTAUR IS NOW 100 MILE IN ALTITUDE, 450 MILES DOWN RANGE DISTANCE, TRAVELING AT 11,800 MILES PER HOUR. 5:10 INTO FLIGHT. >> YOU'RE LISTENING TO THE VOICE OF PATRICK MOORE,U.L.A.s LAUNCH COMMENTATOR. CENTAUR PROPELLING UTILIZATION HAS GONE TO CLOSED-LOOP CONTROL. >> FLIGHT IS LOOKING VERY GOOD AT THIS POINT. AND R.C.S. IS NOW PERFORMING INTERNAL FIRING FOR INTERNAL RESPONSE OF THE SYSTEM. EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD, AND INITIAL REVIEW OF BOOSTER PERFORMANCE SHOWED BOOSTER PERFORMED CLOSE TO PREFLIGHT PREDICTIONS. >> SO THE NEXT MAJOR MILESTONE BEEN THE CENTAUR FIRST MAJOR ENGINE CUTOFF, AND WE'VE GOT FIVE OR SIX MINUTES BEFORE THAT. LET'S BRING NICK WOLTMAN IN. EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THAT FROM HERE? >> YEAH. HEAR ALL THE MARKET EVENTS, AND SEEMS THAT FIRST STAGE PERFORMED REALLY NOMINAL TO GET THROU THE FIRST STAGE AND GET CENTAUR ON ITS WAY. >> CENTAUR PERFORMING A THRUST OF ABOUT 22,000 POUNDS AND FLYING. AND WHAT, MICK, HAS BEEN DESCRIBED TO ME AS A VERY EXACT ORBIT. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT, BUT IT DOES HAVE TO BE WITH PRECISION. >> IT WILL GET CENTAUR INTO A SEMI CIRCULAR ORBIT AS WE GO AROUND THE EARTH, AND WE WILL GET READY FOR OUR MAIN ENGINE START NUMBER TWO, AND THAT WILL GET US ONTO OUR TRANSFER TRAJECTORY ORBIT OR TRANSFER TRAJECTORY TO GET US HEADED TO THE SUN. >> AND IT'S A LOT OF POWER TH NEEDED IN ORDER TO GET THIS THING GOING BECAUSE SHE'S GOING OFF INTO THE DEEPER PART OF SPACE, HEADED TO THE SUN. WE'RE GETTING A REPORT OF GOOD PERFORMANCE, SO FAR, AND THAT'S GOOD NEWS. THE TEAM HERE, MICK TALKED ABOUT THE REACTION OF THE LAUNCH TEAM. WE HEARD A LITTLE BIT OF A CELEBRATION BEHIND US. >> YEAH. THE TEAM DOESN'T GET TOO EXCITED AROUND HERE, BT IS A MARK EVENT. GETTING MAIN ENGINE START IS IMPORTANT, AS YOU MENTIONED, CENTAUR ON ITS WAY. THE R.L.-10 ENGINE PERFORMING VERY WELL. BUT THE TEAM IS CONTINUING TO LOOK AT THE DATA, FOLLOWING THE CENT IN FLIGHT ON REAL-TIME DATA. THE BOOSTER TEAM IS LOOKING AT AFTER FIRST STAGE DATA TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WENT WELL. THINGS ARE PERFORMING VERY WELL FOR THIS FLIGHT FOR SOLAR ORBITER ON ITS WAY. >> THAT'S G FOR OUR EUROPEAN PARTNERS, WHO ARE COLLABORATING IN THIS EFFORT. THE SOLAR ORBITER PLANS TO UNLOCK QUITE A FEW MYSTERIES OF THE SUN, AS WE HAVE LEARNED IN THE WEEKS ROLLING UP TO THIS. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT THAT THE TEAMS HAVE PUT INTO BUILDING THIS SPACECRAFT AND OF COURSE PREPARING FOR LAUNCH. MANY YEARS IN THE MAKING. AS WE LISTEN IN NOW, WE ARE GETTING A LITTLE MORE OF AN UPDATE. SO FAR, CONTINUES TO HAVE GOOD FLIGHT. ORBIT, YOU WERE TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS TRANSFER ORBIT. IT'S USING A PLANETARY ASSIST TO GET TO ITS LOCATION ULTIMATELY, RIGHT? >> ULTIMATELY. ONCE WE GET INTO OUR ORBIT AND SOLAR ORBITER IS ON ITS WAY TO THE SUN, EVENTUALLY, THEY'LL USE THE ASSIST OF VENUS TO MAINTAIN THE TCTORY AND KEEP GOING. AS YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, CENTAUR PERFORMING VERY WELL ON THE FIRST BURN, AND THE TEAMS ARE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT DATA AND HOW IT'S PERFORMING. AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAPPY TO BE AT THIS POINT IN THE FLIGHT, BUT AS YOU SAID, IMPORTANT TO OUR ESA FRIENDS AND SOLAR ORBITER AND NASA. WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE PAY LOAD SEPARATION. MISSION IS GOING WELL SO FAR, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS AND SEE HOW CENTAUR PERFORMS TO GET OUR PAY LOAD DEPLOYED SUCCESSFULLY. >> THIS IS A VERY TENSE TIME, BUT NO NEED TO WORRY BECAUSE AT THIS POINT, CENTAUR HAS TAKEN HER TO THE SPOT THAT SHE NEEDS TO GO. THECENTAUR, WE WERE TALKI ABOUT IT EARLIER. IT'S THE LAST OF ITS KIND THAT IS IN FLIGHT NOW, BUT IT'S GETTING SOME UPGRADES. IT'S PERFORMING GREAT, BUT WHAT KIND OF IMPROVEMENTS IS IT GETTING? >> YEAH. I WOULD SAY NOT CENTAUR MAINLY, BUT THE R.L.-10, THE ENGINE. IT'S THE LAST SINGLE VERSION OF R.L.-10 THAT WE'LL FLY. ALL VEHICLES FROM THIS POINT OUT WILL FLY R.L.C. HOWEVER, R.L.-10 WILL BE USED FOR HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT TO GET ASTRONAUTS BACK TO THE MOON AND THEN ONTO MARS. SO R.L.-10-4-A WILL STILL BE USED, BUT IN A SINGLE CONFIGURATION. >> AND THAT DUAL ENGINE HAS TO PROVIDE A LOT OF POWER WHEN IT COMES TO, AS YOU MENTIONED, THE ASTRONAUTS, WHO ARE GOING TO BE GOING BACK UPO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FROM AMERICAN SOIL ONCE BOEING GETS THE GO-AHEAD TO FLY THAT DUAL ENGINE. THAT POWER IS NEEDED BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT HEAVIER. >> A LOT HEAVIER AND MORE POWER AND ENERGY FROM THE CENTAUR. WE ALSO HAV TH YOU KNOW, DUAL-ENGINE SET UP FOR REDUNDANCY AND CONTROLLABILITY THERE. >> WE'RE GOING TO GET AN UPDATE IN JUST A MOMENT FROM U.L.A. SCOTT MESSER. YOU'RE LOOKING AT A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING THE FLIGHT TO LOOK LIKE, AND EVERYTHING IS LOOKING GOOD AT THIS POINT. >> AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE JUST HEARD, WE'VE GOT MAIN ENGINE CUTOFF, SO CENTAUR HAS SHUTDOWN ITS ENGINE FOR THE FIRST FIRING. THINGS LOOK GOOD. BODY RATES HAVE DAMPED OUT, AND EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD FOR THIS MISSION SO FAR. AS WE GET READY TO GO, CENTAUR WILL CONTINUE BY ROLLING AND TURNING TO TITION IT NEEDS TO GET READY FOR STAGE TWO, THE TRANSFER OR ORBIT TRAJECTORY THAT WE TALKED ABOUT. THIS FLIGHT PERIOD THAT WE'LL BE IN WILL BE ABOUT 30UTES TO GET INTO POSITION BEFORE WE HAVE TO FIRE UP THE CENTAUR ENGINE AGAIN. THAT'LL BE ABOUT 38, 39 MINUTES INTO THE MISSION THAT WE WILL DO THAT, AND IT WILL FIRE FOR ROUGHLY SIX MINUTES TO TO THAT TRANSFER ORBIT. CENTAUR PERFORMING VERY WELL. ATLAS, CENTAUR, AND SOLAR ORBITER ARE ON ITS WAY. >> THIS IS WHAT YOU WOULD DESCRIBE AS A BIT OF A COAST PHASE. >> COAST PHASE RUNNING VERY WELL, AND DOING SOME MANEUVERS THIS COAST PHASE. >> AND SO WHILE WE MONITORING COASTING OF THE CENTAUR STAGE, WE WILL ALSO BE MONITORING THE LAUNCH TEAMS TO LET YOU KNOW WHEN THEY FIRE THOSE ENGINES BACK UP. IN THE MEANTIME, WE ARE GOING TO SEND IT BACK TO JOSHUA,S JOINED BY SCOTT MESSER. >> HEY, A LOT MORE AHEAD, BUT WE APPRECIATE YOU WALKING US THROUGH THOSE FIRST DYNAMIC MINUTES OF FLIGHT. I'M HERE WITH SCOTT MESSER, THE DIRECTOR OF FLIGHT MISSIONS. SO THE BOOSTER HAS FIRED, THE ROCKET IS ON HER WAY. WHAT'S IT LIKE? >> ONE OF THE QUIETEST COUNT DOWNS I'VE EVER BEEN THROUGH. >> INDEED. >> EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD SO FAR. ALL THE DATA THAT WE'RE GETTING BACK IS LOOKING REALLY POSITIVE. >> WE'VE STOLEN YOU AWAY AND THE JOB IS STILL HAPPENING, BUT HOW ARE YOUELING? >> BEGINNING OF THE WINDOW, AND EVERYTHING LOOKING GREAT. I'M JUST REALLY EXCITED AND THRILLED TO BE MEETING CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS. >> YEAH. I MEAN, THAT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME, RIGHT? >> IT CERTAINLY IS. >> SO WHAT'S LEFT AHEAD FOR US? THE U.L.A. PORTION OF THE DAY IS NOT DONE YET. SO WHAT'S STILL TO COME? >> WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A 30-MINUTE COAST. THE SECOND STAGE WILL START AGAIN, SHORT, TWO-COAST, AND THEN SEPARATION AT ABOUT 11:55. >> 11:55, IS THAT A TYPICAL TIMELINE? BECAUSE IN TYPICAL FLIGHTS, THE BOOSTER IS ONLY USED FOR TEN OR 15 MINUTES OR , BUTN THIS FLIGHT, THE BOOSTER IS USED FOR AN HOUR. IS THAT TYPICAL? >> YEAH. I THINK BOOSTERS ARE USED FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, SO IN MOST NASA MISSIONS, THAT'S ON AVERAGE. >> OKAY. WE WANT EVERYTHING TO LOOK GREAT, BUT LOOKING AHEAD, WHAT'S THE FUTURE FOR U.L.A.? >> WELL, THIS IS THE FIRST MISSION OF THE YEAR FOR U.L.A. 137th SUCCESSFUL MISSION SO FAR, SO WE'VE GOT SEVERAL OTHER MISSIONS FOR NASANG DOWN THE LINE. WE'VE GOT A MARS MISSION IN JULY OF THIS YEAR. >> MARS 2020. >> YEAH, SO IT'S GOING TO BE A BIG YEAR FOR U.L.A. >> AWESOME. AND CAN YOU EXPLAIN JUST A TE BIT MORE OF YOUR ROLE? IS THAT -- YOU'RE TAKING CARE OF NASA MISSIONS. IS THAT TRUE? >> THAT'S TRUE. I WORK WITH ALL THE NASA SCIENCE MISSIONS, SO SOLAR ORBITER, MARS 2020 COMING UP HERE, AND IT'S OUR JOB TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE SPACECRAFT REQMENTS ARE MET. WE INTEGRATE WITH THE SPACECRAFT CLOSELY FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND MAKE SURE THAT THE ROCKET PROVIDES ALL THE NECESSARY REQUIREMENTS THE SPACECRAFT ASKS FOR. >> GREAT. WELL SCOTT, WE APPRECIATE YOU, APPRECIATE UNITED LAUNCH ALLIANCE AND EVERYTHING TO UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF THE SUN AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT. WE'RE GOING TO LET YOU GET BACK TO MONITORING THE REST OF THE FLIGHT, AND I'M GOING TO SEND YOU BACK OUT TO BLAIR WITH SPECIAL GUESTS WITH HIM. >> YEAH. I'M HERE WITH HOLLY MUELLER AND DANIEL GILBERT. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE LAUNCH, HOLLY? >> WOW, FLOORED. I GOT TO SHARE IT WITH MY HUSBAND AND DAUGHTERS AND WITH MY PARTNER IN CRIME. >> NOT CRIME, BUT ON THE GOOD SCIENCE. GOOD SCIENCE. >> RIGHT. >> AND DANIEL, WHAT ABOUT YOU? >> IT'S PICTURE PERFECT, AND SUDDENLY, YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE CONNECTE THE ENTIRE SOLAR SYSTEM. YOU'RE CONNECTED TO SOMETHING THAT WILL BE CLOSE TO THE SUN AND OUT IN SPACE. >> YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU WERE STARVING SCIENTISTS, JUST GETTING OUT OF SCHOOL, DID YOU EVER THINK YOU WOULD BE HERE AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, NOT JUST WATCHING A ROCKET LAUNCH, BUT HEARING A MISSION AND SPACECRAFT THAT'S SO NEAR AND DEAR TO YOUR HEART? HOLLY, HOW ABOUT YOU? >> I COULD NOT HAVE EVEN IMAGINED THIS. EVEN THOUGH I'VE BEEN IN SOLAR PHYSICS TO THIS, I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD WITNESS SOMETHING COME TO FRUITION LIKE THIS AND ACTUALLY LAUNCH. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. >> DANIEL? >> SAME THING FOR ME. I MET HOLLY ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO AT A Ph.D. SCHOOL, AND I IMMEDIATELY KNEW THIS LADY WOULD GO VERY FAR. I WOULD NOT HAVE EXPECTED TO GO ALONG WITH HER AT THIS POINT, AND SO NOW, AFTER MANY YEARS OF HARD WORK AND SET BACKS, WE'VE NOW REALLY MADE IT ON OUR JOURNEY, AND THAT'S A BIG THING FOR ME. ND THAT'S GREAT, TOO, BECAUSE THIS WHOLE WEEK, LEADING UP TO THE LAUNCH AND ALL THE STUFF WE'VE DONE LEADING UP TO THE LAUNCH IN TERMS OF PREPARING FOR THE SHOW, WE'VE BEEN HEARING THE INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP AND OUR FRIENDS AT ESA, AND SEEING YOU GUYS HERE. A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP AND WORKING TOGETHER ON THE MISSION. >> YEAH. IT'S FANTASTIC. I COULDN'T ASK FOR A BETTER PROJECT SCIENTIST TEAM. IT'S A CHALLENGING TEAM HAVING AN INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP, SO WE -- ESPECIALLY DANIEL HAS HAD TO WORK HARD AT MAKING THAT ALL WORK. TEN STUMT TEAMS, IT'S JUST AN AMAZING PARTNERSHIP. >> AND I WAS LUCKY THAT I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ON THE SOHOMISSION BEFORE, SO I COULD REALLY FORM PERSONAL BONDS WITH PEOPLE THAT I STILL WORK WITH TODAY. >> I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP. BECAUSE AS AN OBSERVER TO THIS -- I'M ON THE LIBERAL ARTS SIDE, IT'SMPRESSIVE TO SEE THAT EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE SEPARATED BY MILES AND MILES OR KILOMETERS IN SOME CASES, IN THE SCIENCE COMMUNITY, THE BOUNDARIES SORT OF DISAPPEAR, YOU HAVE THE SAME OBJECTIVES AND IT'S GOT TO BE A REALLY GREAT FEELING TO KNOW THAT YOU CAN TRUST AND WORK WITH PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS TO GET SUCH IMPORTANT DATA. >> THAT'S A REALLY GOOD POINT. WE HAVE ONE COMMON GOAL AND THAT IS TO GET THE GOOD SCIENCE OUT OF THIS MISSION, AND I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SUCCEED. >> YEAH, AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I TRY TO POINT OUT TO STUDENTS AND YOUNGER CHILDREN. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE YOU'RE FROM, PARTICULARLY IF YOU HAVE A GOOD COLLABORATION OF COUNTRIES ON THE INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE YOU COME FROM. >> OH, THAT'S GREAT. THANKS, GUYS. CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE, AND WE'LL GO BACK TO JOSHUA ON THE ASOT. >> WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO SEND YOU BACK OUT NOW TO URA, HAS CAUGHT UP WITH ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE SPECIAL PEOPLE WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES FOR YEARS LEADING UP TO THESE MISSIONS. LAURA, TAKE IT AWAY. >> THANK YOU, JOSHUA. I'M JOINED BY ANA PACROS, AND SHE IS SOLAR ORBITER'S PAY LOAD MANAGER. ANA, WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THAT LAUNCH? >> WELL, IT WAS A RANGE OF EMOTIONS. I WAS A BIT ANXIOUS, YOU KNOW, TO SEE IS EVERYTHING GOING TO GO WELL? IS THE SIGNA GOING TO BE ACQUIRED IN A FEW MOMENTS? >> SO ANA, I KNOW YOU'RE AN ENGINEER, BUT TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THE PAY LOAD MANAGER'S RESPONSIBILITIES ARE. >> AS PAY LOAD MANAGER, I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE THE SPACECRAFT IS COMPLIANT FOR WHAT THE INSTRUMENTS WANT TO DO, AND MAKING SURE THE INSTRUMENTS ARE READY TO BE INTEGRATED ON THE SPACECRAFT, AND ALSO CHASING THEM FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. IT WAS A BIG JOB FOR MY TEAM TO TAKE CARE OF THE TEN INSTRUMENTS ON THIS MISSION. IT'S LIKE TEN DIFFERENT CHILDREN, AND ALL OF THEM HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS, SO SOMETIMES IT WAS A BIT OF A PROMISE TO MAKE SURE THEY COULD ALL FIT ON BOARD AND LIVE TOGETHER ON THIS MISSION. THE POINT OF THE SOLAR ORBITER IS TO MAKE THE COMPROMISE BETWEEN SCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING OBSERVATIONS, SO WE HAD TO MAKE THEM FIT TOGETHER TO TAKE THEIR MEASUREMENTS TOGETHER. >> SO THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY, SO WHAT'S NEXT FOR YOU? >> SO WE ARE GOING TO ACQUIRE THE FIRST SIGNAL AND WE ARE GOING TO START DEPLOYING ALL OUR ANTENNAS, THE BOOM, AND AFTER THAT, WE HAVE TO CHECK TO MAKE SURE ALL THE INSTRUMENTS ARE WORKING AS EXPECTED. THIS IS CALLED THE COMMISSIONING PHASE, AND IT LASTS ABOUT THREE MONTHS. WE ARE GOING TO TAKE THE FIRST MEASUREMENTS ALREADY TO MAKE SURE THAYTHING IS WORKING FINE. BUT IN JUNE, WE DECLARE IT A MISSION, AND EVERYTHING CAN GO UNDERWAY WITH THE CRUISE PHASE AND THE SCIENCE PHASE. >> ALL RIGHT. JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE WORK TO DO, BUT JOSHUA, YOU CAN SEE AFTER A LOT OF YEARS OF HARD WORK, YOU CELEBRATE BY COMING ALL THEY TO FLORIDA, TO KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, TO WATCH A ROCKET LAUNCH. >> WE APPRECIATE THAT ENERGY AND ENTHUSIASM AND EXCITEMENT FROM PEOPLE LIKE ANA JUST BECAUSE THAT HELPS US BE ALL THE MORE EXCITED TO SEE THEM SUCCEED AND PEOPLE LIKE THEM SUCCEED IN THIS INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION. AND WE'RE GOING TO SEND IT BACK TO DARRELL AND MICK FOR MORE. >> WE STILL HAVE A LITTLE WAYS TO GO TO GET SEPARATION, BUT SO FAR, IT'S BEEN A GREAT LAUNCH. VERY QUIET AND VERY EXCITED FOR THIS. AS A MATTER OF FACT, IT'S BEEN VERY NOMINAL. >> IT ALL STARTED AT 11:03 EASTERN, 00, RIGHT ON TIME. >> I DON'T HAVE A CONVERSION FOR THAT. >> YOU LET ME DOWN. WHAT HAPPENED? >> NO, IT WAS RIGHT DOWN AT 11:03 LIFTOFF. THE NASA AND ESA DID A WONDERFUL JOB OF GETTING THIS LIFTED OFF TODAY. >> TRUST ME, THE SPACECRAFT TEAM AT THIS POINT IS STILL VERY MUCH, VERY FOCUSED ON THE TELEMETRY THAT'S COMING IN FROM THE SPACECRAFT. >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. E LOOKINGT THAT. THE U.L.A. AND NASA SPACE TEAMS ARE LOOKING AT THE TELEMETRY AND MAKING SURE THINGS ARE READY TO GO. ALL SYSTEMS ARE LOOKING NOMINAL THE PROPELLANT SETTLING BACK INTO THE TANKS TO GET US BACK ONTO THE TRANSFER TRAJECTORY. >> TALK US THROUGH THE NEXT STEPS THAT ARE COMING. WE'VE GOT KIND OF A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO TALK ABOUT THAT. THE CENTAUR SECOND MAIN ENGINE WILL START AND FIRE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT'S LIT AND THEN CUTOFF AGAIN. >> CENTAUR IS IN ITS COAST PHASE AND SEMI CIRCULAR ORBIT, THE PARKING ORBIT TO GET US STARTED. VEHICLE IS PERFORMING AFEW MANEUVERS, MAKING SURE THAT THE LIQUID HYDROGEN IS SETTLED BACK IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK FOR HER START. THAT'S ONE THING ABOUT THE R.L.-10, IS YOU CAN DO MULTIPLE STARTS. IN THIS NEXT START, THEY WILL FIRE THE ENGINES FOR SEVEN MINUTES TO GETS INTO THAT TRANSFER ORBIT TO HEAD ON TOWARDS THE SUN AND START ITS SCIENCE MISSION. THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT ORBIT TO MAKE SURE WE GET ON TOWARDS THE SUN. >> WE CAN SEE IN THIS ANIMATION THAT THERE'S SETTLE LITTLE FIRINGS THERE. >> YEAH. THAT'S THE R.C.S. THRUSTERS SETTLING THE VEHICLE AND GETTING READY FOR THAT MAIN ENGINE START, TOO. >> WE'LL SEND IT BACK TO , JOSHUA, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR BETWEEN THE LAUNCH TEAMS AND CENTRAL ROCKET IN COAST PHASE. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, GUYS. WE ARE EXCITED. AND AS SOLAR ORBITER CONTINUES PRESSING ONTO SEPARATION, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT'S AHEAD FOR THIS MITOEXPLORER. -- MIGHTY EXPLORER. PLANETS ARE CIRCLING THE SUN, AND SO WE ALREADY HAVE SOME VELOCITY ONE WAY. IF WE WANT TO MOVE OUTSIDE THE ECLIPTIC, WE HAVE TO MOVE OUTSIDE THE PLANE. >> THE ONLY OTHER SATELLITE TO FLY OVER THE POLES WAS ULYSSES, BUT SOLAR ORBITER WILL BE THE FIRST TO CAPTURE PAPHS OF THIS PORTION. EVERY 11 YEARS, THE SUN'S MAGNETIC FIELD FLIPS. NORTH BECOMES SOUTH, AND VICE VERSA. THIS HAS DIRECT EFFECTS ON EARTH. BEFORE THE POLES FLIP, SOLAR ACTIVITY REACHES ITS PEAK. >> WE DON'T REALLY HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE GLOBAL SOLAR BEHAVIOR. >> ANOTHER ONE OF THE MISSION'S GOALS IS TO MONITOR HOW THESE HE -- ERUPTIONS AND SOLAR EXPLOSIONS AFFECT SPACE. >> SOLAR O WILL GIVE US A COMPREHENSIVE FULL VIEW OF THE ENTIRE SUN AND HOW THE SUN IS IMPACTING THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SOLAR SYSTEM. >> SOLAR ORBITER WILL BE CLOSER MERE DISTANCE 26 MILLION A MILES AWAY, THE IDEAL DISTANCE TO GET A GREAT LOOK AT THE SUN AND PHOTOGRAPH ITS SURFACE. A LARGE TITANIUM SHIELD PROTECTS THE INSTRUMENTS. OTHER INSTRUMENTS WILL DIRECTLY MEASURE SOLAR MATERIAL FROM BEHIND THE SHADOW OF THE SHIELD. ALL OF THESE OBSERVATIONS WILL TELL US MORE ABOUT THE SUN THAN WE'VE EVER KNOWN BEFORE, AND BY THE END OF THE SEVEN-YEAR MISSION, WE WILL HAVE SEEN OUR STAR IN A COMPLETELY NEW WAY. >> OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUN WILL CHANGE DRAMATICALLY. I WILL SAY THAT WE ARE LIVING IN A REVOLUTIY MOMENT IN OUR FIELD. >> SO WE'LL GET BACK TO SOLAR ORBITER IN JUST A MINUTE, BUT RIGHT NOW I'M JOINED BY KENNEDY SPACE CENTER DIRECTOR, SECOND LONGEST RUNNING CENTER DIRECTOR NOW, COMING UP ON THE FIRST IN NOT LONG, BOB CABANA. SO I KNOW THAT YOU LOVE TO SEE THE BIG PICTURE AND TALK ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE WHEN IT COMES TO THE WORK THAT NASA AND KENNEDY SPACE CENTER IS DOING. HOW IS THIS A PART OF OUR UNIVERSE? >> ABSOLUTELY. SO SOLAR ORBITER IS ON ITS WAY TO STUDY THE SUN, RIGHT? AND ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE IS SENDING ASTRONAUTS BEYOND OUR HOME PLANET. SO WITH ARTEMIS, WE'RE GOING BACK TO THE MOON, AND THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO GO ONTO MARS, RIGHT? AND WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE SUN AND ENVIRONMENT BEYOND OUR HOME PLANET IN ORDER TO PROTECT ASTRONAUTS FROM THAT ULTRAVIOLENT RADIATION, FROM ALL THAT'S GOING ON IN SP INK THIS IS GREAT. WHAT WE HAVE IS A COMBINATION OF SCIENCE AND OUR EXPLORATION PROGRAMS WORKING TOGETHER SO WE UNDERSTAND. RIGHT NOW AT KENNEDY, I'M FOCUSED ON TWO THINGS. FIRST OFF, I WANT TO SEE COMMERCIAL CREW FLIGHTS. I WANT TO SEE U.S. PEOPLE WITH U.S. PARTNERS IN A FLIGHT PROGRAM. AND THEN, THE ARTEMIS PROGRAM. KENNEDY IS GOING TO BE READYWHE. THE CORE PHASE IS AT STENNIS RIGHT NOW. THEY'RE GOING TO REALLY DOCUMENT THE ROCKET BEFORE THEY SHIP IT TO US FOR PROCESSING HERE. THE ORION SPACECRAFT, THE LOCKHEED MARTIN SPACECRAFT, IT UP IN OHIO, AND IT'S GOING TO BE BACK HERE AROUND APRIL TIME FRAME, AND THEN IT'LL BE READY FOR PROCESSING. SO WE'RE GOING TO GET A SPACECRAHERE, AND THEN, THE CORE STAGE. WE'VE ALREADY GOT SOLID ROCKET MOTOR SEGMENTS ARRIVING, AND WE'RE GOING TO SEND ORION ON A TEST WITHOUT A CREW IN AND AROUND THE MOON -- THEY'RE NOT GOING TO LAND. IT'S JUST GOING TO BE WITHOUT CREW. WE'RE GOING TO REDOCUMENT THE SPACECRAFT, HOW IT OPERATES, AND MAKE SURE IT'S SAFE SO THAT WE CAN RELAUNCH ASTRONAUTS TO THE MOON, AND THE FIRST MAN AND THE WOMAN BACK ON THE MOON BY 2024. THAT'S A HUGE CHALLENGEHAT WE'VE BEEN GIVEN BY THE PRESIDENT, WE ARE GOING TO DO OUR BEST TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. >> AND A NICE LITTLE BUMP UP IN THE BUDGET BY THE PRESIDENT. SUPER HELPFUL. >> I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. WE'VE GOT THE MONEY, NOW WE NEED TO GO DO IT. >> AND SOLAR ORBITER, AGAIN, GIVING US THAT UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD BEYOND THE VAN ALLEN BELT. ANYTHING ELSE COMING UP? MARS 2020. >> MARS 2020 SHIPS TO US FROM IT WAS TING. I GOT TO SEE IT WHEN IT WAS IN THE pH S. AND EVERYTHING, AND THEN, I WENT TO J.P.L. WHEN IT LANDED. IT'S ANOTHER ROVER THE SAME SIZE AS CURIOSITY THAT WE'RE PUTTING DOWN ON THE SURFACE OF MARS. I THOUGHT IT'S NO BIG DEAL. IT IS ALL DELAYED, ALL AUTO MATED -- THEY'RE SEEING IT EIGHT MINUTES AFTER IT HAPPENED. IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS I'VE EVER DONE. IT WAS SO COOL, GETTING THE REPORTS BACK AND WATCHING IT, AND THEN, TO SEE THAT ROVER MARS. >> WE'VE GOT SOME AMAZING DATA BACK. >> ROVERS, THEY'RE THE PRECURSORS TO SENDING HUMANS, BUT THAT'S THE GOAL. IN THE 2030s, HAVING HUMANS ON THE SURFACE OF MARS. T WAIT FOR TH >> OBVIOUSLY, THIS ROVER IS THE SAME SIZE, BUT NOT PLANNED INSTRUMENTS. WE ALSO HAVE A HELICOPTER ON BOARD, SUPER EXCITING. >> I'M GOING TO LET YOU GET BACK TO WORK. LET'S GET BACK TO BLAIR. >> YEAH, I LOVE THOSE GUYS OUT THERE. >> SAY HI. >> HEY, BLAIR. >> WITH BOB, YOU GET SEVEN MINUTES OF PURE, UNADULTERATED ENTHUSIAS BUT WE'RE ALSO EXCITED ABOUT SOLAR ORBITER, AND BEFORE THE LAUNCH, I HAD A CHANCE TO SIT DOWN WITH CESAR GARCIA, THE PROJECT MANAGER FOR SOLAR ORBITER. CESAR, THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. >> THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. >> TELL US ABOUT THE MISSION OF SOLAR ORBITER? >> SOLAR ORBITER, AS THE SHOWS, IT WILL BE A MISSION THAT WE ORBIT AROUND THE SUN IN WAYS WHICH WE HAVE NOT DONE BEFORE. WE WILL BE DIFFERENT IN THAT WE WILL BE RELATIVELY CLOSE TO THE SUN, AND WE WILL CHANGE THE ORBITAL ES, AND WE CAN INSPECT THE SURFACE OF THE SUN, AND THE HELIO SPHERE, AND FINALLY, THEY WILL INVESTIGATE THE REASONS WHY WE HAVE THIS 11-YEAR CYCLE AND WHAT DRIVES SOLAR ABILITY. >> SOME OF THE ORBITS ARE GOING TO BE CAPTURING IMAGES. WHAT ARE THOSE IMAGES GOING TO BE LIKE? >> THEY DON'TAKE WHAT WE CALL WIDE FLIGHT PICTURES. WE TRY TO TAKE THEM IN A SMALL FREQUENCY BAND, AND THEN WE COMBINE THEM TO PROVIDE WIDE BAND AGES. WE TAKEICTURES IN THE ULTRAVIOLENT SPECTRUM AND ALSO TO THE X-RAYS, SO THE VARIOUS INSTRUMENTS WILL DETECT THESE IMAGES IN VARIOUS WAYS, AND THEY COMBINE VARIOUS PICTURES LINE THE ONES WE HAVE -- LIKE THE ON HAVE THE BACKGROUND HERE. THE SECOND THING IS THE VARIOUS INSTRUMENTS, THEY HAVE VARIOUS ANGLES OF VIEW, AN THEY WILL ABLE TO LOOK AT VARIOUS VIEWS OF THE SUN. WHEN ONE INSTRUMENT DID HE HE -- DETECTS AN ANGLE OFINTEREST, IT WILL SEND A SIGNAL TO OTHER INSTRUMENTS TO CAPTURE MORE OF IT. IF IT CHANGES TO SOLAR MATERIAL OR SOLAR PARTICLES, THEN, THE STSTSTINSTRUMENTS WILL REACT AN ABLE TO SENSE THAT PARTICULAR FEATURE. SO THINGS THAT HAPPEN ON THE SURFACE OF THE SUN AND THEN LATER AT THE LOCATION OF THE SPACECRAFT IS ONE OF THE UNIQUE FEATURES OF SOLAR ORBITER. >> THERE ARE A LOT OF IMPORTANT FEATURES ON THE SPACECRAFT. IF THE SCIENTISTS SEE SOMETHING UNIQUE DURING AN OBSERVATION, DO THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO READAPT AND ORIENT AND TAKE A LOOK AT THAT EVENT? >> YEAH. THEY WANT TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITIES OF COURSE, AND THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS OF DOING THAT. ONE OF THOSE WAYS IS WITH A SHORT-TERM PLAN AS OPPOSED TO A LONG-TERM PLAN. LONG-TERM PLAN IS THEY PLAN EVERY OPERATION SIX MONTHS IN ADVANCE. HOWEVER, EVERY 24 HOURS IF THEY SEE A UNIQUE FEATURE OR DIFFERENT SIGNAL OR FEATURE COMING FROM THE GROUND, THEN, THEY CAN ADJUST WHAT THE INSTRUMENTS WILL BE DOING ON THE NEXT OBSERVATION DAY. >> WELL, IT MUST FEEL VERY GOOD NOW BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS HERE ON THE SPACECRAFT, AND GOING TO BE READY TO GO AND GOING TO BE A GOOD SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT. >> I THINK SO. I THINK OVERALL, WHEN YOU DEVELOP A SPACE MISSION, THERE ARE ALWAYS MANY CHALLENGES. THERE ARE MOMENTS THAT YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW THERE IS A TECHNICAL SOLUTION FOR THE MOMENTS YOU'RE FACING. IT TAKES TIME, EFFORT, TEAM WORK. NOW ONCE YOU MOVE TO THE LAUNCH STAGE, IT'S LIKE AN ARMY. DIFFERENT ARMYS, SOMETIMES PEOPLE YOU NEVER MET, BUT YOU WORKED ON THE SAME PROJECTR ARS. I THINK IT'S A REAL SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT, YEAH. >> WELL, AND HERE WE HAVE IT, A SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH, AND THAT TEAM THAT CESAR MENTIONED IS VERY PROUD AND EXCITED AT THIS TIME. AND WE JUST WANT TO CONGRATULATE TH AND BACK TO U, JOSHUA. TAKE IT AWAY. >> HEY THANKS, BLAIR. YEAH, OBVIOUSLY, THAT INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION IS A THEME RUNNING THROUGHOUT THIS PROGRAM AND THIS MISSION. WE'RE PROUD TO HAVE THEM ON BOARD. WE DID WANT TO CYCLE BACK AND ANNOUNCE THAT THERE WAS A NORTHRUP-GRUMMAN LAUNCH THAT WAS SCHEDULED, AND IT WAS SCRAPPED BECAUSE OF SOME UNUSUAL READINGS. THE ROCKET AND SPACECRAFT REMAIN HEALTHY. A LAUNCH ON THURSDAY WOULD RESULT IN A CAPTURE OF CYGNUS ON FEBRUARY 15. WE'RE GOING TO SEND YOU BACK OVER NOW TO MICK AND DARRELL WHO'S GOING TO TAKE YOU THROUGH SPACECRAFT SEPARATION. THAT'S NOT QUITE THE END OF THE MISSION TODAY, BUT ANOTHER HUGE MILESTONE. TAKE IT AWAY. >> THANKS, JOSHUA. IT'S A BIG MOMENT THAT EVERYBODY IS ANTICIPATING AT THIS PORTION OF THE MISSION. >> AND I WILL TELL YOU, IT'S EXCITING EVERY TIME WE LAUNCH. THE NEXT MISSION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT, AND TONIGHT, IT WAS GREAT TO SEE SOLAR ORBITER GET OFF THE GROUND, AND WE STILL HAVE SOME THINGS TO DO TO MAKE SURE IT'S MISSION SUCCESS. BUT WE'RE MOVING ALONG, AND CENTAUR IS IN ITS PHASES OF SETTLING PROPONENTS, SO THINGS ARE LOOKING PRETTY GOOD. >> AND HE'S NOT JUST SAYING THAT, FOLKS. I LITERALLY GOT TO WATCH HIM GET A LITTLE GID -- GIDDY. YOU CAN SEE IN THIS GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION THAT THERE ARE THRUSTERS THAT ARE BEING FIRED FROM TIME TO TIME TO SETTLE THAT FUEL INSIDE -- INSIDE OF THE CENTAUR, AND THAT WILL ALLOW IT TO RESTART. IT'SLLY ONE OF THE KEYS TO THIS VEHICLE. AND THIS VEHICLE, IN FACT, IS PRETTY RELIABLE. IT'S GOTTEN REALLY GOOD AT DOING THIS. IT GOES ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE 1960'S. >> YEAH. CENTAUR WAS DESIGNED FOR MULTIPLE STARTS AND MISSIONS LIKE THIS, SO IT'S A VERY RELIABLE VEHICLE TO GET THAT WAY. WE'RE SEEING THAT WE HAVE PRECHILL NOW ON THE ENGINE, SO THAT MEANS THAT THE ENGINE IS CHILLING DOWN AND GETTING READY FOR FUELS TO GET THROUGH AND START-UP IGNITION. THE IGNITERS WOULD FIRE, AND WE WOULD GET MESS TWO. WE SHOULD BE GETTING THAT CALL, FOR MAIN ENGINE START SHORTLY. >> WE JUST HEARD THAT WE HAVE FULL THRUST AND MAIN ENGINE HAS STARTED, AND BODY RATES LOOK GOOD FOR THIS SEVEN-MINUTE BURN OF THE CENTAUR ENGINE. >> THIS IS A KEY BURN, AS IT REFIRES THAT ENGINE AND STARTS TO GET INTO THAT TRANSFER ORBIT, RIGHT? IT'S PARTIALLY GONE AROUND THE EARTH, AND NOW IT NEEDS TO GET ONTO ITS DESTINATION. >> YEAH. IT'S GOING TO FIRE AND GET US INTO THAT TRANSFER TRAJECTORY TO GET SOLAR ORBITER ON ITS WAY TO THE SUN, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US. SO ONCE THIS BURN HAPPENS, WE GET THROUGH THIS SUCCESSFUL SEVEN-MINUTE BURN, WE'LL BE COMING UP ON SPACECRAFT SEPARATION, WHICH WILL BE ANOTHER MAJOR MILESTONE FOR US. HOWEVER, WE WILL NOT BE CELEBRATING QUITE YET. SOLAR ORBITER HAS TO GET MOVING ON ITS WAY, AND WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE ACQUIRE SIGNAL FROM THE SATELLITE, WHICH WILL HAPPEN ABOUT FOUR MINUTES FROM SEPARATION, SO THAT'LL BE A MAJOR MILESTONE FOR THE SPACECRAFT CREW AND THE LAUNCH TEAM, BUT THIS MILESTONE OF MAIN ENGINE START AND BURN -- SECOND BURN THAT WE REFER TO IS A MAJOR STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. >> AND OF COURSE, THIS IS KIND OF THE SAFE PERIOD OF T ENTIRE LAUNCH AND MISSION. THE TOUGHEST PART IS GETTING IT OFF THE GROUND. GO BACK TO 11:03 P.M. EASTERN TIME, WHEN IT LIFTED OFF. YOU KNOW, THAT IS A -- THAT IS A BIG MOMENT TO SEE THAT THING COMING OFF THE PAD, RIDING A CONTROLLED EXPLOSION INTO SPACE. >> YEAH. THEY MAKE IT LOOK EASY. AS WE HEARD FROM SCOTT MESSER, THIS IS THE QUIETEST COUNT DOWN HE'S HEARD IN A WHILE, AND THAT'S CREDIT TO THE INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS, NASA, ESA, U.L.A., ALL THE PARTNERS WORKING TO MAKE SURE THE CRAFT GOT OFF ON TIME. THAT'S ALWAYS EXCITING TO ME TO WATCH THAT. EVERY LAUNCH IS JUST AMAZING TO SEE THAT FIRE AND LIFTOFF. >> WE'VE BEEN FLYING FOR ABOUT 45.5 MINUTES TO THIS POINT IN TIME, AND U.L.A. MANAGERS HAVE BEEN WORKING THIS LAUNCH FOR THAT ENTIRE TIME. AND AS MICK SAID, THEY ARE CONTINUING TO BE VERY DILIGENT IN TRACKING THE TELEMETRY AND TRACKING THE FLIGHT OF THE CENTAUR, UPPER STAGE. IT IS IN THE MIDST OF A SEVEN-MINUTE BURN. A FEW MINUTES LEF IN THAT ONE AS IT POSITIONS ITSELF TO GET INTO THAT PROPER ORBIT. IT IS GOING TO USE A GRAVITY ASSIST EVENTUALLY, MUCH LATER DOWN THE ROAD, BUT THAT IS PART OF THE DEAL IN ORDER TO GET THIS THINLOSE TO THE SU SO IT CAN START GATHERING ITS DATA. IT'S GOT A LOT OF INTERESTING INSTRUMENTS ON BOARD. IN PARTICULAR, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FIND -- ONE OF THE ASPECTS OF THE SPACECRAFT THAT I FIND ISNTERESTING IS THE ABILITY TO OPEN UP LITTLE PORTS ON ITS HEAT SHIELD. IT'S GOING TO GET SO CLOSE TO THE SUN, IT'S GOING TO POINT ITS HEAT SHIELD TO THE SUN, BUT IT'S GOING TO OPEN LITTLE PORTS IN THE SHIELD TO ALLOW ITS INSTRUMENTS TO COME THROUGH. >> YEAH. THE HEAT SHIELD IS A SPECIFIC PART OF THIS SPACECRAFT THAT'S REQUIRED. AS YOU SAID, IT GETS REALLY CLOSE TO THE SUN. A COUPLE MILLION MILES, WHICH IS REALLY CLOSE FOR A SPACECRAFT. BUT THOSE APERTURES GET OPENED AT TIMES AND CLOSED TO HELP PROTECT THE INSTRUMENT. THE SATELLITE RIDES AROUND THE SUN WITH THAT HEAT SHIELD POAT THE SUN AT ALL TIMES. ANOTHER THING THAT I LIKED WAS THE SOLAR PANELS COME OUT. THESE, BECAUSE WE'RE SO CLOSE TO THE SUN, THEY -- THE TEAM ACTUALLY HAS TO TURN THESE SOLAR PANELS ALMOST AT 78°° TO KEEP THEM FROM GETTING TOO HOT, AND, YOU KNOW, COLLECTING. BUT THEY HAVE -- AS IAN WALTERS FROM AIRBUS WHO DESIGNED THIS SPACECRAFT SAID, WE DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH POWER ON THE SOLAR PANEL, WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH HEAT. >> HEAT. >> THAT'S WHAT I FOUND INTERESTING. >> JUST LITTLE BIT MORE THAN TWO MINUTES FROM THE UPPER STAGE AS IT GETS READY TO TRANSFER INTO THE UPPER ORBIT AND LOOKING FOR THE SEPARATION OF THE SPACECRAFT WHICH IS COMING UP A FEW MINUTES AFTER THAT, A SIGNAL ACQUISITION. IT TELLS THE PEOPLE I'M HERE AND I'M HEADING IN THE RIGHT RECTIO >> YEAH. THE TEAM KNOWS THE SPACECRAFT IS WHERE IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE, AND THE CENTAUR HAS DELIVERED IT ON THE RIGHT ORBIT. WE'VE HAD TWO BURNS. THIS IS THE SECOND BURN, AND THE SECOND BURN OF THE CENTAUR WILL PUT IT IN THAT TRANSFER TRAJECTORY. SO ACQUISITION SIGNAL IS IMPORTANT. WE'RE STILL GETTING THERE. 49 MINUTES INTO FLIGHT, AND CENTAUR PRESSURES ON THE ENGINE OKOOD. R.C.S. THRUSTERS CONTINUE TO KEEP CENTAUR WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE. >> LITTLE LESS THAN A MINUTE UNTIL MAIN ENGINE CUTOFF. YOU CAN SEE THAT CENTAUR CONTINUES TO FLY WITH SOLAR ORBITER AT THE VERY FRONT OF IT. THAT R.L.-10 FIRING BEHIND IT AS IT GOES. AND JUST ABOUT 20 SECONDS UNTIL WE SEE THAT ENGINE CUTOFF AND GO INTO THAT NEXT COAST PHASE, SO LET'S WATCH NOW AND LISTEN IN AS THEY GET CLOSEO THAT MOMENT. THIS IS THE CENTAUR'S SECOND MAJOR CUTOFF. >> CENTAUR CONTINUES TO PERFORM NOMINALLY, AND STANDING BY HERE FOR MAIN ENGINE CUTOFF. >> AND WE HAVE MECO. >> MAIN ENGINE CUTOFF. THE SECOND BURN HAS PERFORMED, SO NOW, WE'RE ABOUT THRE TES AWAY FROM SPACECRAFT SEPARATION, THE NEXT BIG MILESTONE. SO I CAN TELL YOU THE LAUNCH TEAM IS VERY HAPPY WITH THE WAY THAT CENTAUR PERFORMED, AND LOOKING AT THE DATA, CENTAUR PERFORMED VERY WELL WITH THE SOLAR ORBITER, GETTING IT ONTO TRAJECTORY. >> IF WE CAN TAKE A SHOT OF THE MISSION DIRECTOR CENTER HERE, WE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A CELEBRATION AFTER THE CUTOFF. I BELIEVE THAT WAS THE SPACE TEAM THAT WAS CHEERING. >> I THINK IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A >> LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. >> BECAUSE CENTAUR PERFORMED VERY WELL, LOOKING AT THE DATA HERE. >> A LOT OF PRIDE, AND DESERVEDLY SO. TALK ABOUT HOW WHAT THE CENTAUR SEPARATION EVENT. ES FOR >> YEAH. CENTAUR'S MANEUVERING INTO POSITION, GETTING READY TO SEPARATE SPACECRAFT ON THE TRAJECTORY THAT IT NEEDS TO HEAD OFF INTO THIS TRANSFER TRAJECTORY, SO THE R.C.S. THRUSTERS ARE MOVING IT AROUND, AND IT'S MOVING SOLAR ORBITER ONTO ITS TRANSFER TRAJECTORY. >> AND YOU CAN SEE IN THAT REPRESENTATION HOW IT IS MANEUVERING TO GET INTO THAT POSITION, JUST A FEW SECON AWAY FROM THAT SEPARATION NOW. IN FACT, JUST LESS THAN A MINUTE. THE CENTAUR CONTINUES TO PERFORM WELL, AND IT IS POSITIONING ITSELF AT THIS VERY MOMENT. WHAT'S THE -- MICK, WHAT'S THE ACTUAL MECHANICAL PROCEDURE THAT TAKES PLACE IN ORDER FOR THIS SPACECRAFT TO SEPARATE FROM THE CENTAUR? >> WELL, FIRST THING, AS WE SAID, MAIN ENGINE START, MAIN ENGINE CUTOFF ON THAT SECOND FIRE WAS VERY IMPORTANT. THE R.C.S. CONTINUES TO FIRE TO SETTLE OUT THE BODY RATES AND THE CENTAUR TO GET IT INTO POSITION AND A STABLE MODE TO SEPARATE THIS SPACECRAFT. SO IT KEEPS FIRING TO STABLIZE IT. WE WANT TO NULL ALL THE BODY RATES OUT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GOOD BODY SEPARATION AND TIP OFF. >> JUST A FEW SECONDS AWAY FROM SEPARATION. YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE CELEBRATIONS AT MISSION CONTROL AND AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY. GOOD INDICATION OF SEPARATION. THAT IS A HUGE MILESTONE FOR THE SOLAR ORBITER TEAM. DARRELL, AS YOU SEE IN THE ASOT THERE, THEY ARE CELEBRATING. >> AND THEY WERE CELEBRATING HERE IN THE MISSION DIRECTOR CENTER, AS WELL. YOU CAN SEE SOME HUGS AND HANDSHAKES GOING AROUND. THIS IS A BIG MISSION FOR U.L.A., ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE COLLABION THAT TOOK PLACE. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 22 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES THAT WERE INVOLVED IN THIS SPACECRAFT, THE SOLAR ORBITER. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A DECADE OR MORE IN THEPLANNING. SOTAINLY UNITED LAUNCH ALLIANCE HAS A LOT TO BE HAPPY ABOUT AS THEY CELEBRATE JUST A COUPLE OF MILES FROM US THERE. FOLKS STANDING UP FROM THEIR CONSOLES, I BELIEVE THAT'S TIM DUNN IN THE CORNER THERE, NASA'S LAUNCH DIRECTOR, GIVING SOME GOOD HANDSHAKES ALL-AROUND FOR THEIR HARD WORK THIS EVENING, LATE IN THE EVENING. >> YEAH. THE LAUNCH TEAM IS VERY HAPPY. I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THE DATA FOR CENTAUR, AND IT LOOKS LIKE CENTAUR PERFORMED VERY WELL, WELL WITHIN OUR PREFLIGHT PREDICTIONS TO GET SOLAR ORBITER WHERE IT NEEDED TO BE. AS YOU JUST SAW, A SUCCESSFUL SEPARATION. NOW WE'RE JUST WAITING TO HEAR FROM OUR SPACECRAFT TEAM, HOPEFULLY TWO MINUTES FROM NOW THAT WE WILL GET ACQUISITION OF SIGNAL AND MAK SU THAT EVERYTHING IS GOING WELL WITH THE SOLAR ORBITER SPACECRAFT. SO THE MISSION IS SUCCESSFUL SO FAR, BUT WE STILL HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE TO GET THROUGH TO GET SOLAR ORBITER ON ITS WAY. >> LITTLE BIT MORE AFTER SEPARATI WE KNOW THAT THE SPACECRAFT TEAM IS BEHIND US HERE IN THE MISSION DIRECTOR'S CENTER. THEY'VE BEEN PRETTY CALM AND COLLECTED THROUGHOUT THEIR WORK, AND YOU KNOW THAT. >> YEAH. THE SPACECRAFT TEAM, AND YOU'RE GOING TO TALK TO THEM A LE BIT LA FROM THAT ASPECT. YOU CAN SEE HERE THE DENVER OPS CENTER IN DENVER, COLORADO, AND THE U.L.A. TEAM IS STILL LOOKING AT LAUNCH DATA. AGAIN, A VERY EXCITING MOMENT. I'M VERY EXCITED THAT WE ARE HERE, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO GET ACQUISITION FOR THAT. SO THINGS ARE GOING WELL WITH THE TEAMS AND AS WE PROCEED FORWARD. >> SO NOW, THE CENTAAS SEPARATED AWAY, AND THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF BUSINESS THAT ACTUALLY HAS TO DO AS IT LEAVES THE SPACECRAFT. >> YEAH. NOW AS THE SPACECRAFT HAS LEFT, CENTAUR HAS TO PERFORM A COUPLE OF MANEUVERS TO GET OUT OF THE WAY AND MAKE SURE IT'S DONE WITH ITS MISSION. SO IT'S GOING TO FIRE ITS THRUSTERS A LITTLE BIT LONGER TO MAKE SURE IT'S WELL AWAY FROM SOLAR ORBITER AS WE CONTINUE WITH THE MISSION AND WAIT FOR ACQUISITION OF SIGNAL. AS YOU SEE THERE ON YOUR SCREEN, THAT'S A PICTURE OF THE MISSION DIRECTOR CENTER AT ESA. LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING AND HEARING THAT FROM THEM, AND HOW EXCITED THEY ARE TO MAKE SURE THAT SOLAR ORBITER ARE OUT THERE, DOING ITS THING. >> JUST A FEW MINUTES AWAY. ONCE THE CONFIRMATION COMES IN THAT THE SPACECRAFT HAS INDEED SENT ITS SIGNAL AND THEY VERIFY THAT IT IS IN THE PLACEHAT IT IS EXPECTED, YOU CAN PROBABLY EXPECT TO SEE A GREAT AMOUNT OF RELIEF AND CELEBRATION FROM THAT FRONT ROW HERE AT THEE MISSION DIRECTOR'S CENTER AT THE CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION. OF COURSE WE'RE IN THE BROADCAST BOOTH IN THE UPPER RIGHT. >> WE'RE LOOKING AT DATA, TOO, AND WE'RE WAITING TO SEE THAT. HOPEFULLY, WE'RE GOING TO HEAR THAT WE GET ACQUISITION FROM SIGNALS FROM THE SPAC, BUT WE'LL CONTINUE TO WAIT AND HEAR THAT FROM THE -- FROM OUR ESA FRIENDS. SO WITH THAT, I THINK WE ARE READY TO THROW IT BACK OVER TO JOSHUA IN THE ASOT WHO'S WITH MY GOOD FRIEND AND WHO'S EXCITED ABOUT THIS LAUNCH, MY FAVORITE NASA LAUNCH MANAGER, MR. TIM DUNN. >> CAN'T DO MUCH BETTER INTRODUCTION THAN THAT. TAKE IT AWAY, JOSH. >> IS HE SAYING THAT BECAUSE OMAR IS NOT HERE? >> ONLY BECAUSE OMAR IS NOT HERE. >> YOU KNOW, MICK, OMAR IS IN THE NEXT ROOM. >> NASA LAUNCH MANAGER TIM DUNN IS HERE. WE KEEP SAYING THIS, THAT WE'RE NOT DONE, BUT WE'RE CLOSE. WE KEEP GETTING THERE. >> WE KEEP GETTING THERE. >> SO TELL US ABOUT THE FLIGHT. HOW DID WE DO? >> WE'RE DOING WELL SO FAR. I'M A LITTLE TAMPED DOWN ON MY ENTHUSIASM, BECAUSE WE HAVE A FEW MORE THINGS TO GO ON THE SPACECRAFT, BUT OBVIOUSLY, EVERYTHING WENT WELL. GORGEOUS WER, RANGE LIMITATION. THE U.L.A. TEAM, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE U.L.A. TEAM, HOW THEY'RE ABLE TO PROCESS AND PREPARE THIS ROCKET. GREAT COUNT DOWN, BEAUTIFUL NIGHT HERE ON THE SPACE COAST. I HOPE FOLKS LOCALLY, YOU ENJOYED IT. I HOPE FOLKS ON NASA T.V., YOU SHOWED THEM SOME GREAT SHOTS. WE FELT SOME RUMBLES HERE IN THE ASOT. NOTHING LIKE A GREAT LAUNCH. NOW WE'RE JUST WAITING FOR A FEW LOCK EVENTS AND WE'RE EXCITED TO SHARE THE WHOLE STORY. >> IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT, CLEAR SKIES, SO IF YOU WERE OUTSIDE, YOU WERE TREATED TO A BEFUL LAUNCH. YOU COULD SEE THAT THING GO ALMOST TO THE HORIZON. >> YEAH. GORGEOUS. >> TIM, I APPRECIATE YOU STOPPING BY. I DON'T WANT TO KEEP YOU TOO LONG BECAUSE I KNOW THAT YOU'RE STILL FOCUSED. >> ALL RIGHT. LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING TO YOU IN A FEW MINUTES. >> IF THIS IS NOT SUPER EXCITED, CAN'T WAIT TO SEE SUPER EXCITED TIM. >> WE WANT TO LOOK AT ONE OF THE GREATEST MYSTERIES OF THE SUN, AND THAT'S IN THE CORONA, IT'S ACTUALLY MILLIONS OF DEGREES HOTTER THAN THE SURFACE OF THE SUN. >> THE SUN'S CORONA IS THE HOTTEST PART OF THE SUN, BUT IT DOESN'T BEHAVE AS YOU WOULD EXPECT. IT'S APPROXIMATELY 27 MILLION DEGREES, AND IT'S DENSER THAN GOLD. SOMETHING HAPPENS, HOWEVER, WHEN YOU REACH THE OUTERMOST LAYER. THE -- CORONA IS USUALLY HARD TO SEE. IT'S TOO DIM TO BE SEEN NEXT TO THE SUN'S BRIGHT BODY, BUT IT CAN BE SEEN WHEN THE MOON BLOCKS THE SUN DURING A LUNAR SOLAR ECLIPSE. IN THE EARLY 1800s, INSTRUMENTS NAMED SPECTROSCOPES WERE INVENTED TO IDENTIFY ITEMS THAT ARE HEATED. WHILE SUN LIGHT CONTAINS EVERY WAVE LENGTH, SCIENTISTS DISCOVERED EVERY COMPOUND CONTAINS DIFFERENT WAVE LENGTHS, AND IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE ASTRONOMMISTS STARTED EXTRACTING LIGHT FROM DIFFERENT OBJECTS. IN 1869, TWO SCIENTISTS DECIDED TO POINT A SPECTROSCOPE AT THE SUN DURING A SOLAR ECLIPSE. THEY FOUND A BRIGHT LINE THAT DID NOT RELATE TO ANY ELEMENT ON EARTH. FOR A SHORT TIME, SCIENTISTS NAMED IT CORONIUM. THE GREEN LINE SHOWS THE ION HAS STRIPPED OF 13 OF ITS 26 ELECTRONS, INDICATING THAT THE CORONA NEEDED TO BE HOTTER BY MILLIONS OF DEGREES. THEORY SUGGESTS T SMALL WAVES IN THE SUN'S SURFACE PUSHING PARTICLES AND HEAT INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, A BIT HOW OCEAN WAVES PUSH SURFACE. ANOTHER SUGGESTS THAT BOMB LIKE EXPLOSIONS FROM THE SUN'S MAGNETIC FIELD CREATE HEAT. MANYCIENTISTS FEEL IT MAY BE A MIX OF BOTH. WE'VE STUDIED THE CORONA FROM EARTH DURING MANY OF ECLIPSES, BUT TO REALLY UNDERSTAND IT, WE HAVE TO STUDY IT FROM THE REGION ITSELF. >> WE JUST HEARD GREAT NEWS. THE SIGNAL CQUISITION HAS BEEN CONFIRMED, SO ANOTHER CHECK ON THE LIST OF THINGS THAT NEED TO GO RIGHT TO SO THAT LIST IS COMING TOGETHER VERY BEAUTIFULLY. WE'RE GOING TO SEND YOU OUT TO NASA EDGES FRANKLIN FITZGERALD TO TAKE A LOOK AND TALK TO A SOLAR ASTROPHYCYSIST. >> NOW, I KNOW YOU ARE VERY INTERESTED IN GETTING TO THE SCIENCE OF SOLAR ORBITER. TELL MEBOUTT YOU MOST ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO? >> WELL, I MEAN, ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS THINGS THAT COMES TO MIND IS THE UNIQUE VIEW OF THE POLES. WE HAVE NEVER IMAGED THE POLES OF THE SUN. WE'VE NEVER GATHERED DETAILED MAGNETIC OBSERVATIONS OF THE POLES DIRECTLY, AND THAT'S A REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT THING FOR UNDERSTANDING THE SUN'S ACTIVITY CYCLE, AND SO THAT IS THAT'S WHAT THE SUN'S MAGNETIC ACTIVITY DRIVES SPACE WEATHER. AND SO THIS IS GOING TO BE A GAME CHANGER WITH THESE KIND OF OBSERVATIONS FROM SOLAR ORBITER. >> NOW, YOU GOT A COUPLE YEARS UNTIL YOU START GATHERING DATA FROM SOLAR TER, BUT YOU DO HAVE A RECENT SOLAR MISSION WHERE YOU'VE BEEN RECEIVING DATA, AND THAT'S PARKER SOLAR PROBE. CAN YOU GIVE US AN UPDATE FOR THAT? >> YEAH. PARKER SOLARBE HAS ALREADY BEEN AROUND THE SUN THREE TIMES. IT'S GOING TO MAKE 24 ORBITS, AND EVERY TIME IT PASSES VENUS, IT WILL GET A LITTLE CLOSER AND CLOSER. BUT THEY'VE ALREADY BROUGHT BACK DATA. THEY'VE ALREADY BROUGHT BACK TONS OF DATA HAVE GATHERED AN AMAZING NUMBER OF QUESTIONS THAT THEY HADN'T EXPECTED. YOU KNOW, THEY'VE MADE AMAZING DISCOVERIES ALREADY. THEY HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN TO THE FINAL GOAL, AND WEE A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF THE TURBULENCE, SORT OF THE REGION WHERE THE SOLAR WIND BECOMES TURBULENT, WHERE THE SOLAR WIND SORT OF RELAXES. WE'VE FOUND OUT THAT THE FIELD THAT COME AWAY FROM TUN TUALLY DO THESE CRAZY 180 TURNS BACK. WE CALL THOSE SWITCHBACKS. AND YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE SCIENTISTS HAVE EVEN DISCOVERED SOMETHING NONSOLAR. THEY'VE SEEN SOME OF THE DUST TRAILS THAT ARE WHAT CAUSE METEOR SHOWERS HERE ON EARTH, AND ASTEROIDS. THEY'RE SO DIFFICULT TO FIND BECAUSE SO CLOSE TO THE SUN IS SO BRIGHT. BUT WE'VE USED REALLY SENSITIVE CAMERAS ON THE SIDE TO GET THAT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THIS DOES IS IT LEADS TO MORESTIONS THAN ANSWERS. >> ONE MORE QUESTION. IS THERE GOING TO BE ANY OVERLAP BETWEEN THE TYPE OF DISCOVERIES YOU MAKE BETWEEN SOLAR ORBITER AND PARKER? >> OH, ABSOLUTELY. THESE ARE REALLY TWO COMPLEMENTARY MISSIONS BECAUSE SOLAR ORBITER IS GOING TO GET REALLY, REALLY CLOSE AND GIVE US A LOT OF DETAIL OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE REGIONS WHERE WE THINK SOLAR WIND HAS ACCELERATED AWAY FROM THE SUN, WHERE WE THINK ENERGETIC PARTICLES ARE AWAY FROM THE SUN. BUT SOLAR ORBITER IS GOING TO BE SLIGHTLY FURTHER OUT AND GIVE US MORE DETAILS OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THESE TRANSITION REGIONS AS THINGS ARE MOVING OUT, AS WELL AS THIS PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, OUT OF THE PLANE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM. AND SO HAVING ALL OF THESE MISSIONS SO CLOSE, EVEN THOUGH SOLAR ORBITER IS NOT AS CLOSE AS PARKER SOLAR PROBE, IT'S STILL IN AN UNKNOWN AREA. IT'S STILL IN A REGION WHICH WE'VE BARELY SAMPLED. IT'SR THAN WE'VE BEEN BEFORE, NOT INCLUDING SOLAR ORBITER, IT'S CLOSER THAN WE'VE EVER BEEN BEFORE. SO BOTH OF THESE ARE SAMPLING A REALLY UNIQUE AREA AND AN IMPORTANT AREA IN THE SUN, AND DATA IS G TO CONTINUE TO SURPRISE US. >> ALEX, IT'S GREAT HAVING YOU ON THE SHOW. GREAT SEEING YOU AGAIN, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING MORE DATA FROM THE PARKER SOLAR PROBE AND THE SOLAR ORBITER. >> THANK YOU. >> JOSHUA, BACK TO YOU. >> I'M JOINED NOW BY OMAR BAEZ WHO IS THE NASA PROJECT MANAGER. -- MANAGER ASSISTANT. YOU AND TIM FLIP-FLOPPED FOR THIS MISSION. YOU ARE THE ASSISTANT, AND TIM IS THE MANAGER. WHAT ARE YOUR NEXT MISSIONS COMING UP? >> THE ARTEMIS IS NEXT. PARTS OF IT HAVE ARRIVED, AND WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. THAT'S GOING TO GO ON AN ATLAS WITH A COUPLE MORE SOLID ROCKET MOTORS THAN THIS ONE HERE TO GET IT OUT TO MARS FOR ITS SEVEN-MONTH VOYAGE. WE PLAN TO LAUNCH THAT ON JULY 17 AND LAND ON MARS ON FEBRUARY 18, 2021. REALLY EXCITING MISSION WHEN WE SEE THIS HELICOPTER AS ITS PAY LOAD. A LOT OF STUFF THAT THE PUBLIC'S GOING TO REALLY LOVE. THE MISSION'S OUT THERE TO CACHE SO SAMPLES AND GET THE CONTINUITY GOING, AND WE'RE SUPER EXCITED TO DO THAT THIS SUMMER. >> THAT'S GREAT. SO YOU ARE THE DIRECTOR -- >> I AM THE DIRECTOR FOR THE MARS 2020 MISSION. >> THAT'S WONDERFUL. TELL US ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP THAT YOU ANDIM HAVE ON LAUNCH DAY. OBVIOUSLY, ONE OF YOU IS THE LAUNCH MANAGER, AND ONE OF YOU IS THE ASSISTANT LAUNCH MANAGER. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? >> WE'RE COMPLETELY INTERCHANGEABLE. IF W GET REALLY BUSY, THE OTHER CAN TAKE THE MAIN LOAD OFF THE PRIMARY GUY. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I CAN DO. IF HE'S TIME CRUNCHED, I CAN HELP HIM OUT WITH. LIKEWISE, IF HE'S -- STUFF HAPPENS. YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM, YOU HAVE TO EAT. >> SURE, SURE, THE PRACTICAL THINGS. >> YOU HAVE TO STEP IN. >> I THINK IT'S KEY TO HONE IN ONTO IT'S PRACTICAL. THERE'S ONE PERSON IN CHARGE, BUT YOU ALL CARRY THAT TOGETHER. >> CORRECT. >> SO WHAT'S COMING UP FOR THE MARS 2020? I THINK WE'RE COMING UP ON 20 YEARS OF EXISTENCE, SO WHAT'S COMING UP FOR THE LAUNCH SERVICES PROGRAM? >> I'VE BEEN WITH THE LAUNCH SERVICES PROGRAM FOR THE 20 YEARS AND A COUPLE OF YEARS BEFORE W WE WERE THE PREDECESSOR ORGANIZATION, AND WE'VE ASSAULTED ALL THE PLANETS, AND -- >> IN A VERY RESEARCH-ORIENTED WAY. >> ABSOLUTELY. AND IT'S PHENOMENAL TO THINK BACK, AN ORGANIZATION TS VERITINELY, A VERY SMALL PORTION OF THE AGENCY, WE WEREN'T EVEN NOTICED, WERE ABLE TO REACH OUT TO THE VARIOUS PLANETARY BODIES AROUND US. AND IT'S BEEN A PLEASU AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE DOING THAT. AND AS BOB SAID EARLIER, THESE MISSIONS ARE PRECURSOR TO THE HUMANS GOING OUT BEYOND EARTH'S ORBIT, AND WE REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO DOING ALL THE PREWORK THAT WE CAN WITH AUTO MATETION BEFORE THE HUMAN GETS OUT THERE. >> DOES THIS EVER GET OLD? >>O. I'M MOST FORTUNATE IN THE J THAT I DO. I REALLY LOVE IT. SOMEDAY, THERE WILL BE A SUNSET FOR ME. JUST THIS PRIOR WEEK, I BECAME ELIGIBLE FOR RETIREMENT. >> OH. > >> -- UH-OH. >> NOT THAT I'M GOING, BUT I INTEND TO STICK AROUND FOR ANOTHER FEW YEARS. >> DO YOU HAVE YOUR EYES ON ANYTHING? WHAT'S BETTER THAN A LAUNCH DIRECTOR? >> I CAN'T THINK OF IT, EXCEPT BEING RETIRED AND HAVING A MAITA SOMEWHERE. >> WITH THAT, I WILL LET YOU GET BACK TO SUPPORT TIM AS WE CLOSE OUT THIS MISSION, CLOSE OUT THIS LAUNCH ACTIVITY OF TODAY. >> OKAY. >> THANKS SO MUCH, OMAR. WE'RE GOING TO LEAVE YOU NOW WITH THIS VIDEO WE SHOWED EARLIER. THIS IS PREVIEWTHE L.S.P. MISSIONS FOR THIS YEAR, 2020. >> WE'RE JUST WAITING TO HEAR FROM THEM IF SOLAR RAY DEPLOYMENT AND THAT THEY'RE GETTING GOOD SUN SIGNALS. >> ABOUT 1:15 AGO, WE LAUNCHED HERE FROM THE CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION ON AN ATLAS FIVE ROCKET BOUND FOR THE SUN. THE SOLAR ORBITER SPACECRAFT ON TOP. IT WAS A GOOD FLIGHT INITIALLY OFF THE GR, AND NOW WE'RE GETTING SOME CELEBRATION HERE AT THE M.D.C., GETTING MORE INFORMATION ON THAT SOLAR ARRAY DEPLOYMENT. AS YOU CAN SEE THERE, IT JUST ERUPTED IN APPLAUSE ON THE FRONT ROW. THAT IS THE SPACECRAFT TEAM, ALL FROM OVERSEAS. THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY AND THEIR PARTNER WITH AIRBUS DEFENSE AND SPACE, THEY HAVE CELEBRATED. >> YEAH. WE'VE SEEN THE CELEBRATION HERE IN THE M.D.C. HAVEN'T CONFIRMED WHETHER SOLAR ARAISE WERE DEPLOYED, BUT I'M GOING TO ASSUME BASED ON THEIR CELEBRATION THAT SOMETHING IN THE SEQUENCE HAPPENED THE WAY IT WAS SUPPOSED TO. BASED ON THAT, I WOULD SAY THAT THINGS ARE GOING VERY WELL FOR SOLAR ORBITER, AND WE'LL JUS WAIT FOR THACONFIRMATION, VERBAL CONFIRMATION, THAT SOLAR ARRAYS WERE JUST DEPLOYED. IT'S BEEN AN EXCITING NIGHT WITH THE LIFTOFF OF THE SOLAR ORBITER ON THE ATLAS FIVE VEHICLE. >> IT'S A GOOD MOMENT IN TIME FOR THIS MISSION WHICH HAS BEEN GOING FOR 1:17 AS WE APPROACH JUST 20 MINUTES AFTER 12:00 MIDNIGHT ON THE EAST COAST. THER SHOW IT YET, BUT WE SAW IT ON OUR SCREENS, THAT WE SAW THE REPLAY OF A SPACECRAFT SEPARATION EVENT. OF COURSE, THERE WAS SEPARATION, BUT TO SEE THAT VISUALLY, IT LOOKED REALLY GOOD. >> YEAH. THE TEAM HAD A CAMERA ON B UNFOR FLIGHT AND ORBIT THAT WE WERE PUTTING SOLAR ORBITER INTO, WE COULD NOT AIR THAT. BUT THEY'RE VERIFYING THAT VIDEO AND MAKING SURE IT'S ALL GOOD, SO I'M SURE IN DAYS T COME, YOU WILL SEE SOME LIVE VIDEO OF SOLAR ORBITER'S SEPARATION FROM THE ATLAS FIVE, BUT IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO GET THAT CONFIRMATION FROM THE SPACECRAFT AND FROM THE TEAM, THAT EVERYTHING'S GOING WELL. AS YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN THERE, WE HAVE LIVEAGE FRO THE M.D.C. HERE AT A.E. ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE. AND ON THE LEFT, WE HAVE A LIVE SHOT OF THE ESOC IN GERMANY, FROM THE GERMANY TEAM. SO WE HOPE THAT A IS PROGRESSING FORWARD FOR SOLAR ARRAY DEPLOYMENT ON SOLAR ORBITER. >> THAT IS A LIVE VIEW OF THE CONTROL TEAM THERE, AND THE OPERATIONS THAT HAVE BEENOING O. THOSE PEOPLE, VERY EXCITED BECAUSE THERE ARE 22 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES THAT ALL CAME TOGETHER IN ORDER TO MAKE SOLAR ORBITER HAPPEN, AND THAT CONTROL ROOM WAS PART OF THE LAUNCH TODAY, AND WE'RE GETTING A LIVE PEEK IN TO HOWHEY DO THINGS OVERSEAS. >> YEAH. AND THAT'S ACTUALLY A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THIS MISSION. THE ESOC IS WHERE THE TEAM -- THE E.S.A. TEAM, AS YOU STATED, IT CONTROLLING SOLAR ORBITER RIGHT NOW, AND PERFORMING THEIR ARRAYS DEPLOYED AND IN POSITION. THAT TEAM IS MONITORING THE SPACECRAFT VERY CLOSELY. THEY'RE RELYING THAT STATUS BACK TO CESAR GARCIA HERE IN THE M.D.C. THAT TEAM IS MAKING SURE THAT SOLAR ORBITER IS PERFORMING WELL AND DOING WHAT THEY HAVE TO ACCOMPLISH TO GET THE SOLAR ARRAYS OUT. SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THAT SITUATION. >> AS WE AWAIT SOLAR DEPL SOLAR ARRAY DEPLOYMENT, CERTAINLY THEY HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE IT WILL BE SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE SOLAR ORBITER IS IN POSITION TO START GATHERING DATA AND DOING ITS SCIENCE ON THE SUN. SO THAT OPERATION CENTER IN GERMANY THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT ON THE LEFT, THEY'VE GOT A LOT OF WORK AHEAD OF THEM. >> OH, ABSOLUTELY, AND JUST IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, THEY HAVE A LOT OF CHECKOUT THAT THEY WANT TO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS SMOOTH AND WORKING ON THE ATLAS FIVE TONIGHT. THEY WANT TO DOUBLE-CH AND TRIPLE CHECK ALL THAT STUFF BEFORE THEY HEAD ON THEIR WAY. CHECK OUT THOSE LITTLE APERTURES ON THE HEAT SHIELD THAT YOU LIKE. >> ON THE SHIELD. >> THE TEAM WILL BE DOING A LOT OF CHECKOUT ON THE SATELLITE IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS AND COMING YEAR TO MAKE SURE IT'S READY FOR THAT. THEY'LL GET INTO THEIR GRAVITY ASSIST AROUND MERCURY AND VENUS. THE TEAM WILL BE WORKING HARD OUT OF THAT ESOC. >> FROM OUR PRELAUNCH BRIEFING, WE HEARD FROM CESAR GARCIA, THERE WERE 800 PEOPLE THAT HAD COME OVER FROM EUROPE TO BE HERE, NOT ONLY TO MONITOR THE LAUNCH -- THEY ARE IN THE FRONT ROW OF THE MISSION DIRECTOR'S CENTER, BUT JUST AS TO WITNESS THE LAUNCH, TO ALSO SUPPORT IT IN MANY WAYS. AND WE ALSO JUST HEARD AN ERUPTION OF APPLAUSE. >> WE SEE THEM APPLAUDING IN THE MISSION DIRECTOR'S CENTER. HAVEN'T HEARD WHAT THAT'S FOR YET, BUT WE'RE ASSUMING THAT'S PHASE TWO OF THE SOLAR ARRAY DEPLOYMENT. THERE'S SEVERAL STEPS FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, SO WE'LL HOPEFULLY HEAR THAT SOON FROM CESAR GARCIA, AND THINGS WILL BE MOVING FORWARD. SO I'M HEARING NOW FROM CESAR THAT SOLAR ARRAYS ARE DEPLOYED, AND THEY'RE POSITIVE CONFD, SO GO CESAR. >> WE'RE GOING TO TALK TO HIM IN JUST A FEW MINUTES WHEN CESAR GARCIA MAKES HIS WAY OVER TO THE BROADCAST BOOTH. THAT WAS A PRETTY EXCITED REPORT THAT HE JUST GAVE, AND GOT A CONGRATULATIONS FROM TEAM AT NASA LAUNCH SERVICES PROGRAM. >> AS YOU SEE HIM ON THE M.D.C., THESE FOLKS DESERVE IT. THEY SENT A LOT OF YEARS ON THE SOLAR ORBITER. THAT'S A HUGE THING. THEY'LL GET STARTED, AND THEY'RE HAPPY, BUT THEY WILL GET STARTED IN THE ESOC AND GET THINGS CHECKED OUT. AS YOU HEARD FROM OMAR EARLIER, THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING FOR US AT THE LAUNCH SERVICES PROGRAM. WE'VE GOT MARS 2020 COMING UP NEXT, WHICH IS ANOTHER ATLAS FIVE WITH A FEW MORE SOLIDS THAN WE HAD TONIGHT, BUT THINGS ARE GOING GREAT FOR SOLAR ORBITER. SO DARRELL, I'D LIKE TO SAY THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON THE SHOW TONIGHT. IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE WORKING WITH YOU AND FOLLOWING THIS MISSION. AS USUAL, YOU DID A GREAT JOB, AND THANKS FOR HAVING ME. >> WELL, THANK YOU, MICK. THANKS FOR YOUR EXPERTISE. YOU HAVE BEEN A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE DURING THIS MISSION. I NOT ONLY KNOWS THE ROCKET, BUT KNOWS IT WELL. YOU WERE GIVING US INSIGHT NOT ONLY INTO THE FLIGHT, BUT FLIGHT CONVERSIONS. WATCHING YOU PECK AWAY AT YOUR CALCULATOR TO GET THE FIGURES WRITTEN DOWN. >> THAT'S GOING TO WRAP IT UP FOR US AT THE MISSION DIRECTOR'S CENTER. LET'S SEND IT BACK TO JOSHUA AND TIM DUNN. >> THANK YOU. NOW, WE CAN SAY WE DID IT. TIM, CONGRATS TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM AND EVERYONE HERE AT ESA. PHENOMENAL EFFORT. >> JUST GOT OFF THE NET WITH OUR CESAR GARCIA, AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, HE GAVE ME THE FINAL TWO MILESTONES THAT THE SOLAR ARRAYS WERE COMPLETELY DEPLOYED AS WELL AS THE SOLAR ARRAYS ACG THE SUN. THE VEHICLE'S HEALTHY, COMPLETELY HEALTHY AND ON ITS WAY TO THE SUN NOW. >> AWESOME. >> REALLY GOOD NEWS. NOW I CAN CELEBRATE. >> AWESOME. DO YOU ALL CELEBRATE COLLECTIVELY OR DO YOU JUST GO HOME AND TAKE A NAP? >> I THINK GIVEN THE HOUR OF DAY, PROBABLY CELEBRATE A LITTLE BIT TONIGHT, GO HOME, WE'VE GOT A FEW CELEBRATIONS PLANNED FOR TOMORROW DURING THE DAY. >> YEAH. SO PRACTICALLY SPEAKING, ON THE BUSINESS SIDE OF DAYS, WHAT HAPPENS FOR L.S.L. AFTER THE LAUNCH? YOU'RE DONE OR IS THERE MORE WORK FOR SOLAR ORBITER? >> WELL, FOR SOLAR ORBITER, WE HAVE TO REVIEW ALL OF THE DATA FOR THE ROCKET, SO THAT'S A PROCESS THAT TAKES MAYBE ON THE PROCESS OF A MONTH, A MONTH AND A HALF. WE WANT TO LOOK AT EVERY LITTLE BIT OF DATA THAT HAPPENED DURING THE FLIGHT, ON THE FLIGHT. EVERYTHING THAT THE DATA IS TELLING US, WE'RE ALL A BUNCH OF ENGINEERS. WE WANT TO SCRUTINIZE THE DATA, AND IF WE SEE SOMETHING A LITTLE FUNNY, ADDRESS IT BEFORE WE HAVE OUR NEXT LAUNCH. AND CERTAINLY, IF WE WERE TO SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT, WE WOULD LET THE U.L.A. TEAM KNOW. WE'RE GOING TO BE FLYING THIS MAGNIFICENT ROCKET ONE MORE TIME THIS YEAR. THE ATLAS FIVE IS JUST INCREDIBLE. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY, THE LAUNCH SERVICES PROGRAM TEAM, MY TEAM, IT'S INCREDIBLE. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO WORKING RIGHTNGSIDE US, MAKING IT HAPPEN TONIGHT. AND THEN WE WORKED ALONGSIDE OUR COLLEAGUES AT THE 45th EASTERN SPACE WING. AND I CAN'T LEAVE WITHOUT THANKIUR SPACECONTRACTOR, THE E.S.A. INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION, TEN-PLUS YEARS IN THE MAKING. A LOT OF CHALLENGES, BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, WHEN A TEAM IS FOCUSED ON MISSION SUCCES THAT'S A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE THAT WE ALL SPEAK, AND HERE WE ARE, ALL ABLE TO CELEBRATE THAT. >> AND I WISH WE COULD SHARE SOMETHING MORE SPECIFIC WITH PEOPLE TO KIND OF LET THEM UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS TO THANK THAT MANY TEAMS. THE FACT THAT THERE'S ALL THOSE TEAMS, AND ALL OF THE PEOPLE ON THAT, DOING THEIR PART OF THE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE TO BRING IT ALL TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS BEAUTIFUL PICTURE OF A SPACECRAFT IN FLIGHT ON THE WAY TO THE SUN HAPPEN. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> TIM, CONGRATULATIONS TO YOUR TEAM. APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S WORK AND EFFORT IT'S A TEAM SPORT. SPACE FLIGHT IS A TEAM SPORT. TIM, I'LL LET YOU GO, AND WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK OVER TO CESAR IN HANGAR A.E. >> WE ARE HERE WITH CESA GARCIA, THE PROGRAM MANAGER FOR SOLAR ORBITER. THANK YOU FOR COMING OVER TO TALK WITH US. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. VERY GOOD MOMENT. >> TELL ME ABOUT THE MOMENT JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO WHEN YOU MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT? >> YEAH. THERE'S SO MUCH A BIT OF TENSION BEFORE YOU GET THE SIGNAL, AND WE GOT THE SIGNAL FROM THE SPACECRAFT PRETTY QUICKLY, AND THAT'S A GOOD SIGN. AND THEN, WE HAD TO POINT TO THE SUN AND DEPLOY THE SOLAR ARRAYS. THEN, THERE WAS DEPLOYMENT OF THE AN, AND A LITTLE BIT LONGER FOR THE INFORMATION TO RECEIVE, SO WE WERE A LITTLE BIT TENSE. AND THEN, THERE WAS CONFIRMATION, SO THE WATER'S CALM AND THEN IT'S THE MOM THATOU GET EXTREMELY HAPPY AND START HUGGING SO MANY PEOPLE AROUND. THIS IS THE MOMENT THAT YOU'VE WAITED AFTER SO MANY YEARS OF WORK. GO SOLAR ORBITER. IT'S A FANTASTIC MOMENT AND SOMETHING UNIQUEF I MAY SAY. >> YOU MAY, AND IT WAS CAPPED BY CELEBRATION. SAW YOU HUGGING PEOPLE IN THE ROOM, GIVING HANDSHAKES. GOING BACK TO 11:03 P.M., FROM THE LAUNCH HERE AT CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU HERE INSIDE THE MISSION DIRECTOR CENTER? >> WELL, I HAVE TO SAY I ABANDONED MY POST. I ACTUALLY PICKED UP THE PHONE AND CALLED OUR COLLEAGUES IN ESOC SO I COULD HAVE PERMANENT CONTACT WITH THEM ON THE PHONE, AND I RUSHED OUT TO SEE THE LAUNCH. IT'S A FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE. AND THEN, LIKE, 15 SECONDS STARTED NOT HEARING, BUT FEELING THE ROAR. AND THEN, YOU SEE ALL THE DREAMS, THE EXPECTATIONS, GOING UP IN THE SKY. IT WAS A VERY CLEAR SKY. WE COULD SEE IT MANY SECONDS GOING SOUTH-SOUTHEAST. I DON'T KNOW. IT'S DIFFICULT FOR TO DESCRIBE IT BUT IT'S LIKE WELL, WE'RE UNSTOPPABLE. >> I LOVE THAT YOU ACTUALLY GOT UP, GOT ON THE PHONE SO THAT YOU COULD STAY CONNECTED AND GOT OUTSIDE TO SEE A LAUNCH. PEOPLE THOUGH WHAT TRAVEL FROM DISTANCES TO WATCH IT, IT'S A VERY UNIQUE EXPERIENCE. >> YEAH. WE'VE BEEN HERE A FEW MONTHS. WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE SOME OTHER LAUNCHES BEFORE, BUT NOTHING COMPARES TO ACTUALLY SEEING YOURS. >> YOUR SPACECRAFT. >> WHEN YOUR SPACECRAFT IS GOING UP, AND AS I SAID, THE DREAMS AND THE EXPECTATIONS OF SO MANY PEOPLE GOING UP WITH THE ROCKET AND WITH THE SPACECRAFT IN THIS CASE. >> RIGHT. >> AND IT WAS FANTASTIC TO SEE IT UP, AND IT WAS INTERESTING TO SEE THE TRAJECTORY, THE COASTING TIME, AND THE SEPARATION, AND THEN, WHEN THEY START GETTING THE GOOD SIGNS THAT THE SEPARATION WAS ADEQUATE, THE TRAJECTORY WAS ADEQUATE, AND NOW, WE HAVE POWER ON THE SPACEC. NOW, THE SPACECRAFT IS POINTED TO THE SUN, AND IT'S STARTING THE NEXT PHASE WHERE WE'LL START USING DEPLOYABLES AND SYSTEMS. >> YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF WORK AHEAD OF YOU, NO DOUBT. TOUGH PART ISOVER, BUT A COUPLE YEARS BEFORE THE SCIENCE STARTS, RIGHT? >> WELL, THE FIRST FEW DAYS WHERE WE DO THE BASIC DEPLOYMENT AND THE BASIC TESTS. THEN IN FEBRUARY, WEILL DO A COMPLETE CHECKUP OF ALL THE SYSTEMS. WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THE SYSTEMS ARE COMPLETELY OPERATIONAL AND CAN SWITCH TO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, AND WE WILL EXPECT TOALIZE THIS TESTING THE END OF JUNE. SOME INSTRUMENTS WILL START MEASURING IMMEDIATELY, BUT SOME INSTRUMENTS WILL WAIT A BIT LONGER. BUT YEAH, IN SEVERAL MONTHS, WE WILL BE ABLE TO START TAKING DATA. >> WELL, THAT'S EXCITING. >> YEAH. WE ALWAYS SAY WE WANT TO WAIT FOR 1.5 YEARS UNTIL THE PERIHELIOS GETS CLOSER, BUT I THINK WE WILL NOT WAIT TO TAKE DATA. >> FIRE UP THOSE INSTRUMENTS AT THE SUN, GET THEM FIRING UP. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> YOU'RE GOING TO LEAVE HERE, AN BELIE YOU'VE GOT SOME TATTOO. >> OH, YEAH. >> THAT'S A SOLAR ORBITER TEMPORARY TATTOO. >> IT'S A TEMPORARY TATTOO, AND I THINK I WILL WEAR IT WITH PRIDE. >> DON'T WASH IT OFF FOR A LONG TIME. >> I THINK I MIGHT HAVE TO TAKE A SHOWER ONE OF THESE DAYS. >> WELL, CERTAINLY, YOUR IMPRINT WILL LAST ALONG ON THESE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES. >> YEAH. I THINK THE PURPOSE OF THIS MISSION IS THE PURPOSE MISSIONS BEFORE US, AND IT'S THE PURPOSE OF GROUND INSTRUMENTATION, WHICH IS ALSO INVESTIGATING THE SUN. AND I THINK IT'S A GROWING COMMUNITY. SPACE WEATHER IS GROWING VERY STRONG. WE WILL NEED TO UNDERSTAND OUR SUN BETTER TO SUPPORT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE BUT ALSO SO WE CAN MOVE DEEPER INTO THE SOLAR SYSTEM. >> CESAR GARCIA, PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE PROJECT TONIGHT. JOSHUA, WE'LL THROW IT BACK TO YOU AT ASOT. >> EVERYBODY, WHAT A PHENOMENAL SHOW. THIS IS GOING TO CONCLUDE OUR LIVE COVERAGE OF SOLAR ORBITER, DESTINED TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR S COMMUNITY. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT NASA.GOV. THANKS TO EVERYBODY WHO WORKED DILIGENTLY BEHIND THE SCENES TO MAKE THIS BROADCAST HAPPEN. WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU. I'M JOSHUA SANTORA. FROM ALL OF HERE AT NASA AND THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. HAVE A GOOD MORNING. REMEMBER, EVEN THE SKY ISN'T THE LIMIT. ROCKET >> 25 SECONDS. >> GO, . PLEASE. >> GO SOLAR ORBITER. >> THERE, YOU THE FINAL SPACE CHECK FOR CENTAUR AND BOOSTER SPACECRAFT. THERE WE GO. T-MINUS TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX, FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ZERO. AND LIFTOFF OF OUR SOLAR ORBITER, AN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION TO GIVE US NEW IMAGES AND A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR LIFE-GIVING STAR. >> AFTER 15 SECONDS. >> NOW, YOU HEAR THE VOICE OF U.L.A.'S LAUNCH COMMENTATOR. >> NOW 25 SECONDS INTO FLIGHT. CHAMBER PRESSURE ON THE S.R.B. LOOKS GOOD. ENGINEERING
Uh, I can spot the sun without a solar orbiter