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Mars rover launch delayed BY JUSTIN RAY SPACEFLIGHT NOW Posted: May 27, 2003 NASA has postponed the launch of its first Mars Exploration Rover at least three days to give managers more time to complete pre-flight engineering reviews. The liftoff, which had been scheduled for June 5, is now targeted to occur at 2:05:55 p.m. EDT (1805:55 GMT) June 8 aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. "They just needed more time to finish all the reviews. It just didn't look like they could get through it all and make the 5th. So they are going to build in an extra couple of days to get all that done," NASA spokesman George Diller said.
Enclosed in a protective canister, the rover and already-attached Delta 2 third stage left the clean room at 2:20 a.m. Once at the pad, a crane hoisted the cargo into the launch pad tower and maneuvered the package into place atop the Delta 2's second stage. Mating to the rocket was successfully completed around 9:30 a.m., Diller said. Launch preparations for the payload remain on schedule with no significant issues being addressed. "It is just the engineering review process. It's so extensive and there's so much to it," Diller said of the cause for delay. June 8 is only a target date. A new official launch date will be established early next week, once managers have a better feel for the amount of time needed to complete the reviews. "They are going to wait until next Monday, June 2, and say for sure," Diller said. NASA has until June 19 to launch the first Mars Exploration Rover. Two instantaneous launch times are available each day during the planetary alignment window. See the complete launch time chart here. The mission was originally slated for May 30. But it was pushed back a week to repair suspect circuit boards on the spacecraft. The twin Mars Exploration Rover-B remains slated for launch June 25 from the Cape. The rovers will land in separate locations on the Red Planet next January to serve as field geologists, studying rocks and searching for clues about past water on Mars.
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Flight Data File Vehicle: Delta 2 (7925) Payload: NASA's Mars Exploration Rover-A Launch date: June 10, 2003 Launch time: 1:58:47 p.m. EDT (1758:47 GMT) Launch site: SLC-17A, Cape Canaveral, Florida Satellite broadcast: AMC 2, Transponder 9, C-band  Pre-launch briefing Mission preview - Our story examining the Mars Exploration Rover project. Launch windows - A chart listing the daily launch times for MER-A. Launch timeline No. 1 - Chart with times and descriptions of events to occur during the launch if the first daily opportunity is used. Launch timeline No. 2 - Chart with times and descriptions of events to occur during the launch if the second daily opportunity is used. Launch hazard area - A map of the restricted area during liftoff. Ground track - See the trajectory the rocket will follow during its flight. Getting to Mars - Our story previewing the rovers' descent and landing to the Martian surface. MER spacecraft - A technical look at the parts and pieces of the Mars Exploration Rover spacecraft. Mission science - A look at the science instruments and objectives for the Mars rovers. Future exploration - Our story looking at NASA's plans for Mars missions through the decade. Delta 2 rocket - Overview of the Delta 2 Heavy-model rocket used in this launch. SLC-17 - The launch complex where Delta rockets fly from Cape Canaveral. Delta directory - See our coverage of previous Delta rocket flights. Soviet Space  For the first time ever available in the West. Rocket & Space Corporation Energia: a complete pictorial history of the Soviet/Russian Space Program from 1946 to the present day all in full color. Available from our store. Choose your store:U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Viking patch  This embroidered mission patch celebrates NASA's Viking Project which reached the Red Planet in 1976.Choose your store:U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo 7 DVD  For 11 days the crew of Apollo 7 fought colds while they put the Apollo spacecraft through a workout, establishing confidence in the machine what would lead directly to the bold decision to send Apollo 8 to the moon just 2 months later.Choose your store:U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Gemini 12  Gemini 12: The NASA Mission Reports covers the voyage of James Lovell and Buzz Aldrin that capped the Gemini program's efforts to prove the technologies and techniques that would be needed for the Apollo Moon landings. Includes CD-ROM.Choose your store:U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Clearance sale  Price cuts on spectacular calendars featuring the Hubble Space Telescope, Space Station and Earth from space . U.S. STOREU.K. & WORLDWIDE STORECurrent Shuttle Mission Patch  The official embroidered patch for shuttle Atlantis' flight to deliver critical spare equipment to the space station.U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STOREAres 1-X Patch  The official embroidered patch for the Ares 1-X rocket test flight, is available for purchase.U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STOREApollo Collage  This beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STORE Project Orion  The 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.U.S. STOREFallen Heroes Patch Collection  The official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store.U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STORE
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