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Titan 2 poised for finale BY JUSTIN RAY SPACEFLIGHT NOW Posted: October 14, 2003 When the Titan 2 rocket blasts off Wednesday, it will bring to conclusion the decades-long program that began as a missile in the United States' arsenal against the Soviet Union, launched NASA's Gemini astronauts and in recent years carried smaller satellites into space.
"As the heritage programs wind down, each launch is with a little bit of trepidation -- one step closer to the end of the program. But you still have to maintain the focus of the mission at hand, this one in particular, since we have been here before. We've got to make sure we don't overlook things, don't get into the mindset of 'we've been here, we've done that.'" This launch has been delayed 33 months because of multiple technical problems with the DMSP satellite cargo, rocket and ground equipment. A countdown in January 2001 reached T-minus 28 seconds before the clocks were halted by a glitch. Liftoff is scheduled for 9:17 a.m. local time (1617 GMT; 12:17 p.m. EDT) Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. More than 140 Titan 2 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles were built during the Cold War as part of the United States' nuclear deterrent force. When the military deactivated the Titan 2 fleet in the 1980s, it was decided to re-use some of the vehicles for space rockets. "After they retired the Titan 2 ICBM fleet, recognizing the success they'd had with those vehicles, the government came back to the Titan 2 and said 'we want a reliable means of getting small satellites into orbit.' We pulled 14 of those old ICBMs out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (in Arizona) where they had been stored and refurbished them," said Tom Scanlan, Lockheed Martin's vice president of Titan programs. The Titan 2 rocket launching on Wednesday is one of 14 ICBMs converted by Lockheed Martin from the once-nuclear-tipped weapons into peaceful, satellite-launching vehicles. As part of the conversion effort, the forward structure of the second stages were modified to accommodate a payload, the liquid rocket engines were overhauled, the inertial guidance system was upgraded, the command, destruct and telemetry systems were developed and 10-foot diameter payload fairings were constructed to enclose the satellites during launch. The particular booster making the final Titan 2 flight was stationed on alert in a silo at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas from 1967 to 1986 before being refurbished into a space launcher. "This is the last Titan 2 that we are launching. The exciting level is pretty high for this one," Scanlan said. "Everybody feels a very close relationship to the history of the vehicle and we're all focused at making sure it goes out with the proud heritage that it has." The 14th refurbished Titan 2 was not assigned a mission, so it will not fly. Officials said they are looking at the possibility of placing the rocket in the U.S. Air Force museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. The first of the converted Titan 2s flew in September 1988. It and the following two missions carried classified cargos. Later launches included the military's Clementine lunar probe, two government-owned ocean-wind research spacecraft and five polar-orbiting weather satellites. "(Titan 2) was a warbird and served the country very well in that aspect. We took and converted these assets into space launch vehicles and has served very well with that. It has launched some critical payloads," Ballew added. In the mid-1960s, another batch of Titan 2s were used to launch NASA's Gemini program, which bridged the early Mercury days to the Apollo lunar program. "When President Kennedy decided to reach for the moon, they called on Titan 2 to be the vehicle to launch our Gemini astronauts," said Scanlan. Two unmanned and 10 manned Gemini missions flew atop Titan 2 boosters from Cape Canaveral, Florida. In all, Wednesday's launch will mark the 25th launch for Titan 2 space rockets.
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Flight data file Vehicle: Titan 2 (G-9) Payload: DMSP 5D-3-F16 Launch date: Oct. 18, 2003 Launch window: 1617-1627 GMT (12:17-12:27 p.m. EDT) Launch site: SLC-4W, Vandenberg AFB, California Satellite broadcast: none Pre-launch briefing Mission preview - Our story recapping the saga of the DMSP F16 satellite and the series of problems that have kept it grounded. Titan 2 finale - Our story looking at the last Titan 2 rocket launch. Launch timeline - Chart with times and descriptions of events to occur during the launch. DMSP - General overview of the U.S. military weather satellite program. Titan 2 - Description of the former ICBM missile converted to a space launch vehicle. Titan 2 history - Chart with listing of previous Titan 2 SLV flights. Expedition 20 The official embroidered patch for the International Space Station Expedition 20 crew is now available from our stores.Current Shuttle Mission Patch The official embroidered patch for shuttle Atlantis' flight to deliver critical spare equipment to the space station.![]() Ares Patch The Ares Project will develop two new rockets to launch astronauts back to the Moon under NASA's Vision for Exploration. The Ares 1 will employ a single space shuttle solid rocket booster to loft the Orion crew capsule. The gigantic Ares 5 will haul the equipment and cargo needed for such lunar voyages. This is the Ares emblem.One Giant Leap
Hosted by Corbin Bernsen, this award winning documentary marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. space agency and features exclusive interviews with veteran astronauts.Expedition 21 The official embroidered patch for the International Space Station Expedition 21 crew is now available from our stores.Gemini 7 Gemini 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.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo patches The Apollo Patch Collection: Includes all 12 Apollo mission patches plus the Apollo Program Patch. Save over 20% off the Individual price. U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars Rover mission patch A mission patch featuring NASA's Mars Exploration Rover is available from our online.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo 9 DVD On 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.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Exploring Mars Astronomy Now is pleased to announce the publication of Exploring Mars. The very best images of Mars taken by orbiting spacecraft and NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers fill up the 98 glossy pages of this special edition!U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars Rover mission patch A mission patch featuring NASA's Mars Exploration Rover is now available from the Astronomy Now Store.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo 12 tribute DVD set ![]() New! Featuring the jovial crew of Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan Bean, the Apollo 12 mission was struck by lightning shortly after liftoff but proceeded on the second successful exploration voyage to the lunar surface. This three-disc DVD brings the mission to life with extraordinary detail. U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Fallen Heroes special patch This special 12-inch embroidered patch commemorates the U.S. astronauts who made the ultimate sacrifice, honoring the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Women in Space Women of Space: Cool Careers on the Final Frontier is for girls, young women, and anyone else interested in learning about exciting careers in space exploration. Includes CD-ROM.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars rover poster This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.U.S. Columbia Report The official accident investigation report into the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven. Includes CD-ROM.U.S. Get e-mail updates Sign up for our NewsAlert service and have the latest news in astronomy and space e-mailed direct to your desktop (privacy note: your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose). |
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