Photos: NASA prepares weather observation satellite for launch
GOES-O is poised for liftoff at Space Launch Complex 37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
On the launch pad
NASA is preparing to launch the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-O, or GOES-O, weather monitoring satellite. The spacecraft, which is the most recent model in the series of weather information gathering satellites designed by NASA, will use its array of sensors and instruments to provide more technologically advanced information to NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the images that are typically seen on United States television newscasts.
The launch of the Delta IV rocket carrying the satellite had been scheduled for Friday, but was scrubbed at the last minute due to weather conditions at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
The GOES-O is now scheduled to go on Saturday between 6:14 p.m. and 7:14 p.m. EDT.
On Launch Complex 37
Astrotech payload processing facility
Here, on April 7 at the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., the first half of the payload fairing is moved around the GOES-O satellite. The aerodynamically smooth nose cone will protect the spacecraft during launch.
This version of the weather monitoring equipment developed by NASA will provide almost continuous imaging and sounding, which allows forecasters to better measure changes in atmospheric temperature and moisture distributions, increasing the accuracy of their forecasts and giving a more detailed picture of the subtle changes in minute-by-minute weather conditions.