DSCOVR/Triana/Goresat Is Ready For January Launch

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http://spaceref.com/earth/dscovr-is-finally-poised-for-liftoff.html

DSCOVR Is Finally Poised for Liftoff

Press Release - Source: NOAA
Posted October 1, 2014 11:42 AM

With the launch of the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite mission in early 2015, the United States will extend its ability to give accurate warnings of solar activity that could potentially wreak havoc throughout society and the economy on Earth.

The refrigerator-sized satellite is scheduled to soar into orbit in early 2015 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

DSCOVR, a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, will orbit the sun at the L1 libration point - a stable point in space, where gravitational forces of Earth and the sun are in equilibrium - approximately one million miles away from Earth toward the sun. From the L1 location, the satellite's sensors can detect solar storms before their impacts reach Earth. The satellite will also host NASA-funded secondary sensors for Earth and space science observations.

NOAA will manage the DSCOVR mission, giving advanced warning of approaching solar storms with the potential to cripple electrical grids, disrupt communication systems, throw off GPS navigation, reroute air travel, affect satellite operations and endanger human spaceflight. According to a National Research Council Report (See "Severe Space Weather Events--Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts: A Workshop Report" [2008]), damages from the most extreme solar storms could range between $1 trillion-$2 trillion within the first year and four to 10 years for full recovery.

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For more information and to follow DSCOVR News, visit the homepage at: http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR

http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR/press.html

DSCOVR Quick Facts

Scheduled launch date and location: January 2015 from Cape Canaveral, FL

Launch vehicle SpaceX Falcon 9 v 1.1 provided by U.S. Air Force

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Via http://nasawatch.com/archives/2014/10/dscovrtrianagor.html

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1. Why a Refrigerator-Sized Spacecraft Could be Humanity’s Best Hope Against Solar Storms

http://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2014/10/why-refrigerator-sized-spacecraft-could-be-humanitys-best-hope-against-solar-storms/95588/

Why a Refrigerator-Sized Spacecraft Could be Humanity’s Best Hope Against Solar Storms
By Frank Konkel October 1, 2014

Space is a violent place, and currently the only tool that helps predict solar storms is NASA’s Advanced Composition Explorer, operating 10 years beyond its design life.

Realizing the severity of the risk posed by solar storms – like the one that narrowly missed Earth in 2012 – the U.S. Air Force, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration teamed up for the Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR, a refrigerator-sized spacecraft that will give scientists up to an hour’s notice of a solar storm affecting Earth.

Now, with full funding under fiscal year 2014 appropriations, the DSCOVR satellite – after passing rigorous satellite and instrument testing in 2013 – is primed to launch in early 2015, according to a NOAA statement Oct. 1.

"That (full funding) allowed us to maintain our current schedule for launch," said Mike Simpson, the DSCOVR program manager at NOAA. "We must always stay on top of developing solar storm activity and provide accurate, timely forecasts. DSCOVR will extend our capability to do that."

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2. NOAA Taps New Head for Environmental Satellite Programs

http://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2014/09/noaa-taps-new-head-satellite-programs/95453/

NOAA Taps New Head for Satellite Programs
By Frank Konkel September 30, 2014

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has tapped one of NASA’s top spaceflight officials to lead the division responsible for overseeing billions of dollars’ worth of environmental satellites.

NOAA tapped Stephen Volz to be the new head of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services, filling a position left open when former head Mary Kicza retired from public service earlier this year.

Volz will formerly assume his new role Nov. 2, and chief among his duties will be overseeing two new satellite programs worth a collective $20 billion.

NOAA believed Volz’ experience at NASA, where he managed the agency’s Earth science flight missions and a budget of some $1 billion annually, made him a prime candidate for the role overseeing the agency’s NESDIS division.

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4. He is the recipient of several awards, including from NASA the Silver Snoopy Award (1994) and...

http://www.satnews.com/story.php?number=375728540

Satnews Daily
September 30th, 2014

NOAA's New NESDIS Leader + Silver Snoopy Award

(SatNews) He is the recipient of several awards, including from NASA the Silver Snoopy Award (1994) and...

NOAA has announced that Dr. Stephen Volz, a top official at NASA and an award-winning aerospace engineer, has been tapped to lead NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service (NESDIS).

Volz replaces Mary E. Kicza, who retired earlier this year as the NESDIS assistant administrator. Dr. Volz will assume this new role on November 2. As assistant administrator, Volz will shepherd NOAA’s programs to build and launch the next generation of environmental satellites: the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R-Series (GOES-R), and other missions, including the Deep Space Climate Observatory, known as DSCOVR. He’ll also manage NOAA’s current spacecraft fleet and NESDIS’ vast climate, oceanographic and geophysical data operations. Data from these NESDIS assets are used throughout NOAA, across the federal family and around the world for operational weather forecasts and climate impact assessments. In his current position at NASA, Volz manages all of the agency’s Earth science flight missions and associated activities, including 17 satellites currently operating on orbit, 12 in formulation and development, and others in the early study and design stages.

While at NASA, Volz was the Earth science program executive for a series of Earth science missions, including CloudSat, CALIPSO and ICESat. He led the senior review for the Earth science operating missions. Volz worked for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as an instrument manager, a systems engineer and a cryogenic systems engineer on missions and instruments including the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE). In addition to his government service, Volz worked in the private sector as a project manager and principal engineer at the Ball Aerospace Corporation, leading the design and development of the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) cryostat system, renamed the Spitzer Space Telescope after launch, among other projects.

Volz is a member of several professional societies, including the American Physical Society, the American Astronomical Society, the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society. He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and an active member of the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society. He is the recipient of several awards, including from NASA the Silver Snoopy Award (1994) and the Goddard Space Flight Center John Boeckel Award for Engineering Excellence (1992), and the Ball Corporation Award of Excellence (2001). Dr. Volz earned his Ph.D. in experimental condensed matter physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1986, an M.S. in physics from Illinois in 1981 and a B.S. in physics from the University of Virginia in 1980. He has more than 20 publications in peer reviewed journals.

The NOAA infosite is located at http://www.noaa.gov/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Snoopy_award



The Silver Snoopy award is a special honor awarded to NASA employees and contractors for outstanding achievements related to human flight safety or mission success.[1][2] The award certificate states that it is "In Appreciation" "For professionalism, dedication and outstanding support that greatly enhanced space flight safety and mission success."[3] The award depicts Snoopy, a character from the Peanuts comic strip created by Charles M. Schulz.

The award is given personally by NASA astronauts as it represents the astronauts' own recognition of excellence.[1] It is presented at the workplace of the recipient with the recipient's coworkers present. The Silver Snoopy award is one of several awards overseen by the Space Flight Awareness (SFA) program at NASA.

The award consists of a sterling silver "Silver Snoopy" lapel pin flown during a NASA mission, a commendation letter (stating the mission the Silver Snoopy pin was flown on) and a signed, framed Silver Snoopy certificate. Snoopy decals and posters are also given to the recipient.

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3. A large coronal mass ejection could put half the planet into the 19th century.

This satellite is an essential part of attempting to mitigate what would be a global disaster. We'd have some hours to batten down the hatches and hopefully stave off the worst of it.