1 00:00:02,030 --> 00:00:06,000 \h George Diller/Launch Commentator: This is Atlas Launch Control and we have a reaction 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:10,740 \h from the team here in the Mission Directors Center, which we're going to get Tim Dunn, 3 00:00:10,740 --> 00:00:18,020 \h who is our assistant launch director, to tell us what that's about because there was certainly some 4 00:00:18,020 --> 00:00:24,310 \h smiles and some handshakes and some jubilation here when we got the word of the latest event. 5 00:00:24,310 --> 00:00:29,250 \h Tell us, Tim, what you've learned the status is of LDCM. 6 00:00:29,250 --> 00:00:34,000 \h Tim Dunn/Assistant Launch Manager: Well, hello, George. We just got confirmation that the solar arrays 7 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:39,750 \h have developed successfully for LDCM. So, that was the first main mark event post separation. 8 00:00:39,750 --> 00:00:43,870 \h So, you saw the reaction in the control room. Everyone's very relieved. 9 00:00:43,870 --> 00:00:48,140 \h We've got telemetry coming back from LDCM. So, all is well so far. 10 00:00:48,140 --> 00:00:51,200 \h George Diller/Launch Commentator: That is good. So the spacecraft is power positive 11 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:56,230 \h and it's off on the mission that we had hoped. 12 00:00:56,230 --> 00:01:00,460 \h So, Tim, tell us a little bit from your perspective about how 13 00:01:00,460 --> 00:01:03,950 \h the countdown went since early this morning. 14 00:01:03,950 --> 00:01:07,260 \h What time did you actually come into the Mission Directors Center? 15 00:01:07,260 --> 00:01:09,760 \h Tim Dunn/Assistant Launch Manager: Well, I came in about up to 3:30 a.m. PST, 16 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:14,600 \h local time here at Vandenberg. But first I'd like to say obviously I'm speaking on behalf of Omar Baez. 17 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:20,410 \h Omar is the launch director for this mission. Here at Vandenberg, we have a slightly different 18 00:01:20,410 --> 00:01:22,050 \h configuration for our launch team. 19 00:01:22,050 --> 00:01:23,560 \h George Diller/Launch Commentator: That's right, we're kind of spread out. 20 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:27,460 \h Tim Dunn/Assistant Launch Manager: We have the core senior management on the north part of the base and 21 00:01:27,460 --> 00:01:29,990 \h the remote launch center along the with ULA and then we have our 22 00:01:29,990 --> 00:01:32,840 \h engineering team here in Building 836 on south Vandenberg. 23 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:37,340 \h So, I was able to work the countdown with Omar and come down here just 24 00:01:37,340 --> 00:01:42,750 \h before confirmation of spacecraft sep and I'm glad to be here with you. 25 00:01:42,750 --> 00:01:45,210 \h So, just a few notes about today's countdown. 26 00:01:45,210 --> 00:01:47,280 \h George Diller/Launch Commentator: Right, about how things went. Right. 27 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:50,850 \h Tim Dunn/Assistant Launch Manager: Yeah, things could not have gone better today, George. 28 00:01:50,850 --> 00:01:57,460 \h It really was an absolutely smooth countdown and that's a testament to our incredible Atlas V team, 29 00:01:57,460 --> 00:01:59,970 \h both with government and contractor. 30 00:01:59,970 --> 00:02:02,620 \h George Diller/Launch Commentator: We didn't hear much offline discussion. 31 00:02:02,620 --> 00:02:08,110 \h Tim Dunn/Assistant Launch Manager: Virtually, I'll run down each of the components of our team. 32 00:02:08,110 --> 00:02:09,390 \h George Diller/Launch Commentator: OK. 33 00:02:09,390 --> 00:02:12,910 \h Tim Dunn/Assistant Launch Manager: Weather, we thought we might be dealing with a little bit of cool 34 00:02:12,910 --> 00:02:16,640 \h temperatures going into cryo tanking, but we didn't even have that. 35 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:20,330 \h We were well above our cryo limit as we went into tanking. 36 00:02:20,330 --> 00:02:23,130 \h Upper level winds were green for flight. 37 00:02:23,130 --> 00:02:28,870 \h The range, I'll compliment the 30th Space Wing range team, Colonel Nina Armagno, 38 00:02:28,870 --> 00:02:32,460 \h has an exceptional team here at Vandenberg Air Force Base. 39 00:02:32,460 --> 00:02:37,530 \h We love coming out to Vandenberg and absolutely no range issues today. 40 00:02:37,530 --> 00:02:43,160 \h And the launch vehicle. That Atlas V did, it's a work horse for us, 41 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:45,950 \h and it absolutely performed beautifully today. 42 00:02:45,950 --> 00:02:50,690 \h We had only one very minor issue and that was with a camera that had 43 00:02:50,690 --> 00:02:55,690 \h condensation on it as the sun came up. But that quickly burned off. 44 00:02:55,690 --> 00:03:00,300 \h It was a camera that was monitoring our LO2 drain plugs. 45 00:03:00,300 --> 00:03:04,880 \h So, very good performance by the entire team today, exceptional, 46 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:09,220 \h we're all thrilled with what we have on orbit now in LDCM. 47 00:03:09,220 --> 00:03:13,030 \h George Diller/Launch Commentator: So then the flight, what you saw after liftoff all the way up to 48 00:03:13,030 --> 00:03:16,420 \h separation appeared to be exactly what it was supposed to be 49 00:03:16,420 --> 00:03:17,970 \h happening when it was supposed to be happening. 50 00:03:17,970 --> 00:03:19,760 \h Tim Dunn/Assistant Launch Manager: We were able to look at the booster performance. 51 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:22,850 \h We had very, very clean booster performance. 52 00:03:22,850 --> 00:03:27,110 \h The team is, they are looking at Centaur second stage performance now. 53 00:03:27,110 --> 00:03:30,170 \h But based on the orbital elements that we saw, 54 00:03:30,170 --> 00:03:35,560 \h we believe that we had just exceptional Centaur performance as well. 55 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,060 \h George Diller/Launch Commentator: That's good. It looks like we've kind of, 56 00:03:38,060 --> 00:03:45,250 \h kind of laid the foundation for another mission, which is coming back at the Cape later on this year, 57 00:03:45,250 --> 00:03:49,020 \h which is another Mars mission. Is that right? 58 00:03:49,020 --> 00:03:51,150 \h Tim Dunn/Assistant Launch Manager: We're going back to Mars in November 59 00:03:51,150 --> 00:03:54,790 \h of this year on an Atlas V out of Cape Canaveral. 60 00:03:54,790 --> 00:03:59,820 \h So, I would like to, I guess, make a few more comments about what 61 00:03:59,820 --> 00:04:05,210 \h Charlie Bolden was commenting on, our NASA administrator. 62 00:04:05,210 --> 00:04:09,770 \h The closeness of these two missions, I don't think everyone realizes what all is 63 00:04:09,770 --> 00:04:17,970 \h involved in launching two Atlas Vs, one off the east coast, one off the west coast 11 1/2 days apart. 64 00:04:17,970 --> 00:04:25,460 \h Tremendous teamwork between the NASA LSP team, the spacecraft teams and especially United Launch 65 00:04:25,460 --> 00:04:31,780 \h Alliance to review all of the data that was required, to disposition all of the data observations. 66 00:04:31,780 --> 00:04:37,390 \h Just exceptional work, George. And then as we approached the last few days as we were getting ready for 67 00:04:37,390 --> 00:04:43,680 \h LDCM, completing FRR, working through a few last-minutes issues Thursday night and Friday, having the 68 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:46,900 \h LRR on Friday, coming back as a reconvene on Saturday, 69 00:04:46,900 --> 00:04:52,640 \h just I can't compliment the launch team enough, just exceptional work. 70 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:58,990 \h George Diller/Launch Commentator: Well, Tim, that's good, I think that pretty much says that going 71 00:04:58,990 --> 00:05:03,420 \h forward we will be well prepared for our remaining Atlas missions that will be 72 00:05:03,420 --> 00:05:06,400 \h coming up from Cape Canaveral later on this year. 73 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:07,160 \h Tim Dunn/Assistant Launch Manager: Absolutely. 74 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:08,680 \h George Diller/Launch Commentator: So, any closing remarks, Tim? 75 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:10,620 \h Tim Dunn/Assistant Launch Manager: Yeah, I would like to point out one thing. 76 00:05:10,620 --> 00:05:14,610 \h As Omar and I were in the remote launch control center this morning, 77 00:05:14,610 --> 00:05:19,270 \h we noticed that there was a drawing on the wall in the break room, 78 00:05:19,270 --> 00:05:21,680 \h so if we could show that. 79 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:26,470 \h This is a graphic that a young lady at one of the local high schools here near 80 00:05:26,470 --> 00:05:28,340 \h Vandenberg Air Force Base drew. 81 00:05:28,340 --> 00:05:34,080 \h This and obviously this is an Atlas V and its got some wonderful words 82 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:36,420 \h wishing the launch team best luck. 83 00:05:36,420 --> 00:05:39,630 \h And what I wanted to point out is that she says the 84 00:05:39,630 --> 00:05:43,770 \h Atlas V launching here and what the men and women here at Vandenberg, 85 00:05:43,770 --> 00:05:48,330 \h particularly United Launch Alliance, do to inspire her and her classmates. 86 00:05:48,330 --> 00:05:53,140 \h And I wanted to tell Annalise that you inspire us. 87 00:05:53,140 --> 00:05:58,460 \h We were really moved when we saw this, so keep doing what you're doing. 88 00:05:58,460 --> 00:06:02,030 \h I know you're in the robotics club here in the local high school. 89 00:06:02,030 --> 00:06:06,060 \h And your note says that your school was watching the launch so hopefully 90 00:06:06,060 --> 00:06:08,750 \h we put on a good show on for you and your classmates. 91 00:06:08,750 --> 00:06:12,630 \h And we're really excited when we can inspire people in science, 92 00:06:12,630 --> 00:06:16,320 \h technology, engineering and mathematics. So, thank you, George. 93 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:17,400 \h George Diller/Launch Commentator: Well, Tim, thanks very much. 94 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:20,710 \h And congratulkations to you and Omar and the entire 95 00:06:20,710 --> 00:06:26,400 \h United Launch Alliance team and Vern Thorpe is quite please as well. 96 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:30,990 \h So, thank you once again and we'll see you back at Cape Canaveral. 97 00:06:30,990 --> 00:06:32,480 \h Tim Dunn/Assistant Launch Manager: Great, thank you, George.