"Eleventh Time's The Charm"
After about six weeks stacked on the launch pad, and as long for mission crews to report only to replan activities for another night and slightly different time, the rocket and it's satellite's blasted away from Earth's pull. After ten previous attempts, there was much rejoicing on #11 and our running joke made reference to the age-old saying, "third time's the charm..." D. Seitz, Operations Lead, RDT&E Support Complex
14 Jan 1999 - postponed launch 24 hours to complete testing of the link between the spacecraft and the ground telemetry station. "The spacecraft team observed noise intrusion on the telemetry signal sent from the spacecraft to the ground station. The spacecraft team has corrected the problem and validation testing is underway. The 24-hour delay allows the spacecraft team to finalize its testing prior to the launch vehicle upper stage fueling."
20 Jan 1999 - launch postponed due to weather (upper level winds)
25 Jan 1999 - launch postponed due to weather (upper level winds)
27 Jan 1999 - launch postponed due to weather (upper level winds)
28 Jan 1999 - launch postponed—the Boeing launch team determined that a propellant valve on vernier engine number two failed to open on command. This caused the engine shutdown and initiation of the autosafe mechanism on the launch vehicle. During the engine start sequence, the two vernier engines are required to ignite prior to ignition of the main engine. The main engine and two vernier engines were automatically shut down at approximately T-0 when it was detected that one of the vernier engines had failed to ignite. All vehicle safing systems performed as designed and expected.
07 Feb 1999 - launch postponed due to weather (upper level winds)
08 Feb 1999 - launch postponed due to weather (upper level winds)
12 Feb 1999 - launch postponed due to weather (upper level winds)
13 Feb 1999 - launch postponed due to an electrical problem in the first stage of the booster
22 Feb 1999 - launch postponed due to weather (upper level winds)
23 Feb 1999 - the rocket lifted off at 0229 PST from California's Vandenberg AFB.
Read more about this topic: ARGOS (satellite)
Famous quotes containing the words eleventh, time and/or charm:
“The eleventh day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Eleven ladies dancing,”
—Unknown. The Twelve Days of Christmas (l. 76–78)
“Anxious to publicise and pay our dues
Contracted here, we, Bernard Noel Hughes
And Philip Arthur Larkin, do desire
To requite and to reward those whom we choose;
To thank our friends, before our time expire,
And those whom, if not friends, we yet admire.”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)
“The dissident does not operate in the realm of genuine power at all. He is not seeking power. He has no desire for office and does not gather votes. He does not attempt to charm the public, he offers nothing and promises nothing. He can offer, if anything, only his own skin—and he offers it solely because he has no other way of affirming the truth he stands for. His actions simply articulate his dignity as a citizen, regardless of the cost.”
—Václav Havel (b. 1936)