Launch of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 7:43:00 a.m EDT Aug 12, 2005 on the first Atlas V rocket used by NASA.

Atlas V is a launch vehicle, built by Lockheed Martin. Although it is the newest version of Atlas it contains little Atlas technology. It no longer uses balloon tanks nor 1.5 staging, but incorporates a rigid framework for its first stage booster much like the Titan family of vehicles. Ironically, given Atlas's origin as a military weapon, the Atlas III and Atlas V use Russian-designed engines. The Atlas V was developed by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services as part of the US Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. The term "expendable launch vehicle" means it is only used once. Launches are from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. In addition, Space Launch Complex 3 East at Vandenberg Air Force Base is being prepared for future polar launches. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Conceptual drawing of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter over Mars NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a multipurpose spacecraft, launched August 12, 2005 to advance human understanding of Mars through detailed observation, to examine potential landing sites for future surface missions, and to provide a high-data-rate communications relay for... Rockets (including missiles) can be launched from the following: for a launch into an orbital spaceflight and beyond: a launch pad, including a floating platform (see San Marco platform, Sea Launch) for the launch into a suborbital flight also: a missile silo a mobile launcher vehicle a submarine air launch... Lockheed/BAE/Northrop F-35 Lockheed Trident missile C-130 Hercules; in production since the 1950s, now as the C-130J Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is an aerospace manufacturer formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. ... Mercury Atlas 9 rocket and capsule on pad The Atlas is a venerable line of space launch vehicles built by Lockheed Martin. ... The United States government–sponsored Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program was intended to develop affordable alternatives to legacy medium-to-heavy-lift launch vehicles (e. ... The Bumper V-2 was the first missile launched at Cape Canaveral on July 24, 1950. ... Vandenberg Air Force Base is a base with a spaceport, located in Santa Barbara County, California. ... A satellite in a polar orbit passes above or nearly above both poles of the planet (or other celestial body) on each revolution. ...

All seven Atlas V launches to date have been successful. The Atlas V family uses a single-stage Atlas main engine, the Russian RD-180 and the newly developed Common Core Booster (CCB) with up to five strap-on solid rocket boosters. The CCB is 12.5 ft (3.8 m) in diameter by 106.6 ft (32.5 m) long and uses 627,105 lb (284,453 kg) of liquid oxygen and RP-1 rocket fuel propellants. The booster operates for about four minutes, providing about 4 meganewtons (900,000 lbf) of thrust at start. The RD-180 is a dual-bell, Russian-developed rocket engine which is essentially a cut-down version of a larger Russian engine with four bells. ... RP-1 (refined petroleum) is a highly refined form of kerosene similar to jet fuel, used in the United States as a rocket fuel. ...

The Centaur upper stage uses a pressure stabilized propellant tank design and cryogenic propellants. The Centaur stage for Atlas V is stretched 5.5 ft (1.68 m) and is powered by either one or two Pratt & Whitney RL10A-4-2 engines, each engine developing a thrust of 99.2 kN (22,300 lbf). Operational and reliability upgrades are enabled with the RL10A-4-2 engine configuration. The inertial navigation unit (INU) located on the Centaur provides guidance and navigation for both Atlas and Centaur, and controls both Atlas and Centaur tank pressures and propellant use. The Centaur engines are capable of multiple in-space starts, making possible insertion into low-earth parking orbit, followed by a coast period and then insertion into GTO. An upgrade to a Fault Tolerant INU is currently in development and will further enhance mission reliability for all Atlas vehicles. Model of Centaur with Surveyor as payload. ...

The Atlas V-Heavy configuration is available 30 months from order. It would use three CCB stages strapped together to provide the capability necessary to lift the heaviest spacecraft.

On Atlas V, in addition to the classic 4-meter payload fairing used since the Atlas II, Lockheed Martin introduced a 5-meter (4.57 meters usable) Contraves payload fairing. The Contraves fairing is a composite design and is based on flight proven hardware. Three configurations will be manufactured to support Atlas V. The short and medium length configurations will be used on the Atlas V 500 series. The long configuration will be used on the Atlas V-Heavy. [1] The classic fairing covers only the payload, leaving the Centaur stage exposed to open air. With the Contraves fairing, the Centaur is enclosed within the fairing as well as the payload. Mission Atlas II is a member of the Atlas family of launch vehicles, which evolved from the successful Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program. ...

Core stage of an Atlas V being raised to a vertical position

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2000x3008, 542 KB) Core stage of an Atlas V rocket being raised to a vertical position at Cape Canaveral on May 6, 2005 (NASA) original description: At Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the first stage... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2000x3008, 542 KB) Core stage of an Atlas V rocket being raised to a vertical position at Cape Canaveral on May 6, 2005 (NASA) original description: At Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the first stage...

Versions

Each Atlas booster has a three digit version designation that is determined by the features of the rocket. The first digit is the diameter (in meters) of the nosecone fairing, and is always either four or five. The second digit is the number of solid rocket boosters attached to the base of the rocket, and can number anywhere from zero through three with the 4-m fairing and zero through five with the 5-m fairing. The third digit is the number of engines on the Centaur stage, either one or two. Single-engine Centaurs are typically used for satellites going to geostationary transfer orbit or reaching escape velocity. Dual engine Centaurs are typically used for satellites reaching low Earth orbit. The metre (Commonwealth English) or meter (American English) (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... A geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) is a Hohmann transfer orbit around the Earth between a low Earth orbit (LEO) and a geostationary orbit (GEO). ... In physics, for a given gravitational field and a given position, the escape velocity is the minimum speed an object without propulsion, at that position, needs to have to move away indefinitely from the source of the field, as opposed to falling back or staying in an orbit within a... A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit in which objects such as satellites are below intermediate circular orbit (ICO) and far below geostationary orbit, but typically around 350 - 1400 km above the Earths surface. ...

Comparable rockets: Delta IV - Ariane 5 - Chang Zheng 5 - Angara - Falcon 9 Delta IV evolution (US Govt) The Delta IV family of rockets are EELVs (evolved expendable launch vehicles) built by Boeing IDS in a purpose-built facility in Decatur, Alabama. ... Ariane 5 lifts off from Kourou Ariane 5 is an expendable launch system designed to deliver satellites into geostationary transfer orbit and to send payloads to low earth orbit. ... Designed and developed by China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), Long March 5 (LM-5, CZ-5, or Chang Zheng 5) is Chinas next generation space launch vehicle family, which would include a range of classes of launch vehicles for different missions. ... The Angara rocket, currently in development, is designed to launch heavy payloads into orbit, reducing Russias dependency on Kazakhstan for heavy lift (from whom Russia leases the Baikonur Cosmodrome), as well as eliminate the need to purchase Zenit rockets from Ukraine. ... The Falcon 9 is an EELV class launch vehicle to be built by SpaceX. With three variants proposed, if built the launcher will provide payloads of between 8,700 kg and 24,750 kg to low Earth orbit (between 3,100 kg and 9,650 kg to Geosynchronous orbit). ...

Versions List

The MRO Spaceprobe lauches on August the 12. 2005 at 11:43 UTC to the Planet Mars onbord a Atlas V (Modell 401) Launch Vehicle.

List Date: August 14, 2005 Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2040x3000, 510 KB) The MRO Spaceprobe lauches on August the 12. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2040x3000, 510 KB) The MRO Spaceprobe lauches on August the 12. ... Conceptual drawing of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter over Mars NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a multipurpose spacecraft, launched August 12, 2005 to advance human understanding of Mars through detailed observation, to examine potential landing sites for future surface missions, and to provide a high-data-rate communications relay for... August 14 is the 226th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (227th in leap years), with 139 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit in which objects such as satellites are below intermediate circular orbit (ICO) and far below geostationary orbit, but typically around 350 - 1400 km above the Earths surface. ... A geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) is a Hohmann transfer orbit around the Earth between a low Earth orbit (LEO) and a geostationary orbit (GEO). ...

Launch History

An Atlas V 551 with the New Horizons Deep Space Probe launches from Lauch Pad 41 in Cape Canaveral.

List Date: January 19, 2006 Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1960x3008, 583 KB) Launch of New Horizons probe on an Atlas V 551 rocket (Jan. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1960x3008, 583 KB) Launch of New Horizons probe on an Atlas V 551 rocket (Jan. ... New Horizons is also the subtitle to the computer game Uncharted Waters 2 (大航海時代Ⅱ). New Horizons (artists impression). ... January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Bumper V-2 was the first missile launched at Cape Canaveral on July 24, 1950. ... Hot Bird is the common name of a family of 5 satellites operated by Eutelsat, located at 13°E over the Equator (orbital position) and with a transmitting footprint over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. ... U.S. military MILSTAR communications satellite A communications satellite (sometimes abbreviated to comsat) is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purposes of telecommunications. ... May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 11 March is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... INMARSAT, is an international telecommunications company founded in 1979, originally as an intergovernmental organisation. ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Conceptual drawing of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter over Mars NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a multipurpose spacecraft, launched August 12, 2005 to advance human understanding of Mars through detailed observation, to examine potential landing sites for future surface missions, and to provide a high-data-rate communications relay for... For the Roman god, see Mars (god). ... January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... New Horizons is also the subtitle to the computer game Uncharted Waters 2 (大航海時代Ⅱ). New Horizons (artists impression). ... Adjective Plutonian Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 0. ... Artists rendering of the Kuiper Belt and more distant Oort cloud. ...

Planned Launches

List Date: December 22, 2005 December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Bumper V-2 was the first missile launched at Cape Canaveral on July 24, 1950. ... Vandenberg Air Force Base is a base with a spaceport, located in Santa Barbara County, California. ... The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is a department of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) which designs, builds and operates the reconnaissance satellites of the United States government. ... A spy satellite (officially referred to as a reconnaissance satellite or recon sat) is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications. ... Vandenberg Air Force Base is a base with a spaceport, located in Santa Barbara County, California. ... The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) monitors meteorological, oceanographic, and solar-terrestrial physics for the United States Department of Defense An artists impression showing one of the Block 5D-2 spacecraft in orbit. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Atlas

• Official page at ILS, the launch provider for Atlas V (engl.)
• http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/atlasv.htm (en.)