Summary: CAPE CANAVERAL Fla. – When one thinks of rockets the image that was presented during what is known as a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) of a Delta IV medium – does not exactly fit the mold. The WDR is conducted by United Launch Alliance (ULA) to test out the Delta’s systems prior to spacecraft integration and launch. Although not all elements of the Delta IV medium are in place, enough are present to accomplish the objective of testing if the rocket is ready for flight. “With the WDR we load cryogenics, liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, onto the Delta rocket to validate the vehicle’s readiness prior to attaching the spacecraft,” said ULA’s Assistant Launch Conductor Doug Lebo. “This way if there is any kind of problem with the rocket we will know before the satellite has been mated with the launch vehicle.” The Mobile Service Tower or MST for the Delta IV medium is about the height of a football field, weighs approximately 9 million pounds and is rolled back around 360 feet on two massive wheels to expose the rocket. The entire process of moving the structure back takes between 20 and 30 minutes. From there controllers over at the rocket’s Launch Control Center test out the rocket’s launch readiness. This Delta IV rocket will carry the GPS 2F-2 satellite to orbit. The satellite is the second block 2F of the GPS navigation series. “These GPS satellites are manufactured and fully tested out in California, when ready they are then shipped here to the Cape,” said Captain Stephen Nielson a spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force. “The GPS 2F-2 satellite arrived at the Cape in the early morning hours of April 20, we then unpackaged it and performed two weeks of compatibility testing to makes sure it was ready for launch.” The Delta IV medium that will be used on this flight is the 4, 2 configuration that has two solid rocket boosters that provide the extra thrust required to achieve orbit. The launch is currently slated to take place on July 14 at 2:51 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 37B.
