WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS FOR WEEK ENDING 29 AUGUST 2003:
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE OPERATIONS
The following activities were completed at VAFB this past week:
- Launch configuration valve settings for the Gas Management Assembly (GMA) have been successfully verified. The GMA controls the flow of helium gas used to spin up the gyroscopes.
- Space vehicle Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) data collected last week was analyzed, and EMI testing was successfully concluded.
- Additional seismic restraints were installed on the space vehicle to ensure compliance with seismic load requirements.
Photo: The GP-B space vehicle, with the triangular-shaped GMA prominently visible in the center of the photo.
GP-B STAFF AND FAMILIES TOURED VANDENBERG ON
AUGUST 23
Saturday, August 23, 2003, was GP-B Tour Day at Vandenberg AFB. Thirty-one GP-B
staff members, families, and guests boarded a tour bus at
8:15 AM in the Stanford GP-B parking lot and settled into comfortable seats
for
the 5-hour ride. Other staff members
and families drove down in their own cars and then boarded a second tour bus
for a simultaneous tour. The tour was divided into two parts:
- GP-B launch site. The launch site tour included a short Boeing presentation on Delta rockets and site visits to the launch control room, a blockhouse where the 1st and 2nd stage Delta rockets were housed, and the Mobile Service Tower (MST) or gantry that will be used to service the rockets and space vehicle prior to launch.
- Space vehicle processing facility. The space vehicle tour began with a short GP-B presentation, followed by small group visits to the clean room where the GP-B Space Vehicle is being readied for launch. Viewed through a window, the GP-B space vehicle was an impressive site. While waiting to view the space vehicle, visitors watched a movie, "Testing Einstein's Universe," which describes the Gravity Probe B experiment.
The tour ended with a barbeque dinner at the VAFB Golf Course. Everyone had an enjoyable time, and many thanks go to Margot Tuckner, Francis Everitt, Ray Pressburg, Brad Jones, and Gordon Huffer of GP-B, plus Tom Welsh from Lockheed Martin, and Bill Sobczak and John Wilding of Boeing for orchestrating and conducting this tour.
Photo: A collage of photos taken during the tour. Click the thumbnail to view the collage at full size.