Mechanical Team Inspecting GPM
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The mechanical team has only a few inches of clearance between the L-frame and the satellite.
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GPM Arrives at Tanegashima Space Center
Following arrival at Japan’s Kitakyushu Airport at 10:30 p.m. EST Saturday, Nov. 23, the GPM Core Observatory spacecraft in its shipping container was off-loaded from the C-5 aircraft and moved to a barge to be transported to Tanegashima Island. GPM's shipping container is unloaded from the U.S. Air Force C-5 cargo plane that carried it to Japan. Image Credit: NASA The barge departed Kitakyushu around 6:30 a.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 24, but a third of the way to the island, an unplanned stop had to be made at a port called Saiki to protect the ship from weather and rough seas. The barge arrived at
GPM Loaded onto Barge
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A freshly paved concrete staging area supported a massive crane as it lifted the satellite into the cargo hold of an ocean barge.
Unloading GPM's Shipping Container
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GPM's shipping container is unloaded from the U.S. Air Force C-5 cargo plane that carried it to Japan.
Barge Carrying GPM Core to Tanegashima
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The barge carrying the GPM spacecraft arrives at Shimama Port on Tanegashima Island on Nov. 26 just before sunset. The satellite will be offloaded and transported by truck to the Space Center for processing there.
GPM Transport Team in Kitakyushu, Japan
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The NASA GPM transport team in Kitakyushu, Japan, Nov 24
"To: Japan, Love: GSFC"
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Notes written on the side of GPM's shipping container.
C5 Aircraft in Alaska for Refueling
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GPM's C-5 transport aircraft on the ground at Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage, Alaska.
GPM's Roller Bed Truck Loaded on the Plane
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The roller bed truck loaded on the plane. Secured on top are the FlipRight (yellow) for manipulating the spacecraft once it’s in the cleanroom in Japan and the I-beam sling (white) that facilitates the heavy lifting of the container.
Loading GPM into the C5 Aircraft
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Halfway through the loading process at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, the C-5 looks like it swallows the GPM shipping container.