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Pyrotechnics and Fueling for HII-A Rocket

On Tuesday, Feb. 25 (Japan time) at the Tanegashima Space Center, Japan, pyrotechnics were connected on the H-IIA launch vehicle that will carry the NASA-JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory into space. In addition, the attitude control system that will control the second stage of the launch vehicle was fueled. Live launch coverage from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., begins on NASA Television at 12noon EST on Thursday, Feb. 27. Watch online at: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Checks Performed on HII-A Rocket Electrical and Propulsion Systems

The NASA-JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory is on schedule to liftoff from Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan during a launch window that opens in just over 52 hours (Thursday, Feb. 27 at 1:07 p.m. EST). Launch services provider Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) performed checks on the propulsion and electrical systems on the H-IIA rocket that will carry the GPM Core Observatory into space.

TRMM Sees Tornadic Thunderstorms

TRMM Sees Tornadic Thunderstorms
The TRMM satellite passed above a line of severe thunderstorms over the eastern United States on February 21, 2014 at about 1148UTC (6:48 AM EST). Several reports of tornadoes in Illinois were associated with this system yesterday. A possible tornado was reported in Georgia this morning. The 3-D image below shows a TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) slice through the line of severe thunderstorms. One tall thunderstorm in the Florida panhandle was shown reaching heights of about 13.8km (~8.5 miles) and returning Radar reflectivity values of over 58dBZ to the satellite. Rain was found by TRMM PR to

GPM Launch Rehearsal

GPM Launch Rehearsal
Image Caption
GPM Launch Rehearsal

The NASA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory team is seen during an all-day launch simulation for GPM at the Spacecraft Test and Assembly Building 2 (STA2), Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), Tanegashima Island, Japan. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to launch an H-IIA rocket carrying the GPM Core Observatory on Feb. 28, 2014. The NASA-JAXA GPM spacecraft will collect information that unifies data from an international network of existing and future satellites to map global rainfall and snowfall every three hours.

GPM Launch Rehearsal

GPM Launch Rehearsal
Image Caption
A good luck "Daruma Doll" is seen amongst the NASA GPM Mission launch team in the Spacecraft Test and Assembly Building 2 (STA2)

A good luck "Daruma Doll" is seen amongst the NASA GPM Mission launch team in the Spacecraft Test and Assembly Building 2 (STA2) during the all-day launch simulation for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC), Tanegashima Island, Japan. One eye of the daruma doll is colored in when a goal is set, in this case a successful launch of GPM, and the second eye is colored in at the completion of the goal.

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