Goddard Space Flight Center 1 NASA/Goddard Space Flight Centers Wallops Flight Facility Participating in NASAs Suborbital Missions

2 Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Island

3 Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Island

4 Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Island Horizontal Integration Facility

Goddard Space Flight Center 5 Wallops Education Flight Projects Authentic Technology and Engineering Experiences 5

6 Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Rocket Academy for Teachers and Students WRATS Provides high schools with a technical flight experience that will reinforce science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) concepts. Teachers and students participate in person or virtually in authentic, hands-on experiences that are based on NASAs sounding rocket engineering and science data collection. In 2011, there will be 20 teachers that participate in a workshop at Wallops in connection with the RockOn experience for university students and faculty. 6

7 Goddard Space Flight Center The Sounding Rocket Educational Pipeline 7 High School Flight Opportunities RockOn! RockSat X Interns and Co- Ops Inspiration Exposure to Space Flight Projects Develop Science & Engineering Experience Accelerated Professional Development Piggyback Opportunitie s RockSat-C Hands-On Project Experience (HOPE) WRATS University Flight Opportunities

8 Goddard Space Flight Center 8 It is Rocket Science and Engineering

9 Goddard Space Flight Center 9 The Sounding Rocket Program goes to where the science is… World-Wide Operations Kwajalein Woomera Esrange Andoya Svalbard Poker White Sands Wallops

10 Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Balloon Experience for Educators WBEE Provides an opportunity for high school teachers and students to be involved in balloon flights. Balloons can help NASA inspire and train the next generation of engineers and scientists. In the summer of 2011, 30 teachers will participate in a workshop in conjunction with the High Altitude Student Project (HASP) for university students in Palestine, Texas. 10

11 Goddard Space Flight Center 11 Balloon Program Training Vision for the future … NASA NRA for graduate and undergraduate students with emphasis on small multi-payloads Flights of Undergrad Engineering research projects Routine piggyback flights for undergrad and graduate student payloads NASA Roadmap: Use NASA missions and other activities to inspire and motivate the nations students…, and to advance the scientific and technological capabilities of the nation. Science Teams train undergrads, grad students, and PhD candidates HASP NASA NRA Science Missions Piggy Back Flights WBEE High School Teachers and Students

12 Goddard Space Flight Center 12 HASP Launch Day

13 Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Flight Facility Three Major Parcels6000 Acres Wallops Main Base1900 Acres Administrative & Technical Offices Tracking & Data Acquisition Range Control Center Ordnance Storage/Processing R&D, Processing Facilities Research Airport Navy Administration/Housing Coast Guard Housing Wallops Island3000 Acres Launch Sites Blockhouses Radar Processing Facilities Dynamic Spin Balance Navy Operational Facilities Wallops Mainland100 Acres Tracking & Data Acquisition Marshland1000 Acres

14 Goddard Space Flight Center Established by National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics in 1945 as test site for aerodynamic research Over 16,000 launches conducted during 64 year history Wallops mission has evolved to include: Flight program management Technology development Scientific research Wallops History

15 Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Tenants Naval Air Warfare Center (Patuxent River) Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport U. S. Coast Guard NOAA Navy/Surface Combat Systems Center BaySys Technologies

16 Goddard Space Flight Center Sounding Rocket Program Typical mission types: –Space Science research (core) –Technology demonstrations –DoD targets (reimbursable) missions/year Features: –Apogee altitudes >1500 km –Flight times >20 minutes –Spacecraft weights >1300 lbs. –Allows quick response missions (<1 yr.) –14 launch vehicle configurations –Uses low-cost surplus military rockets –Recovery/re-use of flight hardware End-to-end in-house capabilities (design, fabrication. integration, testing, & launch) World-wide fixed and mobile launch sites Black Brant XII Typical Spacecraft

17 Goddard Space Flight Center Balloon Program Primary mission: –Space Science research missions/year Features –Balloon volumes up to 60M cubic ft. –Suspended loads up to 8000 lbs. –Float altitudes of up to 160K feet Balloon Classes –Conventional: 2-36 hour duration –Long Duration: >50 days –Super Pressure: Up to 100 days Worldwide launch sites Technology efforts: Planetary balloons Arc-second pointing Trajectory Control Balloon Inflation Balloon Payload Balloon at Float

18 Goddard Space Flight Center Small Wallops Multi-Payload Ejector (MPE) Modular carrier allowing multi-spacecraft to be flown on small ELVs MPE can dispense up to 7 spacecraft weighing up to 400 lbs CubeSats CubeSats Management & I&T support of programs to fly nano-satellites for education, science, & technology Hawk Institute for Space Sciences National Science Foundation Development of a 6U CubeSat & ejector MPE CubeSats & P-Pod Ejector

19 Goddard Space Flight Center Research activities include: Atmospheric chemistry Beach erosion Arctic ice mapping Hurricanes Satellite Altimetry Biological modeling Coastal Zone Research Remote & in-situ instruments flown on aircraft, balloons, & rockets Worldwide data measurements Cal/Val instrument support Laboratories include: Air-Sea Interaction Facility Rain-Sea Interaction Facility Earth Science Research Laser & Radar Altimetry Antarctic & Greenland Ice Mapping Wallops Wave Tank Coastal Zone Research

20 Goddard Space Flight Center Airborne Science Program Piloted aircraft & UAV flying laboratories supporting Earth Science research –P-3 heavy-lift aircraft –Contract Aircraft –UAVs Research examples: –Atmospheric Chemistry –Climate Change Ice cap & beach mapping Ocean current & biology studies Coastal Zone Research –Natural Disasters Hurricane studies & volcano eruptions Aircraft activities –Mission planning –Aircraft operations & maintenance –Aircraft modifications & certification NASA P-3 Twin Otter

21 Goddard Space Flight Center Uninhabited Aerial Systems WFF UAV Activities –Science missions –Operations –Science-enabling technology development NASA investigating UAV contribution to science. UAVs offer: –More hazardous flight regimes –Longer duration missions –Potentially lower costs Wallops Focus –Enabling use of small platforms for science –Developing/demonstrating new science- enabling technologies –Developing platform-independent instrument interfaces WFF UAV Assets –UAV Runway –Restricted Airspace Aerosonde Aurora GE-80 Hurricane Ophelia

22 Goddard Space Flight Center Research Airport Primary Missions: –Aircraft & airport research –Basing for WFF Earth Science & transient research aircraft –Support to WFF Launch Range 3 main runways + 1 UAV runway –2 runways >8000 feet –Restricted airspace Research Examples –UAV flight test operations –Aircraft & airport safety testing –Aircraft noise measurement –Landing system instrumentation demonstration Water Ingestion Testing Wake Vortex Studies Aircraft Noise Testing

23 Goddard Space Flight Center Launch Range NASAs only launch range –Over 16,000 launches conducted since 1945 Support: –NASA science & technology (primary) –DoD & other govt agencies –Commercial industry Full suite of support services –Launchers –Processing facilities & logistics –Range safety –Tracking & data services Specialized focus: –Suborbital & small orbital launch vehicles –Experimental vehicles & payloads –Responsive & low-cost missions

24 Goddard Space Flight Center Numerous & Diverse Launch Capabilities 20K ARC Rail Launcher MARS Pad 0A (under redevelopment) MARS Pad 0B 7.5 MRL Launcher Navy Target Launchers Runway-Based Launches Pad 1 50K Launcher

25 Goddard Space Flight Center Upcoming Missions Taurus II & ISS Resupply Orbital Sciences selected by NASA to carry out 9 ISS resupply missions through 2015, using Taurus II Launched from Wallops, supported by NASA & Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) $90M+ of federal/state investments in new infrastructure to increase WFF capabilities to support medium-class ELVs

26 Goddard Space Flight Center Upcoming Missions Lunar Atmosphere Dust Experiment Explorer (LADEE) Lunar orbiting spacecraft (4 instruments) being developed by NASA/Ames & Goddard –Dust Detector –UV Spectrometer –Neutral Mass Spectrometer –Laser Communications Demonstrator WFF managing launch service –Uses interagency agreement with USAF –Launched from WFF Pad 0B To be launched from WFF on first flight of Minotaur V in early 2013

27 Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops UAS/SmallSat Initiative Objective: To develop & demonstrate advanced technologies that enable advanced Earth Science research conducted on small satellite and UAV platforms Approach: Modular Plug-n-Play instrument interfaces Miniaturization of instrument & support systems Benefits: Very short integration schedules Common instrument interfaces for UAV & SmallSat Research conducted on platforms previously requiring larger systems Highly responsive, low-cost missions