WEATHER SATELLITE LEAVES LAUNCH PAD FOR HEALTH CHECK
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After spending eight months on the launch pad, the newest U.S. weather
observatory has been detached from its Delta 4 rocket booster and returned
to the hangar for precautionary health checks before liftoff is attempted
again.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0602/22goesndestack/


LOCKHEED GETS LIGHTNING MAPPER CONTRACT
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The Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center has been awarded a $2
million, 12-month contract by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center to
proceed to the formulation phase for the Geostationary Lightning Mapper
instrument that will fly on NOAA GOES-R Series environmental satellites.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0602/22goesr/

NOAA Weather Satellite Launch Set For Wednesday

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/NOAA_Wea..._Wednesday.html

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station FL (SPX) May 21, 2006 - NASA has announced it
will launch NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-N on
Wednesday, May 24. GOES-N, designed to provide faster environmental and weather
information to meteorologists and the public, is scheduled to lift off from
Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

- Lockheed Martin Solar X-Ray Imager Set For NOAA GOES-N Spacecraft

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Lockheed...Spacecraft.html

BOEING DELTA 4 ROCKET POISED TO LAUNCH TODAY
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The countdown is underway for today's launch of the GOES-N weather
observatory aboard a Boeing Delta 4 rocket. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral is
targeted for 6:11 p.m. EDT (2211 GMT).

http://spaceflightnow.com/delta/d315/status.html

The launch was successful. It appears that the overall Delta 4 program is back in business:
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d315/status.html

As it left the pad, I noticed how 'singed' all the first stage insulation looked - more than half the height of the first stage was brown and black. Because of the GEM's - one couldn't really see if the insulation around the base of the first stage was burning as it did with an earlier Delta IV however.

Doug

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I take it that's not supposed to happen

What is not suppose to happen? The singeing? It is an artifact of the RS-68 start sequence and the design of the vehicle takes this into account

The Delta Heavy launch showed something similiar.

Blackened RS-68 a la Antoine Cajun Style!

That's one of the more spectacular launches I've seen (not live, though). The weather and lighting conditions were simply perfect, I only wish I had a copy of the launch in better quality than the choppy archived webcast on Boeing's site.
It doesn't do justice to this beast at all!

Well, I thought I had a better quality video if it, but after seeing the Boeing version now the resolution is not much different. I've PMed you should you want it.

I posted my GOES launch photos on my website for those interested, too.

As usual, great images! You're using digital cameras at the pad, right? It's fascinating the vibrations don't tear apart such delicate instruments, do you tend to lose any of them due to shocking effects alone? Makes me wonder what dB levels the rumble is right next to the pad?

I use film and digital.

Decibel levels are 180-200 within a short distance of the pad. According to the national institude on (I forget what it's called, but they have the 'official' noise levels chart online somewhere) they are second only to large bombs in noise level as measured from the same distance.

Advanced Weather Satellite GOES-N Launches - More photos:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/...p3?img_id=17288