ULA Atlas V Rocket Poised for Liftoff July 30 with NASA’s Red Planet Rover Perseverance: Watch Live/Photos

ULA Atlas V Rocket Poised for Liftoff July 30 with NASA’s Red Planet Rover Perseverance: Watch Live/Photos
Beautiful water reflections cast by United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover after torrential downpours on the Florida Space Coast as rocket stands vertical at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for liftoff targeting July 30, 2020. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION/KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL –  NASA’s $2.7 Billion Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is poised for liftoff standing vertical for her Destination Mars interplanetary journey – after she rolled out to launch pad 41 yesterday morning bolted atop the powerful United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will propel her to space for the remainder of here 300 million mile (500 million kilometer) journey to the Red Planet where she will rove an ancient lake bed in search of signs of past microbial life.

At T Minus 1 day to liftoff all system remain ‘GO’ !!

The car-sized Perseverance Mars 2020 rover is targeted for liftoff 30 July 2020 at 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 GMT) aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover stand vertical at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station poised for liftoff on July 30, 2020. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

This morning Wednesday, July 29 we set up our remote cameras onsite at pad 41.

 

Enjoy my Space UpClose photo gallery of Atlas and Perseverance vertical at pad 41.

UpClose view of nose cone encapsulating NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover joined atop United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station poised for liftoff on July 30, 2020. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

 You can watch the launch live on NASA TV.

NASA TV launch coverage begins at 7 a.m. ET July 30

United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover stand vertical at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station poised for liftoff on July 30, 2020. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Today’s forecast shows an 80 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for launch.

The two-hour launch window on Thursday July 30 extends until 9:50 a.m. EDT.

 

United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover stand vertical at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station poised for liftoff on July 30, 2020. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

The U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron is predicting an 80% chance of favorable weather conditions for Thursday’s launch.

The primary weather concerns are cumulus and thick clouds.

In case of a delay the weather odds rise to 90% GO for a 24 hour delay to Friday and return 80% GO for a 48 hour delay to Saturday.

United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover stand vertical at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station poised for liftoff on July 30, 2020. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

The Perseverance Mars 2020 mission will search for signs of past microbial life, characterize Mars’ climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth, and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.

Ingenuity, a twin-rotor, solar-powered helicopter attached to the belly of the rover, will become the first aircraft to fly on another world.

 

Two wonderful young people who named NASA’s new Mars Perseverance rover: Alexander Mather who named rover & Vaneeza Rupani who named helicopter – pointing at what they named at Full Scale High Fidelity mockup replica on display at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida for launch campaign targeting liftoff July 30, 2020. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Watch my commentary about all the Mars 2020 missions Perseverance, Hope and Tianwen-1 missions including my Mars rover mosaics and outreach during an interview with WKMG CBS 6 Orlando TV news on July 23:

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/2020/07/23/nasa-is-prepared-for-the-risks-of-launching-nuclear-powered-rover/

Watch my live prelaunch commentary today July 27 and prior post ULA Atlas V WDR  interview about Mars 2020 rover and more  at the American Space Museum ‘Stay Curious’ daily weekday show on June 22, 2020

Two space scientists talk Mars, Dr. Ken Kremer and Astronomer Derek Demeter

Get the latest on the Mars Rover to launch Thursday morning from rocket photographer Dr. Ken Kremer, and planetarium director Derek Demeter. Ken has a website, www.spaceupclose.com, and Derek is the stargazer at Emil Buehler Planetarium at Seminole State College in Sanford, Fla. “Stay Curious” and learn about Mars!

Posted by American Space Museum & Space Walk of Fame on Monday, July 27, 2020

 

Space Journalist Dr. Ken Kremer joins "Stay Curious"

Update on Artemis to the Moon with space journalist/photographer Dr. Ken Kremer to help you "Stay Curious."

Posted by American Space Museum & Space Walk of Fame on Monday, June 22, 2020

 

Watch my earlier commentary about the impact of the launch delays at Fox 35 TV News Orlando on July 3:

https://www.fox35orlando.com/video/736211

Watch my July 2 interview on Pressing For Flight about Mars 2020, COVID-19, Artemis, SpaceX GPS/.Starlink and more:

Watch Ken’s continuing reports about Mars 2020, Commercial Crew and Artemis for live reporting of upcoming and recent NASA, ULA and SpaceX launches including Crew-1, Demo-2, Starlink, X-37B, Solar Orbiter and more at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Stay tuned here for Ken’s continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com

Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
………….
Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events

Ken has created hundreds of widely published Mars rover mosaics and lectures also about NASA’s Mars rovers

 

United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover stand vertical at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station poised for liftoff on July 30, 2020. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

 

 

 

Full Scale High Fidelity mockup replica of NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter on display at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida for launch campaign targeting liftoff July 30, 2020 – as they will appear after the chopper is deployed from rover belly onto Red Planet surface. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Ken Kremer

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news. Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics. Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events.

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