Engineering Next Generation Observations of Rain and Snow

1. 0:20Art Azarbarzin: In December 2009, we had our CDR and shortly after that we started the manufacturing process
2. 0:28for all the components of GPM.
3. 0:32After about a year and a half, we started putting the spacecraft structure
4. 0:36together and went through the qualification of the structure and, the step after that was installing the harness.
5. 0:45The harness for a spacecraft is a component which
6. 0:49basically all the wires that we put on the spacecraft that connects all the boxes together with the connections at each end.
7. 1:01Candace Carlisle: We started the integration of the observatory with the delivery of the two instruments: the GPM Microwave Imager
8. 1:09and the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar in early 2012.
9. 1:13These were then integrated onto the spacecraft, and we checked everything out to make sure everything works
10. 1:21culminating with a Comprehensive Performance Test in October of 2012.
11. 1:29Before we launch any spacecraft we do a very lengthy and detailed set of tests to make sure
12. 1:37that the spacecraft is going to survive all the environments that it's going to see during the launch and on orbit.
13. 1:45Art: The test program for the observatory is pretty rigorous and that's because
14. 1:49once we get into space, we have only one shot at this.
15. 1:53Candace: The next thing we do is make sure that everything's still working after the full suite of environmental tests.
16. 2:02So we do deployments of the solar arrays and the
17. 2:06GMI and the High Gain to make sure those still work just the same way they
18. 2:10did before we went into environments. Art: The GPM Observatory is about 3900 kilogram spacecraft, fully loaded.
19. 2:18Very large spacecraft. And the larger the satellite is, just the logistics of moving them from one location
20. 2:26to another is much more complicated than when you're dealing with a small satellite. That's why spacecrafts or
21. 2:34observatories like GPM Core Observatory take longer for us to complete the manufacturing and testing
22. 2:42and all the environmental testing we need to do at the end.
23. 2:46Candace: Here at Goddard we have about 300 people working on GPM.
24. 2:50About 100 civil servants and about 200 contractors.
25. 2:54That, in addition to a number of people at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency who worked on the DPR instrument
26. 3:03and at Ball Aerospace who worked on the GPM Microwave Imager instrument. Art: Once we complete the GPM Core
27. 3:11Observatory testing inside our high bay, we get the spacecraft prepared for shipment. Then our next step
28. 3:19is to transport it to Andrews Air Force Base and install it
29. 3:23on the C-5 and then take it to Tanegashima Island.

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