♪ 
♪ 
♪ 
>> IT IS 27 MINUTES PAST THE
HOUR.
VERY SOON NOW WE HOPE TO GET A
STATUS REPORT ON THE SATELLITE.
WE'RE HAVING SAMMY LISTEN IN FOR
US TO FIND OUT SOME IMPORTANT
INFORMATION.
TWO T 20, T 16, IT'S AN
IMPORTANT MOMENT FOR THE TEAM,
IS IT NOT?
>> IT IS.
THIS IS WHERE WE HEAR
CONFIRMATION FROM THE LAUNCH
VEHICLE.
IT IS CONTINUING.
THE LIQUID OXYGEN LOADED IS
INITIATED AND WE'RE HEARING THE
COMMITMENTS FROM THE LAUNCH TEAM
FROM THE GRACE FOLLOW-ON LAUNCH
TEAM ABOUT THE STATUS OF THEIR
SYSTEM AND THEIR LAUNCH.
>> WELL, EVERY SUB SYSTEM WILL
REPORT TO THE OPERATION CENTER,
AND THEY'LL REPORT IN THE STATUS
OF AVAILABLE OF THE ASSETS THEY
HAVE, THE PERSONNEL, AND THE
SYSTEMS ARE ALL GOING FORWARD.
>> IS THAT THE TIME THAT THEY
DECIDE TO GO TO AND I ETERNAL
POWER?
WHEN THEY GO TO INTERNAL POWER,
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
>> THE SPACECRAFT IS PLUGGED
INTO A POWER SUPPLY, AND THEY'VE
GIVEN THE ORDER OR COMMAND TO GO
TO INTERNAL POWER.
WHICH MEANS THAT THE SPACECRAFT
HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED, AND
THEY'LL BE RUNNING ON THE
INTERNAL BATTERY POWER.
>> THAT MEANS THEY'RE READY FOR
LAUNCH.
>> THIS IS IT.
GOOD TO GO.
ALL RIGHT, SO WE'RE STANDING BY.
WE SHOULD BE GETTING THAT VERY
SOON.
>> THE ROCKET ITSELF AND THE
SPACECRAFT IS AUTOMATED, IS IT
NOT?
>> PRETTY MUCH AUTOMATED.
THERE ARE OF COURSE
NOTIFICATIONS THROUGHOUT.
IF THERE WAS ANY PROBLEM IN THE
LAUNCH VEHICLE PROCESS.
THEY HAVE THE AVAILABILITY TO
HALT THE LAUNCH.
EVERYTHING HAS BEEN PHE MEASURE.
>> HAVE YOU HEARD ANY
COMMUNICATIONS YET?
>> NOT YET.
WE'LL GET CONFIRMATION IN A
SECOND.
>> AS WE WATCH THE ROCKET, WE
ARE STANDING BY.
>> WE JUST RECEIVED CONFIRMATION
THAT THE SPACECRAFT IS A GO FOR
LAUNCH, AND THE MISSION
OPERATION CENTER IS GREEN AND
WILL GO FOR LAUNCH.
THAT CONFIRMATION WAS PROVIDED
TO THE LAUNCH VEHICLE.
>> WE WILL BE GETTING MORE?
>> WE'LL BE GETTING A FINAL
CONFIRMATION FROM THE LAUNCH
VEHICLE AT THIS POINT THAT
THEY'RE READY FOR LAUNCH.
>> OKAY, STANDING BY FOR MORE.
>> ONE THING ABOUT THIS
PARTICULAR LAUNCH IS THIS IS
INSTANTANEOUS.
>> IN ORDER TO PACE THE
SATELLITES IN PARTICULAR IN THE
RIGHT ORBITAL PLANE WHERE
THEY'RE GOING TO COMPLETE A
COMPILATION, THERE IS SPECIFIC
TIME THAT THEY MUST LAUNCH.
OTHER WORDS THEY'LL HAVE TO
SPEND A VERY LAUNCH AMOUNT OF
PROPEL ATLANTA IN ORDER TO GET
THE SATELLITES INTO THE RIGHT
PLACE.
THIS IS AN INSTANTANEOUS LAUNCH
FOR THIS OCCASION, AND NORMAL
LAUNCHES FOR IF YOU DON'T HAVE
TO INSERT SATELLITE INTO A
CONSTELLATION, AND YOU'LL HAVE
MORE LEEWAY AND A MORE OPEN
WINDOW AND YOU HAVE TO GET INTO
THE SAME SLOT.
>> IF YOU DON'T MAKE THAT TIME,
THEN WE JUST SCRUB AND DO IT
AGAIN TOMORROW?
>> IF THERE IS AN ISSUE THAT
WE'RE NOT ABLE TO MAKE THAT
TIME, THEN WE'LL SCRUB AND GO
FOR TOMORROW.
TOMORROW WILL BE ANOTHER
INSTANTANEOUS LAUNCH.
>> ALL RIGHT.
STANDING BY.
>> AS WE WAIT FOR LAUNCH, THE
NASA THERMOCENTER SHARES THE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR DEVELOPING
AND LAUNCHING A GREAT FOLLOW ON.
FOR THE MISSION OPERATION THEY
SUBTRACTED THE WORK TO THE
GERMAN SPACE AGENCY WHICH
OPERATION THE GERMAN SPACE
OPERATION OUTS OF MUNICH,
GERMANY.
THAT'S WHERE MUCH OF THE TEAM IS
RIGHT NOW.
INCLUDING SYSTEMS ENGINEER
KNEEING WHO IS WITH US VIA
SKYPE.
HELLO, NEIL.
>> HOW ARE YOU DOING?
>> I'M JUST FINE.
TELL ME WHY SO MUCH OF THE TEAM
IS OUT THERE IN GERMANY?
>> A LOT OF THE TEAM IS HERE
BECAUSE THIS IS THE CENTER FOR
ALL COMMUNICATION OF THE STATES
ARE GOING TO COME DOWN.
WE HAVE GROUND STATIONS ALL OVER
THE WORLD, BUT THIS IS THE
MISSION SEPARATION CENTER.
SO ALL OF THE MISSION IS COMING
DOWN HERE SO WE WE HAVE EXPERTS
FOR THIS TYPE OF SPACE CHRISTIAN
AND MISSION CONTROL HERE.
>> CAN YOU DESCRIBE FOR ME WHO
IS IN THE CONTROL ROOM WITH YOU,
AND HOW MANY JOBS?
HOW MANY TEAMS ARE THERE?
>> WE HAVE A BUNCH OF TEAMS.
MISSION OPERATIONS HERE.
AND THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
FLIGHT OPERATIONS A LOT OF IN IS
STACKED WITH THE G PEOPLE.
BUT THE PEOPLE INVOLVED WITH THE
DESIGN, BUILD OF THE SPACECRAFT,
ALL OF THEIR EXPERTS AND
MANAGEMENT ARE ALSO HERE.
WE HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE HERE TO
STAFF TWO SHIPS.
ON TOP OF THAT WE HAVE PEOPLE
RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGEMENT, AND
THEN WE HAVE OUR QUALITY
ASSURANCE PEOPLE ALSO.
>> NEIL, WE'LL BE CHECKING BACK
WITH YOU SOON.
AND WITH OH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE
TEAM.
THANKS FOR JOINING US RIGHT NOW.
ALL RIGHT, JCL'S MIKE MECHAM
INTERVIEWED NEIL ON THE GREAT
DESIGN OF THE GRACE MISSION.
UNLIKE MOST EARTH-OBSERVING
SATELLITES WHICH POINT THE
INSTRUMENTS TOWARDS OUR PLANET,
THEY WORK AS ONE INSTRUMENT THAT
LOOK AT EACH OTHER TO SEE
GRAVITATIONAL CHANGES ON THE
SURFACE.
YOU HAVE TO ADMIT THAT IT IS
SOME CRAZY ENGINEERING.
>> HERE ON EARTH WE ALL KNOW
ABOUT GRAVITY, BUT WHAT YOU
MIGHT NOT REALIZE WHERE YOU ARE
ON THE PLANET, THE STRENGTH OF
GRAVITY IS DIFFERENT.
UP HERE ON THE MOUNTAIN, GRAVITY
IS STRONGER.
WATERS WILL HAS MASS.
AND THE EARTH HAS A WHOLE LOT OF
WATER.
IT'S MOVING AROUND, IT'S
CHANGING PHASES.
IF YOU CAN TRACK THE CHANGING
GRAVITY, YOU CAN TRACK THE
CHANGE IN MASS.
THAT MEANS YOU'RE UNDERSTANDING
THE MOVEMENT OF WATER.
LET'S LEARN ABOUT IT ON THIS
EPISODE OF CRAZY ENGINEERING.
OKAY WE'RE HERE WITH NEIL.
HE'S ONE OF THE KEY ENGINEERS
WITH THE GREAT FOLLOW ON
MISSION.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AND
ANSWERING OUR QUESTIONS.
WHY DO WE CALL IT THE GREAT
FALLEN?
>> IT STANDS FOR GRAVITY
RECOVERY CLIMATE EXPERIMENT.
WE'RE USING GRAVITY TO TRACK THE
MOTION AROUND THE PLANET.
THE ORIGINAL GRACE MISSION WAS
LAUNCHED IN 2002.
THEY LASTED FOR 15 YEARS AND
PROVIDED AMAZING SCIENCE.
>> BOTH OF THESE MISSIONS HAVE
TWO SATELLITES.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO US WHY WE
NEED TWO SATELLITES INSTEAD OF
JUST ONE?
>> WE NEED TWO SATELLITES
BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO MEASURE
VERY PRECISE AMOUNTINGS OF
GRAVITY CHANGES IN THE EARTH.
THE EARTH IS LUMPY WHEN IT COMES
TO GRAVITY.
AS YOU GET CLOSER TO THE EARTH
THE GRAVITY CHANGES BECAUSE THE
HIMALAYAS HAVE MORE MASS AND
CERTAIN AREAS HAVE LESS MASS.
AS THE SATELLITE IS ORBITING THE
PLANET, IT ACTUALLY WILL SPEED
UP, AND IT LEAVES AND IT WILL
SLOW DOWN.
WITH TWO SATELLITES WE'RE ABLE
TO MEASURE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN
THE TWO.
>> HOW FAR APART ARE THESE
SATELLITES AND HOW PRECISE DO
THEY HAVE TO HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF
THEIR POSITIONS.
>> WE'RE MEASURING DOWN TO THE
ACCURACY OF A MY KRONE 
LEFT--MICRON LEVEL, 1/10 OF THE
WIDTH OF A HUMAN HAIR.
HERE YOU SEE ONE OF THE
SATELLITES, AND 200 KILOMETERS
AWAY IS THE OTHER SATELLITE.
THEY'RE FIRING ON THE SIGNAL TO
THE OTHER SATELLITE, AND THE
OTHER SATELLITE IS MEASURING
THAT.
AS YOU MOVE BACKWARDS AND
FORWARDS YOU CAN MEASURE THE
DISTANCE CHANGES TO THE LEVELS
WE NEED.
>> YOU'LL SPEND A LITTLE MORE
THAN A DECADE, I ASSUME WE'RE
UPGRADING THESE TECHNOLOGIES.
>> SURE, TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES IN
GENERAL, WE HAVE MORE EFFICIENT
SOLAR CELLS.
WE HAVE BETTER STAR CAMERAS, AND
WE HAVE LASERS.
>> LASERS.
>> WHAT DO LASERS GET FOR US?
>> WE'RE GETTING LASERS TO DO
THE MEASUREMENTS BETWEEN THE TWO
SATELLITES.
WE'RE USING OUR MISSION, AND ON
TOP OF THAT WE HAVE NEW
TECHNOLOGY, THEY FIRE LASER
BEAMS FOR A MORE ACCURATE
MEASUREMENT BETWEEN THE TWO
SATELLITES.
>> THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT ONE
OF THE COOLEST MISSIONS WE'VE
SEEN.
WHEN CAN WE HOPE TO SEE THIS
LAUNCH?
>> WE'RE HOPING TO CATCH A RIDE
LATER THIS YEAR, AND WE SHOULD
HAVE SCIENCE DATA SHORTLY AFTER
THAT.
>> CHECK BACK SOON FOR MORE
CRAZY ENGINEERING.
>> AND WE ARE LOOKING AT A
GORGEOUS VIEW OF THE ROCKET
RIGHT NOW.
WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
>> YOU SEE THE ROCKET READY FOR
LAUNCH.
AND RIGHT NOW WHAT APPEARS TO BE
LIKE SMOKE IS ACTUALLY LIQUID
OXYGEN VAPOR, PART OF THE
FUELING PROCESS THAT THEY GO
THROUGH.
AND THE THERE IS WHAT IS CALLED
THE STRONG BACK, WHICH IS THE
WHITE STRUCTURE RIGHT NEXT TO
THE ROCKET THAT HELPS TO HOLD
THE ROCKET IN PLACE RIGHT TO THE
POINT OF LAUNCH, AND IT WILL BE
PULLED BACK.
RIGHT AS WE GO THROUGH THE COUNT
DOWN.
>> WELL, CURRENTLY WE'RE ABOUT
JUST SHY OF SEVEN MINUTES FROM
LAUNCH.
AS WE GET CLOSER AND CLOSER TO
THESE FINAL MINUTES BEFORE
LAUNCH, WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A
MOMENT FOR THIS MESSAGE FROM
NASA'S NEWEST ADMINISTRATION,
JIM BRIDENTSTINE.
>> I'M SORRY I CAN'T BE AT
VANDERBURG TODAY, I WELCOME YOU
ALL TO ONE OF NASA'S AMAZING
LAUNCHES TO SOB OUR PLANET'S
EVER CHANGING WATER CYCLE.
I WANT TO THANK THE TEAM THAT
GOT US TO THIS POINT AND GIVE A
SHOUT OUT TO THE MANY
SCIENTISTS, ENGINEERS WHO HAVE
WORKED YEARS TO GET US TO THIS
POINT.
THIS IS THE KIND OF SPIRIT THAT
IS CARRYING OUR SPACE PRACTICE
TO NEW HEIGHTS ALL THE TIME.
OUR PHILOSOPHY ON MARS HAS BEEN
TO FOLLOW THE WATER.
THAT HAS RELEVANCE RIGHT HERE ON
EARTH AS WELL.
GREAT FOLLOW ON DATA WILL
PROVIDE GREAT INSIGHT INTO
EARTH'S CHANGING CLIMATE AND
WILL HAVE FAR-REACHING BENEFITS
SUCH AS IMPROVING WATER RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT.
FOR HEALTH, AGRICULTURE, AND FOR
MAINTAINING OUR WAY OF LIFE,
THIS MISSION SHOWCASES A STRONG
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN NASA AND THE
GERMAN RESEARCH.
WHERE JPL MANAGES THE MISSION IN
WASHINGTON.
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING MANY
MORE EARTH SCIENCE MISSIONS
DURING MY TENURE AS NASA
ADMINISTRATOR, AND WORKING
CLOSELY WITH THE TEAM AS WE
STUDY MY FAVORITE PLANET EARTH.
>> THAT IS AN EXCELLENT FIND FOR
PREPARATION IN LAUNCH.
>> AND CONDITIONS LOOK FABULOUS.
>> THE CONDITIONS LOOK GREAT.
STRONG BACK.
IT WILL BE PULLED BACK NOW.
STRONG BACK IS WHAT I DESCRIBED
EARLIER AS WHAT HELPED TO HOLD
THE ROCKET UP PREPARATION FOR
LAUNCH.
>> STAGE ONE GOES UP.
>> COUNT DOWN, VERIFY RANGE OF
SCREEN AND GO TO LAUNCH.
>> RANGE OF SCREEN.
>> STAGE TWO.
>> STARTED.
>> ASS READY FOR LAUNCH.
T MINUS 30.
20.
15.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,
AND LIFT OFF.
GRACE FOLLOW ON CONTINUING THE
LEGACY OF THE GRACE MISSION OF
TRACKING THE MOVEMENT OF WATER
ACROSS OUR PLANET.
>> ALL RIGHT, WE HAVE LIFT OFF.
>> IT'S GOING UP.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE FIRST
STEP COMING UP IN TEN SECONDS.
NEXT STAGE IS THE CUT OFF.
>> THE CUT OFF IS ABOUT TO
OCCUR.
THE STOP IGNITION, OF COURSE,
AND BE DEPLOYED.
THE MAIN ENGINE CUT OFF WILL BE
15 SECONDS.
YOU CAN SEE THE FOLLOW ON.
SECOND STAGE.
THE SECOND ENGINE WILL BURN FOR
APPROXIMATELY EIGHT MINUTES.
THAT WILL GET THE SECOND STAGE
AND THE GRACE FOLLOW-ON STACK UP
TO THE POINT THAT THE GRACE
FOLLOW-ON WILL BE SEPARATED FROM
THAT STACK.
AND THEN THE LAUNCH VEHICLE
SECOND STAGE WILL CONTINUE ON
AND DEPLOY TO THE MEDIUM
SATELLITE AFTER ANOTHER BURN.
>> SO WE HAVE EIGHT MINUTES
UNTIL THE SECOND ENGINE CUTS 
OFF.
>> CORRECT.
>> WE'RE GOING TO TAKE TIME TO
INTRODUCE FOLKS TO MEMBERS OF
THE TEAM WHILE WE WAIT FOR THE
END OF THE ENGINE BURN.
WE THOUGHT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO
INTRODUCE YOU TO SOME OF THE
PROJECT MANAGERS.
THEY'RE BOTH IN THE SPACEX
CONTROL ROOM RIGHT NOW.
WE DID TALK TO THEM EARLIER
ABOUT THEIR ROLE, AND THE
STORIES THAT THEY TELL US ABOUT
THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE
TWO TEAMS.
THEY TELL US AS A PARTNERSHIP
THAT GOES WAY BACK.
>> THE DATA IS AVAILABLE, AND
CONTINUES TO NEED TO BE
AVAILABLE.
AND HOW YOU USE IS DETERMINED BY
WHERE YOU LIVE SPECIFICALLY.
YOU CAN TRACK RIGHT TO WHERE YOU
LIVE.
THERE ARE TOOLS NOW GIVEN THE
TRENDS THAT WE SEE.
I HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
MISSION.
THE MISSION COMES IN TO OPERATE.
I HAVE A COUNTERPART, DR. FRANK
GLECKNER.
>> I WORK ON THE GRACE MISSION,
AND I BECAME THE MANAGER FOR ALL
GERMAN CONTRIBUTION TO THE
MISSION.
>> HE'S TERRIFIC TO WORK WITH.
HE'S VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE, AND
IT'S A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH
SOMEONE THAT YOU CAN HAVE A
STRAIGHT CONVERSATION WITH.
>> I'VE KNOWN HIM FOR SO LONG,
AND IT'S EASY TO TALK WITH HIM.
>> WE'VE TAKEN THE BEST OF THEIR
EXPERTISE COMBINED IT WITH THE
BEST OF OURS.
YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE
ALL HEADING DOWN THE SAME PATH,
AND HEADING TOWARDS THE SAME
GOALS.
EVERYONE IS WORKING CLOSELY
TOGETHER.
>> WE'RE ONE GREAT FAMILY.
WE'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE
1998.
>> SO AS WE'RE STANDING BY FOR
THE END OF THE SECOND ENGINE
BURN, THE OTHER THING THAT WE'RE
FOCUSING ON IS WHAT HAPPENS
AFTER THE SECOND ENGINE BURN IS
DONE.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT?
>> SO THE FIRST THING THAT
HAPPENS IS THAT THE GRACE
FOLLOW-ON SATELLITES ARE
SEPARATED.
THEY'RE RELEASED FROM THE MULTI
SATELLITE DISPENSE CERTIFICATE.
>> AND WE HAVE VIDEO THAT SHOWS
WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
>> THIS SHOWS THE GRACE FALLEN W
FOLLOW ON SEPARATED.
WE RELEASE THIS ANTENNA THAT
ALLOWS US TO HAVE COMMUNICATION,
BUT THE SPACECRAFT AT THIS STAGE
ARE A LITTLE WOBBLY, I WOULD
SAY.
SO THEY WOULD HAVE TO ADJUST THE
THEINPROPULSION MISSION, AND IT
RAISES THE ANTENNAS TO THE SUN
AND THEN TO THE EARTH.
AND THEN IT WILL PASS OVER THE
STATION IN ANTARCTICA.
>> THAT IS THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY
WE'LL HAVE TO COMMUNICATE WITH
THE SATELLITE.
>> THAT IS THE FIRST
OPPORTUNITY, AND WE ANTICIPATE
HAVING CONTACT WITH IT AT THAT
POINT.
BUT IF THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN
BECAUSE OF DELAY IN THE
SPACECRAFT, THEN WE HAVE ANOTHER
OPPORTUNITY IN ANOTHER 45
MINUTES.
>> WHAT SORT OF COMMUNICATION
ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
?IS IT A PING?
>> THE POWER SITUATION, THE
POWER STATUS, AND THE
COMMUNICATION AND EVERYTHING WE
NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HEALTH OF
THE SPACECRAFT AT THAT POINT.
>> HOW FAR AWAY ARE WE FROM THE
MAIN ENGINE CUT OFF?
>> THE MAIN ENGINE CUT OFF
OCCURS IN ABOUT EIGHT, NINE
MINUTES?
>> OKAY.
SO WE ARE STANDING BY.
>> WE COULD BE LOSING THE FEED 6
OUR LAUNCH VEHICLE.
>> SO WE'RE LOOKING AT A
SECOND-ENGINE CUT OFF, AND THE
SIGNAL FROM THE SECOND-ENGINE
CUT OFF.
THAT'S A CRITICAL PERIOD BECAUSE
THAT'S WHEN THE SATELLITE WILL
BE DEPLOYED.
>> CORRECT, THE SEPARATION WILL
OCCUR RIGHT AFTER THE MAIN
ENGINE CUT OFF.
>> THEN IT WILL BE SLATED?
>> CORRECT, IN ABOUT TEN
SECONDS.
AFTER THAT WE'LL WAIT FOR
ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATIONS.
>> DEPLOYMENT CONFIRMED.
>> THE GRACE FOLLOW ON HAS BEEN
CONFIRMED.
>> FANTASTIC.
YOU SEE THE EXCITEMENT IN THE
ROOM HERE.
>> YES.
>> YOU CAN HEAR THEM.
>> YES.
ED.
>> SO FAR, SO GOOD.
>> EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE.
NOW THE SECOND STAGE.
>> THERE IS MORE WORK TO DO.
>> IT DOES, AND WE WISH THEM THE
BEST OF LUCK FOR THAT.
>> ALL RIGHT, THE DEPLOYMENT OF
THE SATELLITE.
>> SO NOW WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR
THE SATELLITE, THE GRACE
FOLLOW-ON SPACECRAFT TO
STABILIZE.
MM-HMM.
AND IS--I'M GETTING A MESSAGE.
>> OKAY, YOU'RE GETTING SOME
COMMUNICATION?
>> IT WAS ANOTHER CONFIRMATION
TO DEPLOYMENT.
>> SO WE HAVE CONFIRMATION THAT
BOTH GRACE SATELLITES HAVE,
INDEED, BEEN--
>> YES, GOT GRACE FOLLOW-ON
SATELLITE SPACECRAFTS WERE
DEPLOYED SUCCESSFULLY.
NOW IT WILL BE STABILIZING IN
THEIR ORBIT, THEY'LL BE GETTING
AWAY FROM EACH OTHER THAT
NATURAL MOVEMENT THAT WE
INTENDED THE SPACECRAFT TO DO.
ONCE THE COMMUNICATION IS
ESTABLISHED WE WILL KNOW EXACTLY
WHAT ALTITUDE THEY'RE IN AND
WHAT ADDITIONAL ADJUSTMENTS NEED
TO TAKE PLACE.
OFFER, THE SPACECRAFT IN THE
MODE THAT THEY COME ON ONCE
THEY'RE RELEASED THEY'RE IN THE
SAFE MODE, SO THE SOLAR ARRAY
SPACE FACE THE SUN, AND THE
ANTENNA FACES EARTH.
>> WE'LL GO THROUGH THE
SPACECRAFT.
>> SO, ETC. GOING TO BE ANOTHER
20 MINUTES OR SO BEFORE WE
EXPECT TO HAVE THAT ACQUISITION
OF A SIGNAL WHEN THE SPACECRAFT
GOES OVER.
>> AFTER SEPARATION WE HAVE
ABOUT 22 MINUTES ACTUALLY TO GET
SIGNAL, AND THAT PERIOD LASTS
ABOUT SIX MINUTES.
AND WE HAVE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH
BOTH SPACECRAFT.
AND THERE IS A PERIOD OF TIME
WHERE WE HAVE TO ADJUST THE
ANTENNA, THE GROUND ANTENNA TO
ATTRACT THE SECOND SPACECRAFT,
ALSO.
>> ALL RIGHT, THE NEXT KEY
MOMENT.
>> ALL RIGHT, THANKS.
>> SURE.
>> WE'VE BEEN INTRODUCING YOU TO
MEMBERS OF THE TEAM, AND HERE IS
ANOTHER ONE.
AN M.I.T. GRAD, IT'S A ART
LOVER, AND A JPL SCIENCE
APPLICATION ENGINEER.
WE SPOKE TO HER IN MARCH ABOUT
THE WORK SHE'S CURRENTLY DOING.
>> THE EARTH WILL DISAPPEAR.
WE'RE TRACKING TO SEE WHERE ALL
THE WATER IS ON THE PLANET.
THIS MISSION IS SO SIMPLE.
ALL YOU DO IS TOSS THEM SO
THEY'RE IN ORBIT AROUND THE
PLANET.
IF YOU CAN MEASURE ACCURATELY
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THEM YOU'RE
STILL AMAZED THAT YOU CAN DO AN
EXTREMELY SIMPLE MEASUREMENT
LIKE THAT.
YOU REALLY HAVE TO SORT OF HAVE
TO TARGET YOUR OWN WORLD AND
YOUR OWN REASONS FOR WHAT YOU DO
BECAUSE IT IS INTENSIVELY
IMPACTFUL WORK IN EXTREMELY
DIFFERENT WAYS.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT DOING THE
MATH AND DOING THE PROGRAMMING.
LOOK AT THE DATA.
WE'RE ASSESSING WATER LEVELS.
YOU CAN FIGURE OUT WHERE THERE
ARE SEVERE DROUGHTS.
AND THERE IS A BLIP ON THE MATT
OF THE EARTH.
IT'S A BLIP THAT AFFECTS THEIR
ENTIRE LIFE.
>> JOINING US NOW IS DEPUTY
PROJECT SCIENTIST FELIX OF JPL.
YOU KNOW, LISTENING TO WHO YOU
TALK ABOUT WHAT SHE DOES, AND
SHE EXPRESSES HERSELF WHAT SHE
DOES IS NOT JUST LOOKING AT ONES
AN ZEROS.
A PERSON WHO IS AN ENGINEER ON
THE SPACECRAFT.
SHE HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND OUR
WORLD.
DO YOU FEEL THAT WAY, TOO?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
JUST LIKE THE GRACE MISSION IS.
THEY'LL CONTINUE TO PROBE THE
EARTH IN A VERY UNIQUE WAY.
WE'RE TRACKING VERY SMALL
DISTANCE CHANGES BETWEEN THE TWO
SATELLITES, AND THAT ALLOWS US
TO MEASURE THE WATER, A VITAL
RESOURCE, ON THE GROUND.
>> GIVE ME AN IDEA OF SOME OF
THE THINGS THAT WE DISCOVERED,
AND REALIZED BEFORE WE DIDN'T
HAVE GRACE, AND NOW THAT WE DO
HAVE GRACE, WHAT DO WE KNOW NOW
THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW THEN?
>> OVER THE 15 YEARS WE HAD
GRACE.
WE MADE A LOT OF UNIQUE NEW
MEASUREMENTS, AND WE GOT TO
REVEAL SOME OF THE LARGEST MASS
CHANGES.
WE SAW A FEW EARLIER.
SOME OF THE BIGGEST MASS CHANGES
MEASURED ARE RELATED TO WATER
OVER LAND OVER BIG AQUIFER
SYSTEMS.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN CALIFORNIA, AND
I THINK WE HAVE A SMALL
ANIMATION THAT WE CAN ROLL RIGHT
NOW.
WE MEASURED HOW THE CHANGE IN
WATER EVOLVED OVER TIME, AND WE
CAN SEE THE INCREASED WATER
CHANGES THOSE ARE RELATIVELY WET
YEARS AND THEN WE SLIDE INTO
MULTIPLE YEARS OF DRY CLIMATE
INTERRUPTED BY A WET YEAR WHERE
WE SEE AN INCREASE.
BUT THEN WE HAVE THIS PROLONGED
DROUGHT OVER A FEW YEARS WHERE
WE SLID INTO THIS STEEP NEGATIVE
WATER SOURCE ANOMALY.
AND WE CAN ACCURATELY TRACK THAT
WATER AND INFORM DECISION MAKERS
HOW MUCH GROUND WATER IS BEING
PUMPED FOR AGRICULTURE.
>> THE WHOLE POINT OF HAVING
GRACE FOLLOW ON ON THE FIELDS IS
TO KEEP THAT INFORMATION FLOW
COMING.
WHAT IS NEXT?
WHERE TO FROM NOW?
WE JUST LAUNCHED.
WHERE DO WE GET THAT SCIENCE?
>> WE'RE TRYING TO SPIN OFF OUR
SATELLITE TO CHECK OUT OUR
INSTRUMENTS.
OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS THE
SATELLITES WILL DRIFT INTO THEIR
FINAL CONFIGURATION.
THEY NEED TO BE 220 KILOMETERS
APART.
THIS WILL HAPPEN OVER THE NEXT
FEW DAYS.
THEN OUR ENGINEERS, ONE BY ONE,
WILLPOWER UP OUR INSTRUMENTS AND
CHECK THEM OUT AND MAKE SURE
THAT EVERYTHING PERFORMS AS
INTENDED.
WE'LL DO SOME CALIBRATIONS.
IN SIX TO SEVEN MONTHS FROM NOW
WE'RE READY TO RELEASE OUR FULL
DATA SET.
>> SIX TO SEVEN MONTHS.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> THAT'S FANTASTIC.
THANKS, FELIX.
>> MY PLEASURE.
>> YOU MAY NOT REALIZE THIS, BUT
YOU CAN SEE GRACE AND GRACE
FOLLOW-ON INFORMATION ON YOUR
OWN COMPUTER OR MOBILE PHONE
USING A PROGRAM DEVELOPED BY
NASA'S JET PROPULSION
LABORATORY.
IT'S CALLED EYES ON EARTH.
WITH IT YOU CAN TRACE WATER
AROUND THE GLOBE USING GRAVITY
MAPS FROM THE GRACE SATELLITE.
ALL YOU NEED IS THE NASA ICE
PROGRAM THAT REQUIRES JUST THE
ONE-TIME DOWNLOAD.
TAKE A LOOK.
[MUSIC]
[MUSIC]
[MUSIC]
>> ALL RIGHT, WE HAVE A
SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH, AND A
SUCCESSFUL DEPLOYMENT OF OUR
SATELLITE.
WE'RE STANDING BY NOW FOR THE
FIRST COMMUNICATION WITH THE
GRACE FOLLOW-ON SATELLITE.
HOPEFULLY ABOUT 10 MINUTES FROM
NOW.
AND THAT'S WHEN THE SATELLITES
FLY OVER THE FIRST GROUND
STATION AT McMYRTLE.
THE STATION IS PART OF THE
NEAR-EARTH SATELLITE TRACKING
EARTHS OBSERVING SATELLITE, THE
EQUIVALENT OF NASA'S DEEP SPACE
NETWORK.
WHEN THAT SIGNAL COMES DOWN IT
WILL GO TO MISSION OPERATIONS.
JUST OUTSIDE OF MUNICH, THAT'S
WHERE SEBASTIAN IS STANDING BY.
>> HELLO TO CALIFORNIA.
>> SO WE'RE STANDING BY FOR THIS
MUCH, VERY IMPORTANT ACQUISITION
OF SIGNAL, THAT'S GOING TO COME
INTO WHERE YOU ARE, CORRECT?
>> THAT'S CORRECT.
>> HOW DOES IT ALL WORK?
HOW WILL YOU BE LISTENING FOR
THE SIGNAL.
>> WE'LL HAVE OUR FIRST LAUNCH
IN ROUGHLY TEN MINUTES.
THIS WILL BE OUR FIRST
ACQUISITION STATION.
AND AS SOON AS THEY'RE THERE,
THEY'RE HOPEFULLY TRANSMITTING A
SIGNAL.
WE'LL RECORD THE SIGNAL, THEN
WE'LL SEE IT ON OUR SCREEN.
>> THERE ARE TWO SATELLITES.
DO YOU ANTICIPATE YOU'LL BE ABLE
TO GET BOTH SATELLITES?
>> THAT'S THE PLAN.
THE FIRST ONE, WE'LL USE THE
FIRST TWO MINUTES TO GET THE
TELL METRY FROM THE FIRST ONE.
THEN WE'LL SWITCH OVER TO THE
SECOND ONE.
>> ALL RIGHT, IF WE DON'T HEAR
FROM BOTH OF THEM, IS THAT GOING
TO BE ANY SOURCE OF CONCERN?
>> NO, USUALLY NOT BECAUSE AT
THE MOMENT WE DO NOT HAVE REALLY
GOOD INFORMATION FROM SPACEX.
WE'LL ONLY RECEIVE THE FIRST 60
MINUTES OF THE OPERATION, AND IT
MAY BE TOO MUCH FOR THE ANTENNA
AT THE MOMENT.
THEN WE HAVE ANOTHER MISSION
OVER THE NORTH POLL, AND THEN
ANOTHER ONE OVER ALASKA, AND
THEN WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND
MORE.
>> WELL, WE'RE EXCITED, AND I'M
SURE YOU ARE, TOO.
ALL EYES ARE ON YOU RIGHT NOW.
THANKS FOR JOINING US,
SEBASTIAN.
WE SPOKE TO ANOTHER FLIGHT
DIRECTOR A FEW MONTHS AGO WHILE
THE TEAM WAS UNDERGOING ONE OF
THEIR MANY OPERATION READINESS
TESTS.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY DO
QUITE A BIT TO PREPARE FOR A DAY
LIKE TODAY.
>> THEY'RE WORKING FOR THE
FOLLOW ON.
WE'RE READY TO GO.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE WE HAVE QUITE
A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
INVOLVED.
PERFORMING OPERATIONS, THE
GERMAN ENFORCEMENT, AND
COMMUNICATION FROM THOSE WHO
ACTUALLY BUILT THE SPACECRAFT.
WE PERFORM THE TASK EXACTLY THE
SAME WAY AS WE WOULD DO FOR THE
RELAUNCH.
WE DISCUSS WHAT WAS DONE.
WHAT WE EXPECT TO HAVE HAPPEN,
WHAT WE SAW HAPPEN AND DID WE
SEE ANY ANOMALIES, THEN WE
REPEAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN UNTIL
WE HAVE OUR PLAN OF ACTIVITY.
I THINK ONCE WE ARE IN ORBIT,
WE'RE GOING TO SEE THE
SEPARATION OCCUR, AND THEN
THINGS ARE GOING TO COME DOWN,
SPECIFICALLY WHEN THE TELEMETRY
COMES DOWN.
>> ALL RIGHT, THE FIRST
ACQUISITION OF SIGNAL IS
EXPECTED AT 1:20 PACIFIC TIME,
20 MINUTES PAST THE HOUR.
WE EXPECT MISSION OPERATIONS
WILL ACQUIRE THAT SIGNAL, AND
NASA WILL ALSO BE LOOKING OUT
FOR THE SIGNAL, HERE AT THE
CENTER IN VAN DENBURG THEY'RE
ALSO KEEPING AN EYE OUT, AND
THEY'RE ALL LISTENING.
TELL ME, EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT
FOLKS ARE DOING RIGHT NOW?
THIS ACQUISITION OF SIGNAL, HOW
WILL FOLKS HERE KNOW?
>> WE ACTUALLY HAVE A 
SIMULATION, SO WHEN WE GET THE
SIGNAL, WE'LL GET NOTIFICATION
HERE THAT THE HEALTH OF THE
SPACECRAFT.
AND SO THE--AS SOON AS THE
SEPARATION OCCURS WE'LL GET THAT
SIGNAL, BUT WE--SHORTLY WE'LL BE
LOOKING AT SOME OF THE
SIMULATION HERE TO DESCRIBE HOW
THAT OCCURS AND OVER WHAT
PERIOD.
BUT AT THIS POINT THE
SPACECRAFT, AS I MENTIONED, IS
GOING THROUGH AN INTERNAL CHECKS
AND STABILIZATION AFTER THE
DEPLOYMENT OF THE ANTENNA, THE
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM IS UP
WITHIN FOUR MINUTES.
OF COURSE, THE FIRST THING THAT
COMES UP IS A COMPUTER SYSTEM ON
BOARD, AND ALL OF THE SUB
SYSTEMS START POWERING UP AS A
RESULT FROM THAT.
SO EVERYTHING SO FAR, AS FAR AS
WE KNOW, IS NOMINAL.
WE'LL GET THE FIRST SIGNAL OF
THE SPACECRAFT.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WE'LL BE STANDING BY.
>> WHILE WE'RE WAITING FOR THE
ACQUISITION SIGNAL, I HAVE A
COUPLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA QUESTIONS
THAT HAVE COME IN THAT MAYBE YOU
CAN HELP US OUT WHILE WE HAVE
TIME TO ANSWER SOME OF THEM.
SOME YouTube, A QUESTION COMES
IN HOW DOES THE SHAPE OF GRACE
HELP IT DO ITS JOB.
>> THE SHAPE OF THE SPACECRAFT
IS MEANT TO BE THE SAME SHAPE OF
THE ORIGINAL GRACE, AND IT WAS
DESIGNED TO GO INTO ORBIT.
THAT WAS FOR EFFICIENCY OF FUEL
CONSUMPTION, IT LASTED SEVERAL
YEARS EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ONLY
EXPECTED TO LAST FOR THREE.
>> HERE IS A QUESTION FROM JIM
ON TWITTER.
WILL IT HAVE TO BE VISIBLE FROM
EARTH WITH THE NAKED EYE?
>> THE SPACECRAFT IN THAT ORBIT
WILL BE 490 KILOMETERS.
THAT'S FAIRLY HIGH UP FOR THE
NAKED EYE.
IF ONE IS EXTREMELY LUCKY, AND
THEY HAVE A VERY HIGH-POWERED
BINOCULARS OR A GOOD TELESCOPE
THEY MAY BE ABLE TO SEE THAT.
BUT THEY'LL BE MOVING VERY FAST,
AND IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT TO
TRACK.
>> HERE IS ANOTHER ONE FROM
YouTube.
CAN IT MEASURE THE ABSOLUTE
AMOUNT OF WATER AT THE SURFACE?
OR IT CAN ONLY MEASURE THE
CHANGE OF WATER DISTRIBUTION
OVER TIME?
>> THIS IS THE CHANGE OF WATER
OVER TIME.
IT'S NOT AN ABSOLUTE
MEASUREMENT, AND IT'S A RELATIVE
MEASUREMENT, BUT WE DO THIS
MEASUREMENT EVERY MONTH, AND WE
COMPARE THE RESULTS.
THAT'S HOW WE GET AN ASSESSMENT
OR SOME KNOWLEDGE OF MOVEMENT OF
MASS WHETHER IT'S WATER OR LAND
MASS FOR EXAMPLE.
BUT IT'S NOT AN ABSOLUTE
MEASUREMENT FOR THIS METHOD.
>> WE HAVE THE DISPLAY THAT THE
TEAM IS WATCHING RIGHT NOW.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS TO THE
VIEWERS?
>> THIS IS AN ANIMATION, OF
COURSE.
THE DATA IS PLUGGED IN, AS SOON
AS WE GET CONFIRMATION OF THE
SPACECRAFT, WE'LL HAVE
CONFIRMATION THAT WE HAVE
CONTACT.
YOU CAN SEE HERE THE SPACECRAFT,
BOTH SPACECRAFT ARE IN THE
SOUTHERLY TRAJECTION GOING
TOWARDS ANTARCTICA.
>> WE'RE LESS THAN A MINUTE
AWAY.
>> WE SHOULD BE SEEING
CONFIRMATION VERY QUICKLY.
>> OKAY.
>> THE HERE APPLAUSE IN THE ROOM
NEXT TO US, AND THE SKY SIGNAL
THAT I SEE, APPLAUSE THERE.
SO I UNDERSTAND WE MUST HAVE AN
ACQUISITION.
>> WE JUST GOT CONFIRMATION THAT
I'M RECEIVING IT RIGHT NOW THAT
WE HAVE SIGNAL.
FROM SPACECRAFT TWO.
THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THE CYCLE
OF CONFIRMATION.
THE DATA JUST CAME THROUGH FROM
YOU THE SIMULATION THAT I WAS
JUST TELLING YOU ABOUT.
THEY'LL GO THROUGH AND MAKE SURE
THAT THEY HAVE THE RIGHT
CONFIRMATION.
THEY'RE STIL WORKING THROUGH
THAT.
>> ANY TIME THEY HAVE TO RECON
FIRST HOPEFULLY TO GET THE
SECOND SATELLITE AS WELL, RIGHT?
>> CORRECT.
>> SO AS SOON AS THAT SIGNAL IS
COMPLETED ON ONE SPACECRAFT,
THEY TURN THE ANTENNA TO POINT
TO THE OTHER SPACECRAFT AND GET
CONFIRMATION OF THAT.
SO THEY RECEIVED THE TELEMETRY
NOW.
>> FANTASTIC.
ALL RIGHT.
SO LET'S GO OVER THERE, AND
LET'S GET THE REACTION RIGHT
NOW.
I UNDERSTAND THAT NEIL IS
STANDING BY VIA SKYPE.
SO WE GOT A SIGNAL, EH?
>> YES, WE DID.
WE GOT SIGNALS FROM WHAT WE CALL
GRACE SATELLITE ONE.
YOU CAN SEE BEHIND ME ON THE
CENTER SCREEN ON YOUR LEFT-HAND
SIDE IT'S GOT A GREEN TOP, AND
IT HAS TELEMETRY INFORMATION
TELLING US THE BATTERY'S STATE
OF CHARGE AND WHAT IT IS
CURRENTLY DOING.
AND IT'S IN REALTIME ONLY MODE
WHERE IT IS SENDING ALL THE DATA
ALL THE TIME AND WE'RE LISTENING
TO IT, BUT WE TRY TO SEND
COMMAND AS WE GO.
ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT YOU'LL SEE
THE STACK THAT IS MOVING.
>> ARE WE TALKING ABOUT
SATELLITES AT THIS POINT OR JUST
THE FIRST SATELLITE?
>> YOU CAN SEE THE GREAT HEADER,
AND THAT'S THE ONE THAT'S
RUNNING, AND THE COMMAND FOR
THOSE.
WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN SATELLITE
TWO, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF WE
TRANSITIONED THE PLAN WAS FOR US
TO ACQUIRE AND THEM BECAUSE OF
THE DELAYS AND EVERYTHING WE'RE
DOING THIS REALTIME RIGHT NOW.
>> ALL RIGHT, AND IT WOULD NOT
BE A SURPRISE IF YOU DON'T GET
IT RIGHT AWAY.
YOU'LL HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE AT IT
IN 45 MINUTES, RIGHT?
>> YES.
>> ON WHERE WE ARE IN THE
TIMELINE BECAUSE WE'LL LISTEN TO
GRACE ONE, AND ONLY AFTER THAT
ARE WE GOING TO SWITCH.
THEY'RE GOING TO BE IN THE SAME
ORBIT PLANE.
THE ONLY THING THAT THE STATION
HAS TO DO IS TO RECONFIGURE FOR
THE DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES OF
SATELLITE TWO.
>> HOW ARE FOLKS FEELING?
>> YOU ONCE SAID THAT YOUR JOB
IS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU KEEP
YOUR SATELLITE SAFE, AND SO IT
SEEMS LIKE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT
YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW.
>> THIS PARTICULAR PASS IS A
LISTEN ONLY, AND WITH THE HEALTH
OF THE SATELLITE, IF WE NEED TO
DO SOMETHING RIGHT AWAY WE CAN
DO IT ON THE NEXT PATH.
IF EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD THEN
WHAT WE'LL DO WE HAVE A
PRE-SCRIPTED PROCEDURE OF WHAT
WE'RE GOING TO DO AND WHEN WE'RE
GOING TO DO IT, AND COORDINATE
IT, AND WE'LL RUN ALONG THOSE.
>> WELL, THE LAUNCH WAS HERE AND
IT IS PRETTY MUCH ALL OPERATIONS
ARE GOING TO BE DOWN YOUR WAY
NOW, RIGHT?
>> YEP, EVERYTHING IS GOING TO
RUN OUT OF THIS LOCATION FROM
HERE ON OUT.
>> THANKS, NEIL, WE'LL BE
STANDING BY.
THAT WRAPS THINGS UP HERE FROM
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE.
WE DID GET THE VERY FIRST
SIGNAL, SO WE KNOW WE HAVE
ACQUISITION OF SIGNALS FROM THE
SATELLITE 37 WE MAY OR MAY NOT
GET THE SECOND ONE ON THIS PASS,
BUT WORRY NOT, WE HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO GET IT ON THE
NEXT PASS OVER THE NORTH POLL.
BEFORE WE GO WE WANT TO GIVE OUR
THANKS TO THE JPL CREW, JIM,
CHRISTOPHER, AND CHRISTIAN, AND
THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER TV CREW
WHO HAVE HELPED US PUT THIS ON
FOR YOU, AND WITHOUT THEM WE
WOULDN'T BE ON THE AIR.
AND SPECIAL THANKS FOR SAMMY,
WHO HELPED US TO UNDERSTAND ALL
THE WORKING, OF THIS INCREDIBLE
MISSION.
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