Delta II to go on display at Kennedy center
Rocket helped to explore Mars
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s Rocket Garden is getting a new member: United Launch Alliance’s storied Delta II rocket.
After the final Delta II rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Saturday morning, ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno made a surprise announcement. Another Delta II remains, and it’s heading to Cape Canaveral.
“The Delta II rocket has been a venerable workhorse for NASA and civilian scientists, the U.S. military, and commercial clients throughout its almost 30 years of service,” Bruno said in a news release. “This program comes to a close with the final launch of NASA’s ICESat-2, but its legacy will continue and the Visitor Complex will help us keep the story of the success of this much-revered rocket in the hearts and minds of the public.”
A Delta II rocket launched NASA’s Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite, or ICESat-2, into orbit at about 6 a.m. Pacific Time Saturday. The satellite will circle the Earth, using a laser to measure the height of ice on Earth. The measurements will allow scientists to ascertain how far ice extends above bodies of water — and whether its melting.
The mission, the 153rd successful launch for Delta II out of 155, marks the close of a program that began on Valentine’s Day 1989, when it sent into orbit a navigation satellite that laid the groundwork for today’s GPS systems. Since, three versions of Delta II have sent several noteworthy payloads into space, both from the East and West coasts.
Among them: the Mars Pathfinder, Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, Kepler space observatory and Spitzer Space Telescope.
Delta II last launched from Cape Canaveral in September 2011 carrying probes to measure the moon’s gravity field.
Now the teal and white rocket will return, joining the other residents of the Rocket Garden. Only Saturn 1B, which is displayed on its side, will be bigger than the 132-foot-tall Delta II.
“The Delta II will live among these giants,” said Jennifer Mayo, manager of exhibits and artifacts at the Visitor Complex in a video on Twitter. “We will care for this precious treasure generations to come.” for