GOES-S Countdown to T-Zero, Episode 2: Special Delivery 2:56 00:00 ROC report range status range green t 00:03 minus five, four 00:05 three two one. go for main engine start 00:09 zero and liftoff. 00:14 [Music] 00:20 there's only one cargo ship designed to 00:22 transport rockets for United Launch 00:24 Alliance and tonight it's pulling into 00:27 Port Canaveral with the robust flight 00:29 Hardware of an Atlas 5. "We're a high-tech 00:32 vessel high maneuverability. We have to 00:35 be because we get into some tight areas 00:38 on shallow rivers. The Delta Mariner is 00:41 unique. It has two aft-z drives coupled 00:45 by a computer with the bow thrusters that 00:48 turns 360 degrees on demand." This crew 00:53 has work to do. In less than four weeks, 00:55 the rocket must be safely delivered, 00:57 inspected and assembled in order to 01:00 successfully launch NOAA's highly 01:02 advanced GOES-S weather satellite. "I 01:05 sense from the crew the pride being part 01:09 of this mission. And when I put this 01:13 vessel alongside the dock, it is a very 01:16 accomplished feeling that we all have." 01:18 "The arrival of the Mariner is the start 01:20 of operations for the flow of a rocket." 01:23 Teams from ULA and NASA's Launch 01:26 Services Program start by unchaining the 01:29 Atlas 5 booster and centaur components 01:31 wasting no time in developing a plan and 01:34 getting organized for transport. "We're 01:36 gonna take the booster over to the ASOC. 01:39 Convoy 1` is going to be 01:41 the leader followed by the booster." "It's 01:43 a very exciting day for the vehicle 01:46 system engineers as we're offloading the 01:49 launch vehicle that will carry the GOES-S satellite." Here comes the Centaur 01:54 second stage with its pressurized 01:56 stainless-steel tank as thin as a dime. 01:58 Unable to support its own weight until 02:01 fully fueled its carried off the ship by 02:03 a specialized trailer. 02:04 Next comes the Atlas 5 booster all 106 02:09 feet of it. This booster and four solid 02:12 rocket motors have one job: provide 02:14 enough energy at liftoff for the entire 02:17 launch vehicle and payload to overcome 02:19 the pull of Earth's gravity. "I never get 02:22 tired of seeing the rockets come in. Tt's 02:24 very exciting especially on the Mariner." 02:27 Now on land, a challenging cross-base 02:29 transport lies ahead to the Atlas 02:32 Spaceflight Operations Center. Inside 02:34 this multifunctional facility crews will 02:36 remove the protective coverings, inspect 02:39 the hardware and install the final 02:41 flight components. For now this mission 02:44 remains a go but the highly complex job 02:47 of stacking the rocket is still to come. 02:54 [Music]