POINTS launch configuration

640x480 GIF picture JPEG
To fit within the Atlas IIAS shroud, the solar shield folds in two places and lies alongside the spacecraft and its orbit-circularization booster (a Star 37FM solid-fuel rocket motor, shown in red). The boom is folded once along the long straight section. The booster is on the bottom of the launch stack, and the instrument box is on top. Also visible are the adapter ring and truss (light brown), which support the spacecraft on top of the Centaur upper stage, and the spin-up and spin-down motors (blue), which are fired before and after the circulatization burn.
Next figure
Go back to list