KSC-2012-4650

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, United Launch Alliance, or ULA, technicians monitor the progress as the ULA Atlas V rocket, carrying NASA’s twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes, or RBSP, rolls back from Space Launch Complex 41 to the Vertical Integration Facility. The rocket and spacecraft will be secured and protected from inclement weather due to Tropical Storm Isaac. RBSP will explore changes in Earth's space environment caused by the sun -- known as "space weather" -- that can disable satellites, create power-grid failures and disrupt GPS service. The mission also will provide data on the fundamental radiation and particle acceleration processes throughout the universe. The launch is rescheduled for 4:05 a.m. EDT on Aug. 30, pending approval from the range. For more information on RBSP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/rbsp. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky