SPACEPHOTOS

(04/08/1997) --- The Lockheed Martin Atlas 1 expendable launch vehicle (AC-79) which will carry the GOES-K advanced weather satellite undergoes a critical prelaunch test with its mobile service tower pulled back. The Wet Dress Rehearsal is a major prelaunch test designed to demonstrate, in part, the launch readiness of the vehicle and launch support equipment. AC-79 will be the final launch of an Atlas 1 rocket, a derivative of the original Atlas Centaur which had its first successful launch for NASA in 1963. Future launches of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) in the current series will be on Atlas II vehicles. The GOES satellites are owned and operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); NASA manages the design, development and launch of the spacecraft. The launch of AC-79 with the GOES-K is targeted for April 24 during a launch window which extends from 1:50-3:09 a.m. EDT