Sat, May 20, 2017
Brought SLS Components From New Orleans To Marshall Space Flight Center
The barge Pegasus, carrying a structural test version of the massive SLS rocket's engine section, arrived at the Marshall Space Flight Center on May 15 after a 1,240-mile voyage from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The barge left Michoud on April 28. The delivery -- the first of major SLS hardware from Michoud to Marshall -- marks a critical milestone toward the first integrated flight of the SLS rocket and NASA's Orion spacecraft, and a step closer to sending humans to deep space destinations, including Mars.
NASA modified Pegasus to accommodate the SLS rocket's core stage, increasing the barge's length and weight-carrying capacity. The SLS rocket's core stage is 50 feet longer than the space shuttle external tank.
The first of four core stage test articles manufactured at Michoud scheduled to be delivered to Marshall for testing, the engine section will house four RS-25 engines and connect the core stage to the SLS rocket's two solid rocket motors. The structural qualification test article was designed with the same specifications as the engine section that will fly on first integrated flight of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.
At Marshall, the test articles will undergo extensive testing. Engineers will push, pull, and bend the hardware to ensure it can withstand the extreme forces the rocket will experience during launch, liftoff and flight. The tests along with analytical models and other data will show that the design of the engine section is structurally sound. In the future media will have the opportunity to tour the engine section test stand and view the engine section structural test article that Pegasus delivered.
(Images provided with NASA news release)
More News
Aero Linx: Model Aeronautical Association of Australia MAAA clubs are about fun flying, camaraderie and community. For over 75 years, the MAAA has been Australia’s largest fl>[...]
Touchdown Zone Lighting Two rows of transverse light bars located symmetrically about the runway centerline normally at 100 foot intervals. The basic system extends 3,000 feet alon>[...]
“Discovery and innovation are central to our mission at Virgin Galactic. We’re excited to build on our successful record of facilitating scientific experiments in subor>[...]
How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]
Student Pilot Reported That During Rotation, “All Of A Sudden The Back Of The Plane Kicked To The Right..." Analysis: The student pilot reported that during rotation, “>[...]