Work in progress of the payload segment of Alpha. Recreating the boat tail and ogive were not easy. Just general shape right now, final colors will be ordered and parts swapped out to look right when it comes time to build the model.

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers monitor the lift of the canister containing the payload for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission to the International Space Station toward the Payload Changeout Room at Launch Pad 39A.

Inside the canister are the Express Logistics Carriers 1 and 2 with two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm.

Oct. 30, 2009

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - In the Multi-Payload Processing Facility, the Pegasus XL launch vehicle waits for mating of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite. The GALEX, set to launch April 2 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, will carry into space an orbiting telescope that will observe a million galaxies across 10 billion years of cosmic history to help astronomers determine when the stars and elements we see today had their origins. The spacecraft will sweep the skies for 28 months using state-of-the-art ultraviolet detectors to single out galaxies dominated by young, hot, short-lived stars that give off a great deal of energy at that wavelength. These galaxies are actively creating stars, and therefore provide a window into the history and causes of star formation in galaxies. Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/ Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum

United Launch Alliance (ULA) hoists the Amazon Leo mission payload atop the Atlas V rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility adjacent to Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Atlas V will launch the Leo 8 mission for Amazon's broadband satellite constellation. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the heat shield (foreground) is ready to be mated with the upper backshell/ Mars Exploration Rover 1 (MER-1), in the background. NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers are designed to study the history of water on Mars. These robotic geologists are equipped with a robotic arm, a drilling tool, three spectrometers, and four pairs of cameras that allow them to have a human-like, 3D view of the terrain. Each rover could travel as far as 100 meters in one day to act as Mars scientists' eyes and hands, exploring an environment where humans can't yet go. MER-1 is scheduled to launch June 25 as MER-B aboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/ Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, members of the STS-103 crew look at some of the equipment to be used during their mission. The seven-member crew are Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, and Mission Specialists Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), Claude Nicollier of Switzerland, and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France. Nicollier and Clervoy are with the European Space Agency. Mission STS-103 is a "call-up" due to the need to replace portions of the pointing system, the gyros, which have begun to fail on the Hubble Space Telescope. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working properly. The gyroscopes allow the telescope to point at stars, galaxies and planets. The STS-103 crew will not only replace gyroscopes, it will also replace a Fine Guidance Sensor and an older computer with a new enhanced model, an older data tape recorder with a solid state digital recorder, a failed spare transmitter with a new one, and degraded insulation on the telescope with new thermal insulation. The crew will also install a Battery Voltage/Temperature Improvement Kit to protect the spacecraft batteries from overcharging and overheating when the telescope goes into a safe mode. The scheduled launch date in October is under review. Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/ Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers maneuver the cylindrical payload canister into place around Mars Exploration Rover 1 (MER-B). Once secure inside the canister, the rover will be transported to Launch Complex 17- B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, for mating with the Delta rocket. The second of twin rovers being sent to Mars, it is equipped with a robotic arm, a drilling tool, three spectrometers, and four pairs of cameras that allow it to have a human-like, 3D view of the terrain. Each rover could travel as far as 100 meters in one day to act as Mars scientists' eyes and hands, exploring an environment where humans can't yet go. MER-B is scheduled to launch from Pad 17-B June 26 at one of two available times, 12:27:31 a.m. EDT or 1:08:45 a.m. EDT. Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/ Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum

high altitude payload box czANSO with protection gold foil

United Launch Alliance (ULA) hoists the ViaSat-3 F2 ultra-high-capacity broadband satellite atop the Atlas V rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility-G (VIF-G) adjacent to Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance

Kenneth P. Bechis was one of two civilian payload specialists selected in 1987 to fly the StarLab space shuttle mission, scheduled for a 1992 launch.

Bechis and the other civilian, Dennis L. Boesen, trained for three years until the mission was finally canceled in 1990. Here, Bechis explains some of the reasons why it was feared StarLab would be removed from the shuttle.

As noted in the letter I have from Boesen, with completion of the Starbird launch site not expected before December 1989, the Starlab mission was rescheduled to fly on STS-41 in early 1988, with a launch date of June 1990 and later September 1990.

However, the Starlab mission was moved back further: on the January 1989 Launch Manifest, it was planned for the November 1990/STS-42 Spacelab slot. In June, this was taken up by the IML-1 Spacelab mission and Starlab was rescheduled for STS-48, with a launch in August 1991. It was next moved to STS-49, with a launch date of September 1991. In March 1990, with other Air Force Projects such as the Teal Ruby-satellite already canceled, launch was moved further back to January 1992.

In August 1990, the mission was scheduled for May 1992 (STS-50). In late September, Starlab was cancelled altogether to protect funding for the Briliant Pebbles system. The Spacelab slot was taken by the United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML)-1. On September 1, 1990, the four payload specialists associated with the mission resigned from the program.

The Starlab mission would have been flown by a crew of seven astronauts. Four military Payload Specialists were assigned to the Starlab project in July 1987. They were: Craig A. Puz, Maureen C. LaComb, Dennis L. Boesen and Kenneth P. Bechis.

Puz and LaComb, both US Air Force captains, were selected as the primary Payload Specialists, Boesen and Bechis - more scientifically oriented - acted as their back ups.

Puz and LaComb were injured in a car crash in Boston in June 1988. One year later, Puz was medically disqualified and he was replaced by Boesen. The five NASA crewmembers had not yet been assigned to the mission when it was canceled in September 1990, but would probably have been commanded by Dan Brandenstein, John Creighton, Loren Shriver or Dick Richards.

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF), a crane lifts equipment for mission STS-103 out of its shipping container. The equipment is the first part of payload flight hardware for the third Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission (SM-3A). The hardware will undergo final testing and integration of payload elements in the PHSF. Mission STS-103 is a "call-up" mission which is being planned due to the need to replace portions of the Hubble's pointing system, the gyros, which have begun to fail. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working properly. The gyroscopes allow the telescope to point at stars, galaxies and planets. The STS-103 crew will not only replace gyroscopes, it will also replace a Fine Guidance Sensor and an older computer with a new enhanced model, an older data tape recorder with a solid state digital recorder, a failed spare transmitter with a new one, and degraded insulation on the telescope with new thermal insulation. The crew will also install a Battery Voltage/Temperature Improvement Kit to protect the spacecraft batteries from overcharging and overheating when the telescope goes into a safe mode. Launch of STS-103 is currently targeted for Oct. 14 but the date is under review. Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/ Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum

THREE QUARTER TON MODELS -

By late 1941, the Dodge WC range was significantly revised, all four-wheeled models were reinforced and uprated for a nominal three-quarter ton off-road payload; and for 1943, a stretched six-wheel drive, 11⁄2-ton (5.5-ton) rated variant was developed. All models were widened to front and rear tracks of 5 ft 4+3⁄4 in, widening the front track by as much as 5+3⁄8 in, and the rear track by 3+3⁄8 in on most models. The tyres were widened from 7.50x16 to 9 in wide. moreover, the bulk production variants were significantly shortened, giving the vehicles much more square proportions, like on their younger 1⁄4‑ton brothers.

On the troops & weapons carriers, and command / reconnaissance & radio trucks, the wheelbase were all cut by almost 1ft 6 in, from 9 ft 8 in to 8 ft 2 in wheelbase. Only ambulances, carry-alls, and technical service trucks kept a long wheelbase. Panel vans were dropped from the range and no longer made.

The big volume models (the WC-51/-52, and the WC-56/-57/-58) also got literally more square bodies, and overall length to width ratios. The integrated grille / brush-guard became straight, and the hoods became lower and wider, and were flattened, both as in losing their previous curvature, and now being simply horizontal, so they became more useful as an improvised table-top, and the front windshields on these models could now also be folded forward, to lay flat on their hoods, just like on the 1⁄4-tons. Under the hood, the 3⁄4-tons kept the 6-cylinder inline, L-head engine of 92 hp gross, from the later model half‑ton WC series.

The biggest volume production variants, the pick-up / troops and weapons-carrier models, received a completely redesigned rear bed, that mostly consisted of two longitudinal, rectangular boxes, that integrated the rear wheel wells with under-seat stowage compartments fore and aft of the rear wheels, while now seating troops on top of the rear wheels, facing each other, instead of in between the wheels, further widening these models to 6 ft 11 in, but offering much more space for the troops' backpacks and gear, between their feet.

A single such truck, at less than 14 ft 8 in long, offered practical all-terrain transportation to a full eight man rifle squad, their weapons and personal kit. With the nickname 'jeep' now moving on to the smaller 1⁄4‑ton trucks, some soldiers called the Dodges 'Beeps' (for ''Big Jeep'') Eventually, as much as half of the more than fifty different WC series models manufactured, were WC‑51 & WC‑52 cargo / troop and weapons carriers, and one third of those with an engine-powered front winch.

WC-53 ¾-ton CARRYALL - Length: 15 ft 6 in / Width: 6 ft 7 in / Height: 6 ft 8 in / Weight: 5,700 lb / Payload: 1,750 lb.

A carryall, mechanically the WC-53 was virtually identical to the WC-54 but was fitted with a body which was the 1939 civilian carryall modified to military specifications. All four rear side windows were wind-up opening and the seating consisted of front folding passenger seat to allow rear access, two person second row leaving space to access to the rear full width three person seat. The spare wheel was carried on a mount on the driver's side and although the door was fully operational it could not be opened and the driver had to enter from the passenger side. The rear end had split tailgates. WC-53's were also fitted as radio trucks with a bench on the left side with the operator seated sideways. 8,400 WC-53 Truck, 3/4 ton, 4x4 Dodge Carryall (G-502) were built. No carryalls came from the factory with a winch, though there was a field modification available.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS -

▪︎Type: 1⁄2-ton / 3⁄4-ton 4x4 truck / 11⁄2-ton 6x6 truck

▪︎Place of Origin: Warren Truck Assembly, Michigan, United States

Conflicts: World War Two / Korean War / Various post 1945 conflicts

▪︎Manufacturer: Dodge / Fargo

▪︎Produced: 1940 to 1945

▪︎Number Built: Total = 382,350 excluding variants consisting of: 1⁄2-ton 4x2 models = 1,542 units / All 4x4 Models = ~337,600 units – across: ≈82,390 1⁄2-ton units (1940 to 1942) and 255,195 3⁄4-ton units (1942 to 1945) 11⁄2-ton 6x6 Models 43,224 units

▪︎Variants: D8A 1⁄2-ton, 4x4 (1941, Canada) = 3,000 units / D3/4 APT 3⁄4-ton, 4x4 (1945, Canada) = 11,750 units / VF-401 – VF-407 11⁄2-ton, 4x4 (1940) = 6,472 units / T-203B 11⁄2-ton, 4x4 (1941) = 1,500 units / WF-32 - G-618 11⁄2-ton, 4x2 (1942 to 1944, Iran) = 9,600 units

SPECIFICATIONS (WC-51 / WC-52) -

▪︎Mass: 5,250 lb empty / 5,550 lb with winch

▪︎Length: 13 ft 10 7⁄8 in / 14 ft 8 1⁄2 in with winch

▪︎Width: 16 ft 10 3⁄4 in

▪︎Height: 6 ft 9 7⁄8 in

▪︎Engine: Dodge T-214, 92 hp

▪︎Payload Capacity: 1,500 lb

▪︎Transmission: 4 speed × 1 range

▪︎Suspension: Live beam axles on leaf springs

▪︎Ground Clearance: 10 in

▪︎Fuel Capacity: 30 U.S gallons

▪︎Operational Range: 240 miles

▪︎Maximum Speed: 55 mph.

Information sourced from - en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_WC_series

With the launch countdown ticking away, the crew perform their final checks.

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, four STS-103 crew members check the Flight Support System avionics to be used for repair and upgrade of the Hubble Space Telescope. The crew are at KSC to take part in a Crew Equipment Interface Test. The seven-member crew comprises Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, and Mission Specialists Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D), Claude Nicollier of Switzerland, and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France. Nicollier and Clervoy are with the European Space Agency. Mission STS-103 is a "call-up" due to the need to replace portions of the pointing system, the gyros, which have begun to fail on the Hubble Space Telescope. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working properly. The gyroscopes allow the telescope to point at stars, galaxies and planets. The STS-103 crew will not only replace gyroscopes, it will also replace a Fine Guidance Sensor and an older computer with a new enhanced model, an older data tape recorder with a solid-state digital recorder, a failed spare transmitter with a new one, and degraded insulation on the telescope with new thermal insulation. The crew will also install a Battery Voltage/Temperature Improvement Kit to protect the spacecraft batteries from overcharging and overheating when the telescope goes into a safe mode. The scheduled launch date in October is under review. Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/ Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum

Inside the Payload Changeout Room (PCR) in the Rotating Service Structure (RSS) at Launch Pad 39-B, technicians in clean suits and tethers prepare to move the payloads for mission STS-95 through the open doors of the payload bay (right) of Space Shuttle Discovery. At the top of the RSS is the Spacehab module; below it are the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbiting Systems Test Platform (HOST), and International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH-3). The PCR is an environmentally controlled facility with seals around the mating surface that fit against the orbiter or payload canister and permit the payload bay or canister doors to be opened and cargo removed without exposing it to outside air and contaminants. Payloads are installed vertically in the orbiter using the extendable payload ground handling mechanism. Fixed and extendable work platforms provide work access in the PCR. The SPACEHAB single module involves experiments on space flight and the aging process. Spartan is a solar physics spacecraft designed to perform remote sensing of the hot outer layers of the sun's atmosphere or corona. HOST carries four experiments to validate components planned for installation during the third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission and to evaluate new technologies in an Earth-orbiting environment. IEH-3 comprises several experiments that will study the Jovian planetary system, hot stars, planetary and reflection nebulae, other stellar objects and their environments through remote observation of EUV/FUV emissions; study spacecraft interactions, Shuttle glow, thruster firings, and contamination; and measure the solar constant and identify variations in the value during a solar cycle. Mission STS-95 is scheduled to launch Oct. 29, 1998. Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/ Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum

The Tupolev Tu-160 (Russian: Туполев Ту-160, NATO reporting name: Blackjack) is a supersonic, variable-geometry heavy bomber designed by the Soviet Union. It is similar in appearance to the American B-1 Lancer but is an entirely different class of aircraft, being a standoff missile platform. The Tu-160 is also significantly larger and faster than the B-1B and has a greater combat range. It is also the largest variable-sweep combat aircraft ever built.

Although several civil and military transport aircraft are bigger, the Tu-160 has the greatest total thrust, and the heaviest takeoff weight of any combat aircraft, and the highest top speed as well as one of the largest payloads of any current heavy bomber. Pilots of the Tu-160 call it the “White Swan”, due to its maneuverability and anti-flash white finish.[1]

Entering service in 1987 with the 184 Guards Bomber Regiment, based at Priluki, Soviet Union, the Tu-160 was the last strategic bomber designed by the Soviet Union. The aircraft remains in limited production, with at least 16 currently in service with the Russian Air Force.

The first competition for a supersonic strategic heavy bomber was launched in the Soviet Union in 1967. The new plane was to have a cruise speed of over Mach 3, in response to the American B-70 Valkyrie. It soon became apparent that such an aircraft would be too expensive and difficult to produce, so it was decided to reduce demands (in the US, the B-70 bomber project had already been cancelled).

In 1972, the Soviet Union launched a new multi-mission bomber competition to create a new supersonic, variable-geometry ("swing-wing") heavy bomber with a maximum speed of Mach 2.3, in response to the US Air Force B-1 bomber project. The Tupolev design, dubbed Aircraft 160M, with a lengthened flying wing layout and incorporating some elements of the Tu-144, competed against the Myasishchev M-18 and the Sukhoi T-4 designs.[2] Myasishchev's version, proposing a variable-geometry aircraft, was considered to be the most successful, although the Tupolev organization was regarded as having the greatest potential for completing this complex project. Consequently, Tupolev was assigned in 1973 the development of a new aircraft based on the Myasishchev design.

Although the B-1A was cancelled in 1977, work on the new Soviet bomber continued, and in the same year, the design was accepted by the government committee. The prototype was photographed by an airline passenger at a Zhukovsky Airfield in November 1981, about a month before the aircraft's first flight on 18 December 1981. Production was authorized in 1984, beginning at Kazan Aircraft Production Association. Production of the aircraft, designated Tu-160 (factory designation "aircraft K" or "product 70"), was originally intended to total 100 aircraft, although only 35 have been produced, including three prototypes. The second prototype was lost in flight testing in 1987, the crew ejecting successfully.

Tu-160

Several variants have been proposed, but not built, including:

* Tu-160S: designation used for serial Tu-160s when needed to separate them from all the pre-production and experimental aircraft [21]

* Tu-160V: liquid hydrogen fueled version (see also Tu-155) [21]

* Tu-160 NK-74: upgraded (extended range) version with NK-74 engines [21]

* Tu-160M: a stretched bomber carrying two long-range, hypersonic Kh-90 (3M25 Meteorit-A) missiles

* Tu-160P (Tu-161): a very long-range escort fighter/interceptor

* Tu-160PP: an electronic warfare aircraft carrying stand-off jamming and ECM gear (Russian: ПП - постановщик помех)

* Tu-160R: a strategic reconnaissance platform

* Tu-160SK: commercial version, designed to launch satellites within the "Burlak" (Russian: Бурлак, "hauler") system. [21]

* Tu-170: a conventional bomber (conceived in order to avoid SALT-2 limits)

General characteristics

* Crew: 4 (pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, defensive systems operator)

* Length: 54.1 m (177 ft 6 in)

* Wingspan:

o Spread (20° sweep): 55.70 m (189 ft 9 in)

o Swept (65° sweep): 35.60 m (116 ft 10 in)

* Height: 13.10 m (43 ft 0 in)

* Wing area:

o Spread: 400 m² (4,310 ft²)

o Swept: 360 m² (3,875 ft²)

* Empty weight: 110 t[23] (242,000 lb)

* Loaded weight: 267 tonnes[23] (590,000 lb)

* Max takeoff weight: 275 tonnes[23] (606,000 lb)

* Powerplant: 4× Kuznetsov NK-32[23] turbofans

o Dry thrust: 137 kN (30,900 lbf) each

o Thrust with afterburner: 245 kN (55,100 lbf) each

Performance

* Maximum speed: Mach 2.05[24] (2,220 km/h, 1,380 mph) at high altitude

* Range: 12,300 km[25] (7,643 mi) practical range without in-flight refuelling, Mach 0.77 and carrying 6 × Kh-55SM dropped at mid range and 5% fuel reserves[25]

* Combat radius: 7,300 km[23] (4,536 mi)

* Service ceiling: 16,000 m[23] (49,200 ft)

* Rate of climb: 70 m/s (13,860 ft/min)

* Wing loading: 743 kg/m² with wings fully swept (152 lb/ft²)

* lift-to-drag: 18.5-19, while supersonic it is above 6.[26]

* Thrust/weight: 0.37

Armament

* 2 internal bays for 40,000 kg (88,185 lb) of ordnance, options include:

* 2 internal rotary launchers each holding 6 × Raduga Kh-55 cruise missiles (primary armament) or 12× Raduga Kh-15 short-range nuclear missiles

www.danobriencdjr.com

175 Pelham St, Methuen, MA 01844

Sales: (978) 651-1854

Hi, I'm Amber with the Dan O'Brien Auto Group and today we're going to go over the towing and payload features on the Ram 1500 Big Horn.

No matter what you need to take with you, this Big Horn Quad Cab has what it takes! The 5.7L HEMI® V8 engine boasts a max towing capacity of 11,410 pounds and a pax payload of 1,910 pounds. With its 8 speed automatic transmission and a 3.92 rear axle ratio, well, now you have the ability to tow what you need where you need it.

Close up, you’ll find a tow-haul button, trailer hitch, and Ram’s trailer sway dampening feature. 7 pin wiring keeps you connected for braking and lights. A gear limit button is handy on the steering wheel. Oh, and there’s cargo ties down on the bed, too. The 2020 Ram 1500 integrates state-of-the-art tech, device connectivity, and comfort for an experience like no other.

From technology to creature comforts... we’ve got it all! Attired in Billet Silver Metallic Paint, the Quad Cab boasts a Big Horn Level 1 Equipment Group. Outside there’s a Class IV receiver hitch. 275/55/R20 All season LRR tires on 20-inch x 9-inch aluminum chrome-clad wheels. And power-folding mirrors with turn signals.

Under the hood, the renowned 5.7L HEMI® V8 engine offers the legendary power and capability you’ve come to expect from the name. with a 26 gal fuel tank you can tow nearly 11,500 lbs. Inside, there’s deluxe cloth bucket seats, 4-way power lumbar adjustable driver’s seat, 8-way driver seats with detailed stitching, a 8.4 Inch Touchscreen, including Apple CarPlay/Android auto. Sirus XM with 1-year subscription. Remote push-button start, universal garage door opener, and a whole lot more. This RAM 1500 is State of the Art Smart.

If you're looking to get the best price on a Ram 1500 Big Horn come on down to Dan O'Brien Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram of Methuen and ask for me April. We're located at 175 Pelham Street in Methuen and we can take it on a test drive.

ArduLab is the winner of the NanoRacks contest for the best, off the shelf, open source NanoLab! Expected 1st quarter of 2012. New chapter of station utilization!

After eight months of designing, building and testing, the middle school, high school and college and university teams launched their rockets as part of NASA Student Launch on Sunday, April 8. The rockets and their payloads are designed to fly to 1-mile in altitude before deploying recovery systems that brings them safely to the ground.

STS-95 Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., senator from Ohio, gives a thumbs up on his arrival at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility aboard a T-38 jet. He and other crewmembers will be making final preparations for launch, targeted for liftoff at 2 p.m. on Oct. 29. The STS-95 mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process. The mission is expected to last 8 days, 21 hours and 49 minutes, and return to KSC on Nov. 7. The other STS-95 crew members are Mission Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Steven W. Lindsey, Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazynski, Mission Specialist Stephen K. Robinson, Mission Specialist Pedro Duque, with the European Space Agency (ESA), and Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai, with the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/ Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum

Atlas Payload and technician--Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum

Out of this world public domain images from NASA. All original images and many more can be found from the NASA Image Library

Higher resolutions with no attribution required can be downloaded: www.rawpixel.com/board/418580/nasa

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander lifts off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:05 a.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. As part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, Intuitive Machines’ first lunar mission will carry NASA science and commercial payloads to the Moon to study plume-surface interactions, space weather/lunar surface interactions, radio astronomy, precision landing technologies, and a communication and navigation node for future autonomous navigation technologies. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

Presentations on the ExoMars payload by Daniil Rodionov (ACS, FREND) IKI Moscow, Manish Patel (NOMAD) Uni Padua, and Gabriele Cremonese, Co-PI for CASSIS, Astronomical Observatory, Padua. Images credit: ESA/R. Palmari

The ALTAIR Payload before power-up.

A cold April morning found members of the Lynch Rocket Lab at the Mt. Washington Regional Airport near Whitefield, N.H. They were preparing to conduct test balloon launches of the GreenCube and another vehicle known as ALTAIR—Airborne Laser for Telescopic Atmospheric Interference Reduction—a project being built for Harvard's dark energy research. (photo by Eli Burak '00)

Learn more at Dartmouth Now.

Technicians inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida monitor movement and guide the agency’s largest planetary mission spacecraft, Europa Clipper, as a crane hoists it on a stand as part of prelaunch processing on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Slated to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket later this year from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy, Europa Clipper will help determine if conditions exist below the surface Jupiter’s fourth largest moon, Europa that could support life. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

The Vulcan Bomber at The Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon, London,

our high alitude straps only

011203-D-4867S-002.A payload launch vehicle carrying a prototype exoatmospheric kill vehicle is readied for launch from Meck Island at the Kwajalein Missile Range on Dec. 3, 2001, for a planned intercept of a ballistic missile target over the central Pacific Ocean. The target vehicle, a modified Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile, will be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The interceptor is planned to hit the target more than 140 miles above the Earth during the midcourse phase of the warhead's flight. DoD photo. (Released).

Catalog #: 10_0009148

Date: 1960

Title: Convair/General Dynamics Atlas

Corporation Name: Convair/General Dynamics

Additional Information: Payload Fit Checks for Atlas Able

Tags: Convair/General Dynamics Atlas, Payload Fit Checks for Atlas Able , 1960, Convair/General Dynamics

Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive

Catalog #: 10_0009146

Date: 1960

Title: Convair/General Dynamics Atlas

Corporation Name: Convair/General Dynamics

Additional Information: Payload Fit Checks for Atlas Able

Tags: Convair/General Dynamics Atlas, Payload Fit Checks for Atlas Able , 1960, Convair/General Dynamics

Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive

PictionID:44806739 - Catalog:14_014044 - Title:Atlas Payload Component - Filename:14_014044.TIF - - - Image from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection. The processing, cataloging and digitization of these images has been made possible by a generous National Historical Publications and Records grant from the National Archives and Records Administration---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum

The Surveyor 1 landing site is very near the center of the photograph.

lh4.ggpht.com/_YoCIFkM3GQ8/S70HPAkO4HI/AAAAAAAAHkA/1SkSiM...

This is yet another wonderful site to explore/peruse...amazing information, not to mention photographs...throughout.

PictionID:44809362 - Catalog:14_014259 - Title:Atlas Payload Component - Filename:14_014259.TIF - - Image from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection. The processing, cataloging and digitization of these images has been made possible by a generous National Historical Publications and Records grant from the National Archives and Records Administration---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum

Technicians work to complete operations before propellant load occurs ahead of launch for NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2024. Europa could have all the “ingredients” for life as we know it: water, organics, chemical energy, and stability. Europa Clipper’s launch period opens on October 10, 2024. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers lower the backshell with the Mars Exploration Rover 1 (MER-1) onto the heat shield. The two components form the aeroshell that will protect the rover on its journey to Mars. NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers are designed to study the history of water on Mars. These robotic geologists are equipped with a robotic arm, a drilling tool, three spectrometers, and four pairs of cameras that allow them to have a human-like, 3D view of the terrain. Each rover could travel as far as 100 meters in one day to act as Mars scientists' eyes and hands, exploring an environment where humans can't yet go. MER-1 is scheduled to launch June 25 as MER-B aboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/ Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum

A: GoPro 2.

B: Special Project Electronic Altitude Release System (SPEARS) control board.

C: SPEARS, igniter and Raspberry Pi battery packs.

D: Case for "DBcam Hi-Resolution Micro Action Sports Video Camera".

E: GPS units.

F: Raspberry Pi and Pi in the Sky board.

G: Raspberry Picam enclosure.

Full details here: reg.cx/2arQ

Catalog #: 10_0009140

Date: 1960

Title: Convair/General Dynamics Atlas

Corporation Name: Convair/General Dynamics

Additional Information: Payload Fit Checks for Atlas Able

Tags: Convair/General Dynamics Atlas, Payload Fit Checks for Atlas Able , 1960, Convair/General Dynamics

Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive

The Junkers Ju 188 was a German Luftwaffe high-performance medium bomber built during World War II, the planned follow-up to the Ju 88 with better performance and payload. It was produced only in limited numbers, due both to the presence of improved versions of the Ju 88, as well as the increasingly effective Allied strategic bombing campaign against German industry and the resulting focus on fighter production.

In 1936, Junkers submitted proposals for the Ju 85 and Ju 88 into competition for the new standardized Luftwaffe high-speed tactical bomber, known as the Schnellbomber (fast bomber). The two designs were almost identical, differing only in that the Ju 85 used a twin-rudder and the Ju 88 a single fin.

At the same time, they offered modified versions of each as the Ju 85B and Ju 88B, again similar to the original designs but using an "egg shaped" stepless cockpit forward fuselage design that comprised a greenhouse-like, well-framed network of some three dozen compound-curved window panels in total. This was another example of the "bullet-nose" design philosophy that almost all new German bomber designs exhibited, from the time of the Heinkel He 111P onwards. The new nose design for the Ju 88B also tightly integrated the forward end of the undernose Bola ventral gondola defensive gun position into the newer nose design, when compared to the "added-on" Bola unit pioneered on the Ju 88 V7 prototype. This meant the Ju 88B offered somewhat lower drag and better visibility. At the time, this was considered too radical and the Ju 88A with its simpler, separately-glazed dorsal cockpit "greenhouse" framed canopy, and "beetle's eye" framed, multi-flat panel nose glazing comprising a "stepped" cockpit design from the separation of the pair of glazed units by the sheetmetal of the upper fuselage nose winning the initial Schnellbomber production contract.

The Reich Air Ministry (RLM) was already in the process of looking for the replacement for the Schnellbomber, a new design that would be faster, fly higher, and have a larger warload. This emerged as the "Bomber B" program, but this was extensively delayed due to the failure of the large 2,500 PS (1,840 kW, 2,470 hp)-class engines, like Junkers' Jumo 222, to become reliable enough for production use. Although Junkers' Ju 288 was leading the contest, there was no delivery date on the engines.

To address the immediate need, the Ju 88B project was re-submitted as a stop-gap. For this version, they used the latest short-wing Ju 88 A-1 airframe as a baseline with the Ju 88B's new stepless cockpit design, with the new Junkers Jumo 213 engine, which had recently started bench testing and was expected to deliver 1,500 PS (1,100 kW, 1,480 hp) and required a redesigned annular radiator system for engine and oil cooling.

The RLM also stipulated that the aircraft should also be able to accept the BMW 801 radial engine in a Kraftei (power-egg) unitized installation, with no modification to the engine nacelles.[1] The RLM was not impressed with the new design, as it offered only small improvements over the Ju 88A model in service but suggested that Junkers continue with the prototype work anyway and that they consider fitting the design with the BMW 139 radial. This engine was cancelled only a few weeks later and all designs based on it moved to the newer and more powerful BMW 801.

The prototype Ju 88B V1, D-AUVS, flew for the first time with the 801A/B engines in early 1940. The fuselage and tail surfaces were identical to the Ju 88 A-1, which presented a problem: with the extra power, 1,560 PS (1,150 kW, 1,540 hp), the design could now carry considerably more load than the small bomb bay could fit. An additional external shackle was then added to each wing well outside the engines, although using the rack would seriously hamper performance.

During the summer, a pre-production run of 10 Ju 88 B-0 based on the pre-production Ju 88 A-4 airframes were delivered. The A-4 used a longer wing of 20.08 m (65 ft 10½ in) span from new rounded wingtips for better altitude performance, when compared to the initial Ju 88A-1's shorter 18.26 meter (59 ft 10.75 in) span, but attention to streamlining and new "pointed" wing tips, somewhat resembling those fitted to the British Spitfire Mks.VII and VIII for their own intended high-altitude flight requirements, kept drag to about what it was earlier. The airframe changes moved the center of gravity slightly, so the glazed "cockpit" area was made slightly longer to re-balance the aircraft, while also offering better visibility for other members of the crew.

Service tests were all successful, and the pilots generally lauded the new cockpit design. However, the RLM still remained unconvinced that the small improvement in performance over the existing A-5's and future A-4's was worth investing time in. Instead, the pre-production models were modified as long-range reconnaissance aircraft by removing the guns, bombsights and external bomb shackles, and fitting fuel tanks into the bomb bay.

Several of the airframes were retained by Junkers for further development. One of these was fitted with the slightly updated 801L engines and a small power-operated turret on the extreme top of the cockpit mounting a 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine gun.

By 1942, it was becoming clear that Junkers' competitor in the important Bomber B program, the Ju 288 was not going to be ready soon and that the Ju 88 was increasingly at the mercy of rapidly improving RAF and Soviet VVS fighters. The RLM finally decided that even the small gains in performance in the Ju 88B were worth considering and asked Junkers for an improved aircraft as the Ju 188.

The sole Ju 88 E-0 was modified with another 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 firing rearward just below the turret, one firing forward through the nose and twin 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 81Z machine guns in the integrated ventral Bola gondola firing rearward. Two other airframes had their engines and outer wings removed to act as testbeds for water ditching, as it was planned to use the Ju 188 in long overwater flights against British shipping. A second Ju 188 test airframe was built from another Ju 88 A-4, this one including a larger, more trapezoidal vertical tail surface set to provide more directional control at higher altitudes, a feature also used on future Ju 88 models, most importantly on the Ju 88G night fighters. Originally known as Ju 88 V44, this airframe was later named Ju 188 V1.

In October 1942, the Ju 188 was chosen for production. A second prototype was delivered in January, which moved the outer bomb shackles to a position inboard of the engines. Both started testing the dive bombing system installed in the 88 A-4 in February. The RLM then asked for another change, allowing the aircraft to mount either the BMW 801 or Jumo 213 engines as a complete Kraftei or "power egg" common engine installation, that would simply be bolted on and hooked up. Concerns about the Jumo 213, now years overdue, were offset by this engine's better altitude performance, so it made sense to delay the aircraft slightly if that meant it could switch to the 213 as soon as they became available. The second Ju 188 V1 prototype was flown in at Rechlin between September and November 1943 (Wikipedia).

United Launch Alliance (ULA) hoists the Kuiper 2 mission payload atop the Atlas V rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility-G (VIF-G) adjacent to Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Atlas V will launch the Kuiper 3 mission for Amazon's Project Kuiper broadband satellite constellation. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance

After eight months of designing, building and testing, the middle school, high school and college and university teams launched their rockets as part of NASA Student Launch on Sunday, April 8. The rockets and their payloads are designed to fly to 1-mile in altitude before deploying recovery systems that brings them safely to the ground.

S96-04944 (30 January 1996) --- In the Spacehab Payload Processing Facility (SPPF) in Port Canaveral, several members of the STS-76 flight crew are working with the Spacehab laboratory and payloads that will fly aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis during the scheduled March mission. Accompanying the crew on their review of the hardware is astronaut Marsha Ivins, left. Crew members seen are astronauts Kevin P. Chilton (left), commander; Michael R. (Rich) Clifford (near center), mission specialist; Richard A. Searfoss (near right), pilot; and Linda M. Godwin (right), mission specialist.

This Six second long exposure was taken at an altitude of Forty eight metres, in the magic of Twilight, prior to Sunrise which was at precisely 04:47am, at 02:04am on Thursday 3rd July 2014 off Lullingstone Lane next to the Lullingstone Roman Villa and overlooking the field adjacent to Eynsford Viaduct in the village of Eynsford, Kent, England.

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Nikon D800 48mm 6 second exposure f/2.8 iso160 RAW (14 bit) Nikon RC-DC2 remote shutter release. AF-S Single point focus. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto white balance.

Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED IF. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL batteries. Nikon DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece. Nikon DK-19 soft rubber eyecup. Manfrotto MT057C3 057 Carbon Fiber Tripod 3 Sections (Payload 18kgs). Manfrotto MH057M0-RC4 057 Magnesium Ball Head with RC4 Quick Release (Payload 15kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 410PL-14.Jessops Tripod bag. Optech Tripod Strap.Digi-Chip 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag. Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit.

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LATITUDE: N 51d 21m 52.12s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 11m 48.35s

ALTITUDE: 48.0m

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED FILE: 16.50MB

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Processing power:

HP Pavillion Desktop with AMD A10-5700 APU processor. HD graphics. 2TB with 8GB RAM. 64-bit Windows 8.1. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. Nikon VIEWNX2 Version 2.90 64bit. Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit

Catalog #: 10_0009150

Date: 1960

Title: Convair/General Dynamics Atlas

Corporation Name: Convair/General Dynamics

Additional Information: Payload Fit Checks for Atlas Able

Tags: Convair/General Dynamics Atlas, Payload Fit Checks for Atlas Able , 1960, Convair/General Dynamics

Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive

Catalog #: 10_0009142

Date: 1960

Title: Convair/General Dynamics Atlas

Corporation Name: Convair/General Dynamics

Additional Information: Payload Fit Checks for Atlas Able

Tags: Convair/General Dynamics Atlas, Payload Fit Checks for Atlas Able , 1960, Convair/General Dynamics

Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive

2014 Deming Logging Show

The gigantic C-5 Galaxy, with its tremendous payload capability, provides the Air Mobility Command airlift in support of United States national defense. The C-5 can carry fully equipped combat-ready military units to any point in the world on short notice and then provide field support required to help sustain the fighting force.

The C-5 is one of the largest aircraft in the world and the largest airlifter in the Air Force inventory. The C-5 can carry more than any other airlifter. It has the ability to carry 36 standard pallets and up to 81 troops simultaneously. The Galaxy also carries all of the Army's air-transportable combat equipment, including such bulky items as its 74-ton mobile scissors bridge from the United States to any theater of combat on the globe. It can also carry outsize and oversize cargo intercontinental ranges and can take off or land in relatively short distances. Ground crews are able to load and off-load the C-5 simultaneously at the front and rear cargo openings, reducing cargo transfer times. Other features of the C-5 are:

Able to operate on runways 6,000 feet long (1,829 meters)

Five landing gear totaling 28 wheels to distribute the weight.

Nose and aft doors that open the full width and height of the cargo compartment to permit faster and easier loading.

A "kneeling" landing gear system that permits lowering of the parked aircraft so the cargo floor is at truck-bed height or to facilitate vehicle loading and unloading.

Full width drive-on ramps at each end for loading double rows of vehicles.

A system that records and analyzes information and detects malfunctions in more than 800 test points.