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Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes are being used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the first half of the J-level work platforms for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is lifted by crane for installation in High Bay 3. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson
At NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians position an S-band antenna on its support pedestal. The antenna will provide a crucial tracking capability following liftoff of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The S-band portion of the microwave spectrum combines command, voice and television signals though a single antenna.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Christopher Di Taranto, a member of the mechanical structures engineering team on the Jacobs Test and Operations Contract, stands in front of an Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) mockup during the Space Launch System avionics handling tool demonstration inside Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on April 4, 2019. The demonstration showed that avionics boxes could be successfully mounted into the SLS rocket’s upper stage safely, and with low risk of damaging a closely located hydrazine tank. Avionics boxes include the Inertial Navigation and Control Assembly and flight batteries. Di Taranto led a team to quickly resolve a non-conformance issue with the tool. NASA/Cory Huston
Engineers and technicians with Jacobs Engineering on the Test and Operations Contract monitor the progress as a crane is used to move one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. At far right, the first pathfinder booster segment has been secured in the vertical position on a test stand. Inside the RPSF, the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs will prepare the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Bill White
The left hand aft skirt for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is transported across the Roy D. Bridges Bridge from the Hangar AF facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, on its way to the Booster Fabrication Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center. The space shuttle-era aft skirt, was inspected, resurfaced, primed and painted for use on the left hand booster of the SLS rocket for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1). NASA is preparing for EM-1, deep-space missions, and the journey to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
The engine vertical installer for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) arrives inside the Vehicle Assembly at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 25, 2019. The engine installer arrived from the manufacturer, Precision Fabrication and Cleaning in Canaveral Groves, Florida. The new ground support equipment will be ready for preflight processing in the event one of the four RS-25 engines on the core stage of the SLS rocket needs to be replaced. During launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft, the four core stage engines will provide the thrust needed to lift the rocket and Orion spacecraft off Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy for Exploration Mission-1. The uncrewed Orion will travel on a three-week test mission thousands of miles beyond the Moon and back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston
At NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians position an S-band antenna on its support pedestal. The antenna will provide a crucial tracking capability following liftoff of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The S-band portion of the microwave spectrum combines command, voice and television signals though a single antenna.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
NASA Flight Systems Engineer Sherild Rivera Melendez takes notes during the Space Launch System avionics handling tool demonstration inside Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on April 4, 2019. The demonstration showed that avionics boxes could be successfully and safely mounted into the SLS rocket’s upper stage — called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, or ICPS — with low risk of damaging a closely located hydrazine tank. Avionics boxes include the Inertial Navigation and Control Assembly and flight batteries. Rivera Melendez coordinated multiple human factors teams, focusing on life cycle reviews and impact risks during installation of the avionics. NASA/Cory Huston
Lockheed Martin technicians at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, complete the final weld on the pressure vessel of the Orion crew module for Exploration Mission-2, the first flight of Orion with astronauts which will carry them farther into the solar system than ever before.
At the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media watch as cranes are used to lift one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, are preparing the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Bill White
Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the first half of the J-level work platforms for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is lifted by crane for installation in High Bay 3. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson
Members of the news media view the high bay inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Kerry Chreist, with Jacobs Engineering on the Test and Operations Support Contract, explains the various test stands and how they will be used to prepare booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. In the far corner, in the vertical position, is one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for the SLS rocket. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs are preparing the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Bill White
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a radome is being prepared for installation over an S-band antenna designed to provide a crucial tracking capability following liftoff of the agency's Space Launch System rocket. A radome is a weatherproof structural enclosure designed to protect an antenna or radar system and is constructed of material that interferes minimally with the electromagnetic signal transmitted or received. The S-band portion of the microwave spectrum combines voice, television, telemetry, command, tracking and ranging into a single system.
Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
Lockheed Martin technicians at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, complete the final weld on the pressure vessel of the Orion crew module for Exploration Mission-2, the first flight of Orion with astronauts which will carry them farther into the solar system than ever before.
Inside the Booster Fabrication Facility (BFF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media view the right-hand aft skirt that will be used on a solid rocket booster for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Orbital ATK is contractor for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and operates the BFF to prepare aft booster segments and hardware for the SLS solid rocket boosters. At far right, in the royal blue shirt, Rick Serfozo, Orbital ATK Florida site director, talks to the media. The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will launch on Exploration Mission-1 in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is preparing the infrastructure to process and launch spacecraft for deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Bill White
Members of the news media view forward booster segments (painted green) for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket boosters inside the Booster Fabrication Facility (BFF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orbital ATK is a contractor for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and operates the BFF to prepare aft booster segments and hardware for the SLS rocket boosters. The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will launch on Exploration Mission-1 in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is preparing the infrastructure to process and launch spacecraft for deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Bill White
At the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media photograph the process as cranes are used to lift one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, are preparing the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Bill White
During a media tour of the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, two cranes are used to lift one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket into the vertical position. The pathfinder booster segment will be moved to the other end of the RPSF and secured on a test stand. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will prepare the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Bill White
The left hand aft skirt for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is prepared for the move from the Hangar AF facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, to the Booster Fabrication Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center. The space shuttle-era aft skirt, was inspected, resurfaced, primed and painted for use on the left hand booster of the SLS rocket for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1). NASA is preparing for EM-1, deep-space missions, and the journey to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a radome is being prepared for installation over an S-band antenna designed to provide a crucial tracking capability following liftoff of the agency's Space Launch System rocket. A radome is a weatherproof structural enclosure designed to protect an antenna or radar system and is constructed of material that interferes minimally with the electromagnetic signal transmitted or received. The S-band portion of the microwave spectrum combines voice, television, telemetry, command, tracking and ranging into a single system.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a radome is being prepared for installation over an S-band antenna designed to provide a crucial tracking capability following liftoff of the agency's Space Launch System rocket. A radome is a weatherproof structural enclosure designed to protect an antenna or radar system and is constructed of material that interferes minimally with the electromagnetic signal transmitted or received. The S-band portion of the microwave spectrum combines voice, television, telemetry, command, tracking and ranging into a single system.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a radome is being prepared for installation over an S-band antenna designed to provide a crucial tracking capability following liftoff of the agency's Space Launch System rocket. A radome is a weatherproof structural enclosure designed to protect an antenna or radar system and is constructed of material that interferes minimally with the electromagnetic signal transmitted or received. The S-band portion of the microwave spectrum combines voice, television, telemetry, command, tracking and ranging into a single system.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
At NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians lift an S-band antenna for mounting on its support pedestal. The antenna will provide a crucial tracking capability following liftoff of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The S-band portion of the microwave spectrum combines command, voice and television signals though a single antenna.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Lockheed Martin technicians at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, complete the final weld on the pressure vessel of the Orion crew module for Exploration Mission-2, the first flight of Orion with astronauts which will carry them farther into the solar system than ever before.
During a media tour of the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, two cranes are used to lift one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. At far right, the first pathfinder booster has been lifted into the vertical position and secured on a test stand. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs Engineering, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, will prepare the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Bill White
Members of the news media view the high bay inside the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Kerry Chreist, with Jacobs Engineering on the Test and Operations Support Contract, talks with a reporter about the booster segments for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. In the far corner, in the vertical position, is one of two pathfinders, or test versions, of solid rocket booster segments for the SLS rocket. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program and Jacobs are preparing the booster segments, which are inert, for a series of lifts, moves and stacking operations to prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Bill White
Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes are being used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, check bolt fittings as they practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes are being used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a radome is being prepared for installation over an S-band antenna designed to provide a crucial tracking capability following liftoff of the agency's Space Launch System rocket. A radome is a weatherproof structural enclosure designed to protect an antenna or radar system and is constructed of material that interferes minimally with the electromagnetic signal transmitted or received. The S-band portion of the microwave spectrum combines voice, television, telemetry, command, tracking and ranging into a single system.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Robert Cook, a launch vehicle engineer with Millennium Engineering and Integration, talks during the Space Launch System (SLS) avionics handling tool demonstration inside Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on April 4, 2019. The demonstration showed that avionics boxes could be successfully and safely mounted into the SLS rocket’s upper stage — called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, or ICPS — with low risk of damaging a closely located hydrazine tank. Avionics boxes include the Inertial Navigation and Control Assembly and flight batteries. Cook designed the ICPS section mockup used in the exercise. NASA/Cory Huston
A Space Launch System (SLS) avionics handling tool demonstration takes place inside Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on April 4, 2019. The demonstration showed that avionics boxes could be successfully and safely mounted into the SLS rocket’s upper stage — called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, or ICPS — with low risk of damaging a closely located hydrazine tank. Avionics boxes include the Inertial Navigation and Control Assembly and flight batteries. The actual installation will take place just weeks before NASA’s SLS rocket and uncrewed Orion spacecraft lift off on Exploration Mission-1 from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy. NASA/Cory Huston
Lockheed Martin technicians at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, complete the final weld on the pressure vessel of the Orion crew module for Exploration Mission-2, the first flight of Orion with astronauts which will carry them farther into the solar system than ever before.
Lockheed Martin technicians at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, complete the final weld on the pressure vessel of the Orion crew module for Exploration Mission-2, the first flight of Orion with astronauts which will carry them farther into the solar system than ever before.
The 2017 class of astronaut candidates pause for a group photograph inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay during a familiarization tour at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The candidates toured center facilities, including the Vehicle Assembly Building, Launch Control Center, Launch Pad 39B and the Space Station Processing Facility. They also toured Boeing's Commercial Crew and Cargo Facility, United Launch Alliance's Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and SpaceX's Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy. The candidates will spend about two years getting to know the space station systems and learning how to spacewalk, speak Russian, control the International Space Station's robotic arm and fly T-38s, before they're eligible to be assigned to a mission. NASA/Kim Shiflett
The right hand aft skirt for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket has been refurbished and painted and is in a drying cell in a support building at the Hangar AF facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The space shuttle-era aft skirt will be used on the right hand booster of the SLS for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1). NASA is preparing for EM-1, deep space missions, and the Journey to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
The left hand aft skirt for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is prepared for the move from the Hangar AF facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, to the Booster Fabrication Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center. The space shuttle-era aft skirt, was inspected, resurfaced, primed and painted for use on the left hand booster of the SLS rocket for Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1). NASA is preparing for EM-1, deep-space missions, and the journey to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the first half of the J-level work platforms for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is lifted by crane for installation in High Bay 3. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a radome is being prepared for installation over an S-band antenna designed to provide a crucial tracking capability following liftoff of the agency's Space Launch System rocket. A radome is a weatherproof structural enclosure designed to protect an antenna or radar system and is constructed of material that interferes minimally with the electromagnetic signal transmitted or received. The S-band portion of the microwave spectrum combines voice, television, telemetry, command, tracking and ranging into a single system.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
A Space Launch System (SLS) avionics handling tool demonstration takes place inside Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on April 4, 2019. The demonstration showed that avionics boxes could be successfully and safely mounted into the SLS rocket’s upper stage — called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, or ICPS — with low risk of damaging a closely located hydrazine tank. Avionics boxes include the Inertial Navigation and Control Assembly and flight batteries. The actual installation will take place just weeks before NASA’s SLS rocket and uncrewed Orion spacecraft lift off on Exploration Mission-1 from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy. NASA/Cory Huston
Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes are being used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
Jacobs technicians, on the Test and Operations Support Contract, practice crane operations with an inert booster rocket segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility on June 22, 2018, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dual cranes are being used to move the segment from vertical to horizontal, a maneuver known as a "breakover rotation." As part of routine processing operations for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the RPSF team will receive all of the solid rocket fuel segments for inspection and preparation prior to transporting them to the Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking on the mobile launcher. Many pathfinding operations are being done to prepare for launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft on Exploration Mission-1 and deep space missions. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
When Cody Jones graduated with a degree in communication arts from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) in 2011, he had no idea what he was supposed to do next.
“I graduated with my degree in a place named the Rocket City, but I never imagined myself as someone who would work with rockets,” Jones said.
However, a professor saw Cody’s potential and suggested he apply for an internship working as a payload communicator in the International Space Station Payload Operations and Integration Center at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Although the position was intended for someone with a technical background, Jones’ communication skills, persistence, and willingness to learn about the aerospace industry got him the job and helped make him successful in that initial role. It led him to his current one as project manager for the ICPS (interim cryogenic propulsion stage) for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Program, which is managed by Marshall, and will help NASA land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis.
The ICPS, produced by Boeing and United Launch Alliance, is the in-space propulsion stage of the SLS rocket for the first three Artemis missions. Its single RL10 engine, made by lead SLS engines contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne, produces more than 24,750 pounds of thrust to help send Orion and its crew on their journey to the Moon. During the successful Artemis I test flight in 2022, the ICPS propelled NASA's Orion spacecraft toward the Moon after the rocket's core stage and solid rocket boosters were spent. The stage will help play a critical role during Artemis III, which will land astronauts on the surface of the Moon, by giving Orion the big propulsive boost needed to break free from Earth orbit and venture toward the Moon.
Image credit: United Launch Alliance
#NASA #NASAMarshall #sls #spacelaunchsystem #nasasls #exploration #rocket #artemis #ArtemisIII #ICPS #astronauts #RocketScience #ICPS #Moon
NASA's Super Guppy aircraft prepares to touch down at the Shuttle Landing Facility at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Super Guppy is carrying the Orion Stage Adapter (OSA), the second flight-hardware section of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that has arrived at Kennedy. The OSA will connect the Orion spacecraft to the upper part of the SLS rocket, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Both the OSA and ICPS are being stored for processing in the center's Space Station Processing Facility in preparation for Exploration Mission-1, the first uncrewed, integrated launch of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. . Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Meeting in the Launch Control Center of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, officials of the agency's Spacecraft/Payload Integration and Evolution (SPIE) organization formally turn over processing of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) to the center's Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) directorate. The ICPS is the first integrated piece of flight hardware to arrive in preparation for the uncrewed Exploration Mission-1. With the Orion attached, the ICPS sits atop the SLS rocket and will provide the spacecraft with the additional thrust needed to travel tens of thousands of miles beyond the Moon.
Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston
The right-hand aft skirt, one part of the aft booster assembly for NASA’s Space Launch System solid rocket boosters, is in view in a processing cell inside the Booster Fabrication Facility (BFF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orbital ATK is a contractor for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and operates the BFF to prepare aft booster segments and hardware for the SLS rocket boosters. The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will launch on Exploration Mission-1 in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is preparing the infrastructure to process and launch spacecraft for deep-space missions and the journey to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Bill White
NASA's Super Guppy aircraft touches down at the Shuttle Landing Facility at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Super Guppy is carrying the Orion Stage Adapter (OSA), the second flight-hardware section of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that has arrived at Kennedy. The OSA will connect the Orion spacecraft to the upper part of the SLS rocket, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Both the OSA and ICPS are being stored for processing in the center's Space Station Processing Facility in preparation for Exploration Mission-1, the first uncrewed, integrated launch of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. . Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Lockheed Martin technicians at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, complete the final weld on the pressure vessel of the Orion crew module for Exploration Mission-2, the first flight of Orion with astronauts which will carry them farther into the solar system than ever before.
Lockheed Martin technicians at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, complete the final weld on the pressure vessel of the Orion crew module for Exploration Mission-2, the first flight of Orion with astronauts which will carry them farther into the solar system than ever before.