Tag: ET
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ET-94: Fate unknown for the last remaining External Tank at MAF
The last External Tank, known as ET-94, has been moved into Building 103 – known as the “thru aisle” – at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF), with its ultimate fate hanging in the balance. The tank – which was previous in storage inside MAF’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) – played a key role in the…
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SLS to be robust in the face of scrubs, launch delays and pad stays
The new Space Launch System (SLS) will be able to cope with a minimum of 13 scrubs – or cryo cycles – and remain happily at the launch pad for a minimum of 180 days, according to the latest technical overview document. This robust design approach will assist SLS in being able to deal with…
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MAF goes Hollywood as movie teams utilize the facility’s once-busy expanses
In what is a sobering reality of the Space Shuttle Program’s end, the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) is now being filled with the sound of clapperboards, as opposed to the noise of space hardware being constructed. Numerous major movie studios are taking advantage of what are now large empty expanses inside the New Orleans facility.…
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Boeing complete SLS Pathfinder Tank as MAF ET operations end
While the political side of the Space Launch System (SLS) continues to be bogged down by delays and arguments, the engineering side of the vehicle is picking up, most notably on the core stage. With Boeing’s “Pathfinder” tank completed ahead of schedule, External Tank tooling is being unwrapped for checks, ironically as ET operations officially…
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STS-135: ET camera functions through ascent – no usable video of reentry
Providing stunning images of the grand finale of the Shuttle Program, the External Tank (ET) camera on ET-138 concluded a 22-flight legacy – beaming back images of the tank’s performance through ascent. However, a camera modification was ultimately unsuccessful in transmitting much more than static footage of the tank as it tumbled into Earth’s atmosphere for its…
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STS-135: Engineers retest MFV – ET-138 stringer inspections completed
Following its replacement on Atlantis’ SSME-3 (Space Shuttle Main Engine), the new Main Fuel Valve (MFV) underwent testing at Pad 39A – with a slight delay to its completion due to a hydraulic leak – aimed at providing confidence the hardware will perform as required during the launch countdown. Meanwhile, inspections on ET-138’s stringers have been completed…
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STS-135: Atlantis completes TCDT – External Tank death camera ready
With her team ably dealing with the usual pad flow hiccups, Atlantis is heading towards her July 8 launch date with no major issues, with the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) completed on Thursday. While inspections continue on the numerous stringers on Atlantis’ External Tank (ET-138), work on the camera modification – designed to film…
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STS-135: Atlantis completes TCDT – External Tank death camera ready
With her team ably dealing with the usual pad flow hiccups, Atlantis is heading towards her July 8 launch date with no major issues, with the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) completed on Thursday. While inspections continue on the numerous stringers on Atlantis’ External Tank (ET-138), work on the camera modification – designed to film…
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STS-135: ET-138 Tanking Test reveals SSME Fuel Valve issue
Atlantis’ External Tank (ET-138) was put through a Tanking Test on Wednesday, slightly delayed due to a lightning storm which passed over the the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The test – which is checking the health of the tank’s LO2 stringers – is showing positive signs, although a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME-3) Main Fuel…
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STS-135: Atlantis and ET-138 preparing for Wednesday’s Tanking Test
Interrupting a nominal pad flow, engineers are set to begin S0037 operations – otherwise known as a tanking test – on Monday, ahead of tanking of External Tank ET-138 on Wednesday. The test will check the health of the tank’s intertank stringers, following the issue of cracks being found in the related ET-137, after STS-133’s…