Tag: MAF
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Third SLS STA headed to Marshall as limited work continues during NASA shutdown
Just prior to expiration of U.S. federal government funding for NASA on December 21, the third of four structural test articles (STA) for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) left the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans on its way by barge to the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, for testing in…
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Boeing, NASA managing SLS Core Stage hardware traffic ahead of first vehicle stacking
A traffic jam of NASA Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage hardware that needs to be assembled is building at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Building (MAF) in New Orleans. Completed subsections of the first vehicle and structural test articles (STA) are lining up to be put together at the same time as structures for the second…
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Boeing team challenges focusing SLS Engine Section work
The Boeing team is working to finish the integration of the first engine section element of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage by focusing its efforts in short-term team challenges. Boeing management recently challenged the team at Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans to complete packages of major work items within a few weeks.…
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Boeing finishes SLS LOX tank foam work, recovering from tube contamination issues
Prime contractor Boeing recently completed Thermal Protection System (TPS) applications on the liquid oxygen (LOX) tank for Core Stage-1 (CS-1), the first NASA Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage. The cryogenic propellant tank was moved out of Cell N at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans on June 20, where spray-on foam insulation…
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Pegasus ships latest SLS test article to NASA Marshall for key tests
After a week and a half long river trip on Pegasus, the second of four Core Stage structural test articles (STA) arrived at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to start final preparations for a series of structural tests planned to begin this Summer. The Space Launch System (SLS) Program completed construction of…
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NASA, Boeing rewriting the book on building the SLS Core Stage
NASA and Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage prime contractor Boeing are making progress building their first vehicle, learning how to put it together and rewriting the assembly instructions on the fly. The major elements of Core Stage-1 (CS-1) and its companion structural test articles (STA) are being built up in work areas at the…
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Constructing the crewed Orion – EM-2 spacecraft deep into welding operations
Construction of the living and working area for the first crewed Orion spacecraft is well underway at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans. Building on lessons learned from previous construction, Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin has already completed four of the seven welds necessary to assemble the crew module pressure vessel. Current schedules call…
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Protecting SLS from Fire and Ice – TPS foam application proceeding at MAF
NASA and prime contractor Boeing are deep into the application of spray-on foam insulation (SOFI) to elements of the first Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage (CS-1) and their sister test articles, inaugurating one of the later stages of production at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans, with hopes of completing final assembly…
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MAF simulating SLS engine installation with RS-25 pathfinder
Engineers at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans are using a pathfinder RS-25 engine to practice the installation of engines on the Core Stage of the Space Launch System (SLS). Each core will receive four RS-25s, which are currently undergoing test firings at the Stennis Space Center, ahead of a path that will see…
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Piecing together NASA’s crewed Deep Space spacecraft
The first Orion spacecraft that will be capable of transporting NASA astronauts into deep space is now being constructed. Although it won’t launch until 2022 at the earliest, the Exploration Mission -2 (EM-2) Orion structural pieces are being constructed and readied at AMRO in California ahead of a trip to the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in…