Atlantis: The Grand Finale Photo Special at Launch Pad 39A Part 2, Ken Kremer, SpaceRef “It was both relentlessly breathtaking and surreal to find oneself at a historic crossroads – looking skywards from directly beneath the wings of the very last shuttle orbiter that will soon be orbiting Earth some two hundred miles overhead. NASA’s Space Shuttle’s are the most complex and magnificent machine built by humans, constructed with over […]
NASA’s Last Two Space Shuttle External Tanks Are Being Built at Michoud, Ken Kremer “The last two Space Shuttle External Tanks (ET’s) likely to be produced in history are entering their final closeout assembly operations at the NASA-owned Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans as the shuttle program draws ever closer to its looming retirement date, now reset to early 2011. These two final tanks are destined for the […]
Shuttle Era Extended to early 2011, Ken Kremer “The Era of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program will be extended by a few more months into early 2011, slightly staving off the retirement that had long been scheduled to occur by the end of 2010. Space Shuttle Program managers have submitted a formal new “change request” to move the launch target dates of the final two shuttle flights, STS 133 and STS […]
Orion Budget is Cut 20 Per Cent with 600 Jobs Eliminated and Progress Slowed, Ken Kremer “The impact of termination liability on the contract has necessitated a 20 percent reduction across the program within Lockheed Martin as well as our subcontractors and suppliers”, says Cleon Lacefield, Lockheed Martin vice president and Orion program manager. Lacefield told me that “Orion procurements are being reduced to allow work to continue within the […]
NASA’s First Lunar Orion Test Capsule Built, Ken Kremer “America’s first Lunar Test capsule for people since Project Apollo has just been welded into shape. This work finishes the structural framework of the pioneer Orion crew cabin – known as the Ground Test Article – or GTA, by a Lockheed Martin contractor team toiling away at the historic NASA-owned Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans, damaged during Hurricane Katrina.”
Altantis’ Final flight to loft Russian Science Beauty, Ken Kremer “Space Shuttle Atlantis is slated to blast off on her final scheduled mission to space on Friday, May 14 at 2:20 PM EDT from Launch Pad 39 A at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Atlantis is bound for the International Space Station (ISS) on a complex assembly mission to put the “finishing touches” on the massive orbiting outpost. […]