On May 6, work began to offload the remaining Delta IV Heavy flight hardware from the Delta Mariner barge for the upcoming Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) of NASAs Orion spacecraft in December. The rockets second stage, the port booster and the spacecraft adapter arrived at Port Canaveral in Florida on May 4. The second stage and the spacecraft adapter were offloaded and then transported to the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) at Space Launch Complex 37 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The port booster was offloaded and transported to the HIF on May 7. At the HIF, all three booster stages are being processed and checked out prior to being moved to the nearby launch pad and hoisted into position. The spacecraft adapter will connect to NASA’s Orion Spacecraft to the United Launch Alliance Delta IV and also will connect Orion to NASAs new rocket, NASAs Space Launch System (SLS), on its first mission in 2017. The adapter for EFT-1 was completed in Feb. at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center and delivered to United Launch Alliance During the EFT-1, an Orion will travel farther into space than any spacecraft built for humans has gone in more than 40 years. The data gathered during the flight will influence design decisions, validate existing computer models and innovative new approaches to space systems development, as well as reduce overall mission risks and costs for later Orion flights. For more information on EFT-1 visit: 1.usa.gov/MgyKtV
Posted on: Thu, 08 May 2014 13:44:24 +0000
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