CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the mobile launcher (ML) is being prepared for its move aboard a crawler-transporter from next to Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B, a distance of 4.2 miles. Data on the ML will be collected from structural and functional engineering tests and used for the next phases of construction. The 355-foot-tall ML, which took about two years to construct, is being modified to support NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), the heavy-lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. SLS will also create high-quality jobs here at home, and provide the cornerstone for America's future human space exploration efforts. For more information on SLS, visit http://www.nasa.gov/sls. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-7780

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View from Helicopter of STS-128 Discovery in Mate-Demate Device (MDD)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Towering atop the mobile launcher platform and crawler transporter, Space Shuttle Discovery rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building on its way to Launch Pad 39B which is 4.2 miles (6.8 kilometers) away. While at the pad, the orbiter, external tank and solid rocket boosters will undergo final preparations for the STS-103 launch targeted for Dec. 6, 1999, at 2:37 a.m. EST. The mission is a "call-up" due to the need to replace portions of the pointing system the gyros which have begun to fail on the Hubble Space Telescope. Although Hubble is operating normally and conducting its scientific observations, only three of its six gyroscopes are working properly. The gyroscopes allow the telescope to point at stars, galaxies and planets. The STS-103 crew will also be installing a Fine Guidance Sensor, a new enhanced computer, a solid-state digital recorder, and a new spare transmitter to replace older equipment, and replacing degraded insulation on the telescope with new thermal insulation. The crew will also install a Battery Voltage/Temperature Improvement Kit to protect the spacecraft batteries from overcharging and overheating when the telescope goes into a safe mode. Four EVA's are planned to make the necessary repairs and replacements on the telescope. Comprising the STS-103 crew are Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, Mission Specialist Steven L. Smith, Mission Specialist C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), Mission Specialist John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), Mission Specialist Claude Nicollier of Switzerland, with the European Space Agency, and Mission Specialist Jean-François Clervoy of France, with the European Space Agency KSC-99padig031

The ML is put onto Crawler Transporter in Preparation for Move to Pad 39B 2011-7780

A-3 Test Stand. NASA public domain image colelction.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mobile Launcher Platform-1, on top of the crawler-transporter, reaches the top of Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The MLP has been handed over to the Constellation Program for its future use for the Ares I-X flight test in the summer of 2009. Ares I-X is the test vehicle for the Ares I, which is part of the Constellation Program to return men to the moon and beyond. Ground Control System hardware was installed in MLP-1 in December 2008. The MLP is being moved to the launch pad to check out the installed hardware with the Launch Control Center Firing Room 1 equipment, using the actual circuits that will be used when the fully stacked Ares I-X vehicle is rolled out later this year for launch. Following this testing, MLP-1 will be moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 to begin stacking, or assembling, Ares I-X. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett KSC-2009-2296

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the rotating service structure (RSS) on Launch Pad 39B is being dismantled. Starting in 2009, the structure at the pad was no longer needed for NASA's Space Shuttle Program, so it is being restructured for future use. The new design will feature a "clean pad" for rockets to come with their own launcher, making it more versatile for a number of vehicles. For information on NASA's future plans, visit www.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller KSC-2010-5294

Kim Shiflett KSC-2011-7780

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Summary

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the mobile launcher (ML) is being prepared for its move aboard a crawler-transporter from next to Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B, a distance of 4.2 miles. Data on the ML will be collected from structural and functional engineering tests and used for the next phases of construction. The 355-foot-tall ML, which took about two years to construct, is being modified to support NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), the heavy-lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. SLS will also create high-quality jobs here at home, and provide the cornerstone for America's future human space exploration efforts. For more information on SLS, visit http://www.nasa.gov/sls. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

date_range

Date

15/11/2011

place

Location

Launch Complex 39B, Florida

create

Source

NASA

link

Link

https://images.nasa.gov/

Public Domain Dedication (CC0)

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