|
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
…
8/5/99
| Date |
8/5/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, a radar antenna, part of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), is nestled in the cargo bay of the orbiter Endeavour just before door closure. SRTM is the primary payload on mission STS- 99, scheduled to launch Sept. 16 at 8:47 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A. A specially modified radar system, the SRTM will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM will make use of radar interferometry, wherein two radar images are taken from slightly different locations. Differences between these images allow for the calculation of surface elevation, or change. The SRTM hardware consists of one radar antenna in the shuttle payload bay and a second radar antenna attached to the end of a mast extended 60 meters (195 feet) out from the shuttle. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
…
8/5/99
| Date |
8/5/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, a radar antenna, part of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), is ready to be stored in the payload bay of the orbiter Endeavour before door closure. SRTM is the primary payload on mission STS-99, scheduled to launch Sept. 16 at 8:47 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A. A specially modified radar system, the SRTM will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM will make use of radar interferometry, wherein two radar images are taken from slightly different locations. Differences between these images allow for the calculation of surface elevation, or change. The SRTM hardware consists of one radar antenna in the shuttle payload bay and a second radar antenna attached to the end of a mast extended 60 meters (195 feet) out from the shuttle. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
…
8/5/99
| Date |
8/5/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, a radar antenna, part of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), is stored in the payload bay of the orbiter Endeavour before door closure. SRTM is the primary payload on mission STS- 99, scheduled to launch Sept. 16 at 8:47 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 39A. A specially modified radar system, the SRTM will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM will make use of radar interferometry, wherein two radar images are taken from slightly different locations. Differences between these images allow for the calculation of surface elevation, or change. The SRTM hardware consists of one radar antenna in the shuttle payload bay and a second radar antenna attached to the end of a mast extended 60 meters (195 feet) out from the shuttle. SRTM is an international project spearheaded by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and NASA, with participation of the German Aerospace Center DLR. |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
…
8/18/99
| Date |
8/18/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the center of orbiter Endeavour's payload bay is the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), being prepared for transfer out of the orbiter to a payload canister. The payload on mission STS-99, SRTM is being removed to allow technicians access to the orbiter's midbody for planned wiring inspections. Endeavour is in the Orbiter Processing Facility. The entire fleet of orbiters is being inspected for wiring abrasions after the problem was first discovered in Columbia. Shuttle managers are reviewing several manifest options and could establish new target launch dates for the balance of 1999 next week. Shuttle Endeavour currently remains slated for launch in early October. |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
…
8/18/99
| Date |
8/18/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers inside orbiter Endeavour's payload bay observe as an overhead crane maneuvers to lift the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) for its transfer out of the orbiter to a payload canister. The payload on mission STS-99, SRTM is being removed to allow technicians access to the orbiter's midbody for planned wiring inspections. Endeavour is in the Orbiter Processing Facility. The entire fleet of orbiters is being inspected for wiring abrasions after the problem was first discovered in Columbia. Shuttle managers are reviewing several manifest options and could establish new target launch dates for the balance of 1999 next week. Shuttle Endeavour currently remains slated for launch in early October. |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
…
8/18/99
| Date |
8/18/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Inside orbiter Endeavour's payload bay, a crane lifts the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) for its transfer out of the orbiter to a payload canister. The payload on mission STS-99, SRTM is being removed to allow technicians access to the orbiter's midbody for planned wiring inspections. Endeavour is in the Orbiter Processing Facility. The entire fleet of orbiters is being inspected for wiring abrasions after the problem was first discovered in Columbia. Shuttle managers are reviewing several manifest options and could establish new target launch dates for the balance of 1999 next week. Shuttle Endeavour currently remains slated for launch in early October. |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
…
8/18/99
| Date |
8/18/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Inside orbiter Endeavour's payload bay, a crane lifts the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) clear of the orbiter for transfer to a payload canister. The payload on mission STS-99, SRTM is being removed to allow technicians access to the orbiter's midbody for planned wiring inspections. Endeavour is in the Orbiter Processing Facility. The entire fleet of orbiters is being inspected for wiring abrasions after the problem was first discovered in Columbia. Shuttle managers are reviewing several manifest options and could establish new target launch dates for the balance of 1999 next week. Shuttle Endeavour currently remains slated for launch in early October. |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -
…
8/18/99
| Date |
8/18/99 |
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility, workers observe as an overhead crane lowers the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) into a payload canister. The payload on mission STS-99, SRTM was removed from orbiter Endeavour's payload bay to allow technicians access to the orbiter's midbody for planned wiring inspections. The entire fleet of orbiters is being inspected for wiring abrasions after the problem was first discovered in Columbia. Shuttle managers are reviewing several manifest options and could establish new target launch dates for the balance of 1999 next week. Shuttle Endeavour currently remains slated for launch in early October. |
|
Aerial View of Launch Comple
…
| Title |
Aerial View of Launch Complex 39 |
| Full Description |
An aerial view of the Launch Complex 39 area shows the Vehicle Assembly Building (center), with the Launch Control Center on its right. On the west side (lower end) are (left to right) the Orbiter Processing Facility, Process Control Center and Operations Support Building. Looking east (upper end) are Launch Pads 39A (right) and 39B (just above the VAB). The crawlerway stretches between the VAB and the launch pads toward the Atlantic Ocean, seen beyond them. At right is the turning basin where new external tanks are brought via ship. |
| Date |
10/14/1999 |
| NASA Center |
Kennedy Space Center |
|
Discovery External Tank Conn
…
| Title |
Discovery External Tank Connection Check |
| Full Description |
In the Vehicle Assembly Building, Ken Strite, NASA Quality Control, inspects the connection between Space Shuttle Discovery and the external tank that will be used to launch mission STS-103 in early December. This 10 day mission is designed to replace aging parts on the nine year old Hubble Space Telescope and to upgrade some of its functioning systems. During the flight, the astronaut crew will replace all six of the observatory's gyroscopes, a fine guidance sensor, its main computer, and other equipment. |
| Date |
11/5/1999 |
| NASA Center |
Kennedy Space Center |
|
STS-93 Payload Bay Door Clos
…
| Title |
STS-93 Payload Bay Door Closure |
| Full Description |
At Launch Pad 39B, the Space Shuttle Columbia's payload bay doors close around the Chandra X-ray Observatory inside, while workers monitor the activity. Chandra is the primary payload on mission STS-93, scheduled to launch aboard Columbia July 20 at 12:36 a.m. EDT. The combined Chandra/Inertial Upper Stage, seen here, measures 57 feet long and weighs 50,162 pounds. Fully deployed with solar arrays extended, the observatory measures 45.3 feet long and 64 feet wide. The world's most powerful X-ray telescope, Chandra will allow scientists from around the world to see previously invisible black holes and high-temperature gas clouds, giving the observatory the potential to rewrite the books on the structure and evolution of our universe. |
| Date |
7/17/1999 |
| NASA Center |
Kennedy Space Center |
|
STS-93 Rollover
| Title |
STS-93 Rollover |
| Full Description |
The orbiter Columbia, aboard its orbiter transporter system, rolls toward the opening in the Vehicle Assembly Building where it will undergo external tank mating operations. Columbia is scheduled for rollout to Launch Pad 39B on Monday, June 7, for mission STS-93. The primary mission objective will be the deployment of the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility, recently renamed the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. Mission STS-93 will be the first Space Shuttle commanded by a woman, Commander Eileen M. Collins. It is scheduled to launch July 22 at 12:27 a.m. EDT although that date is currently under review. |
| Date |
6/2/1999 |
| NASA Center |
Kennedy Space Center |
|
| Photo Description |
Following initial captive flight tests last year at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, the X-34 technology demonstrator began a new series of tests last week in which it is being towed behind a semi-truck and released to coast on the Edwards dry lakebed. On July 20, 2000, it was towed and released twice at speeds of five and 10 miles per hour. On July 24, 2000, it was towed and released twice at 10 and 30 miles per hour. Twelve tests are planned during which the X-34 will be towed for distances up to 10,000 feet and released at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. The test series is expected to last at least six weeks. |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
July 20, 2000 |
|
| Photo Description |
Following initial captive flight tests last year at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, the X-34 technology demonstrator began a new series of tests last week in which it is being towed behind a semi-truck and released to coast on the Edwards dry lakebed. On July 20, 2000, it was towed and released twice at speeds of five and 10 miles per hour. On July 24, 2000, it was towed and released twice at 10 and 30 miles per hour. Twelve tests are planned during which the X-34 will be towed for distances up to 10,000 feet and released at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. The test series is expected to last at least six weeks. |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
July 20, 2000 |
|
| Photo Description |
Following initial captive flight tests last year at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, the X-34 technology demonstrator began a new series of tests last week in which it is being towed behind a semi-truck and released to coast on the Edwards dry lakebed. On July 20, 2000, it was towed and released twice at speeds of five and 10 miles per hour. On July 24, 2000, it was towed and released twice at 10 and 30 miles per hour. Twelve tests are planned during which the X-34 will be towed for distances up to 10,000 feet and released at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. The test series is expected to last at least six weeks. |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
July 20, 2000 |
|
| Photo Description |
Following initial captive flight tests last year at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, the X-34 technology demonstrator began a new series of tests last week in which it is being towed behind a semi-truck and released to coast on the Edwards dry lakebed. On July 20, 2000, it was towed and released twice at speeds of five and 10 miles per hour. On July 24, 2000, it was towed and released twice at 10 and 30 miles per hour. Twelve tests are planned during which the X-34 will be towed for distances up to 10,000 feet and released at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. The test series is expected to last at least six weeks. |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
July 20, 2000 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
30 Apr 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
30 Apr 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
This is the X-34 Technology Testbed Demonstrator being delivered to NASA Dryden FRC. The X-34 will demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost resuable launch vehicles. |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
16 Apr 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
This is the X-34 Technology Testbed Demonstrator being mated with the L-1011 mothership. The X-34 will demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost resuable launch vehicles. |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
March 11, 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
30 Apr 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
This is the X-34 Technology Testbed Demonstrator being delivered to NASA Dryden FRC. The X-34 will demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost resuable launch vehicles. |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
16 Apr 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
This is the X-34 Technology Testbed Demonstrator being delivered to NASA Dryden FRC. The X-34 will demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost resuable launch vehicles. |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
16 Apr 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
30 Apr 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
30 Apr 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
This is the X-34 Technology Testbed Demonstrator being delivered to NASA Dryden FRC. The X-34 will demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost resuable launch vehicles. |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
30 Apr 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
30 Apr 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
This is the X-34 Technology Testbed Demonstrator being delivered to NASA Dryden FRC. The X-34 will demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost resuable launch vehicles. |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
16 Apr 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Project Description |
unknown |
| Photo Date |
30 Apr 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
30 Apr 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
April 16, 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
June 29, 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
June 29, 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
October 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
30 Apr 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
June 29, 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
unknown |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
October 1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
This is an artist concept of the X-34 Technology Testbed Demonstrator. The X-34 will demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost resuable launch vehicles. |
| Project Description |
The unpiloted X-34 is a technology testbed demonstrator that is designed to demonstrate key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future low-cost reusable launch vehicles. The vehicle structure is all-composite with a one-piece delta wing design. The vehicle is 58.3 feet long and has a 27.7-foot wingspan. The suborbital vehicle was designed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Virginia, and is powered by an oxygen and kerosene Fastrac engine that was designed and built by NASA?s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama. Fastrac is only the second American-made engine of the 29 engines developed in the last 25 years. The vehicle is designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to approximately 250,000 feet. Specific technologies built into the vehicle include composite structures, composite reusable propellant fuel tanks, an advanced thermal protection system, low-cost avionics, leading-edge tiles, and autonomous flight operation systems. The project?s goal is to reduce the cost of launching payloads into orbit from $10,000 per pound today to one of $1,000 per pound, thereby improving U.S. economic competitiveness. NASA and Orbital, using a small workforce, plan to demonstrate the ability to fly the X-34 every two weeks. The X-34 was expected in early 2000 to undergo testing in New Mexico, California, and Florida. The first of three X-34 vehicles, a structural test vehicle designated A-1, began captive-carry flights at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in June 1999. Technicians from Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, have assisted in upgrading the A-1 vehicle with structural modifications and integrating avionics, hydraulics, landing gear, and other hardware needed to turn it into a flight vehicle--now known as A-1A--for unpowered glide tests in New Mexico. Following a series of tow tests on the ground at Dryden, the X-34 A-1A will be used to conduct unpowered test flights at the U.S. Army?s White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to plans current in early 2000. This test series was expected to use Orbital?s L-1011 carrier aircraft to air-launch the X-34. Powered flights, using the second and third vehicle (designated A-2 and A-3 respectively), are scheduled to be conducted at the Dryden Flight Research Center, California, and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The X-34 vehicle A-3 was expected in early 2000 to be brought to Dryden for envelope expansion to the maximum capability of an approximate speed of Mach 8 and altitude of 250,000 feet. Plans called for A-3 to explore additional reusable launch vehicle technologies as carry-on experiments. Dryden?s project manger was Seunghee Lee as of early 2000. |
| Photo Date |
1999 |
|
| Photo Description |
One of NASA?s Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft flies over the Dryden Flight Research Center main building at Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards, California, in May 1999. |
| Project Description |
NASA uses two modified Boeing 747 jetliners, originally manufactured for commercial use, as Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). One is a 747-100 model, while the other is designated a 747-100SR (short range). The two aircraft are identical in appearance and in their performance as Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The 747 series of aircraft are four-engine intercontinental-range swept-wing "jumbo jets" that entered commercial service in 1969. The SCAs are used to ferry space shuttle orbiters from landing sites back to the launch complex at the Kennedy Space Center, and also to and from other locations too distant for the orbiters to be delivered by ground transportation. The orbiters are placed atop the SCAs by Mate-Demate Devices, large gantry-like structures which hoist the orbiters off the ground for post-flight servicing, and then mate them with the SCAs for ferry flights. Features which distinguish the two SCAs from standard 747 jetliners are: o Three struts, with associated interior structural strengthening, protruding from the top of the fuselage (two aft, one forward) on which the orbiter is attached o Two additional vertical stabilizers, one on each end of the standard horizontal stabilizer, to enhance directional stability o Removal of all interior furnishings and equipment aft of the forward No. 1 doors o Instrumentation used by SCA flight crews and engineers to monitor orbiter electrical loads during the ferry flights and also during pre- and post-ferry flight operations. The two SCAs are under the operational control of NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Tex. NASA 905 NASA 905 was the first SCA. It was obtained from American Airlines in 1974. Shortly after it was accepted by NASA it was flown in a series of wake vortex research flights at the Dryden Flight Research Center in a study to seek ways of reducing turbulence produced by large aircraft. Pilots flying as much as several miles behind large aircraft have encountered wake turbulence that have caused control problems. The NASA study helped the Federal Aviation Administration modify flight procedures for commercial aircraft during airport approaches and departures. Following the wake vortex studies, NASA 905 was modified by Boeing to its present SCA configuration and the aircraft was returned to Dryden for its role in the 1977 Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT). This series of eight captive and five free flights with the orbiter prototype Enterprise, in addition to ground taxi tests, validated the aircraft's performance as an SCA, in addition to verifying the glide and landing characteristics of the orbiter configuration -- paving the way for orbital flights. A flight crew escape system, consisting of an exit tunnel extending from the flight deck to a hatch in the bottom of the fuselage, was installed during the modifications. The system also included a pyrotechnic system to activate the hatch release and cabin window release mechanisms. The, flight crew escape system was removed from the NASA 905 following the successful completion of the ALT program. NASA 905 was the only SCA used by the space shuttle program until November 1990, when NASA 911 was delivered as an SCA. Along with ferrying Enterprise and the flight-rated orbiters between the launch and landing sites and other locations, NASA 905 also ferried Enterprise to Europe for display in England and at the Paris Air Show. NASA 911 The second SCA is designated NASA 911. It was obtained by NASA from Japan Airlines (JAL) in 1989. It was also modified by Boeing Corporation. It was delivered to NASA 20 November 1990. |
| Photo Date |
May 1999 |
|
Tenth Center Director David
…
| Name of Image |
Tenth Center Director David A. King |
| Date of Image |
1998-09-01 |
| Full Description |
Mr. David A. King has been named the tenth Director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Appointed to take Director's office June 15, 2003, King has been serving as Deputy Director of MSFC since November 2002. With 20 years experience in spacecraft and high-technology systems, Mr. King began his NASA career at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida in 1983 as a main propulsion system engineer. He later served as flow director for the Space Shuttle Discovery and then as the acting deputy director of the installation Operations Directorate. He was appointed deputy director of Shuttle Processing in 1996, Launch Director in 1997, and director of Shuttle Processing in 1999. |
|
Mir Space Station
| Name of Image |
Mir Space Station |
| Date of Image |
1995-11-01 |
| Full Description |
This image of the Russian Mir Space Station was photographed by a crewmember of the STS-74 mission when the Orbiter Atlantis was approaching the Mir Space Station. STS-74 was the second Space Shuttle/Mir docking mission. The Docking Module was delivered and installed, making it possible for the Space Shuttle to dock easily with Mir. The Orbiter Atlantis delivered water, supplies, and equipment, including two new solar arrays to upgrade the Mir, and returned to Earth with experiment samples, equipment for repair and analysis, and products manufactured on the Station. Mir was constructed in orbit by cornecting different modules, seperately launched from 1986 to 1996, providing a large and livable scientific laboratory in space. The 100-ton Mir was as big as six school buses and commonly housed three crewmembers. Mir was continuously occupied, except for two short periods, and hosted international scientists and American astronauts until August 1999. The journey of the 15-year-old Russian Mir Space Station ended March 23, 2001, as Mir re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and fell into the south Pacific ocean . STS-74 was launched on November 12, 1995, and landed at the Kennedy Space Center on November 20, 1995. |
|
Mir Space Station
| Name of Image |
Mir Space Station |
| Date of Image |
1995-11-01 |
| Full Description |
This fish-eye view of the Russian Mir Space Station was photographed by a crewmember of the STS-74 mission after the separation. The image shows the installed Docking Module at bottom. The Docking Module was delivered and installed, making it possible for the Space Shuttle to dock easily with Mir. The Orbiter Atlantis delivered water, supplies, and equipment, including two new solar arrays to upgrade the Mir, and returned to Earth with experiment samples, equipment for repair and analysis, and products manufactured on the Station. Mir was constructed in orbit by cornecting different modules, each launched separately from 1986 to 1996, providing a large and livable scientific laboratory in space. The 100-ton Mir was as big as six school buses and commonly housed three crewmembers. Mir was continuously occupied, except for two short periods, and hosted international scientists and American astronauts until August 1999. The journey of the 15-year-old Russian Mir Space Station ended March 23, 2001, as Mir re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and fell into the south Pacific ocean. STS-74 was the second Space Shuttle/Mir docking mission launched on November 12, 1995, and landed at the Kennedy Space Center on November 20, 1995. |
|
Chandra X-Ray Observatory in
…
| Name of Image |
Chandra X-Ray Observatory in Shuttle's Cargo Bay |
| Date of Image |
1999-01-01 |
| Full Description |
In this photograph, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO) was installed and mated to the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) inside the Shuttle Columbia's cargo bay at the Kennedy Space Center. The CXO will help astronomers world-wide better understand the structure and evolution of the universe by studying powerful sources of x-rays such as exploding stars, matter falling into black holes, and other exotic celestial objects. X-ray astronomy can only be done from space because Earth's atmosphere blocks x-rays from reaching the surface. The Observatory provides images that are 50 times more detailed than previous x-ray missions. At more than 45 feet in length and weighing more than 5 tons, the CXO was carried into low-Earth orbit by the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93 mission) on July 22, 1999. The Observatory was deployed from the Shuttle's cargo bay at 155 miles above the Earth. Two firings of an attached IUS rocket, and several firings of its own onboard rocket motors, after separating from the IUS, placed the Observatory into its working orbit. The IUS is a solid rocket used to place spacecraft into orbit or boost them away from the Earth on interplanetary missions. Since its first use by NASA in 1983, the IUS has supported a variety of important missions, such as the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, Galileo spacecraft, Magellan spacecraft, and Ulysses spacecraft. The IUS was built by the Boeing Aerospace Co., at Seattle, Washington and managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center. |
|
A crane is lowered over the
…
| Title |
A crane is lowered over the payload canister with the SRTM inside |
| Description |
A crane is lowered over the payload canister with the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) inside in Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) bay 2. The primary payload on STS-99, the SRTM will soon be lifted out of the canister and installed into the payload bay of the orbiter Endeavour. The SRTM consists of a specially modified radar system that will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled. SRTM will make use of radar interferometry, wherein two radar images are taken from slightly different locations. Differences between these images allow for the calculation of surface elevation. The SRTM hardware includes one radar antenna in the Shuttle payload bay and a second radar antenna attached to the end of a mast extended 60 meters (195 feet) from the shuttle. STS-99 is scheduled to launch Sept. 16 at 8:47 a.m. from Launch Pad 39A. |
| Date |
07.21.1999 |
|
One of NASA's Two Modified B
…
| Title |
One of NASA's Two Modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier (SCA) Aircraft in Flight over NASA Dryden Flig |
| Description |
One of NASA's Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft flies over the Dryden Flight Research Center main building at Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards, California, in May 1999. NASA uses two modified Boeing 747 jetliners, originally manufactured for commercial use, as Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). One is a 747-100 model, while the other is designated a 747-100SR (short range). The two aircraft are identical in appearance and in their performance as Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The 747 series of aircraft are four-engine intercontinental-range swept-wing "jumbo jets" that entered commercial service in 1969. The SCAs are used to ferry space shuttle orbiters from landing sites back to the launch complex at the Kennedy Space Center, and also to and from other locations too distant for the orbiters to be delivered by ground transportation. The orbiters are placed atop the SCAs by Mate-Demate Devices, large gantry-like structures which hoist the orbiters off the ground for post-flight servicing, and then mate them with the SCAs for ferry flights. Features which distinguish the two SCAs from standard 747 jetliners are: o Three struts, with associated interior structural strengthening, protruding from the top of the fuselage (two aft, one forward) on which the orbiter is attached o Two additional vertical stabilizers, one on each end of the standard horizontal stabilizer, to enhance directional stability o Removal of all interior furnishings and equipment aft of the forward No. 1 doors o Instrumentation used by SCA flight crews and engineers to monitor orbiter electrical loads during the ferry flights and also during pre- and post-ferry flight operations. The two SCAs are under the operational control of NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Tex. NASA 905 NASA 905 was the first SCA. It was obtained from American Airlines in 1974. Shortly after it was accepted by NASA it was flown in a series of wake vortex research flights at the Dryden Flight Research Center in a study to seek ways of reducing turbulence produced by large aircraft. Pilots flying as much as several miles behind large aircraft have encountered wake turbulence that have caused control problems. The NASA study helped the Federal Aviation Administration modify flight procedures for commercial aircraft during airport approaches and departures. Following the wake vortex studies, NASA 905 was modified by Boeing to its present SCA configuration and the aircraft was returned to Dryden for its role in the 1977 Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT). This series of eight captive and five free flights with the orbiter prototype Enterprise, in addition to ground taxi tests, validated the aircraft's performance as an SCA, in addition to verifying the glide and landing characteristics of the orbiter configuration -- paving the way for orbital flights. A flight crew escape system, consisting of an exit tunnel extending from the flight deck to a hatch in the bottom of the fuselage, was installed, during the modifications. The system also included a pyrotechnic system to activate the hatch release and cabin window release mechanisms. The flight crew escape system was removed from the NASA 905 following the successful completion of the ALT program. NASA 905 was the only SCA used by the space shuttle program until November 1990, when NASA 911 was delivered as an SCA. Along with ferrying Enterprise and the flight-rated orbiters between the launch and landing sites and other locations, NASA 905 also ferried Enterprise to Europe for display in England and at the Paris Air Show. NASA 911 The second SCA is designated NASA 911. It was obtained by NASA from Japan Airlines (JAL) in 1989. It was also modified by Boeing Corporation. It was delivered to NASA 20 November 1990. |
| Date |
05.01.1999 |
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Deep Space 1's ion engine
| Title |
Deep Space 1's ion engine |
| Description |
Kennedy Space Center, Florida. - Deep Space 1 is lifted from its work platform, giving a closeup view of the experimental solar-powered ion propulsion engine. The ion propulsion engine is the first non-chemical propulsion to be used as the primary means of propelling a spacecraft. The first flight in NASA's New Millennium Program, Deep Space 1 is designed to validate 12 new technologies for scientific space missions of the next century. Another onboard experiment includes software that tracks celestial bodies so the spacecraft can make its own navigation decisions without the intervention of ground controllers. Deep Space 1 will complete most of its mission objectives within the first two months, but may also do a flyby of a near-Earth asteroid, 1992 KD, in July 1999. Deep Space 1 will be launched aboard a Boeing Delta 7326 rocket from Launch Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, in October. Delta II rockets are medium capacity expendable launch vehicles derived from the Delta family of rockets built and launched since 1960. Since then there have been more than 245 Delta launches. |
| Date |
12.21.2002 |
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STS-103 Discovery launch fro
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| Title |
STS-103 Discovery launch from Pad 39-B |
| Description |
Space Shuttle Discovery hurtles through clouds of smoke and steam in its successful launch on mission STS-103. Liftoff occurred at 7:50 p.m. EST from Launch Pad 39B. On board are Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly and Mission Specialists Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), Claude Nicollier of Switzerland and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France. Nicollier and Clervoy are with the European Space Agency. STS-103 is a Hubble Servicing Mission, with three planned space walks designed to install new equipment and replace old. The primary objective is to replace the gyroscopes that make up the three Rate Sensor Units. Extravehicular activities include installing a new computer, changing out one of the Fine Guidance Sensors, replacing a tape recorder with a new solid state recorder, and installing a voltage/temperature improvement kit, and begin repairing the insulation on the telescope's outer surface. After the 7-day, 21-hour mission, Discovery is targeted to land at KSC Monday, Dec. 27, at about 5:24 p.m. EST. This is the 27th flight of Discovery and the 96th mission in the Space Shuttle Program. It is the third launch at Kennedy Space Center in 1999. |
| Date |
12.19.1999 |
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STS-103 Mission Specialist J
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| Title |
STS-103 Mission Specialist Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France at Pad 39B |
| Description |
STS-103 Mission Specialist Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France poses for a photograph at Launch Pad 39B during a meeting of STS-103 astronauts with family and friends. Clervoy is with the European Space Agency. The lights in the background are on the Fixed Service Structure next to Space Shuttle Discovery. The STS-103 mission, to service the Hubble Space Telescope, is scheduled for launch Dec. 17 at 8:47 p.m. EST from Launch Pad 39B. Mission objectives include replacing gyroscopes and an old computer, installing another solid state recorder, and replacing damaged insulation in the telescope. The mission is expected to last about 8 days and 21 hours. Discovery is expected to land at KSC Sunday, Dec. 26, at about 6:25 p.m. EST. |
| Date |
12.16.1999 |
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