Dramatic pre-flight pixs of space shuttle Discovery

William Atkins
Friday, 07 March 2008 21:35

Science - Space

The following are a series of photographs that show the time and effort it takes to put together a manned space mission by NASA.         

The series of photographs begin with an image of the external tank (ET) being barged to the Kennedy Space Center from the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, where the ETs are made.

The next series of photos show how the ET is mated to the solid rocket boosters (SRBs) inside the Vertical Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida.

The three space shuttle main engines (SSMEs) are then attached to the orbiter.

Still later, the orbiter Discovery is mated to the ET.

Some of the myriad of activities that go into putting together a STS mission for NASA are shown in these photographs. In all, a mission for the Space Transportation System (STS) uses a concerted effort by thousands of NASA and contractor employees to put together each and every flight.

To see these very interesting photographs, please go to the website “Rarely Seen Shuttle Pre-flight Activities” at DarkRoastedBlend.com.

DarkRoastedBlend.com is a website that, as it states, is “for all things weird and wonderful” and “dedicated to the on-going quest for wisdom and beauty, for all things cool and wonderful in our world, and beyond”. It was started in November 2006 by Avi and Rachel Abrams.

According to the DRB.com website, the images are courtesy of Christie L. Dyett of Space Coast Launch Services LLC (SCLS).

SCLS is a logistical support contractor for space mission, based in Cocoa Beach, Florida and doing work out of Cape Canaveral.

The company is a joint venture between The Shaw Group, Inc. (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) and Computer Sciences Corporation (El Segundo, California).

Currently, the company has a federal contract to provide space command logistical support to the U.S. Air Force’s 45th Space Wing for unmanned space vehicle launches.