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| Orion Capsule (back to contents) |
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| Production of Orion Capsules at Nasa's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans has begun. |
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| Unit #1 - Ground Test Article |
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NASA is officially calling its first Orion Capsule the "Ground Test Article", and has also designated it as a production pathfinder. A pathfinder is used to test (and adjust) the tooling at each stage of manufacture to work out any kinks. Once the pathfinder is completed, it will be used for structural testing and will not fly.
It seems like they have two work stations, and the big blue friction welding machine can roll on rails to either station. At one station, they are welding curved panels together. At the other they are welding the bottom ring to the bottom panels for the capsule. What they are building here is the inner capsule which is pressurized and is then covered with heat shielding and an outer skin. The friction stir welding was invented in 1991 and is a way to join big aluminum pieces without requiring heat treating after. The pieces they are joining seem to have a thin waffle pattern that was machined from a thicker plate or casting. |
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| Orion Capsule Boilerplates (back to contents) |
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| A number of Orion capsule mockups are being constructed for testing purposes. |
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| Boilerplate for the Pad Abort 1 Test |
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This boilerplate will be used in the Pad Abort I test (here is a CGI image sequence of the Pad Abort Test). From NASA...
"The pad abort test will simulate an emergency on the launch pad. Upon command from a nearby control center, a dummy Orion crew module -- which would sit on top of a rocket for an actual launch -- will be ejected directly from the launch pad by its rocket-propelled launch abort system to about one mile in altitude and nearly one mile downrange." NASA is building this craft at Langley in Virginia, then it heads to Dryden (Edwards Air Force Base) in California for fit out of instruments and controls. Finally, it will arrive at White Sands Missile Range for the actual test.
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A couple of C-clamps and a ruler!
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Boilerplate Assembly
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Shaping the sides of a cone.
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Boilerplate Assembly
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Boilerplate construction, September 2007
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Boilerplate construction, September 2007
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Boilerplate construction, December 2007
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Boilerplate construction,
January 2008
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Boilerplate construction,
January 2008
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Boilerplate Assembly
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Boilerplate Assembly
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Boilerplate Assembly
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Boilerplate Assembly
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Prepared for loading on a C-5A
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Boilerplate Assembly
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Loading on a C-5A at Langley, Virgina, March 2008
Credit: Langley Research Center
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Unloading at Dryden in California, March 2008
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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Boilerplate painting prep
March, 2008
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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Boilerplate painting
March, 2008
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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Boilerplate construction
April, 2008
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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Boilerplate construction
April, 2008
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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Boilerplate construction
April, 2008
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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Boilerplate construction
May, 2008
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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Boilerplate construction
May, 2008
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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Forward Bay Cover arrives at Dryden.
7/11/08
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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Capsule lifted to place on jacks for center-of-gravity tests
10/1/08
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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The PA-1 Boilerplate on jacks for center of gravity tests.
Oct 2008
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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The PA-1 Boilerplate undergoes electromagnetic tests.
11/5/08
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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Applying the NASA meatball.
5/6/09
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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And, of course, Old Glory.
5/6/09
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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Its time to move to White Sands Missile Range. This is where PA-1 will launch from.
8/28/09
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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White Sands personel practice stacking PA-1 with dummy components.
9/23/09
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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The PA-1 Boilerplate at White Sands. One of its accessories is the test equipment trailor.
9/24/09
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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Of all the boilerplates, PA-1 is the most sophisticated.
9/24/09
Credit: Dryden Flight Research Center
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This interesting test rig is being used by Lockheed at their Denver facility to calculate the forces when the abort tower separates from the PA-1 capsule.
August, 2009
Credit: Lockheed Martin
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| Boilerplate for Parachute Testing |
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| This Parachute Test Vehicle (PTV) boilerplate was constructed at the Johnson Space Center. |
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| Boilerplate for Water Testing |
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| The Water Test Article is used to check Orion's stability and performance in the water. It looks like the airbags were too heavy and complicated so they were deleted, and Orion will only be able to land in water, which is probably the safest way to go anyway. It is interesting to note that NASA is considering using the USS Iwo Jima to recover Orion because it has giant doors that open at the water level (to let hovercraft in and out). The plan is to drive up to Orion and winch it into the Iwo Jima's recovery bay where they could extract the crew on a dry deck, rather than the inconvenient helicopter winch operation. |
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| Launch Abort System (back to contents) |
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| Unlike the Space Shuttle, astronauts onboard the Ares I rocket will have options should the rocket beneath them suffer a failure. The LAS rocket will be able to yank them to safety at a moment's notice. |
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| Launch Abort System Rocket |
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| The launch abort system for the Ares I rocket will yank the capsule off the top of the rocket in an emergency. It is a solid rocket motor, and here you can see it mounted upside down in a test stand for firing tests. There are actually two sets of four-nozzled engines. The abort motor is powerful, and yanks the capsule off the rocket. The jettison motor is less powerful, and is for ejecting the unused launch abort system tower during a normal flight when it is no longer needed. |
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| Launch Abort System Heat Shield |
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| The Launch Abort System is a rocket mounted to a cover that also serves as the launch heat shield for the capsule. Under normal conditions, the LAS is ejected after the first stage falls away. Recently, the conical shape of this shield was changed to a spherical form. This is different than Apollo... |
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| Landing and Re-Entry Systems (back to contents) |
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| The Orion concept involves using airbags for landing on hard surfaces, as well as the ability to land in water. The airbag option may be deleted from the final design and a water-only landing system installed. |
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| Heat Shield |
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| The Orion heat shield will be the largest ever fabricated in one piece. It will not be reusable. The plan for Orion is to resuse the inner pressure vessel while the exterior shell (and heatshield) will be discarded after every mission. |
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| Airbags |
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| Airbags are a new technology which allow Orion to make solid ground landings, as opposed to the expensive to conduct water landings of Apollo. Development starts with one bag, and proceeds to full system drop tests in a giant swing gantry at Langley. |
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| Scale Model Boyancy Testing |
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| Although designed to land on land, it would be nice if it floated too, just in case. |
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| Ares I-X Rocket (back to contents) |
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The Ares I-X is a first stage test version of the Ares I rocket. The first stage will have only 4 of the 5 segments loaded with solid rocket fuel, with the fifth acting as a dummy. The second stage and CEV will also be boilerplates. The flight of the Ares I-X will test the performance and control of the first stage, and demonstrate separation and recovery of the first stage. The second stage and CEV dummy's will then continue on in a ballistic trajectory to crash, uncontrolled, into the ocean.
Schematic, flight plan and CGI images are available on my Image Archive Page.
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| First Stage |
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Construction of the first stage.
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| Propellent Casting at ATK in Utah |
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| First Stage Arrives at KSC |
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| Forward Skirt Extension |
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| This piece connects the second stage to the first stage. It is mounted to the bottom of the second stage, and connects to the forward skirt (on the top of the first stage). Separation occurs by firing a linear shape charge explosive. |
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| Upper Mass Simulator (2nd stage) |
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| For the Ares I-X, everything above the first stage is just an inert boilerplate along for the ride, or what NASA calls an Upper Mass Simulator. By simulating the weight distribution of the real upper stage, the first stage can be fully tested as to its ability to control the long, top-heavy rocket's direction, and also gauge the amount of vibration. It is constructed out of 1/2" bridge steel with steel pancake weights that can be added as required. Here is a solid model drawing of the completed unit. |
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| Upper Mass Simulator fabrication at Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio |
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| Second stage assembly at KSC |
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| The second stage simulator was built at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, and then shipped to Kennedy for assembly. |
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| Capsule and Launch Abort Simulator |
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| Built at Langley, this will be the top of the Ares I-X rocket. The entire assembly is a non-functioning "boilerplate" that replicates the aerodynamic shape of the real capsule and abort rocket perfectly, so that aerodynamic, heating and angle of attack measurements can be made. |
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| Stacking the Ares I-X |
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| In June, 2009, stacking of the Ares I-X rocket began in the Vehicle Assembly Building, bay #3. Rollout occured on October 20th, 2009. I chose the pictures that best illustrate the stacking process. |
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| Ares I-X Launch 10/28/2009 |
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| The Ares I-X test rocket was launched on October 28, 2009. The first stage solid rocket motor had four segments filled with fuel and a fifth filled with a dummy load. Everything from the first stage up was a boilerplate with weights in it to simulate a fully loaded Ares I rocket. Get all the details in this Wikipedia Article. History buffs should note that the last launch of an American rocket designed only to carry a capsule into space was Skylab IV (Saturn 1B Rocket, which was 224 feet tall and weighed 1.3 million pounds) on November 16, 1973. The Ares I-X is 100 feet taller than the Saturn IB, and 500,000 pounds heavier. This launch was Tour de Force of non-linear dynamic control - imagine putting a bowling ball on top of a broomstick and then balancing it upright in the palm of your hand. |
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| Ares Subsystem Development (back to contents) |
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| Some of the Ares I-X subsystem development. |
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| First Stage Parachute |
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| This a photo of a drop test for the Ares I first stage parachute. The parachute weighs 2,000 lbs and is 150 feet in diameter. It was dropped from 17,500 feet from a C-5A cargo plane, with a 40,600 lb suspended load! This test, on September 5, 2007, was a success. A test in February, 2007 failed however, and the 20 ton load fell all the way to the ground, requiring an execavator to remove 30 feet of dirt to get it out. |
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| Single Parachute Tests |
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| First they tested the drogue, which pulls out the main chute with a 12 ton load. Apparently the drogue was redesigned between the September, 2007 and July, 2008 tests. |
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| Triple Parachute Tests |
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| All three parachutes are required to safely return the Orion capsule, or in the case of the Ares I-X test, the first stage solid motor. This testing occured with a 21 ton load. |
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| Avionics Development |
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| The flight control system for the Orion spacecraft is built by Honeywell and will be an advanced version of the Boeing 787 flight computer. |
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| Thrust Vector Control System |
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| This is a cool photo of the Thrust Vector Control System test rig. These are hydraulic cylinders that orient the rocket nozzle on the second stage. |
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| Dynamic Test Stand |
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The Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand, located at the Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is being refitted to test the Ares I rocket. This structure is a national historic landmark. From Marshall's Web Site:"The Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand was used in 1966-67 for ground vibration testing of the Saturn V launch vehicle and the Apollo spacecraft. Completion of this program was the final step prior to the launch of Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission. In 1972-73 the stand was used for tests involving the Skylab Space Station; and in 1978-79 for ground vibration testing of the complete Space Shuttle vehicle." The purpose of this test stand is to take a fully assembled vehicle, fill its fuel tanks with water to simulate the fuel mass, then shake, torque and twist the hell out of it to see if it breaks. More specifically, you can vibrate it to see if it has any natural frequencies which might threaten to tear it apart. You can also simulate staging under load. The engines are not fired in this particular stand. |
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| Wind Tunnel Testing |
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| NASA as the ability to put models in supersonic wind tunnels. The flow lines around the Ares I-X model in the wind tunnel can sometimes be seen as condensation clouds forming around the actual rockets when they are launched. |
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| Rocket Engines (back to contents) |
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| Initially, NASA was going to use Space Shuttle Main Engines to power Ares rockets, but it was decided that there were less expensive alternatives, especially since the Ares rockets return to the days of discarding the engines after every launch, rather than reusing them like on the Space Shuttle. |
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| J-2X |
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The J-2 rocket engine burns liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, and was installed on the second stage of the Saturn V moon rocket (in a cluster of 5), and as the sole engine on the third stage, where it was restartable in space.The J-2X is a modern redesign for the second stage of the Ares I rocket. I have design images of the J2-X on my CGI image page. You can also check out wikipedia for details.
In August, 2007, a 1.2 billion dollar contract was let to Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne to develop and test the J2X. |
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| A1 Test Stand |
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| Testing of the new J-2X engine will take place in the A1 test stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center. |
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| A3 Test Stand |
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| The A3 Test Stand has a large, high pressure steam generator to test scale models of the J-2X's diffuser. |
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| RS-68 |
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| The RS-68 is a liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen engine with a thrust level about 3 times that of the J-2X. It is planned to use five of these engines to power the first stage of the Ares V rocket. This venerable engine has been in service lofting Delta IV rockets since 2002. My CGI image page has design images of the RS-68, and you can also check out wikipedia. |
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| Operation Facilities (back to contents) |
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| This section deals with Project Constellation construction facilities. |
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| Operations & Checkout |
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| Located in eastern New Orleans, the Michoud assembly facility is where Lockheed Martin will build and test Orion capsules. |
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| Launch Facilities (back to contents) |
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| Launch Pad 39B |
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| Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009. |
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| Scale Model |
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| Construction |
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| Crawler Transporter |
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| Launch Control Room |
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| Also known as Firing Room #1 |
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