NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Work is well underway to prepare Michoud Assembly Facility for the work it will do on the Ares I upper stage and avionics. The Constellation Program's Ares I rocket is being developed to launch the next generation of astronauts into space. The rocket had a successful test Oct. 28 at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., the first time in more than a generation that NASA tested a new rocket. Boeing is the production and design partner for the Ares I upper stage, also called the second stage, and instrument unit avionics, the "brains." Tooling to produce the upper stage requires a nearly three-story building, and work is underway to reinforce floors in the Boeing Ares areas. Once reinforced, a robotic weld tool and a machining center will be installed. Construction has begun on a Vertical Assembly Building where the upper stages will be assembled. Currently 15 Boeing employees work at Michoud but that number is expected to grow to 120 by the end of 2010. Boeing also built the first stage of the Saturn V at Michoud. (Source: Michoud Messenger, January 2010)
NEWS: A digest of aerospace, defense and technology news from the Gulf Coast I-10 region
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Michoud preps for Ares I work
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Work is well underway to prepare Michoud Assembly Facility for the work it will do on the Ares I upper stage and avionics. The Constellation Program's Ares I rocket is being developed to launch the next generation of astronauts into space. The rocket had a successful test Oct. 28 at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., the first time in more than a generation that NASA tested a new rocket. Boeing is the production and design partner for the Ares I upper stage, also called the second stage, and instrument unit avionics, the "brains." Tooling to produce the upper stage requires a nearly three-story building, and work is underway to reinforce floors in the Boeing Ares areas. Once reinforced, a robotic weld tool and a machining center will be installed. Construction has begun on a Vertical Assembly Building where the upper stages will be assembled. Currently 15 Boeing employees work at Michoud but that number is expected to grow to 120 by the end of 2010. Boeing also built the first stage of the Saturn V at Michoud. (Source: Michoud Messenger, January 2010)
