STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - The new A-3 Test Stand being built at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center reached a milestone Wednesday with the placement of the test cell dome atop the stand. It's known as the "topping out." NASA broke ground in 2007 for the new stand, which is being built to provide simulated high-altitude testing for next-generation rocket engines that will carry humans into deep space. The stand will use a series of chemical steam generators to create a vacuum that allows operators to test full-scale engines at simulated altitudes up to 100,000 feet. The A-3 stand, scheduled for activation in 2013, is the first large test structure to be built at Stennis since the facility was established to test the Saturn V rocket stages that helped carry Apollo astronauts to the moon. (Source: NASA, 04/13/11)
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Friday, April 15, 2011
Topping out done on A-3 stand
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - The new A-3 Test Stand being built at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center reached a milestone Wednesday with the placement of the test cell dome atop the stand. It's known as the "topping out." NASA broke ground in 2007 for the new stand, which is being built to provide simulated high-altitude testing for next-generation rocket engines that will carry humans into deep space. The stand will use a series of chemical steam generators to create a vacuum that allows operators to test full-scale engines at simulated altitudes up to 100,000 feet. The A-3 stand, scheduled for activation in 2013, is the first large test structure to be built at Stennis since the facility was established to test the Saturn V rocket stages that helped carry Apollo astronauts to the moon. (Source: NASA, 04/13/11)