Inside NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility
NASA VAC Exterior
The exterior of the Vertical Assembly Center, home to massive welding tools.
Vertical Assembly Center Overview
More Info:
Space Launch System: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/
Cleaning Cell
Looking down into the massive cleaning cell inside NASA’s Vertical Assembly Center at the Michoud rocket factory. The massive washing facility is used to wash the insides of the Space Launch System(SLS) fuel tanks. The SLS rocket will be the worlds largest rocket ever built.
Cleaning CellMAFMichoudMichoud Assembly FacilityNASARocket FactorySLSSpace Launch SystemVertical Assembly Center
Worlds largest welding tool
NASA's welding tool, one of the worlds largest. The massive tool was designed and built to weld together the domes, rings, and barrels that make up the core stage pieces of the Space Launch System (SLS). The size of this thing can’t be described or shown in a photo.
SLS LOX Tank
A SLS Liquid Oxygen tank being worked on. This tank will hold the "fuel" for the SLS core stage.
Core Stage Infographic courtesy of NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/infographics/corestage101.html
Space Launch System: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html
SLS Fuel Tank Interior
The interior of the Space Launch System fuel tank, exterior is the previous photo.
NASA Core Stage Infographic: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/infographics/corestage101.html
Space Launch System: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html
Vertical Weld Center
The VWC is a friction-stir-weld tool for wet and dry structures on the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage. It will weld barrel panels together to produce whole barrels for the two pressurized tanks, the intertank, the forward skirt and the aft engine section.
More Info: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/
Vertical Weld Center
The VWC is a friction-stir-weld tool for wet and dry structures on the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage. It will weld barrel panels together to produce whole barrels for the two pressurized tanks, the intertank, the forward skirt and the aft engine section.
More Info: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/
Vertical Weld Center
The VWC is a friction-stir-weld tool for wet and dry structures on the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage. It will weld barrel panels together to produce whole barrels for the two pressurized tanks, the intertank, the forward skirt and the aft engine section.
More Info: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/
Vertical Assembly Center stairs
Stairway inside the VAC.
MAFMichoudMichoud Assembly FacilityNASARocket FactorySLSSpace Launch SystemStairwayVerVertical Assembly Center
Vertical Weld Center closeup
Closeup inside the VWC.
MAFMichoudMichoud Assembly FacilityNASARocket FactorySLSSpace Launch SystemVWCVertical Weld Center
Gore Weld Tool
NASA’s rocket factory has all kinds of unique tools to build the worlds largest rocket. One of them is the Gore Weld Tool, it’s part of what is known as the Enhanced Robotic Weld Tool. The tool’s job is to perform vertical friction stir welds in the domed portions of the fuel tanks. When finished, the fuel tanks stand around 130 feet tall.
SLS Forward Skirt
The Forward Skirt is part of NASA’s Space Launch System. Housing flight computers, cameras and avionics it is pretty much the brain of the rocket. This photo was taken a couple weeks after it’s final assembly was completed at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility. It will be used in Exploration Mission-1, launching from the Kennedy Space Center in June 2020.
#5 in the following NASA Infographic: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/infographics/corestage101.html
Space Launch System: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.htmlForward SkirtMAFMichoudMichoud Assembly FacilityNASARocket FactorySLSSpace Launch System
Orion Spacecraft
Built “to take humans farther than they’ve ever gone before”, this is NASA’s Orion spacecraft that will launch humans to space on Exploration Mission 2 in 2023 from Kennedy.
More Info:
Meet The Rocket: https://www.nasa.gov/sls/multimedia/gallery/sls-infographic3.html
Space Launch System: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.htmlMAFMichoudMichoud Assembly FacilityNASAOrionRocketRocket FactorySLSSpace Launch SystemSpacecraft
Orion Spacecraft
Built “to take humans farther than they’ve ever gone before”, this is NASA’s Orion spacecraft that will launch humans to space on Exploration Mission 2 in 2023 from Kennedy.
More Info:
Meet The Rocket: https://www.nasa.gov/sls/multimedia/gallery/sls-infographic3.html
Space Launch System: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.htmlMAFMichoudMichoud Assembly FacilityNASAOrionRocket FactorySLSSpace Launch SystemSpacecraft
Vertical Weld Center
The VWC is a friction-stir-weld tool for wet and dry structures on the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage. It will weld barrel panels together to produce whole barrels for the two pressurized tanks, the intertank, the forward skirt and the aft engine section.
The Pegasus
Nasa's Pegasus barge that will carry fuel tanks for the Space Launch System to other NASA facilities for testing and launches.
More Info:
NASA Infographic: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/barge-pegasus-infographic
Pegasus Barge Fact Sheet: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/sls_pegasus_fact_sheet_508_final_04212017.pdf
NASA's Pegasus Barge
Nasa's Pegasus barge that will carry fuel tanks for the Space Launch System to other NASA facilities for testing and launches.
More Info:
NASA Infographic: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/barge-pegasus-infographic
Pegasus Barge Fact Sheet: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/sls_pegasus_fact_sheet_508_final_04212017.pdfBargeMAFMichoudMichoud Assembly FacilityNASANasa BargePegasusPegasus BargeRocket FactorySLSSpace Launch System
Inside Pegasus
Nasa's Pegasus barge that will carry fuel tanks for the Space Launch System to other NASA facilities for testing and launches.
More Info:
NASA Infographic: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/barge-pegasus-infographic
Pegasus Barge Fact Sheet: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/sls_pegasus_fact_sheet_508_final_04212017.pdf
Pegasus Barge
Nasa's Pegasus barge that will carry fuel tanks for the Space Launch System to other NASA facilities for testing and launches.
More Info:
NASA Infographic: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/barge-pegasus-infographic
Pegasus Barge Fact Sheet: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/sls_pegasus_fact_sheet_508_final_04212017.pdf
SLS Barrel interior
The inside of a Space Launch System barrel used for the liquid hydrogen tank. It’s made of AI 2219, an aerospace aluminum alloy.
More Info: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/
Catwalks of the VAC
Above the Vertical Assembly Center.
MAFMichoudMichoud Assembly FacilityNASARocket FactorySLSSpace Launch SystemVACVertical Assembly Center
