Tag Archives: NASA

Ares I-X test flight rolls out to the launch pad

October 20, 2009 kleucht 1 Comment

History was made tonight and I was there. It was pretty cool to witness the rollout of the Ares I-X test flight rocket first hand. Ares I is designed to replace the Shuttle for getting astronauts into orbit. Enough talk … here are the photos that I took and also a short edited video (click for larger versions of the photos):

This is the employee signature banner for Ares I-X. Each flight gets a banner that is displayed along with the vehicle and these banners are signed by KSC employees who have worked on that mission. I worked on the ground control system for the Ares I-X mission, so I made sure I signed this banner. I wonder if you can find my signature…

Can you find my signature now?

How about now?

The Ares I-X rocket doesn’t look terribly huge inside the massive Vehicle Assembly Building, but it’s nearly as tall as the Saturn V rockets that we used to go to the moon during the Apollo program.

Excitement is in the air as the new big rocket emerges from the VAB.

Isn’t she big and beautiful!

Not symmetrical by design. We’re re-using a Shuttle mobile launcher platform for this flight, which has two holes for solid rocket booster exhaust. So we mounted the Ares I-X rocket over one of the two SRB holes in the platform.

Glowing in the spotlights.

The spotlights were very bat-symbol-like. I didn’t get a good photo of it, but there was enough moisture in the air to clearly see the rocket’s silhouette projected big and bold up into the sky. It was quite impressive.

Obligatory photo of me standing in front of the rocket for the scrapbook.

Here is the video I took:

Computers, User Interfaces, Science, Space, Technology

I’m so confused: More Crazy NASA signage

June 22, 2009 kleucht Leave a comment

I’m so confused, I don’t know what to put in this bin:

I guess I’d better err on the conservative side and not put anything at all into this bin! Wouldn’t want to get in trouble for not following directions!

This confusing recycling bin was found at the greatest manned launch complex in America, the Kennedy Space Center. Without giving away the exact location of the offense, it was found inside a building that is known for it’s Super Salty Pomegranate Fence, if you know what I mean.

Computers, User Interfaces, Science, Space, Technology

Can’t NASA make a simple stairwell sign?

June 22, 2009 kleucht 2 Comments

At NASA we’re smart enough to send men out into space and even to the moon, and yet we somehow manage to create and install signs in and around the Space Center like this:

What is the deal with this sign? Not only is it confusing … but it has some random space characters thrown in there to break up some of the words … and it has a few font changes in there also just in case you weren’t confused enough already. Obviously, this is a sign whose purpose is to show me where the “stairwell one floor” is. Or maybe it’s “stairwell on E floor”? Whatever … I still haven’t figured out the purpose of the down-arrow. And who came up with the phrase “for exit discharge”, anyways? Do they even speak English at the sign shop?

This sign was found in the stairwell of a very popular building at KSC. It’s an Odd Shaped Building, if you know what I mean.

Science, Space, Technology

NASA wants YOUR input on the future of the space program!

June 11, 2009 kleucht Leave a comment

nasa-meatball

NASA Press Release dated: June 5, 2009

NASA LAUNCHES HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT REVIEW WEB SITE FOR PUBLIC USE

WASHINGTON — NASA is inviting the public to make its voice heard as a panel of experts undertakes an independent review of planned U.S. human space flight activities.

NASA has created a Web site for the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee to facilitate a two-way conversation with the public about the future direction of the agency’s space flight programs. In addition to providing documents and information, the site will allow the public to track committee activities, receive regular updates and provide input through Web 2.0 tools such as Twitter, Flickr, user-submitted questions, polls and RSS feeds. Additional features and content may be added as the committee’s activities continue.

“The human space flight program belongs to everyone,” committee chairman Norman Augustine said. “Our committee would hope to benefit from the views of all who would care to contact us.”

Anyone may use the Web site to submit questions, upload documents or comment about topics relevant to the committee’s operations. The committee will conduct public meetings during the course of the review. The first will be held June 17 in Washington, D.C. An agenda for this meeting will be announced soon. Time will be set aside for public questions and comments to the committee members. No registration is required to attend.

To learn more, visit the committee’s Web site at:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html

For information about NASA and agency activities, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

Nature, Photography, Videos, Science, Space, Technology

STS-125 Shuttle Launch (from VAB roof)

May 11, 2009 kleucht 1 Comment

I worked at the NASA press site today in support of STS-125, the final Hubble servicing mission. The press site was really busy for this mission. Usually I escort media personnel to various locations for various reasons. To my surprise, today I was asked to escort some of the press photographers to the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to photograph the launch. Wow! What an opportunity! It was a great launch and it went right on time. Here are some photos that I took from the top of the VAB. Click on each thumbnail for a larger version.