On Sunday, February 3, roughly 800 million eyes from all over the world focused on the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans as the New England Patriots battled the St. Louis Rams for the NFL Championship in Super Bowl XXXVI. This true color image of New Orleans was acquired on April 26, 2000, by the Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+), flying aboard the Landsat 7 satellite. Lake Pontchartrain borders the city to the north. The big river winding its way east to west through the image is the Mississippi. The Louisiana Superdome, built in 1975, sits just inside the rightmost portion of the big river bend that cradles downtown New Orleans. The city, however, may not be around to hold a Super Bowl in 2102. New Orleans is slowly sinking into the Gulf of Mexico. The construction of flood walls and dams north of New Orleans over the past century have prevented sediments carried by the Mississippi River from reaching New Orleans and the Mississippi River Delta. Before the dams were built, river sediments would empty out onto the delta adding layer upon layer of new soil each year. The additional soil prevented the Gulf from subsuming the delta. Unless drastic measures are taken, the city and the delta could be awash in seawater by the end of this century. Image by Robert Simmon, based on data provided by the Landsat 7 Science Team Credit: NASA/GSFC/Landsat <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>
iss072e575658 (Jan. 24, 2025) --- New Orleans, Louisiana, and its suburbs along the Mississippi River and on the shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited above.
iss072e575684 (Jan. 24, 2025) --- New Orleans, Louisiana, and its suburbs along the Mississippi River and on the shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited above.
SL2-05-397 (22 June 1973) --- New Orleans, Louisiana, Mississippi River, and Lake Pontchartrain (31.0N, 91.0W) can all be seen in this single detailed view. The marshlands of the Atchafalaya Basin, previously the main drainage way for the Mississippi River, can be seen to be partially silted as a result of sediments. The long narrow field patterns fronting on the river is called the "Long Lot" system of equal land distribution based on the French Napoleonic Civil Code. Photo credit: NASA
This image of the area surrounding the city of New Orleans, Louisiana in the southeastern United States demonstrates the ability of multi-frequency imaging radar to distinguish different types of land cover. The dark area in the center is Lake Pontchartrain. The thin line running across the lake is a causeway connecting New Orleans to the city of Mandeville. Lake Borgne is the dark area in the lower right of the image. The Mississippi River appears as a dark, wavy line in the lower left. The white dots on the Mississippi are ships. The French Quarter is the brownish square near the left center of the image. Lakefront Airport, a field used mostly for general aviation, is the bright spot near the center, jutting out into Lake Pontchartrain. The image was acquired by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) during orbit 39 of space shuttle Endeavour on October 2, 1994. The area is located at 30.10 degrees north latitude and 89.1 degrees west longitude. The area shown is approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) by 50 kilometers (30 miles). The colors in this image were obtained using the following radar channels: red represents the L-band (horizontally transmitted and received); green represents the C-band (horizontally transmitted and received); blue represents the L-band (vertically transmitted and received). The green areas are primarily vegetation consisting of swamp land and swamp forest (bayou) growing on sandy soil, while the pink areas are associated with reflections from buildings in urban and suburban areas. Different tones and colors in the vegetation areas will be studied by scientists to see how effective imaging radar data is in discriminating between different types of wetlands. Accurate maps of coastal wetland areas are important to ecologists studying wild fowl and the coastal environment. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01300
NASA officials were joined by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who toured the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and got a first-hand look at NASA’s new deep space vehicles being built at the facility.
Louisiana First Lady Supriya Jindal fields a question from a student at A.P. Tureaud Elementary School in New Orleans during a March 19 visit. Jindal was joined on her visit by retired astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman in space.
This image shows technicians and engineers move and connect the liquid oxygen tank (LOX) to the intertank as they continue the process of the forward join on the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis II, the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility. The forward join connects the forward skirt, the liquid oxygen tank (LOX) and the intertank structures to form the top part of the SLS rocket’s core stage. Now, NASA and Boeing, the SLS prime contractor, will continue to integrate various systems inside the forward part of the core stage and prepare for structural joining of the liquid hydrogen tank and engine section to form the bottom of the stage. Together with its four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket boosters will produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon and, ultimately, Mars. Offering more payload mass, volume capability and energy to speed missions through space, the SLS rocket, along with NASA’s Gateway in lunar orbit, the Human Landing System, and Orion spacecraft, is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration and the Artemis lunar program. No other rocket is capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.
This image shows technicians and engineers move and connect the liquid oxygen tank (LOX) to the intertank as they continue the process of the forward join on the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis II, the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility. The forward join connects the forward skirt, the liquid oxygen tank (LOX) and the intertank structures to form the top part of the SLS rocket’s core stage. Now, NASA and Boeing, the SLS prime contractor, will continue to integrate various systems inside the forward part of the core stage and prepare for structural joining of the liquid hydrogen tank and engine section to form the bottom of the stage. Together with its four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket boosters will produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon and, ultimately, Mars. Offering more payload mass, volume capability and energy to speed missions through space, the SLS rocket, along with NASA’s Gateway in lunar orbit, the Human Landing System, and Orion spacecraft, is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration and the Artemis lunar program. No other rocket is capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.
This image shows technicians and engineers move and connect the liquid oxygen tank (LOX) to the intertank as they continue the process of the forward join on the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis II, the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility. The forward join connects the forward skirt, the liquid oxygen tank (LOX) and the intertank structures to form the top part of the SLS rocket’s core stage. Now, NASA and Boeing, the SLS prime contractor, will continue to integrate various systems inside the forward part of the core stage and prepare for structural joining of the liquid hydrogen tank and engine section to form the bottom of the stage. Together with its four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket boosters will produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon and, ultimately, Mars. Offering more payload mass, volume capability and energy to speed missions through space, the SLS rocket, along with NASA’s Gateway in lunar orbit, the Human Landing System, and Orion spacecraft, is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration and the Artemis lunar program. No other rocket is capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.
This image shows technicians and engineers move and connect the liquid oxygen tank (LOX) to the intertank as they continue the process of the forward join on the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis II, the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility. The forward join connects the forward skirt, the liquid oxygen tank (LOX) and the intertank structures to form the top part of the SLS rocket’s core stage. Now, NASA and Boeing, the SLS prime contractor, will continue to integrate various systems inside the forward part of the core stage and prepare for structural joining of the liquid hydrogen tank and engine section to form the bottom of the stage. Together with its four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket boosters will produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon and, ultimately, Mars. Offering more payload mass, volume capability and energy to speed missions through space, the SLS rocket, along with NASA’s Gateway in lunar orbit, the Human Landing System, and Orion spacecraft, is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration and the Artemis lunar program. No other rocket is capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.
MAF Director Robert Champion stands in front of the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana – America’s Rocket Factory.
MAF Director Robert Champion stands in front of the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana – America’s Rocket Factory.
MAF Director Robert Champion stands in front of the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana – America’s Rocket Factory.
As one of the best ever views of the city of New Orleans, LA (30.0N, 90.0W) from space, this image allows the study of the city and the region in minute detail. Major city street and highway patterns can easily be traced. Even the Superdome near the old French Quarter can be seen as a large round white circle near the middle of the photo. The French Napoleonic Code land distribution system of long narrow fields fronting the river is also evident.
Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility move the intertank of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis III to Cell G on October 26, 2022 to await application of the thermal protection system. Thermal protection systems protect space vehicles from aerodynamic heating during entry to planet atmosphere and re-entry to earth atmosphere. The intertank lays between the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. Together with the engine section and the forward skirt, they comprise the SLS core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff and Artemis missions to the Moon and future missions to Mars.
Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility move the intertank of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis III to Cell G on October 26, 2022 to await application of the thermal protection system. Thermal protection systems protect space vehicles from aerodynamic heating during entry to planet atmosphere and re-entry to earth atmosphere. The intertank lays between the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. Together with the engine section and the forward skirt, they comprise the SLS core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff and Artemis missions to the Moon and future missions to Mars.
Hurricane Zeta damage to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility – South side of Bldg. 110 the Vertical Assembly Building (VAB).
Hurricane Zeta damage to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility – East side of Bldg. 110 the Vertical Assembly Building (VAB).
Hurricane Zeta damage to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility – East side of Bldg. 110 the Vertical Assembly Building (VAB).
Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility move the intertank of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis III to Cell G on October 26, 2022 to await application of the thermal protection system. Thermal protection systems protect space vehicles from aerodynamic heating during entry to planet atmosphere and re-entry to earth atmosphere. The intertank lays between the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. Together with the engine section and the forward skirt, they comprise the SLS core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff and Artemis missions to the Moon and future missions to Mars.
Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility move the intertank of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis III to Cell G on October 26, 2022 to await application of the thermal protection system. Thermal protection systems protect space vehicles from aerodynamic heating during entry to planet atmosphere and re-entry to earth atmosphere. The intertank lays between the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. Together with the engine section and the forward skirt, they comprise the SLS core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff and Artemis missions to the Moon and future missions to Mars.
Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility move the intertank of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis III to Cell G on October 26, 2022 to await application of the thermal protection system. Thermal protection systems protect space vehicles from aerodynamic heating during entry to planet atmosphere and re-entry to earth atmosphere. The intertank lays between the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. Together with the engine section and the forward skirt, they comprise the SLS core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff and Artemis missions to the Moon and future missions to Mars.
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Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility move the intertank of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis III to Cell G on October 26, 2022 to await application of the thermal protection system. Thermal protection systems protect space vehicles from aerodynamic heating during entry to planet atmosphere and re-entry to earth atmosphere. The intertank lays between the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. Together with the engine section and the forward skirt, they comprise the SLS core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff and Artemis missions to the Moon and future missions to Mars.
Louisiana First Lady Supriya Jindal (left) speaks to teachers and students at A.P. Tureaud Elementary School in New Orleans during a March 19 visit. At the school, Jindal was joined by retired NASA astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. Ride was a crew member on space shuttle Challenger during its STS-7 mission in 1983. She also was a crew member of space shuttle discovery on the STS-41 mission in 1984.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans load alluminum alloy panels into the Vertical Weld Center June 1. The Vertical Weld Center is a friction-stir weld tool for the large structures of the core stage for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. Teams load the panels into the VWC using an overhead crane system, then multiple panels are welded together to create entire barrels. The panels in these images are some of the five barrels that will form the SLS liquid hydrogen propellant tank for the SLS rocket that will power NASA’s Artemis IV mission, which is also the first flight of SLS in its more powerful Block 1B configuration. The SLS core stage is made up of five unique elements: the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, liquid hydrogen tank, and the engine section. The liquid hydrogen propellant tank holds 537,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen cooled to minus 432 degrees Fahrenheit and sits between the core stage’s intertank and engine section. The liquid hydrogen hardware, along with the liquid oxygen tank, provides propellant to the four RS-25 engines at the bottom of the core stage to produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch the Artemis IV mission to the Moon. Together with its four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket boosters produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon. NASA is working to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans load alluminum alloy panels into the Vertical Weld Center June 1. The Vertical Weld Center is a friction-stir weld tool for the large structures of the core stage for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. Teams load the panels into the VWC using an overhead crane system, then multiple panels are welded together to create entire barrels. The panels in these images are some of the five barrels that will form the SLS liquid hydrogen propellant tank for the SLS rocket that will power NASA’s Artemis IV mission, which is also the first flight of SLS in its more powerful Block 1B configuration. The SLS core stage is made up of five unique elements: the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, liquid hydrogen tank, and the engine section. The liquid hydrogen propellant tank holds 537,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen cooled to minus 432 degrees Fahrenheit and sits between the core stage’s intertank and engine section. The liquid hydrogen hardware, along with the liquid oxygen tank, provides propellant to the four RS-25 engines at the bottom of the core stage to produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch the Artemis IV mission to the Moon. Together with its four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket boosters produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon. NASA is working to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans load alluminum alloy panels into the Vertical Weld Center June 1. The Vertical Weld Center is a friction-stir weld tool for the large structures of the core stage for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. Teams load the panels into the VWC using an overhead crane system, then multiple panels are welded together to create entire barrels. The panels in these images are some of the five barrels that will form the SLS liquid hydrogen propellant tank for the SLS rocket that will power NASA’s Artemis IV mission, which is also the first flight of SLS in its more powerful Block 1B configuration. The SLS core stage is made up of five unique elements: the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, liquid hydrogen tank, and the engine section. The liquid hydrogen propellant tank holds 537,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen cooled to minus 432 degrees Fahrenheit and sits between the core stage’s intertank and engine section. The liquid hydrogen hardware, along with the liquid oxygen tank, provides propellant to the four RS-25 engines at the bottom of the core stage to produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch the Artemis IV mission to the Moon. Together with its four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket boosters produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon. NASA is working to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans load alluminum alloy panels into the Vertical Weld Center June 1. The Vertical Weld Center is a friction-stir weld tool for the large structures of the core stage for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. Teams load the panels into the VWC using an overhead crane system, then multiple panels are welded together to create entire barrels. The panels in these images are some of the five barrels that will form the SLS liquid hydrogen propellant tank for the SLS rocket that will power NASA’s Artemis IV mission, which is also the first flight of SLS in its more powerful Block 1B configuration. The SLS core stage is made up of five unique elements: the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, liquid hydrogen tank, and the engine section. The liquid hydrogen propellant tank holds 537,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen cooled to minus 432 degrees Fahrenheit and sits between the core stage’s intertank and engine section. The liquid hydrogen hardware, along with the liquid oxygen tank, provides propellant to the four RS-25 engines at the bottom of the core stage to produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch the Artemis IV mission to the Moon. Together with its four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket boosters produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon. NASA is working to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
Technicians from Orion Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin weld the forward bulkhead of the pressure vessel to the tunnel hardware on the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis III mission at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The crew module’s primary structure, the pressure vessel, is comprised of seven machined aluminum alloy pieces that are welded together through a weld process that produces a strong, air-tight habitable space for astronauts during the mission. The pressure vessel is designed to withstand the harsh and demanding environment of deep space and is the core structure upon which all the other elements of Orion’s crew module are integrated. This pressure vessel weld is the next step following the completion of the crew module cone panel welds and creates the top of the spacecraft. Work will then begin to join the barrel with the aft bulkhead to form the bottom of Orion. Last, the forward bulkhead will be welded to the top of the panels and, for the seventh and closeout weld, the bottom of the cone panels will be joined to the barrel to complete the pressure vessel. Once welding of the Artemis III crew module primary structure is complete, it will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo further assembly beginning this fall. Orion, the Space Launch System, and Exploration Ground Systems programs are foundational elements of the Artemis program. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow and is the first crewed mission, taking humans farther into space than ever before.
NASA officials were joined by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who toured the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and got a first-hand look at NASA’s new deep space vehicles being built at the facility.
Tropical Storm Lee made landfall over New Orleans on Sept. 2-3, 2011, with predicted rainfall of 15 to 20 inches 38 to 51 centimeters over southern Louisiana. These charts are from NASA Aquarius spacecraft.
Technicians are manufacturing and testing the first in a series of initial weld confidence articles for the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) for future flights of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The Exploration Upper Stage will be used on the second configuration of the SLS rocket, known as Block 1B, and will provide in-space propulsion to send astronauts in NASA’s Orion spacecraft and heavy cargo on a precise trajectory to the Moon. The Exploration Upper Stage weld confidence panels are first produced in the Vertical Weld Center at Michoud, then small sections of the panels are removed for mechanical testing and analysis in another area of the factory. Teams use weld confidence articles to verify welding procedures, interfaces between the tooling and hardware, and the structural integrity of the welds. Testing of the EUS weld confidence articles will help engineers and technicians validate welding parameters for manufacturing EUS hardware. The first three SLS flights of NASA’s Artemis program will use an interim cryogenic propulsion stage with one RL10 engine to send Orion to the Moon. The SLS Exploration Upper Stage for flights beyond Artemis III has larger propellant tanks and four RL10 engines. The evolution of the rocket to SLS Block 1B configuration with EUS enables SLS to launch 40% more cargo to the Moon along with the crew. Manufacturing the Exploration Upper Stage is a collaborative effort between NASA and Boeing, the lead contractor for EUS and the SLS core stage. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission. The SLS rocket, NASA’s Orion spacecraft, Gateway, and human landing system are part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration. Under the Artemis program, NASA is working to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon to pave the way for sustainable exploration at the Moon and future missions to Mars. (NASA)
Technicians are manufacturing and testing the first in a series of initial weld confidence articles for the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) for future flights of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The Exploration Upper Stage will be used on the second configuration of the SLS rocket, known as Block 1B, and will provide in-space propulsion to send astronauts in NASA’s Orion spacecraft and heavy cargo on a precise trajectory to the Moon. The Exploration Upper Stage weld confidence panels are first produced in the Vertical Weld Center at Michoud, then small sections of the panels are removed for mechanical testing and analysis in another area of the factory. Teams use weld confidence articles to verify welding procedures, interfaces between the tooling and hardware, and the structural integrity of the welds. Testing of the EUS weld confidence articles will help engineers and technicians validate welding parameters for manufacturing EUS hardware. The first three SLS flights of NASA’s Artemis program will use an interim cryogenic propulsion stage with one RL10 engine to send Orion to the Moon. The SLS Exploration Upper Stage for flights beyond Artemis III has larger propellant tanks and four RL10 engines. The evolution of the rocket to SLS Block 1B configuration with EUS enables SLS to launch 40% more cargo to the Moon along with the crew. Manufacturing the Exploration Upper Stage is a collaborative effort between NASA and Boeing, the lead contractor for EUS and the SLS core stage. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission. The SLS rocket, NASA’s Orion spacecraft, Gateway, and human landing system are part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration. Under the Artemis program, NASA is working to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon to pave the way for sustainable exploration at the Moon and future missions to Mars. (NASA)
Technicians are manufacturing and testing the first in a series of initial weld confidence articles for the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) for future flights of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The Exploration Upper Stage will be used on the second configuration of the SLS rocket, known as Block 1B, and will provide in-space propulsion to send astronauts in NASA’s Orion spacecraft and heavy cargo on a precise trajectory to the Moon. The Exploration Upper Stage weld confidence panels are first produced in the Vertical Weld Center at Michoud, then small sections of the panels are removed for mechanical testing and analysis in another area of the factory. Teams use weld confidence articles to verify welding procedures, interfaces between the tooling and hardware, and the structural integrity of the welds. Testing of the EUS weld confidence articles will help engineers and technicians validate welding parameters for manufacturing EUS hardware. The first three SLS flights of NASA’s Artemis program will use an interim cryogenic propulsion stage with one RL10 engine to send Orion to the Moon. The SLS Exploration Upper Stage for flights beyond Artemis III has larger propellant tanks and four RL10 engines. The evolution of the rocket to SLS Block 1B configuration with EUS enables SLS to launch 40% more cargo to the Moon along with the crew. Manufacturing the Exploration Upper Stage is a collaborative effort between NASA and Boeing, the lead contractor for EUS and the SLS core stage. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission. The SLS rocket, NASA’s Orion spacecraft, Gateway, and human landing system are part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration. Under the Artemis program, NASA is working to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon to pave the way for sustainable exploration at the Moon and future missions to Mars. (NASA)
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards visited NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and spoke about the state’s partnerships with NASA and the 20 companies and government agencies located at the facility. NASA is building its new deep space rocket, the Space Launch System, and the Orion spacecraft at Michoud.
Louisiana first lady Supriya Jindal joins astronaut Sally Ride in speaking to teachers and students at A.P. Tureaud Elementary School in New Orleans.
Louisiana first lady Supriya Jindal joins astronaut Sally Ride in speaking to teachers and students at A.P. Tureaud Elementary School in New Orleans.
Pieces for the Orion spacecraft that will fly on Artemis I are prepared for welding at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Aug. 6, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Pieces for the Orion spacecraft that will fly on Artemis I are prepared for welding at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Aug. 7, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
An Orion cone panel for Artemis I is prepared for welding at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 9, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Pieces for the Orion spacecraft that will fly on Artemis I are prepared for welding at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Aug. 7, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
The first welded part of Artemis I Orion, the forward bulkhead and tunnel, is moved into final tooling at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
The first welded part of Artemis I Orion, the forward bulkhead and tunnel, is moved into final tooling at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Lockheed Martin engineers at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, prepare elements of the Orion pressure vessel for welding on Sept. 23, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Lockheed Martin engineers at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, weld the cone section for the Orion spacecraft which will carry humans beyond the Moon on Artemis II, on Jan. 29, 2018.
An Artemis I Orion cone panel is prepared for welding at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Lockheed Martin engineers at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, prepare elements of the Orion pressure vessel for welding on Sept. 23, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
The Artemis I Orion aft bulkhead is welded to the barrel of the Orion pressure vessel at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
The first welded part of Artemis I Orion, the forward bulkhead and tunnel, is moved into final tooling at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Pieces for the Orion spacecraft that will fly on Artemis I are prepared for welding at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Aug. 7, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Pieces for the Orion spacecraft that will fly on Artemis I are prepared for welding at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Aug. 7, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Pieces for the Orion spacecraft that will fly on Artemis I are prepared for welding at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Aug. 6, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Pieces for the Orion spacecraft that will fly on Artemis I are prepared for welding at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Aug. 7, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Lockheed Martin engineers at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, prepare elements of the Orion pressure vessel for welding on Sept. 23, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Lockheed Martin engineers at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, prepare elements of the Orion pressure vessel for welding on Sept. 23, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Lockheed Martin engineers at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, prepare elements of the Orion pressure vessel for welding on Sept. 23, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
The Artemis I Orion aft bulkhead is welded to the barrel of the Orion pressure vessel at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
The first welded part of Artemis I Orion, the forward bulkhead and tunnel, is moved into final tooling at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Pieces for the Orion spacecraft that will fly on Artemis I are prepared for welding at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Aug. 6, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
The first welded part of Artemis I Orion, the forward bulkhead and tunnel, is moved into final tooling at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
An Artemis I Orion cone panel is prepared for welding at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
An Orion cone panel for Artemis I is prepared for welding at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 9, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
The Artemis I Orion aft bulkhead is welded to the barrel of the Orion pressure vessel at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
iss062e001793 (Feb. 7, 2020) --- The Mississippi River runs past Lake Pontchartrain, through the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, and into the Gulf of Mexico beaming from the Sun's glint.
The first welded part of Artemis I Orion, the forward bulkhead and tunnel, is moved into final tooling at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
The Artemis I Orion aft bulkhead is welded to the barrel of the Orion pressure vessel at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Lockheed Martin engineers at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, weld the cone section for the Orion spacecraft which will carry humans beyond the Moon on Artemis II, on Jan. 29, 2018.
Pieces for the Orion spacecraft that will fly on Artemis I are prepared for welding at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Aug. 7, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
An Artemis I Orion cone panel is prepared for welding at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Lockheed Martin engineers at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, weld the cone section for the Orion spacecraft which will carry humans beyond the Moon on Artemis II, on Jan. 29, 2018.
Lockheed Martin engineers at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, prepare elements of the Orion pressure vessel for welding on Sept. 23, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Pieces for the Orion spacecraft that will fly on Artemis I are prepared for welding at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Aug. 6, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
Pieces for the Orion spacecraft that will fly on Artemis I are prepared for welding at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Aug. 7, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.
iss064e037443 (Feb. 23, 2021) --- The mouth of the Mississippi River, emptying into the Gulf of Mexico south of New Orleans, Louisiana, is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above. Credit: Roscosmos
The Artemis I Orion aft bulkhead is welded to the barrel of the Orion pressure vessel at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2015. Part of Batch image transfer from Flickr.