payload cone

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --    In Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, ssembly is underway for the Taurus XL rocket that will launch NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, spacecraft.  Lined up left to right are the Stage 1 and Stage 2 motors, the boattail, the avionics shelf and the Stage 3 motor.  The graphite/epoxy boattail structure provides the transition from the smaller diameter of the Stage 2 motor to the larger diameter of the avionics skirt. The avionics skirt, also a graphite/epoxy structure, supports the avionics shelf and carries the primary structural loads from the fairing and payload cone. The aluminum avionics shelf supports the third stage avionics. The OCO is a new Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The launch of OCO is targeted for January.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB KSC-08pd3866

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Ba...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, ssembly is underway for the Taurus XL rocket that will launch NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, spacecraft. Lin... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --  In Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers do a fit check on the mating of the  Stage 1 to Stage 2 motors for the Taurus XL rocket that will launch NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, spacecraft. At right can be seen the avionics shelf.  The avionics skirt, a graphite/epoxy structure, supports the avionics shelf and carries the primary structural loads from the fairing and payload cone. The aluminum avionics shelf supports the third stage avionics.  The OCO is a new Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The launch of OCO is targeted for January.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB KSC-08pd3868

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers do a fit check on the mating of the Stage 1 to Stage 2 motors for the Taurus XL rocket that will launch NASA's Orbi... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. --    In Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, assembly is underway for the Taurus XL rocket that will launch NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, spacecraft. In the foreground at left is the boattail; behind it is the Stage 0 Castor 120 motor. At right near the wall (from left) are the Stage 1 and Stage 2 motors, the avionics shelf and the Stage 3 motor. The graphite/epoxy boattail structure provides the transition from the smaller diameter of the Stage 2 motor to the larger diameter of the avionics skirt. The avionics skirt, also a graphite/epoxy structure, supports the avionics shelf and carries the primary structural loads from the fairing and payload cone. The aluminum avionics shelf supports the third stage avionics. The OCO is a new Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The launch of OCO is targeted for January.  Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB KSC-08pd3867

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Ba...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, assembly is underway for the Taurus XL rocket that will launch NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, spacecraft. In ... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the payload cone for NASA's Glory mission is pictures secured inside its cargo carrier. The payload cone is an adapter that interfaces the Taurus XL rocket with the spacecraft.            A four-stage Taurus XL rocket will carry Glory into low Earth orbit. Once Glory reaches orbit, it will collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Launch is scheduled for 2:09 a.m. PST Nov. 22. For information, visit www.nasa.gov/glory. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB KSC-2010-4411

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in C...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the payload cone for NASA's Glory mission is pictures secured inside its cargo carrier. The payload cone is an adapter that inter... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a worker user a Hyster lift moves the payload cone for NASA's Glory mission into VAFB's payload processing facility. The payload cone is an adapter that interfaces the Taurus XL rocket with the spacecraft.            A four-stage Taurus XL rocket will carry Glory into low Earth orbit. Once Glory reaches orbit, it will collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Launch is scheduled for 2:09 a.m. PST Nov. 22. For information, visit www.nasa.gov/glory. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB KSC-2010-4412

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in C...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a worker user a Hyster lift moves the payload cone for NASA's Glory mission into VAFB's payload processing facility. The payload ... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers are preparing to unload a payload cone for NASA's Glory mission. The payload cone is an adapter that interfaces the Taurus XL rocket with the spacecraft.            A four-stage Taurus XL rocket will carry Glory into low Earth orbit. Once Glory reaches orbit, it will collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Launch is scheduled for 2:09 a.m. PST Nov. 22. For information, visit www.nasa.gov/glory. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB KSC-2010-4409

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in C...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers are preparing to unload a payload cone for NASA's Glory mission. The payload cone is an adapter that interfaces the Tauru... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers are preparing to unload a payload cone for NASA's Glory mission. The payload cone is an adapter that interfaces the Taurus XL rocket with the spacecraft.            A four-stage Taurus XL rocket will carry Glory into low Earth orbit. Once Glory reaches orbit, it will collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Launch is scheduled for 2:09 a.m. PST Nov. 22. For information, visit www.nasa.gov/glory. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB KSC-2010-4410

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in C...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers are preparing to unload a payload cone for NASA's Glory mission. The payload cone is an adapter that interfaces the Tauru... More

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the payload cone is lowered onto the floor of VAFB's payload processing facility for NASA's Glory mission. The payload cone is an adapter that interfaces the Taurus XL rocket with the spacecraft.            A four-stage Taurus XL rocket will carry Glory into low Earth orbit. Once Glory reaches orbit, it will collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Launch is scheduled for 2:09 a.m. PST Nov. 22. For information, visit www.nasa.gov/glory. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB KSC-2010-4413

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in C...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the payload cone is lowered onto the floor of VAFB's payload processing facility for NASA's Glory mission. The payload cone is an... More