{"id":39667,"date":"2014-01-13T20:50:58","date_gmt":"2014-01-13T12:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/praise-for-the-maf-transition-ahead-of-sls-production\/"},"modified":"2014-01-13T20:50:58","modified_gmt":"2014-01-13T12:50:58","slug":"praise-for-the-maf-transition-ahead-of-sls-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/praise-for-the-maf-transition-ahead-of-sls-production\/","title":{"rendered":"Praise for the MAF transition ahead of SLS production"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden gained a close up and personal look at the ever-changing face of the famous Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) on Monday. The former birthplace of Saturn stages and Shuttle External Tanks is ramping up towards its new role, producing the giant core stages for the Space Launch System (SLS).<\/p>\n

MAF Transition:<\/p>\n

The New Orleans facility has a rich history, one that ranges back as far the 1940s, when it began life building planes and landing craft for American forces during World War II, before switching its focus to building engines for Sherman and Patton tanks for use during the Korean War.<\/p>\n

\"SaturnEntering the rocket business in 1961, NASA tasked the facility with the construction of first stages for the Saturn IB and Saturn V launch vehicles, prior to their shipment by barge to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC).<\/p>\n

Undergoing a similar transition to what it is today, Michoud had its attention switched to the construction and assembly of the Shuttle External Tanks.<\/p>\n

The first of the 136 tanks, ET-1 for STS-1, rolled out of the door in June, 1979 \u2013 one of only two tanks to have its thermal protection system foam covered in white paint.<\/p>\n

The MAF workforce fought though various challenges, not least the Return To Flight effort, after one of their tanks shed foam from its bipod ramp, critically injuring Columbia during her ill-fated STS-107 launch, before Hurricane Katrina ravaged the local area, personally impacting on almost all of the MAF employees.<\/p>\n

\"\"Despite this, the workers managed to keep the ET schedule on track, even returning one tank back into the mix. ET-122 was set to fly earlier in the program, before being damaged by Katrina. It successfully flew on STS-134 with Endeavour.<\/p>\n

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n

However, by the time the Shuttle Program was slowing down, the workforce already knew the promise of transitioning their careers into the Constellation Program (CxP) were dashed.<\/p>\n

As as result of CxP\u2019s eventual cancellation, the vast majority of the MAF workforce were laid off as the final External Tank headed out into the Gulf of Mexico.<\/p>\n

\"SLSA large number of workers could have seen their careers saved, had it not been for the delays in implementing the plan for a Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV),outlined in the 2010 Authorization Act as the flagship of a realigned exploration program.<\/p>\n

The impact to the facility was severe, as only a small group of skilled workers remained, spending their days removing equipment to make way for a line of Hollywood production companies to use the wide open floor space to film scenes for movies.<\/p>\n

However, the dawn of the new era is now starting to rise out of the ground at MAF, with work on various commercial projects, its role in giving birth to the Orion spacecraft and Lockheed Martin\u2019s use of the facility in constructing the Dream Chaser fleet.<\/p>\n

By far the largest project, the installation of giant machines to build the SLS cores is progressing to plan.<\/p>\n

This latest transition was seen in person by General Bolden \u2013 along with Senator David Vitter of Louisiana \u2013 during a tour of the facility on Monday.<\/p>\n

\"VACModification and construction projects are taking place in Buildings 103, 110, 114, 115, 131 and 451 at the giant facility, but the tour focused on the Vertical Assembly Center (VAB), where the 27.5-foot diameter cylinders, domes, rings and other elements will be brought together to form the fuel tanks and core stage of SLS.<\/p>\n

MAF\u2019s Vertical Assembly Center will be home to one of the largest welding tools of its kind and is scheduled to be completed in March of this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerican astronauts are living and working in space aboard the International Space Station, preparing for deeper space exploration and the SLS is the rocket that will take them there,\u201d noted the General during the tour.<\/p>\n

See Also<\/h4>\n