Exploration Development Lab

Altair Lander simulator.

Exploration Development Lab

Orion interior view of window layout.

Exploration Development Lab

Orion Capsule mock-up in the EDL.

Exploration Development Lab

I also photographed a mock-up of the Orion capsule at Lockheed Martin's Exploration Development Lab.

Johnson Space Center

Another flight deck detail image.

Johnson Space Center

A detail shot of the flight deck.

Johnson Space Center

This is the flight deck of one of the Space Shuttle Trainers

Johnson Space Center

Here is an image from the Neutral Buoyancy Lab.

Johnson Space Center

Here are some images from my trip to Johnson Space Center.

Orion Capsule

The Orion Capsule will carry a crew of four atop the Ares-1 rocket. This is the first "proof of production" version of the capsule. Though it will never be launched, it will be built to flight standards. Odds are good that many aspects of the Orion will be modified during the engineering, production and testing phase of the program.

This is only a portion of the capsule's frame. There is a sleeve that will be attached below this section (visible directly behind the capsule), then the bulkhead on the bottom. There are two smaller cone shaped sections which will be attached above the section pictured here. Attached atop those is the tunnel and upper hatch.

Orion Capsule Bulkhead

This is the Bulkhead, or bottom of the Orion Capsule. The ablative heat shield will be attached to the bulkhead to protect the capsule during reentry through the Earth's atmosphere.

Orion Capsule Hatch

This is the main hatch opening on the Orion Capsule. The capsule will also have a tunnel hatch at the top to connect to the Altair lander.

Orion Capsule Window

This is one of four windows in the Orion Capsule. There will be one window for each astronaut on the crew.

External Tank Foam Spray and Test Cells

The external tanks and tank segments are tested and coated with foam in a series of "cells"in the VAB at MAF. This image depicts the hydrostatic test cell.

Test Cell "C" Wall

Test Cell "C" Detail

Test Cell "C"

External Tank Segments

Assembly of the Space Shuttle external tanks is nearly complete. These image depict left over segment which may be utilized if the space Shuttle program is extended by Congress.

External Tank Segments

Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, LA

I spent the day photographing at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility. MAF is where the Apollo Saturn I and V rockets were manufactured. Currently, it is where the Space Shuttle external tank is assembled. Future plans call for the Ares I and Ares V rockets to be assembled at MAF.

Me on the VAB Roof Before the Launch of STS 129

Sorry, very self-serving, but this is a an extremely rare opportunity to witness a launch form the roof of the VAB!

Exhaust Cloud Disapates From Launch Pad A After STS 129 Launch

STS 129 Passes Through a Cloud on the way to Orbit.

View of STS 129 Launch from VAB Roof!

Atlantis soars skyward from Pad 39A at the John F. Kennedy Space Center.

Launch of STS 129 from VAB Roof

I enjoyed the rare opportunity to photograph the launch of STS 129 from the roof of the VAB!

Flying Saucers at NASA?

Nope! This is not a flying saucer, just the lower dome of the common bulkhead dome structure. This will become the top of the liquid O2 tank on the second stage of the ARES I rocket..

Here is a detail image of the Vertical Welding Tool.

Here is an image of a vertical friction stir weld on an ARES I second stage tank section.

ARES I Second Stage Tank Section

This is a view of an ARES I second stage tank section on the Horizontal Trimming Tool. In the background is the high bay ceiling and crane.

Marshall Space Flight Center's Friction Stir Welding Facility

Yesterday, I traveled down to Marshall Space Flight Center here in Huntsville, Alabama to photograph the Friction Stir Welding Facility where they are fabricating the Common Bulkhead Domes for the ARES I second stage liquid Hydrogen and Oxygen tanks. This image depicts the dome section on the Robotic Welding Tool, which is the "top" of the liquid oxygen tank. The O2 and H2 tanks share this dome as top and bottom, respectively. A honeycomb structure will overlay this dome, and then the upper dome -the bottom of the H2 tank- will be attached over that.

Friction stir welding is a fascinating process which uses thousands of pounds of pressure and a "bit" spinning at several hundred rpms to weld the pieces together.

Ares 1-X Launch

STS 129 on Pad A

Ares 1-X from Pad A

Future of Constellation Program Uncertain

With uncanny timing, the future of the Constellation Program will be affected this week when the Augustine Commission releases its final report -only five days before the scheduled launch of the Ares 1-X. The commission was formed to look at human space flight and current plans, needs, and funding. The preliminary report was not favorable towards the effectiveness of the Ares 1 vehicle.

Ares 1-X Climbs Ramp at Pad B

Ares 1-X Arrives at Complex 39's Pad B

The Ares 1-X is pictured above just about to begin its climb up the ramp to Pad B just as the sun is beginning its climb above the Atlantic Ocean.

Upside Down Rocket

The Ares 1 rocket is unique in the fleet of manned space vehicles because it consists of a single, solid rocket first stage and a liquid fueled upper stage. The Ares 1-X has an inert second stage to simulate the shape and weight of the operational version. The pairing of the solid 1st stage and liquid upper stage makes the rocket smaller on the bottom and larger on the top. -a unique look for a manned vehicle.

View of Ares 1-X and Crawler-transporter

Almost as Tall as a Saturn V!

It was extremely impressive to watch the Ares 1-X pass by on the crawler-way within a few dozen yards. At 327 feet, the Ares 1-X is nearly as tall as the Saturn V Rocket which was a mere 38 feet longer.

Ares 1-X Rolls Out!

The Ares 1-X rocket, the first test in a new generation of rockets intended to replace the Space Shuttle and eventually return us to the Moon and on to Mars, was rolled out of the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) around 1:39 am this morning, October 20, 2009. It was a truly spectacular sight and worth waiting up for its debut.

The Ares 1-X rollout has been postponed for a day due to a small nitrogen leak, so I am staying in Tallahassee for an extra day. I went photographing in southern Georgia with Todd Bertolaet, professor of Photography at FAMU. Here is a photo of him using his 6 X 24 cm view camera.

This is sunset over the St. Marks river Friday night when I arrived.

I stopped to photograph this titan missile near a Krystal restaurant in GA.

Crazy Bus, Crazy Women

While I was getting gas in Vieanna, GA, these women were dancing on their bus!?

Atlanta

I made it to Atlanta late Thursday night. The next morning, I visited VTA, a high-end video post-production facility where my friend Bob Castro is a video editor. Here is a photo of Bob in Edit Suite 3, his office. Bob is working on a video documentary of my Abandoned in Place project.

Here is one of Bob's co-workers in the color correcting suite where he is real-time color correcting film being digitized through a Tele-Cine machine.

The Trip Begins

Well, I am heading to Florida on Thursday to begin documenting the rollout and launch of the new Ares 1-X Rocket from the Kennedy Space Center's 39B launch pad. I am a photographer who has been documenting historic space launch facilities around the United States for over 20 years. You can view some of these images at my website, RolandMiller.com .

There has not been a new "manned" (pardon the sexist reference) space launch vehicle launched since the first Space Shuttle mission in 1981. This launch is an unmanned test of the first stage of the rocket -a single, modified Space Shuttle solid rocket booster with five segments instead of the shuttle version's four configuration. In the Ares I-X, the fifth segment is inert. The payload is referred to as "shape and weight" relative to the actual capsule and vehicle.

I'll be blogging the work I do and the experiences I have on this excursion.