 |
Crew
Access Arm walkway and White Room for NASA astronauts boarding commercial SpaceX
Crew Dragon capsule for flights to the International Space Station is
harnessed for hoisting with work crews and cranes atop Launch Complex 39A at
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center- as seen on Aug. 18, 2018. Credit:
Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
|
Ken Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com -- 18 Aug 2018
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – Work crews are forging ahead rapidly with efforts to install the recently arrived Crew Access Arm and White Room high up the gantry on Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida from which NASA astronauts will soon embark on SpaceX Crew Dragon flights to the International Space Station (ISS). Its awesome to realize that restoring US human spaceflight is now visibly just around the corner!
Today I observed the truly futuristic looking SpaceX Crew Access Arm and White Room harnessed for hoisting at Florida’s Spaceport - surrounded by multiple cranes with multiple teams of work crews toiling - busily preparing the astronaut walkway for craning to nearly the top of the shuttle era gantry at pad 39A.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – Work crews are forging ahead rapidly with efforts to install the recently arrived Crew Access Arm and White Room high up the gantry on Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida from which NASA astronauts will soon embark on SpaceX Crew Dragon flights to the International Space Station (ISS). Its awesome to realize that restoring US human spaceflight is now visibly just around the corner!
Today I observed the truly futuristic looking SpaceX Crew Access Arm and White Room harnessed for hoisting at Florida’s Spaceport - surrounded by multiple cranes with multiple teams of work crews toiling - busily preparing the astronaut walkway for craning to nearly the top of the shuttle era gantry at pad 39A.
 |
SpaceX
Crew Access Arm walkway for NASA astronauts boarding commercial Crew Dragon capsule
for missions to the International Space Station is harnessed for hoisting with work
crews and cranes atop Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center- as
seen on Aug. 18, 2018. Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
|
Check out our expanding
gallery of Space Up Close photos here with men and women actively at work - taken
today, Saturday, Aug. 18, as a follow up to my photos from yesterday.
Today’s photos include views
with an apparent peek inside a portion of the White Room which appears to be
open - whereas it appeared to be sealed off yesterday.
 |
Crew
Access Arm walkway and White Room for NASA astronauts boarding commercial SpaceX
Crew Dragon capsule for flights to the International Space Station is
harnessed for hoisting with work crews and cranes atop Launch Complex 39A at
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center- as seen on Aug. 18, 2018. Credit:
Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
|
The lengthy black and white, windowed walkway
was surrounded by multiple smaller cranes and another towering one that dwarfs
all the others and that will be used soon to hoist it in place near the top of
NASA’s shuttle era gantry - named the Fixed Service Structure (FSS). Pad 39A has
been leased by SpaceX for 20 years from NASA.
The White Room is located at
the terminus of the crew access arm that serves essential as the “Walkway
to the Stars’ that NASA astronauts will soon stride along to board the SpaceX
Crew Dragon for its maiden commercial crew flight to the International Space
Station (ISS) - as soon as 2019.
 |
Harnessed
SpaceX Crew Access Arm walkway for NASA astronauts boarding commercial Crew
Dragon capsule for missions to the International Space Station and Transporter
Erector with work crews and cranes atop Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy
Space Center- as seen on Aug. 18, 2018. Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
|
The maiden unpiloted Crew Dragon mission known as SpaceX
Demo-1 is currently slated for Nov. 2018 blastoff from seaside pad 39A.
The White Room is designed to swing out and fit snugly against
the exterior side of Crew Dragon and the opened crew hatch, Dragon is bolted in place on top of the SpaceX
Falcon 9 carrier rocket at pad 39A.
It provides a clean room, climate-controlled environment for space suited astronauts climbing aboard the spacecraft and taking their designated seats aided by ground technicians to assist them comfortably.
It provides a clean room, climate-controlled environment for space suited astronauts climbing aboard the spacecraft and taking their designated seats aided by ground technicians to assist them comfortably.
 |
Harnessed
SpaceX Crew Access Arm walkway for NASA astronauts boarding commercial Crew
Dragon capsule for missions to the International Space Station and Transporter
Erector with work crews and cranes atop Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy
Space Center- as seen on Aug. 18, 2018. Credit: Ken
Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
|
 |
Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
|
Also be sure to check out my
earlier views from yesterday, Friday, Aug. 17, in an accompanying story - before
the walkway was slung up. Several have been
featured as well at Spaceflight Now.
 |
Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
|
Both set of photos were
taken from multiple vantage points around pad 39A after its arrival atop the
ramp at pad 39A a few days ago.
It will be in place for the
first unpiloted SpaceX Crew Dragon mission slated for later this year – as soon
as November 2018.
 |
Crew
Access Arm walkway and White Room for NASA astronauts boarding commercial SpaceX
Crew Dragon capsule for flights to the International Space Station is
harnessed for hoisting with work crews and cranes atop Launch Complex 39A at
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center- as seen on Aug. 18, 2018. Credit:
Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
|
In the final hours prior to
launch, astronauts will walk down the walkway to enter the Dragon.
So pad 39A will make history again when the first commercial crew mission blasts off as soon as Spring 2019 – and thereby restore America’s access to space for American astronauts flying on American rockets from American soil. And – end US sole reliance on the Russian Soyuz capsule for rides to space.
The Crew Access Arm for the Boeing Starliner was installed a few years ago at Space Launch Complex -41 for launches on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V.
Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital ATK and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.
Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com
………….
Ken’s upcoming outreach events/photos for sale:
Learn more about the upcoming upcoming/recent NASA/ULA Parker Solar Probe, SpaceX Merah Putih & Telstar 18 & 19 launches, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-15 launch to ISS, SES-12 comsat launch, Falcon Heavy, TESS, GOES-S, Bangabandhu-1, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, SpySats and more at Ken’s upcoming outreach events at Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings.
Aug 24/25: “NASA/ULA Parker Solar Probe launch, SpaceX Merah Putih & Telstar 18v & 19v Launches, SpaceX Dragon CRS-15 resupply launch to ISS, SpaceX Falcon Heavy & Falcon 9 launches, SpaceX SES-12 comsat. ULA Atlas USAF SBIRS GEO 4 missile warning satellite, SpaceX GovSat-1, CRS-14 resupply launches to the ISS, NRO & USAF Spysats, SLS, Orion, Boeing and SpaceX Commercial crew capsules, OSIRIS-Rex, Juno at Jupiter, InSight Mars lander, Curiosity and Opportunity explore Mars, NH at Pluto and more,” Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings. Photos for sale
So pad 39A will make history again when the first commercial crew mission blasts off as soon as Spring 2019 – and thereby restore America’s access to space for American astronauts flying on American rockets from American soil. And – end US sole reliance on the Russian Soyuz capsule for rides to space.
The Crew Access Arm for the Boeing Starliner was installed a few years ago at Space Launch Complex -41 for launches on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V.
Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital ATK and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.
Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com
………….
Ken’s upcoming outreach events/photos for sale:
Learn more about the upcoming upcoming/recent NASA/ULA Parker Solar Probe, SpaceX Merah Putih & Telstar 18 & 19 launches, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-15 launch to ISS, SES-12 comsat launch, Falcon Heavy, TESS, GOES-S, Bangabandhu-1, NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, SpySats and more at Ken’s upcoming outreach events at Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings.
Aug 24/25: “NASA/ULA Parker Solar Probe launch, SpaceX Merah Putih & Telstar 18v & 19v Launches, SpaceX Dragon CRS-15 resupply launch to ISS, SpaceX Falcon Heavy & Falcon 9 launches, SpaceX SES-12 comsat. ULA Atlas USAF SBIRS GEO 4 missile warning satellite, SpaceX GovSat-1, CRS-14 resupply launches to the ISS, NRO & USAF Spysats, SLS, Orion, Boeing and SpaceX Commercial crew capsules, OSIRIS-Rex, Juno at Jupiter, InSight Mars lander, Curiosity and Opportunity explore Mars, NH at Pluto and more,” Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings. Photos for sale
No comments:
Post a Comment