News tagged with launch pad
SpaceX private rocket blasts off for space station (Update)
A first-of-its-kind commercial supply ship rocketed toward the International Space Station following a successful liftoff early Tuesday, opening a new era of dollar-driven spaceflight.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
May 22, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (24) |
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China lays out five-year space plans
China said Thursday cleaner fuel will power its next-generation rockets, which will launch heavy cargoes into space, bringing nearer plans to build a space station and put a man on the moon.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 29, 2011 |
4.8 / 5 (16) |
14
Allen, Rutan plan huge plane to launch spaceships
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and aerospace pioneer Burt Rutan are building the biggest plane ever to haul cargo and astronauts into space, in the latest of several ventures fueled by technology tycoons ...
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 13, 2011 |
5 / 5 (14) |
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India plans manned space mission in 2016
India will launch its first manned space mission in 2016 in a bid to match space pioneers such as Russia and the United States, a top official said Wednesday.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jan 27, 2010 |
4.5 / 5 (15) |
15
NASA preparing to launch NuSTAR, its newest X-ray eyes
(Phys.org) -- NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, is being prepared for the final journey to its launch pad on Kwajalein Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean. The mission will study everything ...
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
May 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (11) |
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Russia marks 50 years since horrific space launch disaster
Russia on Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of the world's most horrific but long-classified space catastrophe when 126 people were burned alive during a launch pad accident.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 24, 2010 |
4.4 / 5 (11) |
22
NASA puts new Ares I-X rocket on launch pad for test flight
(PhysOrg.com) -- For the first time in more than a quarter century, a new vehicle is sitting at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ares I-X flight test vehicle arrived at the pad ...
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 20, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (10) |
9
New operating system for space: High-tech tycoons
The tycoons of cyberspace are looking to bankroll America's resurgence in outer space, reviving "Star Trek" dreams that first interested them in science.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 14, 2011 |
4.4 / 5 (9) |
7
X-37B robotic space plane aims for Thursday launch
(AP) -- The military is poised to launch an unmanned winged spacecraft resembling a miniature space shuttle Thursday and it probably won't be a one-time shot.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Apr 21, 2010 |
5 / 5 (7) |
7
New spacecraft could help break the climate debate gridlock
A new robotic probe is headed to the launch pad, aiming for a spot aboard what is called the A-train -- a fleet of Earth-orbiting spacecraft keeping tabs on the planet's changing climate.
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jan 11, 2011 |
3.2 / 5 (11) |
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Rescue shuttle moved to launch pad just in case
(AP) -- Space shuttle Endeavour is on a launch pad, ready to rocket off on a rescue mission if shuttle Atlantis needs help when it flies to repair the Hubble Space Telescope next month.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Apr 17, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (7) |
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Dawn craft to circle giant asteroid in 1st stop
(AP) -- After four years sailing through space, the Dawn spacecraft was expected to slip into orbit late Friday around a giant asteroid to begin a yearlong investigation into the origins of the solar system.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jul 15, 2011 |
5 / 5 (6) |
2
Audit: Mars mission faces hurdles before launch
(AP) -- NASA's next-generation rover to the surface of Mars, which is already overbudget and behind schedule, faces significant hurdles as it races to the launch pad for a November liftoff, an internal audit ...
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jun 08, 2011 |
5 / 5 (5) |
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Armstrong relives historic Moon landing
It's more than 40 years since Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon, but his memories of the historic flight remain as undimmed as his passion for further exploration of space.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Aug 29, 2011 |
4.8 / 5 (5) |
4
Putin visits site of Russia's new launch center
(AP) -- Russia will launch its manned space missions from a new center in the Far East in 2018, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Saturday, as the country seeks greater independence for its space program.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Aug 28, 2010 |
4.6 / 5 (5) |
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Launch pad
A launch pad is the area and facilities where rockets or spacecrafts liftoff. A Spaceport (or rocket launch site) can contain one or many launch pads. A typical launch pad consists of the service and umbilical structures. The service structure provides an access platform to inspect the launch vehicle prior to launch. Most service structures can be moved or rotated to a safe distance. The umbilical structure has propellent loading, gas, power, and communication links to the launch vehicle. The launch vehicle sits atop of the launch platform, which has the flame deflection structure to withstand the intense heat and load generated by rocket engines during liftoff.
Most cryogenic launch vehicles need to be continuously topped off as scheduled liftoff approaches. This is particularly necessary as various holds are placed on the liftoff and then removed as support personnel correct problems or verify they are not serious. Without the ability to top off the launch vehicle, the launch would have to be scrubbed when problems slowed down the countdown. Gantries are commonly designed and constructed on launch pads to meet these types of servicing requirements both during launch and in the preparation period leading up to it.
Most rockets need stable support for a few seconds after ignition while the engines ramp up and stabilize at full thrust. This stability requirement is commonly met by the use of explosive bolts to connect the launch vehicle to the pad. When the vehicle is stable and ready to fly the bolts explode, severing the vehicle's ties to the launch pad and structures on the ground.
For more information about Launch pad, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
