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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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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The 'CES curse?' Gadget show has poor record
The largest trade show in the Americas must be a great place to show off new products, right? Wrong. The International Consumer Electronics Show is quickly becoming a launch pad for products that fall flat.
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Jan 06, 2012 |
2 / 5 (2) |
1
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) |
32
Atlantis blasts off on end-of-era spaceflight
Atlantis blazed a path into history Friday as it rocketed off the launch pad for a final time, marking the last-ever liftoff of the 30-year-old American space shuttle program.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jul 08, 2011 |
4.2 / 5 (5) |
5
NASA checks for damage after possible lightning
Thunderstorms threatened to delay NASA's last space shuttle launch set for Friday with lightning striking near the pad as astronauts descended on Cape Canaveral by the dozens on the eve of the historic flight.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jul 07, 2011 |
not rated yet |
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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) |
16
2nd last space shuttle lands; final on launch pad (Update)
NASA's 30-year shuttle program inched closer to the end Wednesday, wrapping up its next-to-last mission and moving Atlantis to the launch pad for next month's final flight.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jun 01, 2011 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Endeavour poised for next-to-last US shuttle flight
NASA Sunday readied the space shuttle Endeavour for its final mission with liftoff set for 8:56 am (1256 GMT) Monday on the next-to-last flight for the American shuttle program.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
May 15, 2011 |
4 / 5 (3) |
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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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Soyuz crew blasts off on space station mission
(AP) -- Astronauts from the U.S., Russia and Italy blasted off into the darkness early Thursday, lighting up the chilly plains of Kazakhstan with their Soyuz spacecraft as they began a mission to the International ...
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 15, 2010 |
5 / 5 (2) |
1
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) |
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Space shuttle leaking, NASA working up repair plan
(AP) -- Space shuttle Discovery is leaking on the launch pad.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 18, 2010 |
4.6 / 5 (5) |
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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) |
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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.
