ROCKET MOTOR PASSES HURDLE.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. - Lockheed Martin For the former company, see . Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. and Aerojet announced they have successfully conducted the third and final test firing of an upgraded Atlas V This article is about the rocket. For the boat, see Atlas V (boat). The Atlas V rocket is an expendable launch vehicle formerly built by Lockheed Martin and now built by the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance. solid rocket booster Solid rocket boosters (SRB) (or motors, SRM) are used to provide the main thrust in spacecraft launches from the launchpad up to burnout of the SRBs. Many launch vehicles include SRBs, including the Ariane 5, Atlas V, and the NASA Space Shuttle. motor at Edwards Air Force Base. The test was conducted Jan. 27 at the Air Force Research Laboratory Propulsion Directorate - commonly known as the rocket lab. The series of tests are being used to evaluate design changes made to make the 67- foot-long rocket motor more robust. The motor was fired for about 90 seconds and produced an average thrust of over 250,000 pounds, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. an Aerojet statement. ``Early test results indicate the motor, its insulation and nozzle performed well and according to design,'' the company's statement said. Aerojet's Block B solid rocket booster is aimed at improving reliability and performance for Lockheed Martin's Atlas V rocket. The two previous test firings were conducted May 24 and April 1, 2005. The test effort marks the inaugural use of a new horizontal test stand built in a collaborative effort by Aerojet, Lockheed Martin and the Air Force. The test stand can accommodate rockets of up to 1 million pounds of thrust and is equipped with a 15-ton traveling crane (Mach.) a crane mounted on wheels; esp., an overhead crane consisting of a crab or other hoisting apparatus traveling on rails or beams fixed overhead, as in a machine shop or foundry. See also: Crane . Test-stand construction began last year and was completed last February. Aerojet builds Atlas V motors for Lockheed Martin. Jim Skeen, (661) 267-5743 james.skeen(at)dailynews.com |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion