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A crane is enlisted to position a solid rocket motor for the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission in California.

NASA

NASA
Washington, DC, United States

A crane is enlisted to position a solid rocket motor for the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, beside the rocket's first stage in the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

SMAP will be launched on a Delta II 7320 configuration vehicle featuring a United Launch Alliance first stage booster powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and three Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, strap-on solid rocket motors. Once on station in Earth orbit, SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. These measurements will be used to enhance understanding of processes that link the water, energy and carbon cycles, and to extend the capabilities of weather and climate prediction models. SMAP data also will be used to quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes and to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than November 2014. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin

Details

  • Title: A crane is enlisted to position a solid rocket motor for the Delta II rocket for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission in California.
  • Location: Vandenberg AFB, CA
  • Owner: KSC
  • Album: cbabir
  • About Title: To help you find images you’re searching for, previously untitled images have been labelled automatically based on their description

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