It’s “Operation Insulation” for NASA’s new rocket, the Space Launch System, at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Steve Bray, above, a Bevilacqua Research Corp. employee supporting Marshall’s Engineering Directorate, is part of a team of engineers and technicians who are preparing panels that will be used for testing foam insulation materials for SLS — the largest, most powerful launch vehicle in the world for deep-space missions, including Mars. Different types of polyurethane-based foam will be used to protect and insulate the SLS core stage and launch vehicle stage adapter, which connects the core stage to the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). The ICPS will give the Orion spacecraft the big push needed to fly beyond the moon before the spacecraft returns to Earth. Approximately 180 panels have been prepped for various tests, which are being conducted to qualify the insulation for the challenging environments SLS will experience before and during flight. The Marshall Center manages the SLS Program for NASA.
Image credit: NASA/MSFC