Truss Installed at B-2

NASA Stennis marks a milestone July 13 with the lift and installation of two large trusses on the Thad Cochran (B-2) Test Stand. The 35-foot-long trusses, each weighing 18,000 pounds, were lifted with the stand derrick and lowered into place in preparation for testing the SLS (Space Launch System) Exploration Upper Stage (EUS). The trusses were fabricated at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and underwent some finishing work and inspection at NASA Stennis before being sandblasted and painted. The installed trusses will serve as a mounting platform for the four EUS engine diffusers (lifted and installed later in the year) and also will bear some of the load of the interstage simulator structure that will house the lower portion of the EUS on the stand. Prior to its use on SLS, the EUS will be installed on the stand and undergo a series of tests to ensure it is ready for flight.