Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for human exploration and operations, was on hand to tour Michoud facility’s new Vertical Weld Center built by Boeing, Futuramic Tool and Engineering Co.. of Warren, Mich., and PaR Systems of Shoreview, Minn.
Article From Space News
Originally Posted: June 28, 2013
NEW ORLEANS — Although NASA’s heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) will not fly often, it will fly affordably and safely, William Gerstenmaier, NASA’s top human spaceflight official, said here during a June 21 tour of the Michoud Assembly Facility, where the rocket’s core will be built.
The tour, attended by other NASA officials, local and state government representatives, and members of the media, also included a visit to the nearby Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. SpaceNews’ travel and lodging expenses for the two-day visit to New Orleans were paid for by Boeing, prime contractor for the SLS core stage.
Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for human exploration and operations, was on hand not only to tour Michoud but also to mark the start of operations for the facility’s new Vertical Weld Center, a three-story machine — built by Boeing, Futuramic Tool and Engineering Co. of Warren, Mich., and PaR Systems of Shoreview, Minn. — that will weld aluminum alloy panels together to form the cylindrical segments of the 8.4-meter-diameter SLS core stage.
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