NASA, Partner Collaborate on Key Piece of Orion Hardware

Technicians from Janicki Industries in Hamilton, Wash., work in collaboration with NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., to build part of the Space Launch System, NASA’s next-generation launch vehicle.
They are specifically working on a diaphragm for the Multipurpose Crew Vehicle Stage Adapter (MSA). Joint efforts between NASA and Janicki Industries enable engineers to verify proper functioning of this part of the SLS vehicle with the Orion spacecraft during its first mission — Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) — scheduled to launch in 2014. The adapter will attach the Orion spacecraft to the launching rocket, and the diaphragm is used to keep launch vehicle gases away from the spacecraft. United Launch Alliance, which makes the Delta IV in nearby Decatur, Ala., will deliver a full-size section of the rocket to the Marshall Center, where engineers will test the fit of the adapter on June 26.