The aft cone, or bottom portion, of a test version of the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) for the world’s most powerful rocket, NASA’s Space Launch System, is moved out of a weld tool after undergoing its final vertical weld at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The LVSA will connect two major sections of the SLS — the core stage and the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Marshall and Teledyne Brown Engineering — prime contractor on the LVSA work — have two more major welds to finish the structural test article. When completed, the test hardware will be stacked with other structural test articles of the upper part of the rocket and tested in late 2016 at Marshall. The testing will verify the integrity of the hardware and ensure it can withstand the loads it may experience during flight.
Image Credit: NASA/MSFC/Fred Deaton