KSC-04pd-2226
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In preparation for launch, Orbital Sciences Corporation technicians at Vandenberg AFB in California get ready to place the first fairing half around the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft. The fairing will encapsulate DART and protect it while on the launch pad and during ascent. DART was designed and built for NASA by Orbital Sciences as an advanced flight demonstrator to locate and maneuver near an orbiting satellite. The DART spacecraft weighs about 800 pounds and is nearly 6 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. From beneath the belly of the Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft, the Pegasus XL vehicle will launch DART into a circular polar orbit of approximately 475 miles. The DART satellite provides a key step in establishing autonomous rendezvous capabilities for the U.S. Space Program. While previous rendezvous and docking efforts have been piloted by astronauts, the unmanned DART satellite will have computers and cameras to perform its rendezvous functions.
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Details
NASA ID
04pd2226
Date Created
October 15, 2004
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Photographer
NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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