
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, media are shown where the aft skirt and lower segment of the Solid Rocket Booster for the Return to Flight mission STS-114 will be stacked with other segments to follow. Two SRBs support the liftoff of the Space Shuttle on a launch. The twin 149-foot tall, 12-foot diameter SRBs provide the main propulsion system during launch to place the 180,000-pound orbiters in the proper orbit around the Earth. They operate parallel with the Space Shuttle main engines for the first two minutes of flight and jettison away from the orbiter with help from the Booster Separation Motors, about 26.3 nautical miles above the Earth’s surface.
Most NASA images are in the public domain and free to use. Credit NASA as the source. Check NASA's media usage guidelines for details. Images featuring identifiable individuals may require additional permissions.
NASA ID
04pd2379
Date Created
November 22, 2004
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Photographer
NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Download this image in multiple resolutions. All NASA media are free for public use.
Large
1920px