
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A spent solid rocket booster from Discovery's STS-133 launch bobbed in the Atlantis Ocean off the coast of Florida, before toppling over in a retrievable position. The booster is pumped with air to help maintain its flotation and horizontal position. Next, one of NASA's solid rocket booster retrieval ships, Liberty Star or Freedom Star, will tie up to the booster and transport it to Hangar AF at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The shuttle’s two solid rocket booster casings and associated flight hardware are recovered after every launch by the two ships. The boosters impact the Atlantic about seven minutes after liftoff and the retrieval ships are stationed about 10 miles from the impact area at the time of splashdown. After the spent segments are processed, they will be transported to Utah, where they will be refurbished and stored, if needed. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux
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NASA ID
KSC-2011-1930
Date Created
February 26, 2011
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Location
Cape Canaveral, FL
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