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At the Launch Equipment Test Facility, workers check results from testing the X-33 umbilical system. From left are Greg Melton (left), a NASA engineer; Will Reaves, with Lockheed Martin Technical Operations; and Scott Holcomb, also with Lockheed Martin Technical Operations. A team of Kennedy Space Center experts developed the umbilical system, comprising panels, valves and hoses that provide the means to load the X-33 with super-cold propellant. The X-33, under construction at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, Calif., is a half-scale prototype of the planned operational reusable launch vehicle dubbed VentureStar