They ensure the hazard areas are clear of aircraft and boats before launching – a task that is easier said than done! This group is also in charge of the red button, a controlled termination button that triggers strategically placed explosives, designed to destroy a minimal amount of the rocket in the event of a launch gone awry. Prior to launch, range safety officers determine hazard areas. Even range safety is located on the main base, carefully overlooking cameras of the launch site, tracking boat traffic and monitoring weather conditions to ensure the safety of countless lives. The scope of the experiments vary greatly, and scientists are given a small area of the rocket that their projects must fit within.ĭuring a rocket launch, the island portion of the base is evacuated with the exception of security and launch pad workers. Wallops Flight Facility is responsible for the rocket construction, safety and launches, but the scientific experiments that the rockets contain actually come from external organizations and students. Sounding rockets are aimed from the launch site, but are unguided and subject to winds. A sounding rocket is an example of a suborbital rocket.
Suborbital rockets fly at slower speeds and eventually come back into the Earth’s atmosphere where they will either burn or fall into the ocean. An example of an orbital rocket would be one heading to the Space Station with supplies. Orbital rockets are expensive and travel at a higher velocity. Today, Wallops launches 2 – 3 orbital rockets per year and up to 10 suborbital rockets. The road to the island was built in the 1960’s. In the event that a day at work turned into a long night, employees could rent a cot and get a hot meal on the island for 75 cents. Instead, employees would catch a ferry to work. Wallops Flight Facility started launching rockets in 1945, and at the time there was no road to the island. Around 1,100 people on the Eastern Shore are employed by NASA, and there are about 600 additional people employed at and around the base by the Navy, Coast Guard, NOAA, Orbital ATK and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. In total, Wallops Flight Facility has 6,000 acres between the island and the main base. Launches actually take place on their oceanfront property, affectionately named “the island”, just south of Assateague Island. When driving towards Chincoteague on Route 175, you can see sprawling grounds with satellite dishes and a few buildings in the distance, but this is only a piece of Wallops Flight Facility’s grounds. A few weeks ago we stepped behind the scenes with Keith Koehler, a Public Affairs Specialist at Wallops, and took a tour of the facility. As a frequent visitor of Chincoteague, I often pass by NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, looking beyond the fences, wondering what secrets are held within.
0 kommentar(er)
