As America gears up for its next mission to the moon, Mansfield will be playing a role in making that happen.
In fact, the spacecraft will be making a stop here later this year.
The uncrewed Orion Multi-Purupose Crew Vehicle is scheduled to be launched next June from the Kennedy Space Center as a part of the Artemis 1 project. The goal of the flight is a six day moon orbit.
If successful, it is planned to be followed by Artemis 2, which will be a crewed space flight.
On Thursday, the SpaceFlight Insider blog posted a piece by writer Michael Cole looking at preparations for the Artemis 1 launch. Entitled “Orion Spacecraft Progressing Toward Artemis 1 Flight,” Cole profiles what is in store over the coming months in that process.
The integrated spacecraft is at the Space Center, but is to be tested at the Plum Brook Station testing facility in Sandusky. It’s voyage there will include a stop at Mansfield Lahm.
According to the story, “The integrated spacecraft stack will be loaded aboard the Super Guppy transport aircraft, which has been fitted with a special Orion Crew and Service Module Horizontal Transporter (CHT) to move the spacecraft in and out of the plane’s giant hold. The Super Guppy will fly to Mansfield, Ohio, landing at the Mansfield Lahm Air National Guard Base, home of the 179th Airlift Wing. After off-loading it will take a full day to transport the spacecraft up the road to Plum Brook Station.”
The visit is scheduled to occur sometime around September 10 to 14.
Cole’s story can be read here.
Source: SpaceFlight Insider, Wikipedia
