Showing posts with label NASA Wallops Flight Facility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NASA Wallops Flight Facility. Show all posts

Monday, September 30, 2024

Future causeway bridge to NASA Wallops-

 (Shore Daily News)



By Linda Cicoira

Kokosing Construction Co., a multi-state operation, recently announced the start of its project to design and build a replacement causeway road and bridge at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.

According to contract details, the cost was estimated at $62,395,600 and has since been increased by 1 percent to $63,270,600 or by $875,000.

The bridge will go over Cat Creek and replace the existing structure, built in 1959-1960. The existing structure “is nearing the end of its service life,” the announcement on Instagram stated.

“Design partner, WSP USA, (an engineering firm), is incorporating durable materials to maximize service life and protect the structure from the aggressive coastal, and marine environment of the Virginia barrier islands,” the announcement continued. “We will utilize a top-down construction methodology to minimize the environmental impacts to adjacent tidal wetland areas.”

     The road is the only access to that portion of the NASA facility, making it critical to daily operations. Construction is expected to begin in early 2025 and be completed in early 2029.


I remember when the existing bridge was built. My uncle was an engineer for Bendix in the early days of NASA and helped develop the Echo series of inflatable target satellites. I still have some scraps left lover from their construction described as "mylar covered aluminum". It was extremely thin but very strong.


I can even remember when there was no bridge and staff and workers had to take a ferry to get to Wallops Island. The ferry landing is still there and can be found by taking Metompkin Road out of Assawoman, turning left on Pettit Road and another left on Pierce Taylor Road and following to the end. My father worked there at one time as a dump truck driver during the initial construction phase.

Your friend,
Slim

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Wallops without the major P3 research operation addressed.

 


The Director of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility addressed the Accomack County Board of Supervisors this week regarding the recently announced plan to relocate one of NASA Wallops important operations.

(View Shore Daily News story:)

NASA Director addresses Accomack Board on transfer of P3 Aircraft to Langley - Shore Daily News

Thursday, September 5, 2024

Wallops bound-

 (Shore Daily News)


Travelers on Route 13 Tuesday afternoon may have noticed a massive cylinder being pulled northbound with a large caravan escorting it.

The tank is an LOX rocket fuel tank, which can hold 90,000 gallons of fuel, and it was making it’s way to Wallops to assist in future launches from the spaceport. Due to size, they were not able to go fast and required law enforcement escort.

Two tanks were transported by barge down the Mississippi River, through the Gulf of Mexico and around the southern tip of Florida and up the coast. They landed in Cape Charles on Saturday.

The second tank will be traveling northbound on Route 13 this afternoon (Thursday). It is scheduled to leave Cape Charles at 2:00 PM.

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Ouch! 23+ may be affected by P3 relocation from Wallops.

 (Shore Daily News)


Supervisor Jeff Parks stated that this action may affect more than just the 23 employees and that he suspects other support operations will also be affected as well.

(View news story:)

NASA to move P3 Aircraft to Langley - Shore Daily News

Monday, June 24, 2024

Chalk up another plus for Wallops and the Eastern Shore!

 (WBOC)


WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. - Governor Glenn Youngkin announced today that Firefly Aerospace has chosen Virginia as the new launch site for its two-stage orbital Alpha rocket.

(View news story:)

New Partnership Will See National Security Launches at Wallops Flight Facility | Latest News | wboc.com

Monday, June 17, 2024

Student mission "RockOn" experiments launch scheduled this week from Wallops.

 



More than 50 student and faculty teams are sending experiments into space as part of NASA’s RockOn and RockSat-C student flight programs. The annual student mission, “RockOn,” is scheduled to launch from Wallops Island, Virginia, on a Terrier-Improved Orion sounding rocket Thursday, June 20, with a launch window that opens at 5:30 a.m. EDT.

(Read more about it:)

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility to Launch Student Experiments - NASA

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Wallops expansion?

 (techcrunch.com)



NASA is kicking off a formal environmental assessment of its facilities on Wallops Island, Virginia, to increase the number of authorized rocket launches at the site by almost 200%, according to slides and recordings of an April 29 internal meeting viewed by TechCrunch.

(View article:)

NASA is expanding its Wallops Island facility to support three times as many launches | TechCrunch

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Electron rocket may launch 3/21 from Wallops

 


(View NASA statement:)

NASA Wallops Supports Rocket Lab Launch for NRO From Virginia - NASA                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Note:

The launch will be visible locally but none of the normal watch locations will be open for the launch.


Thursday, December 28, 2023

$$$ for Wallops along with ambitious speculation

 (Shore Daily News)


Commercial flights into space are still a ways away from being launched in Virginia. But the industry is weighing the possibilities as operations continue to expand at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island.

(View news story:)

Virginia sends $20 million to space authority to expand launch operations - Shore Daily News

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

UPDATE: Thursday launch from Wallops

View 8/17 news story:

RockOn sounding rocket successfully launches from Wallops - Shore Daily News




The RockOn! sounding rocket launch has been rescheduled for Thursday, Aug. 17, with a window of 6-10 a.m. EDT.

The mission had been postponed following an anomaly that occurred on the RockSat-X student sounding rocket launch on Wednesday, Aug. 16. Initial investigation shows that there was an issue with the RockSat-X second stage that led to the payload falling back down within the established hazard area. Teams are working on recovery of the payload and motor. The RockOn launch vehicle uses a different second stage, which has been cleared for flight.

The Wallops Visitor Center will open its gates at 5 a.m. for launch viewing. The live stream will begin 15 minutes before scheduled launch time.

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Next resupply mission from Wallops

 (Shore Daily News)


NASA and commercial cargo provider Northrop Grumman are targeting 8:31 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, Aug. 1, for the launch of the company’s 19th resupply mission to the International Space Station from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility...

(View news story:)

Antares Launch Scheduled for August 1 - Shore Daily News