If you aren't sure what Orion is or why this test flight is important, check out this article about the "Five Things We'll Learn From Orion's First Test Flight."
I won't be in Florida to see the launch of EFT-1, but I was selected to attend a NASA Social on Dec. 3-4 at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. It will be my first time visiting this facility, and I'm excited for all the activities planned for the days that I'll be there.
Here's the two-day agenda:
Here's the two-day agenda:
Marshall Space Flight Center NASA Social for Orion’s First Flight Test
December 3 - U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Davidson Center for Space Exploration
8:15 AM Board Bus to Marshall Space Flight Center
8:30 AM Arrive at Gate 9 Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Rocket Test Stand (I'm second from the right)
8:45 AM Marshall Contributions to Orion’s First Flight Overview
Tour of the facility where the spacecraft adapter to mate Orion to the Delta IV and that will also be used to mate Orion to the Space Launch System was designed and built
9:15 AM Advanced Manufacturing & 3D Printing
Learn about the Marshall Center’s contributions to the 1st 3D printer recently installed on the International Space Station UPDATE: Check out this video I took of the 3D printer in action!
https://www.facebook.com/julie.tuttle/videos/vb.56202830/867001630183/?type=3
9:50 AM BOARD BUS
10 AM Propulsion Research & Development Laboratory.
Visit the Space Launch System Avionics and Software Lab where the SLS core stage avionics system is being developed and tested
10:30 AM Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environment Simulator & iSAT tour
Learn about research the Marshall Center is doing on nuclear propulsion and with iSAT
11 AM LUNCH
11:30 AM BOARD BUS
11:45 AM Arrive at TV studio
12 PM – 2 PM Live KSC NASA Social/NASA TV Interactive Broadcast
This will be a live broadcast between Kennedy Space Center and all the NASA centers participating in the Orion NASA Social. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions from the panel of experts being broadcast live from KSC.
2:15 PM BOARD BUS
2:30 PM ISS Payload Operations & Integration Center & Laboratory Training
Complex. See where technicians, engineers, and scientists work around the clock
supporting the experiments onboard the International Space Station.
3:30 PM BOARD BUS
3:45 PM SLS Scale Model Acoustic Testing Demonstration at East Test Stand
Scale model acoustic testing is done on a scaled model of the Space Launch System to see how much water will be needed to dilute the massive sounds made by the rocket. You will get to see the model that is being used for the testing and also speak with experts who describe the process.
4:45 PM BOARD BUS
5 PM Arrive at USSRC
December 4 - U.S. Space & Rocket Center
5:30 AM Arrive at USSRC Davidson Center
6 AM Live Broadcast of EFT-1 Launch
7 AM – 10 AM USSRC activities – Orion simulation, MAT, etc.
10 AM Live broadcast of splashdownI'll be posting on Twitter during my adventures at Marshall Space Flight Center. Also, check out my husband, Scott on Twitter. He was also invited to a NASA Social, but he's going to the one at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.