Pegasus XL Fairing 2
July 3, 2012
In an environmental enclosure at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, twin segments the Pegasus payload fairing that will enclose NASA's NuSTAR spacecraft are cleaned and inspected before the spacecraft is encapsulated. The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the heat and aerodynamic pressure generated during ascent to orbit aboard the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket.
Image credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB
Topics:
Environment, Parasite aircraft, Air launch to orbit, Pegasus, Payload fairing, Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, Orbital Sciences Corporation, Explorer program, Taurus, Spaceflight, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
