#evolvedexpendablelaunchvehicle — Public Fediverse posts

The #Atlas launch vehicle has evolved over the many years. The first Atlas SM-65 was a nuclear missile modified to launch spacecraft. Upper stages were added like Agena and Centaur.
The #skin of the #AtlasRocket was made of stainless #steel and thinner than a US #dime. The tanks could not support their own weight and had to be pressurized with gas to prevent them from crumpling.
This was true from Atlas, to Atlas-Centaur, to Atlas I, Atlas IIAS, and Atlas III.
The #AtlasV’s skin is made of isogrid aluminum; this being a type of machined aluminum that removed triangular sections from the inside of the tank walls, saving weight while preserving strength.
A copper-colored outer cladding is added.

Get a print or other merchandise with this image at https://heronfox.pixels.com/featured/modern-atlas-skin-heron-and-fox.html

#EvolvedExpendableLaunchVehicle, #EELV, #AtlasVRocket, #Photography,

To continue our #introduction, Fox (the #photographer) studied #physics, and covered #spacescience and the work and #launches from #KennedySpaceCenter/#KSC and #CapeCanaveral/#CCAFS.
He covered the end of the #SpaceShuttle Era, including the finishing work on the #Orbiters to get them ready for display, and flying #Discovery and #Endeavour off. #Atlantis remains at the KSC Visitor's Complex Atlantis Museum.
He also covered a number of #EvolvedExpendableLaunchVehicle/#EELV launches for #NASA :nasa: , #NOAA, the #DOD, and the #NRO. Fox covered a variety of #UnitedLaunchAlliance #AtlasV and #DeltaIV #rockets, as well as the beginning of the #Falcon9's career.
Shooting the Shuttle was the best, though.
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/endeavour-in-opf-3-port-name-heron-and-fox.html