At the moment, the 90m-high gantry is just a giant framework of girders, but in the coming months it will be covered in metal panels and the interior fitted with decks to encase the rocket. Unlike its predecessor Ariane 6 will be put together horizontally in a nearby building, before being hoisted-up into the launch tower for final assembly, fuelling and testing. Then, a few hours before launch, the whole structure will be moved away on rails to leave the rocket exposed on the launch pad.
It currently takes 35 days to prepare an Ariane 5 for launch. The rockets have to be hauled between different facilities on an extensive rail network, so the boosters and satellites can be added. With Ariane 6 the aim is to cut that time to just 12 days.
But constructing a new launch gantry is only part of the engineering challenge. The most impressive engineering is below ground. On the surface, the launchpad will resemble an apron of steel and concrete but, once complete, its support structure will reach some 30m beneath the soil. Either side, a pair of 20m-wide tunnels have been built to funnel the flames from the exhaust and carry the water that’s sprayed at the rocket during launch.
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20181206-the-rocket-tower-being-built-in-tropical-jungle
I like how they consistently talk about #engineering which it is. The word science is not even mentioned, because there is not much new science in #RocketEngineering. Even a trip to Mars would produce little in terms of basic science. It is mostly an engineering challenge now -- which is of course applied science.
ReplyDeleteRockets are pretty much a done-deal as far as science goes. As for exploring Mars, I suppose that depends what you mean by "basic" science. I suspect a proper, detailed, long-term study would reveal a lot about geology and perhaps meteorology that we wouldn't otherwise guess. Can't see it doing much for fundamental physics though.
ReplyDeleteYes, there's certainly Martian geology to be studied and discoveries to be made in mapping that all.
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