Stennis marks milestone in construction of new test stand

Published on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 10:13 AM CDT

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NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center marked another milestone in construction of its new rocket engine test stand with completion of a pair of transfer docks July 2.

The docks allow fuel barges to deliver propellants (or fuels) to the A-3 Test Stand via Stennis’ seven-and-a-half-mile canal system, which connects the site to the Pearl River. From the docks, liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen will be loaded into run tanks and used to conduct engine tests. The docks also are outfitted to allow for direct liquid transfer during a test.

Workers conducted a July 9 test of the pin anchoring systems used to secure barges at the docks while liquid fuels are transferred. The anchoring systems hold barges in place while allowing them to float up and down as needed.

“Until you actually put a barge into position, you cannot be sure that everything will fit,” said Andrew “Bo” Clarke, the contracting officer’s technical representative for the A-3 project. “It was a great relief to see the barges fit perfectly at each of the stations. You could see the pride in the (construction) superintendent’s face as the barges slid into place. It was a good day.”

IKBI Inc., of Choctaw, Miss., was contractor for the dock construction, an $8.3 million project that took six months to complete. The docks basically are copies of those used at the other test stands onsite.

Completion of the docks marked another sign of progress in construction of the A-3 Test Stand. On April 9, workers concluded structural steel work at the site. The focus now turns to outfitting the stand, Clarke said.

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