Space shuttle booster night test firing

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

The space shuttle boosters are manufactured near Promontory UT and then shipped by rail in segments to Huntsville AL for assembly before being barged to Kennedy Space Center. In preparation for the planned night launch in December, one set of 4 segments was tested last night near Promontory. The one local news station has video about the 123 second test firing. The video can be seen at:

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=651810

ps - each segment weighs about 300,000 lbs and are shipped on UP 200 ton 6 axle flat cars.

dd

2

Well, I guess that we can permit this almost Off Topic thread. These things do go by rail and, after all, they are made near Promontory.

3

…Wonder why a railroad spur or extension was never constructed out to the “Cape” from Florida’s main land…It’s just a few miles and there is a causeway for the road way out to it.

I can relate to night firing of the rockets, etc…Several years ago…{5 or 6 or so}, we were right on shore across from the Cape and witnessed a shuttle launch at about 12:30 at night…Awesome…!! Could almost read a newspaper from the light it produced at take off…and a thundering sound…

4

This is the train. I know that a couple of the pictuers are scanned backwards, just haven’t fixed them yet.

The passenger car is called Warrior River.

Caught this headed East summer 2005. But I have seen it a few times since then.

5

The Warrior River is ex-Southern RR.

6

Yep, I would have gotten a picture of it, but I couldnt get down to it as they had Frac hoppers parked there.

7

Ditto - I spent a year at Vandenberg AFB supporting launches of all kinds. One special project put me less than a mile from a Minuteman silo during a launch. Impressive.

8

…We’ve been present for several launching at various times of the day and they’re all impressive. Once my location was up on top {outside}, of Disney’s Contemporary Hotel {in daytime}, and witnessed it launch…That’s from about 45 to 50 air miles away and it was still impressive. {Could not hear it}.

But the night launching was the most awesome.