VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. — Inside the Astrotech Payload Processing Facility on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, workers lift the CALIPSO spacecraft from the Upper Delta Payload Attach Fitting (UDPAF) to adjust the attachment. CALIPSO will be mated with the Lower Delta Payload Attach Fitting (LDPAF) that contains the CloudSat satellite. The PAF is the interface between the spacecraft and the second stage of the rocket. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation.
Size: 3000px × 1968px
Photo credit: © NASA/piemags / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: .