On Saturday the 27th of September and seemingly non-eventful day on Florida's Space Coast where thousands were enjoying a typical end of Summer day on the Atlantic shore something truly eventful was unfolding. The NASA Pegasus barge was winding its way up the Intercoastal waterway that accesses the Banana River a Brackish (saltwater mixed with freshwater) waterway filled with Flora and Native Fauna. Everything from Atlantic Bottle Nosed Dolphins to Alligators to Great Blue Herons.
This seeming unimpressive grayish barge was carrying something special. Inside was the Artemis / Space Launch System Pathfinder Test article. A 212 ft. long, 27.6 foot-diameter Core stage that will be used to accomplish stacking tests and harness attachment tests in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) High Bay 3 up until the first Flight worthy Artemis / SLS booster arrives for assembly and mating to the crawler Transporter and rolled out to the LC-39 B for the Artemis 1 flight carrying the 2nd crew worthy unmanned Orion Spacecraft. This mission was formerly known as the Exploration Mission 1.
Fast forward to September 30th, 2019 where members of the media were invited from various outlets and were on hand for the Pathfinders un-barging onto dry land at the loading-unloading dock to the north of the NASA Press site parking lot.
The Pegasus barge got a new lease on life with a full refurbishment specifically to carry the SLS Core stages from the Michoud Assembly Facility in Bay St. Louis, New Orleans, Louisiana to Florida's space coast. The barge was designed to replace the Poseidon and Orion barges built in the '40s and refurbished in the '60s for the Apollo Program. Pegasus carried the External Tank for the STS or Space Transportation System or Space Shuttle Program.
NASA’s Pegasus Barge arrives at the Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 27 to make its first delivery to Kennedy in support of the agency’s Artemis missions. Photo credit: NASA/Mike Downs
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