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XRS-2 → Photos →Launch preparations →Keeping the Dewar Full

The white skin of the rocket curves gently out of frame to the left, as two engineers insert shiny stainless steel tubes into a 30cm diameter hole. (49K JPEG)

The satellite is now inside the nose fairing, firmly bolted to the rocket. That white curved thing is the nose fairing. In order to keep the helium tank full, we have to fill it through this little hole. The two stainless steel tubes are fill and vent lines, and the black cables above them allow us to read out the temperatures within the dewar. Just before launch, we'll remove all the cables and plumbing, and the hole will be carefully sealed.

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    Last Updated: Friday, 08-Jul-2005 01:21:04 EDT