posted 06-26-2006 04:05 PM               

PRESS RELEASE:

Atlas Featured on The History Channel

See the Mega Movers follow transport of Atlas V launch vehicle

A new show on The History Channel’s, Mega Movers series follows the transport of the powerful and large 191-foot Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from production facilities in Denver, Colo., to the launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Fla. The show is scheduled to air July 4 at 10 p.m. EDT (check local listings).

Mega Movers follows the relocation of the biggest, heaviest and least mobile structures imaginable. Episodes have shown the move of a 500-ton oil rig, giant locomotives and an historic Victorian mansion.

The Mega Movers film crew was given close access to the delivery of Atlas vehicle components for the most recent launch of the Astra 1KR commercial satellite April 20.

The show begins with packing of the Atlas booster at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver, loading onto a Russian Antonov An-124 transport aircraft at Denver International Airport and unloading at the CCAFS Skid Strip. A second trip is required to transport the Centaur upper stage.

The film crew follows the major processing milestones as the Atlas team prepares the vehicle for launch including stacking operations and rollout to the launch pad. Throughout the program, interviews with Lockheed Martin employees describe the careful planning and extraordinary attention to detail that goes into the handling of complex flight hardware.

The program culminates in the ultimate mega move – a successful Atlas V launch of Astra 1KR on April 20.

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-Ben

www.LaunchPhotography.com