In Late 2018, NASA needed to have the Orion Crew Module for the ascent abort test-2 shrink wrapped for transport. In looking for local dealers to shrink wrap the module, Clemon’s Boats was lucky enough to be chosen to do the job!
“It was an incredible thing to be a part of! From the facility and equipment at NASA to the idea of what we were about to do, it was something I couldn’t wait to be a part of!” stated owner, Jason Clemons.
The Clemon’s Boats service team assisted NASA in shrink wrapping the Orion Crew Module so that it could be safely transported from the Plum Brook Station Testing Facility at the Glenn Research Center in Sandusky, OH to Houston, Texas. The style of wrapping the module was very important to ensure safe transport, as you could imagine.
The Orion Crew Module mockup will be used for the ascent abort-2 test this spring at the Kennedy Space Center. This flight test is an integral part of ensuring astronauts are safe by testing Orion’s Launch Abort System (LAS). The LAS is a state-of-the-art crew escape system attached to the top of the spacecraft that will propel the Crew Module away from the rocket should an emergency arise.
The Orion Spacecraft is being designed to take humans beyond the Moon and someday onto Mars. Astronauts will launch aboard the Orion Crew Module for a journey farther than humans have ever gone during exploration mission-2, targeted for 2022.
Clemon’s Boats worked closely with the NASA team to ensure the job was over-done for such a special assignment. Clemon’s Boats has shrink-wrapped thousands of boats over its 53 years in business, but the Orion Crew Module was a new challenge! We formulated a plan, and executed it in hopes the module would make the trip without a glitch, and… it did!
“We want to thank NASA for the opportunity on this project, as it was a new challenge and a lot of fun for us! We hope we get the call for future NASA needs as well.” said Ryan Mizener – Server Manager at Clemon’s Boats.
The Clemon’s Service Team included:
Jason Clemons – Owner
James Mizener – Service Manager
Ben Keller – Service Technician
Gallery
-
Here is the finished product! The Orion crew module wrapped and ready to head to Houston, Texas. It made it successfully with the wrap intact!
-
Pictured here is our team that wrapped the Orion crew module. Left to right: Ben Keller, Jason Clemons, and Ryan Mizener.
-
Here is the crew torching the wrap and ensuring that every seam is taped shut. Any seam on the wrap had to be taped all the way up to ensure moisture didn’t get inside and tear the wrap off! This is an important step when wrapping something to ensure it lasts.
-
Before using the torch, we had to ensure the wrap was banded and taped properly to avoid exposing parts of the crew module. If done incorrectly, the wrap will not withstand high winds or bad weather and will tear and pull off.
-
Here is the Orion crew module with the “cap” on it before wrapping. This ensured that there was a double layer over the top which was prone to tearing. It also served as an extra moisture barrier for the top of the Orion crew module.
Clemon’s Boats is proud to have been considered and chosen for this project. We believe in helping our community when needed and know that this will not only teach us things to help us in the marine business but also give us a great story to tell for a long time!