NASA Super Guppy and Artemis/Orion Spacecraft

1..25 & 26, 2019 NASA's Super Guppy brought the Artemis/Orion Spacecraft to Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport. ©2019 LakewoodObserver.com

(click photo to enlarge)

  • Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport is also home to the C130 of the Ohio National Guard. One practiced landing before the the Super Guppy arrived.

  • One of the reasons NASA uses Mansfield Lahm Airport is that it has the longest runways in Northern Ohio.

  • That way if they have problems, there is a lot of space.

  • Finally The Super Guppy arrived. We were on pins and needles as around 2,000 waited outside at the windy cold airport. They were going to abort to Dayton about until 15 minutes before landing.

  • The Super Guppy was bringing in the Artemis/Orion Sapcecraft, Escape Module for testing at NASA's Plum Brook Station just outside of Toledo.

  • One of the pilots a young woman who also pilots the Super Guppy later told us. "The plane handles like any big prop plane unles there are winds, then it is exciting."

  • Deb asked, "well 30mph gusts how was it? The answer was a calm smile, "It was interesting, but a good landing."

  • Built originally to shuttle the Space Shuttle around from landing airports, to maintainence to Kennedy Space Center.

  • Northern Ohio's favorite WKYC/NBC Weather Girl Betsy Kling takes a photo for her blog.

  • Betsy Kling has followed and reported the work of NASA and this project for years. She is much more than the westher lady.

  • Sunsets one the Super Guppy in Mansfield.

  • 5am next morning.

  • Only a handful of people showed up for this special exprience.

  • First look inside.

  • Quick meeting to go over details one more time.

  • The lift driver's cab.

  • The lift driver's cab, dash board and eyes.

  • Backing up to the Super Guppy.

  • There is a set of rails on the lift that match up to rails on the cargo, in this case the Artemis/Orion Spacecraft.

  • Out comes the cargo.

  • Side shot to see why the Super Guppy was needed.

  • With it out you can see the expanse of the Guppy.

  • Time for a quick NASA group shot.

  • The spacecraft

  • A look into the nearly empty plane. Nearly empty because there was more to unload. I fits a lot.

  • Inside the front of the plane when opened.

  • The stairs up to the pilot's cabin.

  • The back half of the plane.

  • Storage under the storage.

  • Thanks to Jimi and Nicole.

  • The mission sticker.

  • No cry babies!

  • As I turn to leave you see a line of C-130s one without a tail.

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