Employees at Norwood’s Nor-Tronics Plant took time out Monday through Wednesday morning to view the components and displays of systems in the Saturn Launch Vehicle. The collection, on loan from NASA, is visiting U. S plan’s involved in projects directly related to the Saturn Apollo Program Included in the trailer display were components built at the Norwood plant. Norwood General Manager Walter A. Blasenak, Town Engineer Robert A. Hamilton and Fire Chief Irving J. Dobson visited the van display Tuesday morning.
A nationwide program to encourage top-quality workmanship in space rockets and payloads is being carried to aerospace contractor sites by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
A 40-foot van, containing a number of components and illustrations, arrived at the Precision Products Department of Nortronics in Norwood, a division of Northrop Corporation this week. Contractor employees and guests walked through the van and viewed the displays depicting the necessity for precise work on giant space rockets.
The company holds a contract for work on the Saturn space rocket development program, which is directed by the Marshall Space Flight Center.
The van, called the “Craftsman Ship” by Dr. Wernher Von Braun, is on a tour of contractor facilities in the United States. Dr. von Braun is director of the Marshall Center.
Contractor employees at the plant were urged to take a few minutes to tour the van, which contains exhibits reminding them that the lives of astronauts may be at stake in the work they’re doing.
The van is equipped with a variety of space-age illustrations and materials.
At the entrance is a map of the United States showing Saturn rocket work going on at locations in 48 of the 50 states. Next, a space suit is displayed similar to those worn by astronauts on the
Apollo journey to the moon.
A taped message, calling attention to the importance of the employee’s work, is given by a dummy astronaut.
Since many employees are performing critical component work, a soldering and welding display is next on the tour. A sign points out the fact that each 364-foot tall Apollo/Saturn V rocket contains six million soldering joints and three and one-half miles of welded seams.
Next, visitors viewed more of the overall space rocket picture. A display show# typical materials that go into the space vehicles — sample# of some of the 50 miles of wiring in the electrical system of the Saturn IB rocket, 300 different metal alloys in the Saturn V, and examples of chemical milling, printed electrical circuits and miniaturization of electronic components. Another section shows how rockets are tested, dynamically, electrically, structurally, and finally captive fired, before going to Cap« Kennedy, Florida, for actual launch. Since contractor facilities are located throughout the states, a final display stresses the importance of correct packaging and shipping of certain components. They are sent to the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama and Kennedy Space Center in Florida by land, sea air. A working model of ¡a vital valve, one of several hundred in the Saturn rocket, is included as is a dismantled valve with 209 intricate, parts. Finally, along one side of the van is an illustrated plan of the bmethod to b« used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in sending astronauts to the moon and back. Each of the Precision employees of the Products Department of Nortronics, a division of Northrop Corporation working on apace rockets will have a hand in making the mission a success.
(All articles originally appeared in the Norwood Messenger unless otherwise noted)