Ground Handling and Transportation of the Rift Nuclear Stage

Award of the NASA contract to Lockheed Missiles & Space Company for the RIFT (Reactor-In-Flight-Test) Program has given rise to some very interesting concepts for Ground Handling and Transportation Equipment. The RIFT, or nuclear powered, stage must undergo extensive testing at diverse geographic locations. This paper presents the sequence of handling and transfer operations starting at the Sunnyvale assembly plant at Moffett Field, California, and terminating at each of the test or launch sites. Concepts of major handling and transportation equipment will be discussed.