Aerospace

Since 1977, Specialty Maintenance and Construction, Inc., better known as “SMCI”, has been working on NASA related ground support projects. A short list of projects successfully completed by SMCI has been the machining and fabrication of the payload canister, GOX off-gas vent, clean room access platform, Hubble telescope shipping structure and the launch pad weather platform. SMCI holds and maintains NASA Quality standard requirement of NHB 5300.4 (1c) and Aerospace AS9003.

This mock-up Payload Canister is used to transfer payloads from the operations center to the Space Shuttle on the launch complex. This fabrication by SMCI consisted of a super structure of carbon steel, inner structure of aluminum and interior skins of stainless steel.

“CAPS” is what NASA calls a Clean Access Platform. This assembly was fabricated, machined and tested by SMCI. The telescoping platform is manufactured using aluminum and is used to access the internal structure of the shuttle cargo bay. SMCI built two of these assemblies.

The Gaseous Hood (GOX) vent is custom manufactured of aluminum and used to vent gases from the external fuel tank of the Shuttle during its placement on the launch pad. SMCI built two of these assemblies.

Some other ground support equipment supplied by SMCI was the hold-down posts for the solid rocket boosters for the shuttle and the tail service mast.