Our tour of the X-33 construction facility began with a introduction to the program and a short video of a test sequence of the Orbital Maneuvering System thrusters.  We spoke with Chris Eaton (a spring 1998 graduate of ERAU-Prescott) who had been working on the Dark Star project at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works until it was canceled just prior to our tour.  He expected to be transferred to the F-117A Flight Test Program.  Can you find us in the photo below?

These photos were taken by one of the two camaras above the assembly floor.  More photos of the construction process can be found at the official X-33 website. 

In the photo above, we were looking at the tooling which supports the framework for the upper half of the vehicle.  This framework supports the  Thermal Protection System and transfers aerodynamic loads to the main structural members (the fuel and oxidizer tanks). 

Behind us and the scaffolding is the X-33 under construction.  The thrust plate/engine mount and the liquid oxygen tank were the only major components installed.  Behind the X-33 were the body flaps and the vertical and horizontal stabilizers.

For more detailed information and the latest news on the X-33, go to the VentureStar® website.