Back to album

The First Space Shuttle External Tank

The first Space Shuttle External Tank (ET), the Main Propulsion Test Article (MPTA), rolls off the assembly line on September 9, 1977 at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. The MPTA was then transported to the National Space Technology Laboratories (now the Stennis Space Center) in southern Mississippi where it was used in the static test firing of the Shuttle's cluster of three main engines. Marshall Space Flight Center was responsible for developing the External Tank. External Tank contains two tanks, one for liquid hydrogen and one for liquid oxygen, and a plumbing system that supplies propellant to the Main Engines of the Space Shuttle Orbiter.

 

NASA Media Usage Guidelines

 

Credit: NASA

Image Number: MSFC-7783349

Date: September 9, 1977

125,804 views
80 faves
0 comments
Uploaded on September 9, 2025
Taken on September 9, 1977