Paradise Lost

A review of the MK 41 VLS, the missiles it launches, the type of tests Lockheed Martin conducts on the VLS, why the data acquisition portion of the testing process was upgraded and characteristics of the new data acquisition system.

White Sands. The name has always sounded as if it's a quiet, lush resort. Yet, White Sands in southwestern New Mexico is one of the world's busiest places for testing and evaluating potentially volatile materials, space flight components, and rocket propulsion systems. NASA, the Department of Defense, other federal agencies, universities, and commercial industry, conduct extensive tests in this area. There is no sense of normalcy at White Sands. This is the only area across the USA, that is jolted by missiles firing out of a 30ft tall launching system known as the MK41 Vertical Launching System (VLS). The basic MK41 VLS building block consists of an eight cell missile module designed to be installed below-deck on surface ships.