The Inertial Upper Stage: Space Workhorse To Boost Chandra X-ray
Observatory The Inertial Upper Stage is a two-stage, solid
rocket used to place spacecraft into a high-Earth orbit or boost
them away from the Earth on interplanetary missions. The
Inertial Upper Stage is launched from Earth aboard either the
NASA Space Shuttle or with a one-use launch vehicle, such as the
Air Force's Titan rocket. Once in space, the Inertial Upper
Stage is deployed from the Shuttle or Titan and ignites to
propel its attached spacecraft to the proper point in space. In
1999, the Inertial Upper Stage will help propel the newest of
NASA's Great Observatories - the Chandra X-ray Observatory -
from low Earth orbit into an elliptical orbit reaching one-third
of the way to the Moon. The upper stage and the attached Chandra
X-ray Observatory will be deployed from the Space Shuttle
Columbia on its sixth or seventh orbit after launch. The
Inertial Upper Stage then will fire its first stage solid rocket
motor for about two minutes, then c