There are so many Space Exploration Missions that are on the front page of the papers now, New Horizons for example. Let us not forget about ongoing missions that are no longer getting as much publicity at they may deserve, JPL Mars Science Lab Curiosity Rover Mission for example.
The Curiosity Rover Mission was launched in November 2011 for an 8-month trip to Mars. Once on Mars, the Curiosity Mission was expected to last 2 years. Amazingly, the Curiosity Rover Mission is still in progress, and periodic updates on the status of that mission are still being posted at https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/
The success of that mission did not start when the Rover started sending back amazing pictures from Mars. The success of that mission started when the Rocket and Launch Vehicle propelled Rover into Space. The Atlas V-541 Rocket selected for this mission and built by Boeing Corp and Lockheed Martin Corp. performed as designed. If it had not performed as well as it did, the entire mission could have been in jeopardy. Rockets and Launch Vehicles are truly acritical component of every mission.
ATI is offering a Course on Rocket and Launch Vehicles in Columbia, Maryland from February 11 to 14, 2019. The course is being taught by Edward Keith, a multi-discipline Launch Vehicle System Engineer, specializing in integration of launch vehicle technology, design, modeling and business strategies. There is still time to enroll in this class, and you will be finished in time to get home for dinner on Valentine’s day!
Please consider learning more about this ATI offering, and enroll in the ATI class, by going to https://aticourses.com/rockets_launch_vehicles.html