Today the Kerbal Space Center announced the move of the Mark Three vehicle to the launch pad, and that the Mark Three will be piloted by the now veteran Jebediah Kerman (no relation).
Once again, the Pad Move Team performed their usual fine work and the Mark Three vehicle now stands on the pad, undergoing an extensive checkout and verification. The Mark Three is significantly larger than the prior two Mark Program launches, and is a much more imposing site on the pad. The Mark Three will be testing several new technologies. The most remarkable will disassemble the craft into multiple parts in flight, in a dramatic and dangerous attempt to launch a rocket from on top of a rocket (see our coverage of the new technologies in the Mark Three here and here).
Jebediah Kerman has been selected again to pilot the vehicle skyward. Jebediah is the most accomplished pilot in the Mark Program, having piloted the previous two Mark Program flights. He brought the tumbling Mark One under control after the parachutes opened on launch, a remarkable feat (our coverage of the Mark One flight is here, as well as the investigative report here).
The Kerbal Space Center said that they expect to launch in the next two days, barring any complications or checkout issues. However, so far the checkouts and preflight tests are going smoothly, so expectations are high that they will be able to meet this goal.
