Why Do Rockets Have Black and White Checkerboard Patterns?
- NASA rockets like the Saturn V feature black and white checkered squares and elongated rectangles painted across their stages to help tracking cameras measure the vehicle's position, trajectory,...
- Rockets move quickly through the air and curve toward their intended trajectory after liftoff rather than flying straight up.
- Each stage from the nose down to the thrusters carries these distinct markings.
NASA rockets like the Saturn V feature black and white checkered squares and elongated rectangles painted across their stages to help tracking cameras measure the vehicle’s position, trajectory, and motion precisely during ascent.
Cameras Track Checkered Patterns During Rocket Ascent
Rockets move quickly through the air and curve toward their intended trajectory after liftoff rather than flying straight up. Powerful tracking cameras observe the alternating black and white patterns on the fuselage as the vehicle climbs through the atmosphere.
Each stage from the nose down to the thrusters carries these distinct markings. The visual contrast allows cameras to record exact flight measurements and calculate movement data during the flight path.
World War II Origins on V-2 Ballistic Missiles
This rocket-marking practice dates back to 1944 during World War II, when the Germans produced V-2 flying bombs used to attack Allied cities. Following the end of the conflict, Project Paperclip brought Nazi scientists including Wernher von Braun to the United States to aid in its rocket program.
Those early long-range ballistic missiles carried the same black and white checkerboard paint schemes seen on later American space vehicles. The visual design served the same engineering purpose, allowing scientists to track and measure the rocket’s ascent.
Modern Space Launch System Boosters Use Crosshairs for Flight Reconstruction
More than 80 years after the development of the V-2, scientists continue applying the same chessboard-like patterns to their hardware. NASA utilizes small checkerboards alongside extended fuselage markings on the rocket boosters affixed to either side of the Space Launch System for the Artemis program.
Beth St. Peter, part of NASA’s SLS imagery integration team, explained the function of these modern markings.
Each marking has a specific purpose. In general, the markings are used to precisely measure motion during dynamic events during liftoff and separation. With specific cameras, we will track those crosshairs of the markings and form ‘triangles’ of multiple patterns to help with our post-flight reconstruction analysis tasks.
Beth St. Peter