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What the checkerboard markings do
Engineers film the markings from ground cameras, cameras on the mobile launcher and, for some events, cameras inside the launch vehicle. By locating the same square, rectangle or circle in successive frames—and comparing it with known reference points—analysts can reconstruct how the vehicle moved.
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This is photogrammetry: extracting measurements from photographs or video. NASA’s SLS imagery team describes the markings as references for engineering photo and video documentation of attitude and position. Beth St. Peter, SLS imagery integration team lead at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, said they are used to “precisely measure motion during dynamic events during liftoff and separation.”
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Why use black and white?
The contrast makes each target easier for cameras and image-analysis software to find against the rocket’s surface. NASA explains that the sharp edges of squares and rectangles help software identify the same image pixels consistently, while the black-white boundary remains trackable across frames and camera views.
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The shape matters as well as the color. A defined corner or edge gives the measurement system a repeatable feature to locate. Several markings can be tracked together, allowing engineers to determine changes in position and orientation rather than following a single ambiguous spot.
How NASA uses them on SLS
Measuring liftoff and separation
During liftoff and stage or booster separation, the vehicle and its components move quickly relative to the launch tower and one another. Photogrammetric references let engineers quantify that motion after the event and compare the observed behavior with computer models.
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Checking models and constraints
NASA says the imagery supports post-flight reconstruction and model validation. The data can also indicate whether some modeled constraints could be relaxed. That is a specific SLS engineering application; it does not mean every rocket uses the same markings or analysis plan.
Distinguishing a booster
Not every marking has the same job. On SLS, a black ring below one booster’s nose cone helps identify the left booster when a camera has a narrow field of view. It is a vehicle-identification aid, rather than a motion-measurement target by itself.
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Where the markings appear and how large they are
NASA’s 2022 SLS Reference Guide describes black-and-white checkboards, squares and circles on the SLS, Orion spacecraft and mobile launcher. Some are positioned where internal cameras can record separation and jettison events.
| Item | Published size | What the figure describes |
|---|---|---|
| SLS, Orion and mobile-launcher markings | 0.2 inches (0.5 cm) to 3 by 3 feet (0.9 by 0.9 m) | The range of hardware marking sizes reported by NASA in 2022 |
| Multi-checked markings on SLS solid rocket boosters | 24 by 130 inches (0.6 by 3.3 m) | The dimensions of the large checkerboard pattern on the boosters |
These are physical dimensions of the markings, not accuracy or performance statistics from a study.
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Do the squares show whether a rocket is spinning?
They can make rotation or changing orientation easier to see, but that is not the whole explanation—and it is not a universal rule for every rocket.
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NASA’s 2009 Constellation blog explains that earlier black-and-white vehicle patterns helped observers track a rocket and see its rotation. That historical use is why checkerboards are often associated with roll visibility. Current SLS documentation, however, emphasizes photogrammetric measurement of position, attitude and motion, along with vehicle identification.
Marking schemes can change as a vehicle’s design and flight objectives change. The same-looking pattern on another launch vehicle may therefore serve a different purpose, such as a measurement reference, an identification cue or an aid to observing roll.
Quick Recap
What the markings do not do
- They do not steer the rocket.
- They do not provide propulsion or aerodynamic control.
- They are not, by themselves, proof that a vehicle is spinning.
- They are not necessarily decorative paint; their layout is selected to suit camera views and engineering objectives.
How to interpret markings in launch footage
- Identify the vehicle and mission. A pattern on SLS should not automatically be interpreted the same way as one on an older or unrelated rocket.
- Look for sharp, repeated features. Squares, rectangles, circles and rings can all be useful references.
- Consider the camera view. Ground-based, mobile-launcher and internal cameras may use different targets for different events.
- Separate observation from control. The markings let engineers measure what the vehicle did; they do not make the vehicle do it.
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