Pegasus barge being supersized

The Pegasus barge, originally designed to transport Space Shuttle external tanks from New Orleans to Florida, is well on its way to being supersized. Its new role will be to transport the huge Space Launch System stages. The upgraded Pegasus is set to transport the first major SLS hardware from New Orleans to NASA's Stennis Space Center, Miss., for testing as early as next year. The barge's final role in shuttle program was when it shipped Space Shuttle Main Engine ground support equipment to Stennis from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The barge was mothballed at Stennis in 2011, and is now being modified by Conrad Shipyard LLC in Amelia, La. (Source: NASA Spaceflight.com, 02/04/15)