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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Modern rockets do not need the large, conspicuous roll patterns once used to track their orientation by eye. Today, markings are chosen for particular camera views and engineering measurements—and some rockets still use checkerboards. NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), for example, carries a mix of squares, circles, crosshair-like targets and retroreflectors.
What the old checkerboard pattern was for
Early V-2 prototypes used black-and-white roll patterns so observers on the ground could see changes in a rocket’s orientation during flight. NASA’s historical account connects that recognizable approach to later Saturn rockets, too. Markings on successive stages also helped engineers observe vehicle behavior as stages separated. They were practical visual references, not simply decoration. NASA’s historical explanation describes the tradition, though the page is an older account rather than a current technical standard.
How modern rocket markings help engineers measure flight
On NASA’s SLS, camera images and visible targets support photogrammetry: engineers use images to reconstruct motion and relative positions. For example, recognizable black-and-white squares on the core stage and boosters can form triangles that help track motion. Other targets support measurements of liftoff motion, stage separation and clearances between vehicle components. Engineers can compare observed flight behavior with models and examine dynamic events.
“Each marking has a specific purpose,” said Beth St. Peter, SLS imagery integration team lead at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. “In general, the markings are used to precisely measure motion during dynamic events during liftoff and separation.” NASA’s SLS imagery account details how the targets support those observations.
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Why use contrasting squares and rectangles?
Sharp edges give image-analysis software clear pixel boundaries to locate. Black-and-white contrast helps cameras identify the same point across frames and different views. Target position matters as much as shape: engineers need a camera to see it, and the marking must withstand nearby propellant cold or launch heat.
Why some targets are not painted checkerboards
NASA’s SLS imagery descriptions include targets in several shapes and locations, including inside vehicle structures. Some measurements require vehicle-mounted cameras or views of otherwise hidden areas. For low-light separation observations, NASA has described retroreflectors that send light back toward an onboard camera instead of relying on painted black-and-white marks. The target is selected to suit the camera, environment and event being measured.
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Why the old pattern is not universal today
A large roll pattern is useful when observers need an obvious visual cue about orientation. A modern measurement task may instead need discrete reference points placed where a specific camera can see them. Ground, onboard and interior cameras can have different sightlines, and a launch vehicle may need observations during liftoff, stage separation, jettison or proximity operations. The resulting layout can therefore be a collection of task-specific targets rather than one broad pattern.
That does not mean every current rocket abandoned checkerboards, or that digital tracking alone made the old pattern obsolete. NASA documents checkerboards on SLS alongside other kinds of optical targets. The available examples explain NASA’s approach; they do not establish one universal reason for the markings—or lack of them—on every launch vehicle.
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NASA’s SLS targets vary in size and mission role
NASA’s 2022 SLS Reference Guide gives a size range of 0.2 inches to 3 by 3 feet for photogrammetric markings. The range reflects a system designed around different targets and views, not a single standard checkerboard size. NASA’s 2022 SLS Reference Guide documents the range.
Layouts can change between missions as measurement needs change. NASA’s 2026 Artemis II reference guide search result reports 176 markings for Artemis II, compared with 178 for Artemis I, and two additional optical target assemblies for rendezvous and proximity operations. These figures are specific to those missions; they are not a count or standard for rockets generally. NASA’s Artemis II reference guide is the cited source for those figures.
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