Orion (CEV / SM) - status

cIclops · 2007-09-02 11:31:40

Vibration Test Capability Contractor Selected - 20 Aug 2007

WASHINGTON - NASA has selected Benham Constructors LLC of Oklahoma City to receive a contract to design, build and commission a vibration and acoustic test capability that will support development of the Orion crew exploration vehicle. Orion will carry astronauts to the International Space Station and back to the moon in the next decade.
The capability will be developed in the Space Power Facility at Plum Brook Station, Sandusky, Ohio, which is operated by NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. This procurement specifically addresses the vibration and acoustic capability that will supplement the test capabilities currently existing at the Space Power Facility.
The contract is valued at $51.4 million. Benham Constructors LLC will provide all labor and materials to construct the vibration and acoustic test capability, which will include a mechanical vibration facility, a reverberant acoustic test facility and a high-speed data acquisition system.
NASA selected Benham Constructors LLC for the cost-plus-incentive fee contract on a competitive basis. The design, build and commission portion of the contract has an 18-month period of performance with an additional six-month period of technical support.
The environmental tests will demonstrate the ability of Orion hardware to meet specified performance requirements in simulated conditions, such as those experienced during launch, in orbit and during re-entry. Thermal, acoustic, mechanical vibration and electromagnetic compatibility tests will be conducted during Orion qualification. The launch abort system, crew module, service module and spacecraft adapter will be tested.
The Space Power Facility contains the world's largest thermal vacuum chamber, which measures 100 feet in diameter by 122 feet high. The facility can simulate in-space conditions, such as low vacuum environments and temperature extremes.
The new test capability at the Space Power Facility also will support future NASA Constellation Program testing. The Constellation Program is developing spacecraft and other systems to support NASA's exploration missions to the moon, Mars and other destinations in the solar system.

cIclops · 2007-09-08 00:27:48

Reentry profile showing Skip technique and different landing options - ripped from Draft PEIS (PDF 22MB) - Aug 2007

cIclops · 2007-09-16 07:51:45

Configurations for three types of Abort tests - ripped from Abort Flight Test Project Overview (PDF 8MB) - May 2007

First Pad abort test scheduled for Sep 2008.

(WSMR = White Sands Missile Range)

cIclops · 2007-10-07 03:52:11

Launch Abort Test Facilities Contract - 1 Oct 2007

WHITE SANDS, N.M. -- NASA's White Sands Test Facility has selected Denco, Inc. of Las Cruces, N.M., to build launch site facilities for flight testing of the Orion Launch Abort System.
The competitive award is valued at $3.1 million. Under the terms of the contract, Denco will be responsible for the first work package of the Project Orion Abort Flight Test Launch Facility. The package covers construction of a 120-by-160-foot final integration and test facility building and surrounding site improvements and infrastructure. Groundbreaking is scheduled for mid-November.
Orion is the crew exploration vehicle that NASA's Constellation Program is developing to service the International Space Station and carry humans to the moon in the next decade. The flight tests at the White Sands Test Facility will support certification of Orion's launch abort system, an escape rocket designed to ensure the safety of the crew in the event of a rocket malfunction on the launch pad or during ascent.
The Abort Flight Test Launch Facility will be located at Launch Complex 32 on the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range. It will support the Pad Abort 1 test mission from this facility in fall 2008 and additional ascent abort flights starting in fall 2009 and extending through 2011.

cIclops · 2007-10-10 05:54:36

Flight test plan - ripped from Orion Passive Thermal Control Overview (PDF) - 13 Sep 2007

Overview of the project and lots of details about the thermal models.

Note the first orbital test will rendezvous with ISS in 2012 and the first operational crew flight is still scheduled for 2013.

SpaceNut · 2007-10-13 09:15:27

It would seem that there is some issues with developement of the TPS system as here is another...

NASA Awards Textron Defense Systems $24 Million Contract to Develop Spacecraft Heat Shield

The Orion Thermal Protection System advanced development project, led by NASA ARC, was established to develop a heat shield to protect Orion during its return from low-Earth orbit or the Moon. The TDS contract involves preparing samples and creating a heat shield design for two materials, and then building a demonstration heat shield with one of the materials.
NASA is also evaluating a Boeing-designed heat shield for Orion. Two materials from TDS and an additional one from Boeing were chosen for further development and testing as alternate heat shields.
Interestingly, one of the two materials, Avcoat which will be the basis of TDS’s heat shield, was originally developed by Avco (the predecessor of Textron Systems and Textron Defense Systems) in the 1960s and has been used successfully on 28 Apollo missions.
"It is a single layer material fabricated to be about 5 meters in diameter (16.5 feet), and it has no seams, gaps, or tiles like the Space Shuttle’s heat shield," says Dr. Daniel Swallom, program director of the project. "This makes it a stronger more stable product."
The other material, Dual Layer, is made by sewing a thin layer of high density ‘ablating’ material to a thick layer of low-density insulating material and has been successfully demonstrated in ground and flight tests.
In both designs, the materials are constructed to “ablate,” or burn off, during reentry - removing heat and preventing overheating. During this phase of flight, temperatures typically reach several thousand degrees Fahrenheit, depending upon speed, altitude and other factors.
The program will run approximately 16 months and involve 30 to 40 people in various technical areas including manufacturing assemblers, materials scientists and engineers, and systems, mechanical, thermodynamic and structural engineers.

cIclops · 2007-10-13 11:47:26

Yes several materials are being considered for Orion's heat shield, it's a critical part of Orion and each material will have advantages and disadvantages. There's an interesting discussion from the Ames Research Center heat shield guy in this video

cIclops · 2007-10-26 13:39:17

Latest design for LAS adapter - image from Exploration briefing - 22 Oct 2007

Exploration Briefing video 45:56 mins

RedStreak · 2007-10-27 10:35:23

They have an impressive schedule laid out for sure, and it's great that they have the first scheduled test for next year. It's also promising that they're trying to narrow the manned flight gap as well.

It looks like a schedule that'd work, and perhaps if the initial tests run well they may skip ahead to the manned flights...safety allowing of course.

cIclops · 2007-10-27 10:59:13

Yep. The "long pole in the tent" still is the J-2X engine for the Ares I upper stage, if that can be advanced the whole schedule moves to the left. More money would help a lot. Orion itself seems to be on track, the new 607 design should be complete at the beginning of November.

RedStreak · 2007-10-28 09:38:29

Orion itself seems to be on track, the new 607 design should be complete at the beginning of November.

Where's some info on the new design?

cIclops · 2007-11-04 03:26:37

Constellation work assignments 30 Oct 2007

In the middle of this long list of new Constellation activities is:

Goddard Space Flight Center

Lead Orion unpressurized cargo carrier

It seems that a cargo bay will be added to the SM.

Also:

Kennedy Space Center

Ground operations and assembly for Orion Block 1

Primary responsibilities:
Project management, integration & crew module: JSC
Service module and adapter: GRC
LAS: LRC
TPS: Ames
Abort tests: DFRC

cIclops · 2007-11-06 05:47:21

Mockup crew module

Spaceship Mockup - 5 Nov 2007

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Southern California is leading the Orion launch abort system flight testing.
As part of this effort, NASA Dryden's Fabrication Branch constructed a mockup of the Orion crew module. More simplified than the actual spacecraft, the Orion mockup is the actual size of the real thing, inside and out.
Dryden is using the mockup to develop and verify integration and installation procedures for things like avionics, instrumentation, and wire harness routing in advance of the arrival of the first abort flight test article, called "Boilerplate 1."
Boilerplates, in this sense of the term, are flying simulators used in early tests designed to mimic the flight characteristics of the actual vehicle. They have the exact dimensions, aerodynamic and mass properties of the operational vehicle they will simulate in flight, in this case the Orion crew module.
The mockup has no attached forward bay on it's top, but Dryden technicians are building one that will remain separate for parachute integration procedure development.
Two pad abort and four ascent abort flight tests of the launch abort system are planned, all unmanned, with the first scheduled for 2008 and continuing through 2011.

SpaceNut · 2007-11-06 07:11:47

Good to see something other than wood models and it is a practical exercise that is being accomplished by bending some metal. I assume that the base is just for handling while being frabicated and is not part of the eventual craft.
All in All thou it has taken IMO way to long of a period of time to get to this point.

gaetanomarano · 2007-11-06 07:44:15

Mockup crew module

it seems that the Orion's mockup looks very much like MY "sliced Orion": http://www.gaetanomarano.it/articles/031easyways.html

just look at the (small) distance between the door and the capsule top line...

.

cIclops · 2007-11-10 12:10:36

Where's some info on the new design?

Update from T.L. James - 4 Oct 2007

... the current working configuration is either the ZBV or the CEV606B, depending on how you look at it (exactly what constitutes which has been the subject of a number of meetings in the past two weeks -- in practical effect, the two are parallel configurations which will merge in the near future to become the CEV607 point-of-departure baseline after November 15).

cIclops · 2007-11-14 02:42:32

Prototype Heat Shield

Boeing Completes Prototype Heat Shield for NASA Orion Spacecraft

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 13, 2007 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] has completed a developmental heat shield for NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) that is designed to protect future astronauts from extreme heat during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere following lunar and low-Earth orbit missions.
NASA Ames Research Center last year awarded Boeing Advanced Systems a contract to deliver a Thermal Protection System (TPS) Manufacturing Demonstration Unit (MDU) for the Orion capsule as part of NASA's Constellation program to return humans to the moon and on to Mars.
"Boeing took on the challenge of engineering, fabricating and assembling the largest ablative heat shield ever constructed," said Thomas Andrews, Boeing Thermal Protection System program manager. "Our Manufacturing Demonstration Unit met NASA's Advanced Development Program risk reduction objectives to move the Orion heat shield program toward full-scale development in preparation for CEV missions."
Development of the five-meter wide TPS MDU began in late 2006 at Boeing in Huntington Beach, Calif. Last month, a NASA Ames technical and quality inspection team successfully completed an acceptance review of the unit. Boeing today shipped the TPS MDU to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will undergo additional inspection.
"The successful completion of this new heat shield is a major achievement by our TPS team," said Alex Lopez, Boeing vice president of Advanced Network and Space Systems. "Boeing has greatly improved upon TPS design, analysis and production to meet the harsh environments of lunar return missions. We have the processes, tools and capabilities to successfully produce reliable heat shields for Orion missions. Once again, Boeing is proud to be supporting NASA's space exploration efforts."
Boeing's baseline TPS is fabricated from Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) material. Fiber Materials Inc., of Biddeford, Maine, produces the material under a contract to Boeing. PICA is being considered for Orion's heat shield due to its proven performance on NASA's Stardust spacecraft heat shield.
The Boeing TPS MDU consists of an integrated concept made up of multiple PICA components. Each piece is significantly larger than typical space shuttle tiles, greatly reducing parts count and complexity.
Boeing installed the TPS MDU onto a NASA-provided surrogate carrier structure representing the size and shape of the flight heat shield structure, but fabricated from alternate materials pending development of the final flight structure.
In addition to the TPS MDU, Boeing has provided NASA other Orion-related hardware including hundreds of arc jet test coupons (sample pieces of PICA and other materials for extreme heat testing), structural and environmental test assemblies, and Local Design Demonstration Units representing structural and thermal protection components of the system that joins Orion's Crew and Service Module elements.
Boeing is continuing its work with NASA Ames to develop the flight heat shield design in support of Orion's TPS preliminary design review in early 2008.

What are the large yellowish disks?

RedStreak · 2007-11-14 11:10:50

Heh, makes me think 'flying saucer'

Great to see more Orion hardware coming to reality.

SpaceNut · 2007-11-14 21:43:38

Best part of all is that the contractors are still working on mars related hardware still. It was back in May of 2007 that the 7,500 lb Alliant Techsystems/XCOR engine was test fired and now we have another in Northrop Grumman Demonstrates New Rocket Engine Design Using Oxygen and Methane Propellants

successfully hot-fire tested a radically new type of rocket engine specifically designed to use oxygen and methane propellants that range from all-gas to all-liquid at the inlet to the thruster. More than 50 separate tests demonstrated high performance, operating stability and ample design margin of this 100 lbf-thrust rocket, designated the TR408.

The successful tests validate the robust capabilities and high performance of the integrated engine design. "The demonstration test results are impressive considering the broad range of conditions and operational modes tested. The engine far exceeded performance requirements and is on track to deliver a steady-state specific impulse of 340 seconds," stated Mark Trinidad, Northrop Grumman's program manager for the TR408. The TR408 is a simple design that uses only two propellant valves, no moving parts other than valves, and contains a built-in spark igniter to initiate combustion of injected propellants. The reaction control engine operates under short pulse and steady-state modes.
This engine is unique in its capability to fully vaporize both the oxidizer (liquid oxygen) and fuel (liquid methane) by passing these propellants through cooling passages located in the thrust chamber wall before injecting them into the chamber for combustion. If gaseous instead of cryogenic liquid propellants are fed to the engine, the gases still provide cooling and will enter the injector at a higher temperature. A design that ensures gas-gas injection results in consistent performance and combustion stability. Previous rocket engine designs using propellant to cool the chamber do not vaporize any of the propellant or may only vaporize one of the propellants, typically the fuel.

cIclops · 2007-11-15 11:09:56

Groundbreaking Signals Start of NASA's Constellation Flight Tests - 14 Nov 2007

"Flight tests are where the rubber meets the road. These tests will help validate our designs or correct any flaws," said Skip Hatfield, Orion Project Manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. "The goal here is simple: to provide our astronauts a route to safety should anything go wrong at a launch."
The first launch abort test will include a mock-up of the Orion capsule on the pad. An abort motor will fire for two seconds, sending the boilerplate crew module to an altitude of one mile. Three 116-foot diameter parachutes will deploy to slow the mock crew capsule for landing.

Quite impressive, the Orion crew module weighs about 10 tons.

cIclops · 2007-11-29 11:23:44

Unpacking the development heat shield in Hangar N at KSC for test and evaluation - imaged 27 Nov 2007

cIclops · 2007-12-01 16:58:02

Mike Griffin in his speech at Georgetown university 11 Nov 2007 said he had given authorization to proceed with PDR. Good news indeed!

Terraformer · 2007-12-02 06:32:42

And it'll begin its first flights when I can apply to be an astronout. Great!

cIclops · 2007-12-03 11:39:44

Finally an integrated 606 design image!

High resolution version

Now where is that approved 607 design?

cIclops · 2007-12-10 14:32:51

NASA audio news briefing 10 Dec 2007 by

- Rick Gilbrech, associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate
- Carl Walz, director of advanced capabilities for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate
- Jeff Hanley, Constellation Program manager

Main points:

o Water landing baselined for Point of Departure (POD) review but no decision on land or water landing mode

o Lunar and ISS mission weight margins closed

o Land mode estimated to require 680 kg of airbags

o Less risk in water landing, however, contingency land mode is required

o No substantial difference in recovery costs between water and land modes

o Life cycle costs for land mode lower (more reuse)

o Capsule structure to be fabricated in 2008 at MAF

New Mars Forums

Announcement

#251 2007-09-02 11:31:40

Re: Orion (CEV / SM) - status

#252 2007-09-08 00:27:48

Re: Orion (CEV / SM) - status

#253 2007-09-16 07:51:45

Re: Orion (CEV / SM) - status

#254 2007-10-07 03:52:11

Re: Orion (CEV / SM) - status

#255 2007-10-10 05:54:36

Re: Orion (CEV / SM) - status

#256 2007-10-13 09:15:27

Re: Orion (CEV / SM) - status

#257 2007-10-13 11:47:26

Re: Orion (CEV / SM) - status

#258 2007-10-26 13:39:17

Re: Orion (CEV / SM) - status

#259 2007-10-27 10:35:23

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#260 2007-10-27 10:59:13

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#261 2007-10-28 09:38:29

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Re: Orion (CEV / SM) - status

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#266 2007-11-10 12:10:36

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#267 2007-11-14 02:42:32

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#269 2007-11-14 21:43:38

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#272 2007-12-01 16:58:02

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#275 2007-12-10 14:32:51

Re: Orion (CEV / SM) - status

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