Showing posts with label Orion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orion. Show all posts

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Comet 2014 Q2 Lovejoy image

A new comet is in the skies during January. 

This is comet 2014 Q2 Lovejoy, discovered last August by prolific comet-hunter Terry Lovejoy.

Having spent the time since its discovery in the southern hemisphere as a faint object, it is now reaching fourth magnitude, and is visible using binoculars or small telescopes.

It should be visible with the naked eye from country locations.

On 6 January Robin Scagell found the comet easily in 12 x 45 binoculars from Flackwell Heath, Bucks.

'I was surprised how bright and large it appeared. I didn't have to search very carefully to find it, ' he reports. 'It was circular, with no hint of a tail.'

By 10 January the comet was easily spotted using 30 mm binoculars. Photography brings out a faint gas tail, which changes daily as a result of pressure from the solar wind.

During January it gets higher in the sky and also becomes brighter. It reaches perihelion – its closest to the Sun, on 30 January.

However, it will be closest to the Earth in the second week of January, which is when it will probably be at its brightest for Earth-bound observers.

Comet Lovejoy's track during December 2014 and early January 2015. 

Ticks mark its position at midnight on the date shown.

Friday, December 5, 2014

NASA Orion Heat Shield glows red as Spacecraft re-enters Earth Atmosphere

Entry interface confirmed. The Orion spacecraft is falling back into the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean at an altitude of 400,000 feet.

Credit: NASA

United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket lifts Orion to EFT-1 - Video



NASA’s inaugural Orion spaceship has set sail on a two-orbit, four-hour shakedown cruise around the Earth, leaving port atop a United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket and its incandescent power at 7:05 a.m. EST today.

The 46,000-pound craft rocketed into its preliminary orbit, setting the stage for a coast period and another engine firing by the Delta 4-Heavy rocket later this morning to put Orion on a trajectory to travel 15 times higher than the International Space Station before re-entering over the Pacific Ocean and splashing down 600 miles southwest of San Diego at 11:23 a.m. EST (1623 GMT).

“This is going to be a vehicle that could fly for us for 30 years, potentially, and this is the first one, the first tailnumber coming out the chute. This is like the forefather of this great fleet of vehicles that’s going to be coming online,” said astronaut Rex Walheim, part of the Orion development team and member of the final space shuttle crew.

The Orion Spacecraft in development. This image shows its heat shield.

Credit: NASA

“This is the opening of a new era. It is the opening of the Orion program. It’s really exciting because it’s that transition we have been waiting for. It’s been about three-and-a-half years since I last flew on the space shuttle (and) closed the program down with the anticipation these new programs would be coming along. Now here we are. It’s really exciting to see the first flight of Orion,” Walheim said.

This mission is known as Exploration Flight Test No. 1 (EFT 1) to gather real-life data on the performance of Orion’s avionics, software, radiation protection, heat shield, parachutes and recovery systems.



“EFT 1 is a compilation of the riskiest events that we are going to see when we fly people. So this test flight is a great opportunity to fly those and see them in operation. Some of these events are difficult or even impossible to test on the ground. EFT 1 gives us a chance to put all those together,” said Mark Geyer, Orion program manager.

“Using the Delta 4 heavy gets us 15 times higher than space station and about 84 percent of lunar entry velocity,” he said.

“So we start seeing that different physics, we start seeing those very high temperatures, high velocities, so that’s one of the big things we’ll test.

“And as we go through the Van Allen belts, we’re going to see this radiation effect on the computers. We’re going to measure, with dosimeters, the environment but we’re also going to see how the avionics behave, which is actually more important, and how do our mitigations work?”

As for re-entry, “we have a lot of parachutes because we need to slow the vehicle down from about 300 mph to 20 mph, so we do that in stages,” he said.

“We’ve done a lot of drop tests out in Yuma (Arizona) and looked at failure cases, but until you’ve actually dropped it in the exact air density and speed you’re going to see, we’re certainly going to learn stuff from that.”

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

European Service Module for NASA's Orion new Crewed Spacecraft

On 17 November, ESA signed a contract in Berlin with the Airbus Defence and Space division to develop and build the European Service Module for Orion, NASA’s new crewed spacecraft. 

It is the first time that Europe will provide system-critical elements for an American space transportation vehicle.

NASA intends to use this service module for the 2017 unmanned flight of Orion. The vehicle will perform a high-altitude orbital mission around the Moon.

This flight will be a precursor for future Orion human space exploration missions beyond low-Earth orbit.

The official name of Orion is ‘Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle’, because the spacecraft can be used to conduct different missions. Eventually, NASA will use Orion to send astronauts to Mars.

NASA’s Orion spacecraft will carry astronauts further into space than ever before using a module based on Europe’s Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATV). 

ATV’s distinctive four-wing solar array is recognisable in this concept. 

The ATV-derived service module, sitting directly below Orion’s crew capsule, will provide propulsion, power, thermal control, as well as supplying water and gas to the astronauts in the habitable module. 

The first Orion mission will be an uncrewed lunar flyby in 2017, returning to Earth’s atmosphere at 11 km/s ­– the fastest reentry ever.

Credit: ESA

The design of the European Service Module (ESM) is based on the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), the European supply craft for the International Space Station. It is a major achievement, as this is the first European development of a human spacecraft operating beyond Earth orbit.

“Being selected by NASA to develop critical elements for the Orion project – currently their most important exploration project – is a clear recognition of Europe’s performance in the frame of the ATV programme,” says Nico Dettmann, Head of ESA’s Space Transportation Department.

“Cooperation with NASA is going well. It is fruitful and is happening with the same good spirit as with the International Space Station partnership,” he adds.

The ESM is a cylindrical module with a diameter of 4.5 metres and a total length – main engine excluded – of 2.7 metres. It is fitted with four solar array ‘wings’ with a span of 18.8 metres. Its dry mass is 3.5 metric tons and it can carry 8.6 tons of propellant. Besides propulsion and power, ESM carries consumables.

The Critical Design Review (CDR) is planned for 2015.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

NASA Orion's rocket ready for critical December test flight

The high fidelity rehearsal included fully powering up the booster and loading the tanks with cryogenic fuel and oxidizer, liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen

The huge rocket that will blast NASA's first Orion spacecraft into orbit is ready to Rock 'n' Roll on a critical two orbit test flight scheduled for December.

In addition, Orion is so big and heavy that she's not launching on just any old standard rocket.

To blast the uncrewed Orion to orbit on its maiden mission requires the most powerful booster on Planet Earth, namely the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket.

Liftoff of the state-of-the-art Orion spacecraft on the unmanned Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) mission is slated for December 4, 2014 from Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Just days ago, the launch team successfully completed a countdown and wet dress rehearsal fueling test on the rocket itself – minus Orion – at launch complex 37.

The high fidelity rehearsal included fully powering up the booster and loading the tanks with cryogenic fuel and oxidizer, liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.

ULA technicians and engineers practiced the countdown on Nov. 5 which included fueling the core stages of the Delta IV Heavy rocket.

"Working in control rooms at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, countdown operators followed the same steps they will take on launch day. The simulation also allowed controllers to evaluate the fuel loading and draining systems on the complex rocket before the Orion spacecraft is placed atop the launcher," said NASA.

The next key mission milestone is attachment of the completed Orion vehicle stack on top of the rocket.

Today's scheduled rollout of Orion to the launch pad for hoisting atop the rocket was scrubbed due to poor weather.

The triple barreled Delta IV Heavy booster became the world's (US) most powerful rocket upon the retirement of NASA's Space Shuttle program in 2011 and is the only rocket sufficiently powerful to launch the Orion EFT-1 spacecraft.

The first stage of the mammoth Delta IV Heavy generates some 2 million pounds of liftoff thrust.

"The team has worked extremely hard to ensure this vehicle is processed with the utmost attention to detail and focus on mission success," according to Tony Taliancich, ULA's director of East Coast Launch Operations.


Wednesday, November 5, 2014

NASA Orion Spacecraft takes a big step towards the launch pad

Inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane brings the fourth and final Ogive panel closer for installation on Orion's Launch Abort System

The panels will smooth the airflow over the conical spacecraft to limit sound and vibration.

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Kevin Rivers was nothing but giddy as he stood behind the closed door of the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, waiting to see the Orion spacecraft that will one day send humans on the journey to Mars.

After just a few minutes that seemed like a lifetime, Rivers, the Launch Abort System project manager, walked through the facility door.

There before him stood the 80-foot high Orion spacecraft being readied for its December flight test with the four recently-installed protective panels that make up the Ogive.

The Ogive reduces drag and acoustic load on the crew module, making it a smoother ride for the spacecraft.

“What my colleagues and I were able to witness was a significant historical point in our efforts to move beyond low-Earth orbit and explore past the moon,” Rivers said.

On Dec. 4, Orion is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 37 in Florida.

During the test, Orion will travel 3,600 miles in altitude above Earth. 4 1/2 hours later, the spacecraft will reenter the atmosphere at 20,000 mph and splash down in the Pacific Ocean.

Orion’s first flight will verify launch and high-speed reentry systems such as avionics, attitude control, parachutes and the heat shield.

Barry Meredith, who works with Rivers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, expressed a similar awe. “Orion’s flight test is a major step toward exploring beyond low-Earth orbit,” he said.

“Though a crew will not occupy the first flight, it’s really critical that we test the spacecraft systems.”

The Ogive installation was one of the last pieces of the puzzle for Orion prior to its move to the launch pad on Nov. 10.

There, it will be lifted and attached to the rocket for its December launch.

“There is much effort and preparation for such a momentous occasion,” said Langley engineer Jose Ortiz.

“There are many disciplines, geographically dispersed specialties and developments, tests, elaborate analyses, materials characterizations, and other efforts by NASA centers and contractor partners. The nationwide effort is aimed toward one common and challenging goal in mind: human spaceflight.”

Orion is managed out of NASA’s Johnson Space Flight Center in Texas, and the Launch Abort System project is managed out of Langley.

NASA centers and industry partners from across the country have also played a critical role in the design, development and testing of Orion.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

NASA Social: Preview Orion’s First Flight Test Launch

For the first time ever, all 10 NASA field centers will participate in a multi-center NASA Social event Dec. 3, previewing the Dec. 4 first flight of the Orion Spacecraft on Exploration Flight Test-1.

NASA are inviting social media users to apply for a credential to attend an event in-person at one of eight locations through the country.

Each center will be connected via a multi-center NASA Television simulcast with Kennedy Space Center during its NASA Social, which was previously announced.

Orion will launch on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 7:05 a.m. EST Dec. 4.

Along with discussing Orion and our Journey to Mars, participants will get a unique behind the scenes look at the respective center and the diverse work of the agency through tours and presentations with scientists, engineers and managers.

The events also will provide guests the opportunity to interact with fellow social media users, space enthusiasts and members of NASA's social media team.

Registration for the NASA Social closes at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2. Participants will be selected from online registrations.

No two locations are the same. Each center has a different itinerary depending on their location:

NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

Ames in California’s Silicon Valley will host up to 25 social media followers to commemorate the center’s many contributions to Orion. Ames engineers, scientists, managers and facilities have primarily supported the Orion Program with capabilities in supercomputing, wind tunnel testing and thermophysics.

Tours and speakers will cover the Pleiades supercomputer and NASA Advanced Supercomputing facility; the supersonic Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel; and heat shield research, development and testing, including the Arc Jet facilities that simulate the extreme conditions of atmospheric reentry.

Additional Ames tours and speakers will feature other highlights of the center's expertise in exploration, science and aeronautics research.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

NASA Orion: Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS)

Artist concept of the NASA Orion spacecraft

The ICPS will boost the Orion to the correct altitude and trajectory needed to send the spacecraft around the moon in order to check out vital systems during the initial test flights. 

Image courtesy NASA. 

Some elements of a rocket can be familiar, like the boosters and engines, but there are several important parts on NASA's new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), that may be less widely known. The interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) pdf.

If the SLS was dissected, the ICPS lies just below the Orion capsule, at the top of the SLS.

The ICPS is a liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen-based system.

On the first test mission of Orion and SLS together, called Exploration Mission-1, the ICPS will give Orion the big push needed to fly beyond the moon before the spacecraft returns to Earth.

For later long-duration missions in deep space, this interim stage will be replaced with a more powerful upper stage on SLS needed to carry crews and their spacecraft farther than ever before, including to an asteroid and ultimately Mars.

Orion will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel, and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities.

For the ICPS, The Boeing Co. will modify its existing Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS), used on United Launch Alliance's Delta IV family of launch vehicles.

It will be powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RL-10B2 engine, also currently used on the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage.

"Boeing's Delta Cryogenic Second Stage will need relatively minor modifications to be fully compliant with SLS requirements, which will keep us on schedule for the first two flights," said Chris Calfee, ICPS project manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Marshall manages the SLS Program for the agency.

Those modifications include lengthening the liquid hydrogen tank, adding hydrazine bottles for attitude control and making some minor avionics changes to meet the design parameters and performance characteristics as needed by NASA to meet the flight objectives.

"Affordability is key when a rocket as big and powerful as the SLS is needed for sustainable deep space exploration," said Steve Creech, assistant SLS Program manager for strategy and partnerships at Marshall.

"By using existing hardware and technology, we aim to create a multipurpose vehicle that can demonstrate the capabilities of this flexible system on early mission objectives."

NASA's baseline plan is to use an ICPS for SLS on the uncrewed Exploration Mission-1, with an option for a second ICPS that may be used for a crewed Exploration Mission-2.

NASA continues to examine its timeline for integrating an upper stage and evolving SLS towards a 130-metric-ton (143 ton) version that will send humans to Mars.

NASA recently signed a contract agreement with Boeing for the ICPS, completing all definitisation contracts for the major SLS elements.

The interim cryogenic propulsion stage is managed under the SLS Program by the Spacecraft and Payload Integration and Evolution Office at Marshall.

The first flight test of the SLS will feature a configuration for a 70-metric-ton (77-ton) lift capacity and carry an uncrewed Orion spacecraft beyond low-Earth orbit to test the performance of the integrated system.

As the SLS evolves, it will provide an unprecedented lift capability of 130 metric tons (143 tons) to enable missions even farther into our solar system.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

ULA Delta 4-Heavy booster is lifted atop Cape Canaveral's Complex 37 launch pad

The ULA booster rocket that will launch NASA's next-generation Orion space capsule on a two-orbit, four-hour shakedown cruise in December has been rolled to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.

The Delta 4-Heavy booster is lifted atop Cape Canaveral's Complex 37 launch pad Tuesday morning. Credit: William Harwood/CBS News

United Launch Alliance's triple-body Delta 4-Heavy rocket was moved from its assembly building to pad 37B Tuesday night.

Crews erected the 170-foot-long rocket vertically Tuesday morning.

NASA's Orion capsule will make Exploration Flight Test 1 on Dec. 4, flying to an altitude of 3,600 miles, about 15 times higher than the International Space Station orbit, and slamming back into the atmosphere to simulate re-entry speeds astronauts will face returning from deep space.

It is an unmanned flight test for the spacecraft systems, software, heat-shield, parachutes and recovery gear in preparation for one day carrying crews to an asteroid or Mars.

United Launch Alliance's Delta 4-Heavy is America's biggest unmanned rocket currently in service, capable of lofting the largest and heftiest cargos.

The mammoth vehicle is created by taking three Common Booster Cores, the liquid hydrogen-fueled motor that forms a Delta 4-Medium's first stage, and strapping them together to form a triple-barrel rocket, and then adding an upper stage.

Riding horizontal aboard a 36-wheel, diesel-powered transporter, the bright orange and white rocket emerged from the Horizontal Integration Facility hangar Tuesday night and took the brief trip down the road and up the pad's ramp to the Florida spaceport's Complex 37.

Technicians then prepared the rocket to be raised vertically. The cradle-like pallets upon which the rocket is resting will be tied down to the Fixed Pad Erector on the pad's surface. The diesel-powered transporter used to drive the rocket to the pad was expected to disengage from the pallets and pull away.

The erector system, with its two hydraulic pistons, lifted the rocket upright, putting the vehicle on the pad's launch table. After the rocket was set, technicians planned to unhook the booster from the pallets.

The erector, along with the pallets, was to be lowered back to the ground. The transporter then returns to the erector to retrieve the pallets for reuse on another mission.

Orion will be attached to the rocket at the launch pad in November.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Delta IV Booster Integration Another Step Toward First Orion Flight

A transporter for oversize loads delivers the port, or left, booster for the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy for Exploration Flight Test-1 into the Horizontal Integration Facility, or HIF, on May 7. 

The port booster joins the other two boosters of the Delta IV Heavy already in the HIF.

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

A United Launch Alliance technician monitors progress as core booster elements of a Delta IV Heavy rocket are being integrated in preparation for Exploration Flight Test-1.

Image Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Engineers took another step forward in preparations for the first test flight of NASA’s new Orion spacecraft, in December.

The three primary core elements of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket recently were integrated, forming the first stage of the launch vehicle that will send Orion far from Earth to allow NASA to evaluate the spacecraft’s performance in space.

The three Delta IV Common Booster Cores were attached in ULA’s Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF), at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The HIF building is located at Space Launch Complex 37 where the mission will lift off.

The first booster was attached to the center rocket in June with the second one was attached in early August.

"The day-to-day processing is performed by ULA," said Merri Anne Stowe of NASA's Fleet Systems Integration Branch of the Launch Services Program (LSP).

"NASA’s role is to keep a watchful eye on everything and be there to help if any issues come up."

Stowe explained that during major testing experts from NASA’s Launch Services Program monitor the work on consoles in Hanger AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Hangar AE is home to the Kennedy Space Center’s upgraded Launch Vehicle Data Center. The facility allows engineers to monitor voice, data, telemetry and video systems that support expendable launch vehicle missions.

NASA’s Florida spaceport is also where Orion was built and is being processed.

In the Horizontal Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, two core elements of a Delta IV Heavy rocket are brought together in preparation for Exploration Flight Test-1. 

Image Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

The Delta IV rocket stages were assembled at the ULA plant in Decatur, Alabama, about 20 miles west of Huntsville.

After completion, the rocket components were shipped down the Tennessee River and Tombigbee Waterway, a canal, to the Gulf of Mexico. From there they traveled to Cape Canaveral, arriving on May 6.

The elements of the rocket's first stage were then transported to the HIF for preflight processing.

"After the three core stages went through their initial inspections and processing, the struts were attached, connecting the booster stages with the center core," Stowe said. "All of this takes place horizontally."

Inside the Horizontal Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, United Launch Alliance technicians prepare the second stage of a Delta IV Heavy rocket for mating to the central core booster of the three booster stages for the unpiloted Exploration Flight Test-1. 

Image Credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

The three common booster cores are 134 feet in length and 17 feet in diameter.

Each has an RS-68 engine that uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellant producing 656,000 pounds of thrust.

All totaled, the three Delta IV boosters collectively generate 1.96 million pounds of thrust.

The second stage of the Delta IV rocket is 45 feet in length and 17 feet in diameter. It uses one RL10-B-2 engine, also burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellant creating 25,000 pounds of thrust.

"The second stage was taken to the Delta Operations Center for processing after it arrived," said Stowe. "The second stage was moved to the HIF on Aug. 29 and is scheduled to be horizontally mated to the first stage on Sept. 12."

The same upper stage will be used on the block 1 version of NASA's new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS). More powerful than any rocket ever built, SLS will be capable of sending humans aboard Orion to deep-space destinations such as an asteroid and Mars.

"The hardware for Exploration Flight Test-1 is coming together well," Stowe said. "We haven't had to deal with any serious problems. All of the advance planning appears to be paying off."

Once all the launch vehicle stages are mated and thoroughly checked out, the next step is the Test Readiness Review.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

NASA Preparations for Second Orion Underway Recovery Test

At the U.S. Naval Base San Diego in California, the NASA Orion boilerplate test vehicle and support hardware are secured in the well deck of the USS Anchorage on July 29, 2014 for Underway Recovery Test 2.

NASA, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy will conduct tests in the Pacific Ocean to prepare for recovery of the Orion crew module, forward bay cover and parachutes on its return from a deep space mission. 

The second underway recovery test will allow the teams to demonstrate and evaluate the recovery processes, procedures, new hardware and personnel in open waters. 

The Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program is conducting the underway recovery tests.

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars.

It will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities.

After traveling 3,600 miles into space in December on the uncrewed Exploration Flight Test-1, Orion will return to Earth at a speed of 20,000 miles per hour and endure temperatures near 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit before landing in the Pacific Ocean.

For the team tasked with recovering it, that is where the work begins.

NASA and Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin are teaming up with the U.S. Navy and Department of Defense's Human Space Flight Support Detachment 3 to test techniques for recovering Orion from the water during Underway Recovery Test (URT) 2, Aug. 1-4, off the coast of San Diego, California.

URT 2 will pick up where URT 1 left off. During that first underway recovery test in February, dynamic conditions caused activities to conclude before all of the test objectives were met.

Since then, the team has been working on concepts that would allow them to safely recover Orion despite such conditions.

"During this test, the team will investigate alternative procedures and recovery methods," said Mike Generale, Orion Recovery Operations manager and Recovery Test director at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "One of the goals of the test is to have a primary and alternate means of recovering the Orion crew module for Exploration Flight Test-1 later this year."

The data gathered during Exploration Flight Test-1 will influence design decisions, validate existing computer models and innovative new approaches to space systems development, and reduce overall mission risks and costs for later Orion flights.

The recovery of the vehicle is one of the things the flight will test, and the underway recovery tests prepare the combined NASA, Lockheed, and U.S. Navy team for the task.

Read the full article here

Watch the complete photostream of NASA preparations on Flickr

Friday, May 23, 2014

Orion-MPCV-ESM: European service module for Orion approved by ESA

Orion-MPCV-ESM. 

Image courtesy ESA.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has approved the world's second largest space company Airbus Defence and Space's system (EADS) design of the European Service Module (ESM) for the American human Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) Orion, containing the critical propulsion, power supply and components of the life-support systems of the spacecraft.

This approval gives the green light for the implementation phase, meaning that the initial hardware can now be built in the form of a structural test model.

This model will initially be used for static tests, which are due to start in the next few months. Dynamic tests e.g. simulating loads during launch will then follow over the course of next year.

This is the first time that Europe is producing critical space components for the American Orion mission.

In December 2012, US space agency NASA and the ESA agreed to certify the US' new Orion MPCV in conjunction with the ESM.

This module is based on the design and the experience gained from the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) developed and constructed by Airbus Defence and Space on behalf of ESA and used to carry supplies to the International Space Station.

"The approval of our system design by ESA together with NASA and prime project contractor Lockheed Martin Space Systems is a significant step in the programme."

"We have demonstrated the project's maturity and are now able to move from the paper-based stage to producing the actual hardware," said Francois Auque, Head of Space Systems.

"The fact that NASA has entrusted Europe with system-critical elements is a clear sign of its confidence in the transatlantic partnership and in its European partners' capabilities.

Thomas Reiter
Airbus Defence and Space (EADS) and its European partners have, with ATV, developed and constructed a technological showcase project, thus paving the way for this cooperation," said Thomas Reiter, ESA Director of Human Spaceflight and Operations.

The intention is to use the Orion MPCV for human missions to the Moon, to asteroids and into deep space. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is developing and constructing the space capsule for four or more astronauts on behalf of NASA.

The MPCV-ESM, which is being developed and built by Airbus Defence and Space and based on the ATV, will provide spacecraft propulsion, power supply and life-support systems.

An initial Orion mission, or "Exploration Mission 1", is planned to be an unmanned distant retrograde mission to the lunar Lagrangian points.

The aim of this mission is not only to demonstrate the spacecraft's performance capabilities before it flies with astronauts, but also to achieve qualification for NASA's new Space Launch System rocket. As part of "Exploration Mission 2", the Orion MPCV is scheduled to be launched into space in 2021/22 with astronauts on board.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

NASA Orion EFT-1: First Test Flight of Orion Space Capsule delayed until December

Artist's concept of a ULA Delta 4 Heavy rocket standing poised on the pad ready to launch NASA's Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1).

The first flight of Orion is now slated for December 2014.

Credit: NASA

he countdown to the maiden launch of Orion, a NASA space capsule designed to take astronauts out into the solar system, is now three months longer than previously planned.

The space agency on Friday (March 14) announced that it was retargeting the first flight of its Orion spacecraft from autumn to just before winter this year.

"The Orion team continues to work toward completing the spacecraft to be ready for a launch in [the] September [to] October [period]," NASA stated on its website.

"However, the initial timeframe for the launch of the Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) has shifted ... to early December to support allowing more opportunities for launches this year."



The EFT-1 mission will fly the Orion capsule to an altitude of approximately 3,600 miles (5,800 kilometers) above the Earth's surface, more than 15 times farther out than where the International Space Station (ISS) orbits.

By flying out to those distances, NASA will be able to judge how Orion performs in, and returns from, deep-space journeys.

Flying atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta 4 Heavy rocket, EFT-1 precedes the first flight of the Orion capsule on its intended launch vehicle, NASA's new Space Launch System (SLS), targeted for 2017.

By 2021, NASA plans to send astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft on a mission to the vicinity of the moon to rendezvous with a redirected asteroid, before ultimately launching a crew to Mars in the 2030s.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

NASA's FY 2015 Budget Proposal - Video



NASA's budget supports our new Strategic Plan to drive advances in science, technology, aeronautics and space exploration to enhance knowledge, education, innovation, economic vitality and stewardship of Earth.

To send humans to an asteroid by 2025, NASA is formulating the first-ever mission to identify and redirect an asteroid.

The budget also supports the extension of the International Space Station (ISS) to at least 2024, which is essential to sending humans to deep space destinations and returning benefits to humanity through research and development.

The budget proposes an additional $886 million for NASA as part of the Opportunity, Growth, and Security Initiative, including additional funding for Science, Space Launch System (SLS), Orion, Technology, ISS, and Commercial Crew.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

NASA ORION Space capsule: Recovery test in ocean suspended after issue

This Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014 photo released by NASA shows crews testing a test version of Orion's forward bay cover, NASA's next-generation space capsule. 

NASA and the Navy suspended the test Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014 off the coast of San Diego after a problem was discovered. 

AP Photo/NASA

A training exercise designed to showcase the government's ability to recover a space capsule at sea was scrubbed after NASA ran into trouble off the Southern California coast, the space agency said Friday.

Crews had difficulty tying down a mock-up of the Orion capsule aboard an amphibious warship off the shores of San Diego.

NASA said cables attached to the capsule weren't strong enough to handle turbulence and snapped off twice while it was in the well deck of the USS San Diego before it could be moved out to sea on Thursday.

With the Orion mock-up still on the Navy ship, teams could not practice fetching the spacecraft from the ocean.

"Even though the testing didn't go as we had planned, we're learning lessons that will help us be better prepared to retrieve Orion," Bill Hill of NASA headquarters said in a statement.

Engineers were troubleshooting the problem, and it was not clear when the test would be rescheduled.

NASA has been developing a next-generation spacecraft to carry astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit, possibly to an asteroid or Mars.

Orion, which will make its first unmanned test flight this fall, is being designed to travel to deep space and return at speeds of 25,000 mph (40,232 kph) by splashing down into the Pacific.

This Wednesday Feb. 19, 2014 photo released by NASA shows a test version of the Orion spacecraft, tethered inside the well deck of the USS San Diego prior to testing between NASA and the U.S. Navy. 

NASA and the Navy suspended the test Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014 off the coast of San Diego after a problem was discovered. AP Photo/NASA

The water landing is a throwback to the 1960s and 1970s when Navy ships routinely tracked and recovered Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft after re-entering Earth's atmosphere.

With the space shuttle fleet retired, NASA has decided to go with an ocean splashdown.

Unlike in the past, when helicopters would hoist astronauts after a mission, the new plan calls for an amphibious transport ship to dispatch divers and small boat teams to recover Orion and its crew.

Last year, NASA and the Navy practiced recovering the Orion in the calm waters of the Elizabeth River in Virginia with no problem.

Before the latest test was called off, NASA said crews successfully retrieved parts of the spacecraft, including the parachute and a protective covering.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden was supposed to visit the test site Saturday, but his appearance was cancelled.

Monday, January 6, 2014

NASA's New Orion Spacecraft: Astronauts Practice Launching

Astronauts Rick Linnehan and Mike Foreman try out a prototype display and control system inside an Orion spacecraft mockup at Johnson Space Center during the first ascent and abort simulations for the program. 

Image Credit: NASA

NASA astronauts recently experienced what it will be like to launch into space aboard the new Orion spacecraft during the first ascent simulations since the space shuttles and their simulators were retired.

Ascent simulations are precise rehearsals of the steps a spacecraft's crew will be responsible for - including things that could go wrong - during their climb into space.

They can be generic and apply to any future deep space mission, or very specific to a launch that's been planned down to the second.

Rick Linnehan
For now, Orion's simulations fall into the first category, but practicing now helps ensure the team will have the systems perfected for the astronauts in any future mission scenario.

"Simulations like these provide valuable experience by giving astronauts and our operations team an early look at what going to deep space in Orion will be like," said Lee Morin, an astronaut and supervisor of Johnson's rapid prototyping laboratory, who has been working on the Orion displays.

Lee Morin
"Rehearsing launch and ascent--two of the most challenging parts of Orion's mission -- also gives us an opportunity to work toward optimizing how the crew interacts with the spacecraft."

Designing a spacecraft's cockpit for ease of use and efficiency is no easy task. Each space shuttle had 10 display screens, more than 1,200 switches, dials and gauges, plus hundreds of pounds of procedures printed on paper.

Mike Foreman
Orion, which is designed for deep-space exploration and autonomous or piloted rendezvous and docking, will use new technology to distill all of that down to just three computer screens, each the size of a sheet of paper.

"It sounds promising and saves a lot of weight, but designing it is challenging," said Jeff Fox, the Orion crew systems integration lead.

"We don't want the crew to have to search through a lot of dropdown menus when they need to quickly access key systems and information."

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Monday, December 9, 2013

A Stellar Nursery

Illuminated by the light of nearby stars, the nebula M-78 exhibits a ghostly appearance in this 10-minute exposure taken with a 6" refractor at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia. 

Located in the constellation of Orion -- some1,600 light years from Earth -- this reflection nebula is known to contain more than 40 very young stars still in the process of formation.

Image Credit: NASA/MSFC/MEO/Bill Cooke

Friday, December 6, 2013

NASA Orion Heat Shield Transported Aboard Super Guppy Plane

The heat shield for NASA's Orion spacecraft was loaded onto a Super Guppy plane in Manchester, N.H. on Dec. 4, for transport to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

The heat shield, the largest of its kind ever built, is being unloaded Thursday, Dec. 5, and is scheduled for installation on Orion in March 2014.

The heat shield will be used in September 2014 during Exploration Flight Test-1, a two-orbit flight that will take an uncrewed Orion capsule to an altitude of 3,600 miles. 

The returning capsule is expected to encounter temperatures of almost 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit as it travels through Earth's atmosphere at up to 20,000 mph, faster than any spacecraft in the last 40 years.

Data gathered during the flight will influence decisions about design improvements on the heat shield and other Orion systems, authenticate existing computer models, and innovative new approaches to space systems and development. 

It also will reduce overall mission risks and costs for future Orion missions, which include exploring an asteroid and Mars.

Image Credit: NASA

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

NASA ORION: Carbon fibre barrier tested - Video


NASA is vacuum testing the carbon fiber barrier between the Orion capsule and the propellent stage. Its main purpose is to keep dangerous gasses away from the spacecraft.

Credit: NASA / MSFC

Sunday, November 10, 2013

NASA Orion multipurpose crew vehicle: Triple Fairings Jettison Test completed successfully

The three panels or fairings encapsulating a stand-in for Orion’s service module successfully detach and fall into the Fairing Catch System during a test Nov. 6, 2013 at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Sunnyvale, Calif.

Image Credit: Lockheed Martin

The three panels or fairing that moments before encapsulated a stand-in for Orion’s service module lay safely in the Fairing Catch System after a test demonstrating their detachment system on Nov. 6, 2013, at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Sunnyvale, Calif.

Image Credit: Lockheed Martin

The three massive panels protecting a test version of NASA's Orion multipurpose crew vehicle successfully fell away from the spacecraft Wednesday in a test of a system that will protect Orion during its first trip to space next year.

The panels, called fairings, encase Orion's service module and shield it from the heat, wind and acoustics it will experience during the spacecraft's climb into space.

The service module, located directly below the crew capsule, will contain the in-space propulsion capability for orbital transfer, attitude control and high-altitude ascent aborts when Orion begins carrying humans in 2021.

It also will generate and store power and provide thermal control, water and air for the astronauts. The service module will remain connected to the crew module until just before the capsule returns to Earth.

Artist's rendering of NASA Orion during Exploration Flight Test (EFT-1)

During Orion's Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), the spacecraft's flight test next year, a test service module will be attached to the capsule.

"Hardware separation events like this are absolutely critical to the mission and some of the more complicated things we do," said Mark Geyer, Orion program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

"We want to know we've got the design exactly right and that it can be counted on in space before we ever launch."

Unlike conventional rocket fairings, these panels are designed to support half of the weight of Orion's crew module and launch abort system during launch and ascent, which improves performance, saves weight and maximizes the size and capability of the spacecraft.

Each panel is 14 feet high and 13 feet wide. The fairings' work is done soon after launch. They must be jettisoned when Orion has reached an altitude of about 560,000 feet.

To make that possible, six breakable joints and six explosive separation bolts are used to connect the fairing panels to the rocket and each other.

In a carefully timed sequence, the joints are fired apart, followed shortly by the bolts. Once all of the pyrotechnics have detonated, six spring assemblies will push the three panels away, leaving the service and crew module exposed to space as they travel onward.