[Updates] Orion (MPCV) Updates and Discussion

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NASA:
NASA Conducts Tests on Orion Service Module

Engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center are testing parts of the Orion service module to ensure the spacecraft can withstand the harsh realities of deep space missions.

To date, Marshall has completed two structural loads tests, and another is under way. Structural loads tests prove the structural performance or material behavior of a design as weight is applied to it. Most of the time, the allowable weight is exceeded to test the material at extreme conditions to verify the tolerance of the material or design.

"Marshall was called upon to assist since we had the necessary test facilities and experienced team that could move out quickly to take on these very complex tests," said Scott Chartier, a test engineer in Marshall's Propulsion Systems Test Branch. "We were able to save time and budget since we had the facilities Orion needed and they didn’t have to build a duplicate test facility."

Click on images to enlarge
Load-withstanding capabilities of the Orion service module's conical adapter joint are tested at Marshall's Material Environment Test Complex facility. The test was successfully completed in March. (NASA/MSFC)	From left, Jeremy Kelly, Wes Lawler and Dani Davis, all Lockheed Martin Corp. test personnel, perform tests on the Orion manufacturing development article shear panel. (NASA/MSFC)

To date, development tests have been performed on key structural pieces of the Orion spacecraft called the shear panel and the conical adapter. Both of these pieces can be thought of as the skeleton of the Orion vehicle. These tests validated the design and manufacturing processes that will be used for Orion's service module and verified the load-bearing capabilities of the components.

"The shear panel and conical adapter joint achieved all load conditions, and no permanent or visual damage was observed after the tests," said Chartier. "In addition, the conical adapter was successfully taken to the maximum capability, which concluded the test series."

The next set of tests will provide data that will be used for acceptance of the design and incorporated into the Orion Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1). The results from these tests will be used to assess the materials and workmanship of the Orion service module's shear panels. The acceptance test is laying the groundwork for EFT-1, planned for 2014 that will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a Delta IV Heavy to an altitude of 3,600 statute miles above Earth -- a distance that has not been achieved by a craft intended for human flight since the Apollo missions. This test will ensure that several of Orion’s systems, including the heat shield, can withstand a return to Earth from a deep space mission.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to do these structural tests at Marshall to help with NASA's Orion program," Chartier said. "It will help us get Orion to that first test flight."

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Parabolic Arc: NASA Marshall Engineers Continue Orion Development

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Florida Today: NASA aims to use Delta IV stage for early Orion missions:

Quote:

CAPE CANAVERAL – NASA intends to employ a modified Delta IV second stage to launch an Orion spacecraft on an unmanned test flight in 2017 and then astronauts on a mission to orbit the moon four years later.

In a procurement notice issued earlier this month, NASA said the Boeing-designed Delta IV second stage is “the only means available to support the immediate in-space propulsion needs” for the missions, which will be launched on early versions of the heavy-lift Space Launch System.

The notice also said the Delta stage is the only one that requires “relatively minor modifications” to launch astronauts in the timeframe required for the 2021 flight.

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[Codz]

Great!

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NASA:
Orion Clean Room Subs Filters, Fans for Ceiling

May 24, 2012

Turns out a clean room doesn't necessarily need a roof, NASA is finding out as it tries out a design that could be assembled around the Orion spacecraft as it is prepared for launch in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The key to the concept, developed by Astrotech, is two 10-foot-high walls of filter-equipped fans positioned 30 feet apart to push and pull the air in one direction across the capsule, keeping particles from settling on the spacecraft's surface.

A set of clear walls completes the box, but there is no ceiling. That's important because engineers want to use the large cranes already in the VAB to lift the Orion spacecraft and its shell into place as it is assembled on top of the Space Launch System rocket. If they have to build a clean room with its own crane, the cost would be much higher.

"The guys over in the Operations and Checkout Building are using this and that's what gave us the idea," said Doug Lenhardt, an engineer with NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program. "It's pretty innovative, so we'll see if it works."

Click on thumbnails for larger view

The test, which involves a room built around a full-scale Orion model, has been running for two weeks on the floor of High Bay 3 in the VAB and will continue another two to three weeks.

"The results have been encouraging," Lenhardt said. "We don't have the full story yet, but it's been encouraging.

The demands of a clean room in the VAB are not nearly as strict as those in the Operations and Checkout Building hangar where the Orion capsule will be built. In fact, the technicians in the O&C are already working with a similar setup to build the capsule components into a working spacecraft. Because even a slight contaminant can create problems inside a capsule, the O&C's entire high bay is kept to high cleanliness standards with the area around Orion given an extra layer of protection.

In the VAB, the requirement is to keep visible contaminants, such as specks of dirt and dust, off the outside of the capsule.

It may not sound like a big deal for something that will be exposed to space, but an earthly bit of pollen or sand or even a human hair can confuse a star tracker, lead to a build up around an exhaust port or block a thruster, for example.

And there are lots of particles looking for a place to settle in the VAB, especially when the doors are open and wind is swirling around.

"Conditions in the VAB are bad. It is much worse than being outside," said Walt Turner, senior integration engineer with Sierra Lobo. "It's like we have a dust creator."

The amount of particles in the VAB surprised John Weeks, an operations engineer overseeing the clean room evaluation.

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SPACE.com: Questions Wanted: NASA Astronaut to Discuss New Orion Spaceship:

Quote:

If you're curious about what it takes to develop a new spaceship to take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit — to destinations such as an asteroid or Mars — you'll have a chance to find out this week.

NASA astronaut Rex Walheim will be conducting satellite interviews from the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Thursday (June 28) from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. EDT (1100 to 1230 GMT) live on NASA Television. The veteran astronaut will be standing in front of a full-scale model of the Orion spacecraft, and will discuss the new spaceship's design and testing process.

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Space News: Working Group Backs European Prop Module for Orion

Parabolic Arc: Group Recommends ESA Develop Orion Propulsion System

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NASASpaceflight: NASA ESD set key Orion requirement based on Lunar missions

[N_Molson]

Successful Orion droptest

CPAS just completed the EDU-A-CDT-3-5 (PTV-2) airdrop test. All visuals indicate a nominal parachute test. Recovery operations at the DZ will begin shortly to return the test hardware to the hanger in Yuma which will complete the day’s activities.



The Orion team is securing the PTV and the chutes after a successful test

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Parabolic Arc: Orion Drop Test in Arizona Successful

NASA News Release: RELEASE : 12-239 - NASA Completes Another Successful Orion Parachute Test

Spaceflight Now: Orion's parachute system tested in Arizona desert

Aviation Week: Orion Demonstrates Successful Landing With Parachute Anomaly

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NASA Completes Successful Orion Parachute Test - YouTube

NASA Completes Successful Orion Parachute Test - YouTube

[Admiral_Ritt]

I can see Orion being more robust and safer for a manned mission to
an nearby asteroid, or a long period stay in lunar orbit than a Spacex Dragon Upgrade.
But it's mission endurance cant be more than a few weeks with a crew of 4.
Does Nasa have a Space Hab Module designed to go along with it?

PS.
A fast mars mission would be possible if we had the guts to put
a return booster already in orbit on mars when we launch the mission from
Earth Orbit. Using Aerobraking in both Mars and Earth. Now that's risk.

[Unstung]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Admiral_Ritt

 Using Aerobraking in both Mars and Earth. Now that's risk.

Orion doesn't need to enter Earth orbit when it returns, it just smashes into the atmosphere.

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NASA: Mockup Orion Stack Shows Path to Launch:

Quote:

The Vehicle Assembly Building's transfer aisle offered a glimpse of the future recently as a full-size Orion spacecraft mock-up was placed atop a model of the service module so engineers and technicians could determine the exact dimensions for connectors that will run from the launch pad structure to the spacecraft before liftoff.

Click on images to enlarge
mage above: The mockup components of an Orion spacecraft are laid out in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the foreground is the Launch Abort System, then the aerodynamic shell that will cover the capsule. To the right is the Orion capsule model on top of a service module simulator. All are the exact dimensions the flight-ready Orions will be. Photo credit: NASA/Dmitri Gerondidakis	Image above: The Orion mockup and its service module simulator. Photo credit: NASA/Dmitri Gerondidakis

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SpaceRef: Orion Spacecraft Water Impact Testing

Water impact test of an 18,000-pound (8,165 kilogram) test version of the Orion spacecraft at NASA's Langley Research Center on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012.

Orion model vertical splash test - YouTube

Orion model vertical splash test - YouTube

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NASA:
NASA Completes Maximum Parachute Test for Orion Spacecraft

August 29, 2012

NASA successfully completed another parachute test of its Orion spacecraft on Aug. 28 high above the skies of the U.S. Yuma Army Proving Ground in southwestern Arizona. The test examined the maximum pressure Orion's parachutes might face when returning from exploration missions.

Orion will be the most advanced spacecraft ever designed and carry astronauts farther into space than ever before. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain astronauts during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space.

Click on images to enlarge
Image above: (28 Aug. 2012) -- A dart-shaped test vehicle that is used to simulate Orion’s parachute compartment descends above the skies of the U.S. Yuma Army Proving Ground in Arizona. Engineers were testing the maximum pressure Orion’s chutes might face when returning from exploration missions. Photo credit: NASA	Image above: (28 Aug. 2012) -- A dart-shaped test vehicle that is used to simulate Orion’s parachute compartment descends above the skies of the U.S. Yuma Army Proving Ground in Arizona. Engineers were testing the maximum pressure Orion’s chutes might face when returning from exploration missions. Photo credit: NASA
VIEW PHOTO GALLERY

During the test, a C-130 airplane dropped a dart-shaped test vehicle with a simulated Orion parachute compartment from an altitude of 25,000 feet. Orion's drogue chutes were deployed at approximately 20,000 feet, followed by small pilot chutes, which then deployed the three main parachutes. Each of the main parachutes is 116 feet wide and weighs more than 300 pounds.

"Each one of these tests helps us verify the parachute system for Orion is safe, efficient and robust," said Chris Johnson, a NASA project manager for Orion's parachute assembly system. "Today's test demonstrated the parachutes can deploy at the maximum velocity expected when returning from deep space."

This is the latest in a series of parachute drop tests, with each one designed to test a different condition or behavior of the parachutes. Besides the dart-shaped test vehicle used to simulate the speeds at which Orion will descend, NASA also uses a test vehicle that more closely resembles the actual Orion spacecraft.

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Parabolic Arc: NASA Completes Maximum Parachute Test For Orion Spacecraft