orion Archives - Rainer Gerhards

2007-12-13

How large is an Orion Capsule?

Have you ever wondered how much space there is inside an Orion capsule? NASA tells us more than in Apollo was, and it will carry up to a crew of six. Damaris B. Sarria, who wants to become an astronaut, has found some really nice picture. Here is one of them, for the other – and some great reading – please visit Damaris’ blog.

It looks really tiny, doesn’t it? Compare it to the man in front of it. I wonder how it will be to stay in there to reach the moon. Obviously, the comfortable days of the space shuttle will not be seen again any time soon…

2007-12-04

Ares, Constellation, Orion, …

Sounds like pretty new terms? They are all about NASA’s next space program. The Constellation program is simply what is also called the “Vision for Space Exploration“.

In short, it means that new launchers and crew vehicles will be developed to ferry people to the international space station ISS, later on to the moon and even later to Mars. Ares is what the launchers are being called. Ares I will be the rocket that launches humans into space while Ares V is a heavy-lift rocket used to launch the heavy equipment. Finally, Orion is the name of the new crew capsules, also known as “Crew Exploration Vehicle”.

It looks quite doable to return to the moon, but sending humans to Mars is much more challenging. A lot of work needs to be done to solve the issues. I am sure they can be solved if we try hard enough, but the question is if there will be budget allocated to do so.

The Constellation program borrows heavily both from the Apollo as well as the Space Shuttle programs. For example, the overall launcher and capsule design is based on Apollo. The shuttle program contributes its boosters. Some folks tend to say that Constellation becomes more and more an Apollo V2, especially as the budget is quite constrained. It is not yet clear how far resuable the Orion capsules will be.

In my blog, I write about Constellation, Ares and Orion. While it is quite early to know any specifics, it is an interesting time to watch development. If you are interested in a specific topic, just follow the relevant labels.

2007-11-22

Unlinke Apollo, Orion will touchdown on land

I just read an interesting article. With the Constellation program re-using so many of the clever Apollo-day concepts, I was under the impression that Orion capsules would splash down into the pacific, too. But I was (probably) wrong.

NASA engineers plan to do Orion touchdowns on land – just like the Russian Soyuz capsules. While it is challenging to do a land touchdown, it has a number of advantages. The Orion capsule is reusable (planned to be usable for up to ten missions). A splashdown in salt water means a lot of corrosion potential and thus a number of problems. It also requires an expensive fleet of recovery ships. So NASA has its preferences. On the picture, you can see testing of airbags that should absorb some of the remaining energy after the descent (though it is not expected to be much, Orion glides down on parachutes).

The landing area is supposed to be in the western Unites States. That comes at no surprise, a lightly populated area is definitely a plus for such an endeavor.

An ocean splashdown, however, is yet not fully ruled out. NASA keeps this option in case it is needed.

If you’d like to dig down into all the details, I recommend this Scientific American Article.

2007-11-20

Test of Orion Escape System

NASA’s Orion crew capsule is getting more and more a reality. I just received an interesting HSFNEWS news release telling that test of the escape system will happen soon.

Report #H07-252

GROUNDBREAKING SIGNALS START OF NASA’S CONSTELLATION FLIGHT TESTS

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – With less than a year until flight tests of NASA’s Constellation Program, work is under way on a launch pad that will host the first of those tests. Workers broke ground on a pad where the agency will test a launch abort system for the new Orion spacecraft at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range near Las Cruces, N.M.

Orion’s launch abort system will carry astronauts to safety in the event of a problem on the launch pad or during the spacecraft’s climb to orbit. The first of five tests of the system, known as Pad Abort 1 or PA-1, is scheduled for fall 2008. Data from the series will help engineers refine the design of the launch abort system.

“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.

Constellation is developing the Orion spacecraft to send astronauts to the International Space Station and to the moon. Orion will be launched atop an Ares I rocket. The program is also developing a heavy-lift rocket, Ares V, to enable cargo missions to the moon. NASA plans to set up a lunar outpost by 2020, where astronauts will prepare for possible future missions to Mars and other destinations in the solar system.

Video of the groundbreaking ceremony will be available Thursday on NASA Television Video File. For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

To learn more about NASA’s space exploration plans, visit:

www.nasa.gov/exploration

2007-11-05

Orion as a Space Shuttle Successor

On the official NASA Orion home page, it is still stated that Ares I will deliver the first Orion to the International Space Station by 2014.

However, in all talks I attended at the Kennedy Space Center, the most optimistic date was 2015. And it may take well a bit longer… It is interesting to note that between Apollo and the Space Shuttle program, there also was a six year gap in the human space flight. During that period, NASA had no capability of putting humans in space. It looks like we are up now for at least the same. I just hope they will get Orion off the ground early enough to actually use it for ISS crew ferrying. If the schedule goes beyond 2016, which does not seem unrealistic, ISS crew swaps may possibly only be done by Russian spacecraft. I hope that America will not rely only on these…

Of course, all comes down to budget. I am sure the engineers can do much quicker, but they need to have funds. When the constellation program was announced, it was a lot of vaporware. Most importantly, there was no NASA budget increase. So NASA has already taken money from scientific missions. To go quickly with Orion, additional funds are desperately needed.

2007-10-12

Expedition 16 rockets to ISS

I found this nice image of the expedition 16 rocketing into space inside their Soyuz capsule. Look how cramped it is in the Soyuz spacecraft. It’s design is quite old, but it is extremely reliable. The Russian space agency is also considering a new design with more room.

When the space shuttle is retired in 2010, the Soyuz will be the only spacecraft capable of ferrying crew to and from the space station. The US will catch up with that a few years later when the Orion, also a capsule design, but much roomier, has made its maiden flight.

2007-10-11

An Alternative to Shuttle and Constellation? ;)

While browsing the web, I found an interesting blog entry on the “space elevator”. In short, it is an elevator-like concept that is promised to deliver people and material at a much lower cost into orbit — with a real elevator-like system. It sounds much like a curiosity, but has received serious consideration, even in scientific circles. However the latest scientific news I read (don’t remember where) is that no current material is strong enough to withstand the forces. The conclusion there was that it could not be done…

You might find this blog post an interesting read:

Good by Space Shuttle. Hello Space Elevator.

2007-10-04

Astronauts ride rollercoasters – really…

OK, I have to admit this is totally off-topic for the time being. But as I said: this blog is probably not only about the space shuttle, but space launches (and me viewing them ;)) in general. As such, I’d like to stuff in some notes on the Ares rockets right now (after 2012 it’s probably more interesting, but anyhow…).

When I visited the NASA home page to pick up news about Discovery, I was dragged in by a page about the ares rockets and, more precisely, the escape system that astronauts use when things go wrong. Of course, all of this is just a model, not real hardware. That escape system is based on a roller coaster. Just read what NASA says:

As NASA revamps Launch Complex 39B to host the new Orion spacecraft and Ares I rocket of the Constellation Program, engineers are preparing to install a new kind of departure system to evacuate astronauts.

The agency calls it the Orion Emergency Egress System, but it is fundamentally a group of multi-passenger cars on a set of rails reminiscent of a roller coaster. Its purpose is to move astronauts and ground crew quickly from the vehicle entry on the launch pad to a protective concrete bunker in case of an emergency.

The emergency egress system for Ares will carry astronauts and ground crew.

Similar systems have been built into launch pads since the Saturn rockets and for the space shuttle. Both earlier systems were cables running from the spacecraft’s crew ingress level to an area near a bunker. There has never been an emergency on the pad that required the crew use these systems.

For Orion, the rail car would stand some 380 feet above the ground. It will be at the same height as the hatch on the Orion capsule, which is where the astronaut crews enter the spacecraft before launch.

Kelli Maloney, the lead designer for the launch pad escape system, said a trade study showed the railcar best met NASA’s requirements. Those requirements call for astronauts to be able to get out of the spacecraft and into the bunker within 4 minutes.

One of the benefits of the rail system, Maloney said, is that the track can take the astronauts directly to the bunker door. That would be a big help if one of the crew members or a ground crew member was incapacitated.

Scott Colloredo, NASA’s senior project integrator for Constellation ground systems, said the group called on the world’s roller coaster designers for help with the concept.

“It’s obviously not a thrill ride, but we’re taking advantage of technology that’s there,” he said.

I just hope that rollercoaster is never to be used in practice…

Source: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/railcarevac.html