NASA's Orion powered on for the first time
Discussion
Some minor Orion updates. Orion has now been mounted to the service module ahead of its (unmanned) test flight around December 4th using a heavy Delta IV rocket.
The Space Launch System (SLS) reusable engines are about to begin hot testing in Alabama. These engines are an upgraded design of the ones used as the Space Shuttle main engines. Power is up from 491,000 pounds of thrust to 512,000. The SLS system will use 4 of these engines plus two solid rocket boosters in its first (core) stage.
First test flight of this launch system is due around 2017. In payload form it will have 20% more thrust at lift off than a Saturn 5!
The mobile launch platform is also being modified to move the SLS about at Kennedy. It will be over 400ft tall when complete.
Exciting times ahead.
The Space Launch System (SLS) reusable engines are about to begin hot testing in Alabama. These engines are an upgraded design of the ones used as the Space Shuttle main engines. Power is up from 491,000 pounds of thrust to 512,000. The SLS system will use 4 of these engines plus two solid rocket boosters in its first (core) stage.
First test flight of this launch system is due around 2017. In payload form it will have 20% more thrust at lift off than a Saturn 5!
The mobile launch platform is also being modified to move the SLS about at Kennedy. It will be over 400ft tall when complete.
Exciting times ahead.
Caruso said:
Cool, though I do wonder how they plan to recover the reusable engines?
Good question, I've been trying to find out. The way this blog reads, it looks like a single flight for each "Core stage". Sounds very expensive. But then lifting a 130 tons into orbit is never going to be cheap!http://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/07/nasa_defends_s...
rufusruffcutt said:
Caruso said:
Cool, though I do wonder how they plan to recover the reusable engines?
Good question, I've been trying to find out. The way this blog reads, it looks like a single flight for each "Core stage". Sounds very expensive. But then lifting a 130 tons into orbit is never going to be cheap!http://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/07/nasa_defends_s...
rufusruffcutt said:
Some minor Orion updates. Orion has now been mounted to the service module ahead of its (unmanned) test flight around December 4th using a heavy Delta IV rocket.
The Space Launch System (SLS) reusable engines are about to begin hot testing in Alabama. These engines are an upgraded design of the ones used as the Space Shuttle main engines. Power is up from 491,000 pounds of thrust to 512,000. The SLS system will use 4 of these engines plus two solid rocket boosters in its first (core) stage.
First test flight of this launch system is due around 2017. In payload form it will have 20% more thrust at lift off than a Saturn 5!
The mobile launch platform is also being modified to move the SLS about at Kennedy. It will be over 400ft tall when complete.
Exciting times ahead.
Nice to see the mobile launch platform tower restored to its proper height.The Space Launch System (SLS) reusable engines are about to begin hot testing in Alabama. These engines are an upgraded design of the ones used as the Space Shuttle main engines. Power is up from 491,000 pounds of thrust to 512,000. The SLS system will use 4 of these engines plus two solid rocket boosters in its first (core) stage.
First test flight of this launch system is due around 2017. In payload form it will have 20% more thrust at lift off than a Saturn 5!
The mobile launch platform is also being modified to move the SLS about at Kennedy. It will be over 400ft tall when complete.
Exciting times ahead.
MartG said:
Tiles...Really!?Yup - and given that they are attached to several removeable panels, it kinda begs the question why didn't they make the panel covers one-piece rather than multiple tiles. It would have made it a lot quicker to replace them after they are ruined due to water absorption after splashdown.
Do they have a one piece material that can withstand the re-entry heating that the capsule experiences as it renters at around 25,000 mph? The surface is going to get very hot.
The Shuttle still needed tiles in those areas that got very hot. The one piece blankets they used were for the lower heating areas.
The Shuttle still needed tiles in those areas that got very hot. The one piece blankets they used were for the lower heating areas.
Is it possible to make that specific material in larger sheets - especially if it has to conform to curves etc?
I know they did use larger sheets/blankets etc on the Shuttle but the Shuttle re-entered at much less speed than Orion will and they still needed tiles on the higher heated areas of the Shuttle.
I know they did use larger sheets/blankets etc on the Shuttle but the Shuttle re-entered at much less speed than Orion will and they still needed tiles on the higher heated areas of the Shuttle.
graphene said:
Eric Mc said:
Agreed.
I am sure they have valid reasons for going with tiles.
Last paragraph:I am sure they have valid reasons for going with tiles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_thermal...
Edited by MartG on Friday 22 August 12:02
Simpo Two said:
What did they use on Apollo capsules? That was curved.
The big difference between the Apollo capsule and the Orion capsule is that the Orion capsule will be re-usable. Apollos were one mission only spacecraft. They used an ablative heatshield (essentially resin impregnated fibreglass) which bubbled and boiled away carrying the heat of re-entry with it. It worked really well, but meant that the heatshield was destroyed during the re-entry phase.
Simpo Two said:
What did they use on Apollo capsules? That was curved.
IIRC the sides of the Apollo CM were covered in the same ablative stuff as the main heatshield, which consisted of ablative resin manually injected into an aluminium honeycomb. The side ones were a lot thinner than the base as they were subjected to lower temps, and were covered in aluminised mylar for thermal control while in space ( the mirror finish which burnt off during re-entry )http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2...
Edited by MartG on Friday 22 August 12:11
Simpo Two said:
What did they use on Apollo capsules? That was curved.
There's a free NASA ebook about the various methods they tried before settling on the methods they did, can't remember if it goes up the Space Shuttle but I've got a feeling it doeshttp://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/coming_home_det...
"This book relates in a chronological manner the way in which NASA has approached the challenge of reentering the atmosphere after a space mission and the technologies associated with safely dealing with the friction of this encounter and the methods used for landing safely on Earth."
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