Space Launch System - Orion

[Eric Mc]

hidetheelephants said:

Well the senate has deep pockets, so your subconscious is just reflecting NASA's budget realities.

My concscious wasn't that "sub".

[Eric Mc]

Blimey - that brings back memories.

One of the parts of the 2014 flight test that didn't work perfectly was the righting bag inflation test - if I recall correctly.

[Eric Mc]

I think Crewed Dragon is now going to be splashing down too.

[Eric Mc]

We know they can do splashdowns safely because all the uncrewed Dragons have splashed down. SpaceX's recovery operations are pretty streamlined and don't require the US Navy Pacific Fleet to be on station.

[Eric Mc]

Didn't go bang at least.

[Eric Mc]

And done -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcI970HbTu8

[Eric Mc]

That's because it IS essentially a Shuttle External Tank extended to increase fuel capacity and therefore the burn time of the engines. It's also feeding four Shuttle Main Engines as opposed to the three of the original tank.

[Eric Mc]

Naturally. The thrust is now being applied directly to the base of the tank. On the Shuttle the thrust was offset.

[Eric Mc]

A lander to land where?

[Eric Mc]

Thanks for clarifying. No formal funding for a moon lander has been approved - yet. There was tentative planning for a moon lander when the Constellation project was on the go,. That lander was called Altair and conceptual artwork was released of what it might look like -




Altair was cancelled when Constellation was cancelled.

A few months ago, NASA did issue some new specifications for possible lunar landers which would use the SLS system - so we may see something like Altair yet - but not for at least ten years.

Orion is currently going to be used as an end in itself - and to ferry to and from a lunar space station. There are no definite plans to have a lunar landing aspect to SLS missions.

[Eric Mc]

Have both I say.

[Eric Mc]

I remember seeing paintings like that in the 1960s.This concept was studied quite well in the book "Frontiers of Space".

[Eric Mc]

Depending on what test they are carrying out, they will.

[Eric Mc]

Time was of the essence. Quick solutions were needed.

[Eric Mc]

It looks to me that Trump's one excellent appointment has been Jim Bridenstine. He certainly seems to be giving NASA some definite and sensible focus.

[Eric Mc]

MartG said:

Scott Manley video on the latest SLS budget news

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb3pGNTIC4c&fe...

Interesting. SLS might still hang on.

[Eric Mc]

RobDickinson said:

Nasa are looking at sending Orion on a commercials rocket for the 2020 moon mission.

SLS is officially dead.

Source?

[Eric Mc]

Yep - empty talk by an empty vessel.

[Eric Mc]

I'm sure they couldn't - especially since Grumman as a company no longer exists.

The new generation lander will be a very different animal to the minimalist Lunar Module built by Grumman. It's only a month or so since NASA issued their current lunar lander requirements to the US aerospace industry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hx20ca_poQ

[Eric Mc]

Talk about mixed messages. The expressions "arse" and "elbow" comes to mind.