Space Launch System - Orion

[AshVX220]

Just back off holiday (a holiday that was cut short due to flight cancellations etc).
But was wondering, Eric, what's happening with you planned trip to KSC, I know you've been looking forward to it.

[Eric Mc]

Cancelled - not happening.

Still waiting for news on my money.

[AshVX220]

Eric Mc said:

Cancelled - not happening.

Still waiting for news on my money.

Hopefully that shouldn't be a problem, we awaiting info on a refund too as our holiday was cut short by 5 days.

Fingers crossed this will blow over asap and you can rebook it for sometime later in the year.

[DeejRC]

WFIRST dosh is approved and in the system. The subcons have been requested to submit their ROMs. It’s becoming a major pain in my arris.

[MartG]

Orion now in the Operations and Checkout building at Kennedy Space Centre.

[Eric Mc]

AshVX220 said:

Hopefully that shouldn't be a problem, we awaiting info on a refund too as our holiday was cut short by 5 days.

Fingers crossed this will blow over asap and you can rebook it for sometime later in the year.

Can't re-book the Sun n'Fun element of the holiday as that only happens in April. Will probably have to wait until 2021 now.

[RobDickinson]

Eric Berger -

This seems like it isn't good. The new GAO report on NASA's big programs includes this nugget on the SLS rocket: "Program officials indicated that one of the top remaining technical risks to the green run test is that the core stage may develop leaks when it is filled with fuel."

[MartG]

RobDickinson said:

Eric Berger -

This seems like it isn't good. The new GAO report on NASA's big programs includes this nugget on the SLS rocket: "Program officials indicated that one of the top remaining technical risks to the green run test is that the core stage may develop leaks when it is filled with fuel."

WTF are they playing at ?

[RobDickinson]

$10bn fuel tank all good apart from it leaks...

[Beati Dogu]

Well yeah, isn't that why they test, instead of just rocking up on launch day?

Hydrogen in particular is tricky to work with, as it's such a small molecule it'll find even the smallest pathway.

The thing will be plastered in gas sensors for just such an issue.

[Bristol ave fag]

MartG said:

RobDickinson said:

Eric Berger -

This seems like it isn't good. The new GAO report on NASA's big programs includes this nugget on the SLS rocket: "Program officials indicated that one of the top remaining technical risks to the green run test is that the core stage may develop leaks when it is filled with fuel."

WTF are they playing at ?

Yep. its just a game and their game is absorb as much money as possible with as little as much progress as they can. $22.6 billion a year. This is their way of saying we need more time and more money. They will string it out for another decade then tell us they are going to pluto.

Edited by Bristol ave fag on Thursday 30th April 00:03

Edited by Bristol ave fag on Thursday 30th April 00:05

[RobDickinson]

Some other info, Europa Clipper will be ready in 2023 but no SLS launch is seen as likely before 2025, NASA is mandated to use SLS and this will cost NASA $250 million just to delay Clipper due to an expensive delay on one of their other projects :/

[Beati Dogu]

NASA has awarded an additional $1.79 billion contract to Aerojet Rocketdyne to manufacture 18 RS-25 rocket engines to support SLS / Artemis missions to the Moon.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-commits-to...

These will be the RS-25E version, which unlike the Shuttles' RS-25D engine, is not designed for reuse.

This brings the total spend on engines alone to around $3.5 billion. That includes a refurb of the engines they pulled off the Shuttles, plus 6 new builds that were ordered years ago. Oh and to pay for them to re-open the production line.

So that's a total of 24 new engines, enough for 6 SLS flights.

[Einion Yrth]

Beati Dogu said:

So that's a total of 24 new engines, enough for 6 SLS flights.

I'd wager most of them will end up either in a museum, or scrapped.

[RobDickinson]

$400 million for 1st stage engines every single launch.

Each engine is more than a iss falcon 9 / dragon launch I think (perhaps not the latest contract as it went up some)

[Beati Dogu]

Each engine costs more than a Falcon Heavy launch, which is ~$90 million in recoverable mode.

It’s said that the Falcon 9 rocket cost SpaceX only $300-400 million to develop.

Einion Yrth said:

I'd wager most of them will end up either in a museum, or scrapped.

It would ironic if they ended up being put back on the Shuttles in the various museums. Replacing the dummy ones they’re sporting now.

[RobDickinson]

Beati Dogu said:

Each engine costs more than a Falcon Heavy launch, which is ~$90 million in recoverable mode.

It’s said that the Falcon 9 rocket cost SpaceX only $300-400 million to develop.

Einion Yrth said:

I'd wager most of them will end up either in a museum, or scrapped.

It would ironic if they ended up being put back on the Shuttles in the various museums. Replacing the dummy ones they’re sporting now.

Spacex charge nasa a lot more than base price for their iss launches though.

https://www.engadget.com/amp/2018-04-27-spacex-pri...

$100m would probably buy you 2 falcon 9s at mates rates I recon

[Beati Dogu]

I'd expect the Dragon flights to be more expensive given the cost of the capsule, trunk, processing, sea pick up, reprocessing etc. By the sound of it they've been undercharging in the past if anything.

The Dragon capsule is capable of bringing things back to US soil as well, unlike the Cygnus which burns up in the atmosphere. Dream Chaser will be able to do this as well, but that's not due to enter service until the end of 2021.

[Beati Dogu]

The sections of solid rocket booster for the SLS have been delivered to Cape Canaveral.



Seen here crossing the Indian River. You can see the Vertical Assembly Building on the horizon.

They're made by Northrop Grumman in Promontory, Utah and taken by train all the way to Florida.

[Eric Mc]

Actually made at the old Morton Thiokol plant in Utah. Morton Thiokol are now part of Northrop-Grumman.