WASHINGTON -- A test version of NASA's Orion spacecraft safely landed during a simulation of two types of parachute failures Wednesday.
In the test, conducted in Yuma, Ariz., the mock capsule was traveling about 250 mph when the parachutes were deployed. That is the highest speed the craft has experienced as part of the test series designed to certify Orion's parachute system for carrying humans.
Engineers rigged one of the test capsule's two drogue parachutes not to deploy and one of its three main parachutes to skip its first stage of inflation after being extracted from a plane 25,000 feet above the Arizona desert. Drogue parachutes are used to slow and reorient Orion while the main parachutes inflate in three stages to gradually slow the capsule further as it descends.
The failure scenario, one of the most difficult simulated so far, will provide data engineers need for human rating the parachute system.
"The tests continue to become more challenging, and the parachute system is proving the design's redundancy and reliability," said Chris Johnson, NASA's project manager for the Orion parachute assembly system. "Testing helps us gain confidence and balance risk to ensure the safety of our crew."
Orion has the largest parachute system ever built for a human-rated spacecraft. The canopies of the three main parachutes can cover almost an entire football field. After reentering Earth's atmosphere, astronauts will use the parachutes to slow the spacecraft for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Testing irregularities allows engineers to verify the parachutes are reliable even when something goes wrong. The tests provide information to refine models used to build the system and Orion. Changes to the design and materials used in Orion's parachute system already have been made based on previous tests. Other government or commercial spacecraft using a similar parachute system also can benefit from the work done to validate Orion.
"Parachute deployment is inherently chaotic and not easily predictable," said Stu McClung, Orion's landing and recovery system manager. "Gravity never takes any time off -- there's no timeout. The end result can be very unforgiving. That's why we test. If we have problems with the system, we want to know about them now."
Orion's next Earth-based parachute test is scheduled for July, when the test capsule will be released from 35,000 feet, a higher altitude than ever before. The first test of the parachutes after traveling in space will be during Exploration Flight Test-1 in 2014, when an uncrewed Orion will be return from 3,600 miles above Earth's surface. The spacecraft will be traveling at about 340 mph when the parachutes deploy.
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03/05/13
La imagen de arriba: el astronauta Don Pettit relojes como técnico trabaja en el módulo de la tripulación Orion dentro de las operaciones de construcción y comprobación de gran altura en el Centro Espacial Kennedy el 21 de marzo. Crédito de la imagen: NASA / Dimitri Gerondidakis > Ver imagen más grande
Imagen arriba: Un técnico trabaja en un sistema de control de reacción pod en la instalación Aerojet en Redmond, Washington La vaina es uno de los ocho que se instalará en el módulo de la tripulación de vuelo Orion Exploration Test-1 y proporcionan las maniobras críticas necesarias para re a la atmósfera de la Tierra. "Foto cortesía de Aerojet > Ver imagen más grande
El último de ocho sistemas de control de reacción (RCS) vainas de vuelo Exploración Orion de la NASA Test-1 (EFT-1) llegó esta semana en las operaciones de Kennedy Space Center y comprobación Building (O & C) del fabricante, Aerojet, en Redmond, Washington " Llegada del control de la reacción pod sistema final marca un hito importante al prepararnos módulo de la tripulación Orion de la NASA para su primer vuelo de prueba ", dijo Glenn Chinn, el director adjunto del Programa de Vehículos Crew multiuso en la Oficina de Operaciones de Producción Orion de Kennedy. "El vainas proporcionarán las maniobras críticas necesarias para el Orion de re-entrada en la atmósfera de la Tierra. " El primer conjunto de vainas llegado a Kennedy el 18 de febrero, con las vainas posteriores llegan 11 de marzo y 05 de abril y 19. El propulsor pod derecho en eventos con dos motores de cohete fue el último en llegar, y se unió a los otros siete vainas ya están en el centro. Se incluyen en el grupo son dos pitch-up vainas hélice con un solo motor de cohete, dos de tono hacia abajo vainas de propulsores, cada uno con un único motor de cohete, dos a la derecha e izquierda de guiñada vainas, cada uno con un único motor de cohete, y una izquierda rodar barquilla con dos motores de cohetes. Antes de las vainas fueron entregados a Kennedy, Aerojet puso cada uno de ellos a través de una serie de pruebas, incluyendo la prueba de presión y de fugas, vibraciones del motor, motor espacial aceptación fuego caliente y pruebas funcionales eléctrica. Lockheed Martin se desempaquetar e inspeccionar visualmente todas las vainas. A continuación, los técnicos se suman segmentos propulsores cortos y soportes de línea para cada uno. A partir de junio, las vainas se someterán a la presión adicional de la prueba y prueba de fugas, prueba de fugas de la válvula y pruebas de funcionamiento del motor del cohete. Aerojet apoyará las actividades que involucran las góndolas de los motores de cohetes con opiniones procedimiento de procesamiento, y la ingeniería en el sitio y soporte de montaje durante la instalación y pruebas en el módulo de la tripulación. Director del Programa de Aerojet del Espacio Humano, Sam Wiley, dijo que no puede esperar a que el vainas RCS que se instalarán en el módulo de la tripulación. "Nosotros ponemos nuestro corazón en nuestros productos y los trabajos de instalación concluirán a más de tres años de las actividades de diseño y desarrollo", dijo Wiley. "Estamos listos para apoyar EFT-1 para el vuelo." Las vainas y sus motores serán instalados en varios lugares en el módulo de tripulación Orion.Dos de las góndolas de los motores solo se encuentra en el módulo de la tripulación hacia adelante bahía, con los restantes pods situados en la bahía de popa. Juntos proporcionan un control completo durante actitud Orion de reentrada y aterrizaje. Orion es la nave espacial de exploración diseñados para llevar a los seres humanos más en el espacio que nunca antes. La nave espacial proporcionar capacidad de abortar de emergencia, mantener los equipos durante el viaje espacial y proporcionar seguro volver a entrar a velocidades de retorno en el espacio profundo.primer vuelo de prueba sin tripulación de Orion está previsto su lanzamiento en 2014 sobre un United Launch Alliance cohete Delta IV pesado. Un segundo vuelo de prueba sin tripulación está prevista para el 2017 sobre el espacio de lanzamiento de cohetes de sistema de la NASA.
Final Reaction Control System Pod Arrives for Orion EFT-1
05.03.13
Image above: Astronaut Don Pettit watches as a technician works on the Orion crew module inside the Operations and Checkout Building high bay at Kennedy Space Center on March 21. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
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Image above: A technician works on a reaction control system pod at the Aerojet facility in Redmond, Wash. The pod is one of eight that will be installed on the Orion crew module for Exploration Flight Test-1 and provide the critical maneuvers necessary for re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.” Photo courtesy of Aerojet
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The last of eight reaction control system (RCS) pods for NASA’s Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) arrived this week at Kennedy Space Center’s Operations and Checkout Building (O&C) from the manufacturer, Aerojet, in Redmond, Wash. ›View Larger Image
“Arrival of the final reaction control system pod marks a significant milestone as we prepare NASA’s Orion crew module for its first flight test,” said Glenn Chinn, the deputy manager of the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle Program in Kennedy’s Orion Production Operations Office.
“The pods will provide the critical maneuvers necessary for Orion’s re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.”
The first set of pods arrived at Kennedy on Feb. 18, with subsequent pods arriving March 11, and April 5 and 19.
The right-roll thruster pod with two rocket engines was the last to arrive, and joined the other seven pods already in the facility. Included in the group are two pitch-up thruster pods with a single rocket engine; two pitch-down thruster pods, each with a single rocket engine; two right- and left-yaw pods, each with a single rocket engine, and a left roll thruster pod with two rocket engines.
Before the pods were delivered to Kennedy, Aerojet put each of them through a series of tests, including proof pressure and leak, engine vibration, rocket engine hot fire acceptance and electrical functional testing.
Lockheed Martin will unpack and visually inspect all of the pods. Then technicians will add short propellant line segments and line brackets to each.
Beginning in June, the pods will undergo additional proof pressure and leak testing, valve leak testing and rocket engine functional testing. Aerojet will support processing activities that involve the rocket engine pods with procedure reviews, and on-site engineering and assembly support during installation and testing on the crew module.
Aerojet Program Director for Human Space, Sam Wiley, said he can’t wait for the RCS pods to be installed onto the crew module.
“We put our heart into our products and the installation work will wrap up more than three years of design and development activities,” Wiley said. “We’re ready to support EFT-1 for flight.”
The pods and their engines will be installed in various locations on the Orion crew module.
Two of the single engine pods will be located in the crew module’s forward bay, with the remaining pods located in the aft bay. Together they will provide full attitude control during Orion’s re-entry and landing.
Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry humans farther into space than ever before. The spacecraft will provide emergency abort capability, sustain crews during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep-space return velocities.
Orion’s first uncrewed test flight is scheduled to launch in 2014 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV heavy rocket. A second uncrewed flight test is scheduled for 2017 on NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.
NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center
NASA
Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
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