NASA - NASA Invites Media to View Orion, Speak With Kennedy Space Center Director

Hola amigos: A VUELO DE UN QUINDE EL BLOG., la Agencia Espacial NASA ha invitado a los representantes de medios de comunicación  at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida: como una oportunidad el lunes, 15 de abril, ver la nave espacial Orion,  que podría tomar a astronautas sobre una misión de colección de la muestra con un asteroide tan pronto como 2021.

Los invitamos a leer la versión original en inglés:.

 Image above: An artist concept shows Orion as it will appear in space for the Exploration Flight Test-1 attached to a Delta IV second stage.
Image credit: NASA
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NASA On Course to Launch Orion Flight Test

02.28.13

 

Image above: NASA officials detail progress toward a September 2014 flight test called Exploration Flight Test-1 or EFT-1 as part of the agency's goal of launching astronauts into deep space. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann The first spacecraft NASA has designed to fly astronauts beyond Earth orbit since the Apollo era is well on its way to making a flight test next year, agency officials said Wednesday. The mission is planned for launch in September 2014, and will see an Orion capsule orbit Earth without a crew and return through the atmosphere at speeds unseen since astronauts last returned from the moon in 1972. 

 "It's a key element of our overall plan to get humans beyond Earth orbit as quickly as we can," said Dan Dumbacher, deputy associate administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Development Division. Exploration Flight Test (EFT)-1, will be the first chance engineers get to test Orion's design in space. 

Flying atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket, the spacecraft will be pressurized as it would be if astronauts were onboard. It will orbit the Earth twice on a track that will take it more than 3,600 miles above us, about 15 times higher than the International Space Station. From that height, Orion will be steered to a re-entry at speeds of about 20,000 mph, slamming into the atmosphere to test whether the heat shield will protect the spacecraft adequately.

 "It allows us to stress the heat shield in conditions that are very close to what we will see coming back from a region around the moon," said Mark Geyer, Orion program manager. "This is going to help us make our heat shield lighter, safer and more reliable." Launching from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the spacecraft will carry scores of instruments. 

Even the heat shield will have instruments to measure temperature and plasma flow around the spacecraft as it endures the searing conditions of high-speed reentry. Engineers will use the readings to update computer models and refine designs for the spacecraft, ground support equipment and the in-development Space Launch System rocket. 

The agency also will provide the data to the agency's commercial partners developing their own spacecraft. Orion will land under parachutes in the Pacific Ocean where recovery teams from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Department of Defense will retrieve it and return it to Florida. Just as the mission will help spacecraft designers, the recovery will show those on the ground what to expect when they begin retrieving crews after long missions into deep space, said Pepper Phillips, director of the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program based at Kennedy. 

 "The teams are exercising some static tests now, but we're going to be ready with this full-up active test of a live spacecraft," Phillips told reporters who had gathered in the Young-Crippen Firing Room at Kennedy for the update Feb. 27. The firing room, which has been refurbished and extensively modified since last hosting a space shuttle launch, will give engineers direct links to the Orion after it is powered up later this year. Launch controllers will follow the mission from the same firing room, as well. NASA designed Orion as a versatile spacecraft able to handle the hardships of flying safely far beyond Earth's atmosphere to take astronauts to distant destinations such as an asteroid and Mars. 

 Starting in 2017, Orion spacecraft will be paired with the agency's Space Launch System (SLS), a massive rocket in development more powerful than the Saturn V that propelled astronauts to the moon. Although EFT-1 will focus largely on testing the Orion spacecraft, it also will aid the teams designing and building the SLS, said Todd May, program manager for the new booster. 

 "There are a lot of things about this mission that helps SLS," May said. "A lot of this data we're going to use to understand the structural properties, the aero-loading, the guidance navigation and control that we feed back into our calculations." The SLS team, based at Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Ala., designed and built an adapter ring for this mission that will connect Orion's broad base with the much narrower Delta IV second stage. 

While the Orion spacecraft takes shape inside the Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy, the heat shield's skin and skeleton have been finished. The heat-resistant coating will be applied next month and the all-important component will be shipped to Kennedy in July for attachment to the spacecraft. NASA has designed the mission to evaluate how the spaceship behaves in 10 of the 16 highest risk areas for a crew.

 Avionics systems, software and the myriad other elements that go into a spacecraft are expected to get a rigorous workout. Those elements are making their way into the spacecraft in a careful procession as Lockheed Martin builds up Orion into a working spacecraft. 

 "We all have these great (computer) models but when you fly in the real environment, does it behave as you expect," Geyer said. The flight will begin a series of flight tests for the Orion and Space Launch System programs as the agency moves toward launching astronauts into space in 2021. Orion is scheduled to fly a second test mission in 2017 aboard the first Space Launch System booster. 

Along the way, engineers also will conduct smaller-scale flight tests to evaluate the performance of specific systems such as the escape rocket designed to pull a crew out of harm's way in the event of an emergency during launch and ascent. 

The progression from concept drawings to working with mockups and replicas to building the actual spacecraft reinvigorates the teams, the officials said. "I think it helps keep the team's morale up and you want to see a steady beat of successes as you move forward," May said. "Now we're actually doing it," Geyer said. "It shows you that we're putting the expertise into actually making it happen."

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Image above: The Launch Abort System that will be used for Exploration Flight Test-1 arrived recently at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The test flight will not include an active LAS since no astronauts will be onboard the spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

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Image above: An artist concept shows Orion as it will appear in space for the Exploration Flight Test-1 attached to a Delta IV second stage. Image credit: NASA
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NASA Invites Media to View Orion, Speak With Kennedy Space Center Director

 

 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA is offering media representatives at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida an opportunity on Monday, April 15, to see Orion, the spacecraft that could take astronauts on a sample collection mission to an asteroid as early as 2021.

The event, marking three years since President Obama set a goal of sending humans to an asteroid, will begin at noon EDT with a photo and interview availability with Robert Cabana, Kennedy's center director.

Media should arrive at Kennedy's Press Site by 11:30 a.m. for transportation to the Operations and Checkout Building. . Other speakers include Dan Dumbacher, deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development, Mark Geyer, Orion Program manager, and Keith Hefner, Space Launch System Program planning and control manager.

Cabana, Geyer and Hefner will discuss progress made on final assembly and integration of Orion for its uncrewed Exploration Flight Test-1 in 2014. Before Orion's launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., the production team will apply heat-shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other hardware to the spacecraft.

During the test, Orion will travel 3,600 miles from Earth, farther than any crewed spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. The main objective is to test Orion's heat shield at the high speeds generated during a return from deep space.

Media without NASA Kennedy accreditation must apply for credentials by 4 p.m. Friday, April 12. International media accreditation for this event is closed. Badges for this event may be picked up at the Kennedy's badging office on State Road 405. The credential application is located online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), a heavy-lift launch vehicle that will provide new capability for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit, will boost Orion off the planet on a flight test in 2017. SLS is designed to be flexible for launching spacecraft for crew and cargo missions. It will expand human presence and enable new missions of exploration into the solar system.

NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston manages the Orion Program. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the SLS Program. Kennedy manages the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, which is preparing to process and launch the new vehicles and spacecraft designed to achieve NASA's goals for space exploration.
For more information about the Orion program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/orion

For more information on the Space Launch System, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/sls

For more information about the Ground Systems Development and Operations program, visit:

 

http://go.nasa.gov/groundsystems

NASA
Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
ayabaca@gmail.com
ayabaca@hotmail.com
ayabaca@yahoo.com
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ASTRONOMY: NASA Announces Design For New Deep Space Exploration System

Hi My Friends: A VUELO DE UN QUINDE EL BLOG., NASA is ready to move forward with the development of the Space Launch System -- an advanced heavy-lift launch vehicle that will provide an entirely new national capability for human exploration beyond Earth's orbit. The Space Launch System will give the nation a safe, affordable and sustainable means of reaching beyond our current limits and opening up new discoveries from the unique vantage point of space.

SLS Launch
Artist concept of SLS launching.

The Space Launch System, or SLS, will be designed to carry the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, as well as important cargo, equipment and science experiments to Earth's orbit and destinations beyond. Additionally, the SLS will serve as a back up for commercial and international partner transportation services to the International Space Station.

"This launch system will create good-paying American jobs, ensure continued U.S. leadership in space, and inspire millions around the world," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "President Obama challenged us to be bold and dream big, and that's exactly what we are doing at NASA. While I was proud to fly on the space shuttle, tomorrow's explorers will now dream of one day walking on Mars."

The SLS rocket will incorporate technological investments from the Space Shuttle Program and the Constellation Program in order to take advantage of proven hardware and cutting-edge tooling and manufacturing technology that will significantly reduce development and operations costs. It will use a liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propulsion system, which will include the RS-25D/E from the Space Shuttle Program for the core stage and the J-2X engine for the upper stage. SLS will also use solid rocket boosters for the initial development flights, while follow-on boosters will be competed based on performance requirements and affordability considerations. The SLS will have an initial lift capacity of 70 metric tons. That's more than 154,000 pounds, or 77 tons, roughly the weight of 40 sport utility vehicles. The lift capacity will be evolvable to 130 metric tons -- more than 286,000 pounds, or 143 tons -- enough to lift 75 SUVs. The first developmental flight, or mission, is targeted for the end of 2017.

Future Exploration Destinations
An artist's concept shows the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle and future destinations for human exploration beyond Earth orbit: the moon, an asteroid and Mars. NASA has selected the design of a new Space Launch System that will take the agency's astronauts farther into space than ever before, create high-quality jobs here at home, and provide the cornerstone for America's future human space exploration efforts. The booster will be America’s most powerful since the Saturn V rocket that carried Apollo astronauts to the moon and will launch humans to places no one has gone before.The SLS will carry human crews beyond low Earth orbit in the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. The rocket will use a liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuel system, where RS-25D/E engines will provide the core propulsion and the J2X engine is planned for use in the upper stage.

Credit: NASA

This specific architecture was selected, largely because it utilizes an evolvable development approach, which allows NASA to address high-cost development activities early on in the program and take advantage of higher buying power before inflation erodes the available funding of a fixed budget. This architecture also enables NASA to leverage existing capabilities and lower development costs by using liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for both the core and upper stages. Additionally, this architecture provides a modular launch vehicle that can be configured for specific mission needs using a variation of common elements. NASA may not need to lift 130 metric tons for each mission and the flexibility of this modular architecture allows the agency to use different core stage, upper stage, and first-stage booster combinations to achieve the most efficient launch vehicle for the desired mission.

"NASA has been making steady progress toward realizing the president's goal of deep space exploration, while doing so in a more affordable way," NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said. "We have been driving down the costs on the Space Launch System and Orion contracts by adopting new ways of doing business and project hundreds of millions of dollars of savings each year.

" The Space Launch System will be NASA's first exploration-class vehicle since the Saturn V took American astronauts to the moon over 40 years ago. With its superior lift capability, the SLS will expand our reach in the solar system and allow us to explore cis-lunar space, near-Earth asteroids, Mars and its moons and beyond. We will learn more about how the solar system formed, where Earth's water and organics originated and how life might be sustained in places far from our Earth's atmosphere and expand the boundaries of human exploration. These discoveries will change the way we understand ourselves, our planet, and its place in the universe.
NASA Announces Design For New Deep Space Exploration System :
New Heavy-lift Rocket Will Take Humans Far Beyond Earth.-

WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected the design of a new Space Launch System that will take the agency's astronauts farther into space than ever before, create high-quality jobs here at home, and provide the cornerstone for America's future human space exploration efforts.

This new heavy-lift rocket-in combination with a crew capsule already under development, increased support for the commercialization of astronaut travel to low Earth orbit, an extension of activities on the International Space Station until at least 2020, and a fresh focus on new technologies-is key to implementing the plan laid out by President Obama and Congress in the bipartisan 2010 NASA Authorization Act, which the president signed last year. The booster will be America's most powerful since the Saturn V rocket that carried Apollo astronauts to the moon and will launch humans to places no one has gone before.

"This launch system will create good-paying American jobs, ensure continued U.S. leadership in space, and inspire millions around the world," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "President Obama challenged us to be bold and dream big, and that's exactly what we are doing at NASA. While I was proud to fly on the space shuttle, tomorrow's explorers will now dream of one day walking on Mars.

" This launch vehicle decision is the culmination of a months-long, comprehensive review of potential designs to ensure the nation gets a rocket that is not only powerful but also evolvable so it can be adapted to different missions as opportunities arise and new technologies are developed.

"Having settled on a new and powerful heavy-lift launch architecture, NASA can now move ahead with building that rocket and the next-generation vehicles and technologies needed for an ambitious program of crewed missions in deep space," said John P. Holdren, assistant to the President for Science and Technology. "I'm excited about NASA's new path forward and about its promise for continuing American leadership in human space exploration.

" The SLS will carry human crews beyond low Earth orbit in a capsule named the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. The rocket will use a liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuel system, where RS-25D/E engines will provide the core propulsion and the J2X engine is planned for use in the upper stage. There will be a competition to develop the boosters based on performance requirements.

The decision to go with the same fuel system for the core and the upper stage was based on a NASA analysis demonstrating that use of common components can reduce costs and increase flexibility. The heavy-lift rocket's early flights will be capable of lifting 70-100 metric tons before evolving to a lift capacity of 130 metric tons.

The early developmental flights may take advantage of existing solid boosters and other existing hardware. These flights will enable NASA to reduce developmental risk, drive innovation within the agency and private industry, and accomplish early exploration objectives.

"NASA has been making steady progress toward realizing the president's goal of deep space exploration, while doing so in a more affordable way," NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said. "We have been driving down the costs on the Space Launch System and Orion contracts by adopting new ways of doing business and project hundreds of millions of dollars of savings each year.

" NASA elected to initiate a competition for the booster stage based on performance parameters rather than on the type of propellant because of the need for flexibility. The specific acquisition strategy for procuring the core stage, booster stage, and upper stage is being developed and will be announced at a later time. To learn more about the development of the SLS, visit:
http://go.nasa.gov/newlaunchsystem
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration
Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
ayabaca@gmail.com

ayabaca@hotmail.com

ayabaca@yahoo.com

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