Author Topic: MLAS - the alternative Orion Launch Abort System gains momentum  (Read 160464 times)

Online Chris Bergin

Hey-

I was out at the launch this morning.  There were plenty of people with cameras at the little back road where I was watching, so hopefully something will pop up.

Everything looked good on the launch from an outside perspective.  It took off nice and straight, burned for 3-4 seconds.  It didn't seem to wiggle much, which was great considering the strange motor configuration.  The bottom segment fell off, sucessfull chute deploy.  The dummy capsule segment then deployed two small chutes, and decended about 2/3 of the way back to ground.  The capsule then descended from the MLAS cone, deployed two drouge chutes, and then the mains deployed.  It seemed like the mains deployed very low (under 1000 ft possibly), but that might have been part of the test considering it only flew to about 5000 ft.

Thanks much for the report!
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Offline Garnam

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report and launch pic at PilotOnline !

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/07/photo-nasa-tests-astronaut-escape-pod-wallops-island


If that link doesnt work, look at this one (seems to be the same story)
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/07/photo-nasa-tests-escape-pod-wallops-island
« Last Edit: 07/08/2009 12:00 pm by Garnam »

Online Chris Bergin

Nice. That had a bit more power than I expected!
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Offline scotty125

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Those are either awfully small outbuildings, or that's a helluva size of a capsule...maybe it's just a perspective thing.  It sure looks like it's climbing from behind them.  Jeez, I thought Orion was getting smaller! :)
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Offline huntster

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It's not a small craft. Full size mockup iirc. That biggest white building is probably just a holding hangar for prelaunch storage and checkout.

Offline ineedalife999

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Yes, the white hangar is a shelter that is rolled back before the launch.

Many of the NASA outbuildings on Wallops are quite small and far apart, as most of the launches on the island are sounding rockets that don't require too much space.

As for the capsule size, it looks huge becuase MLAS is a large shell that fits over the capsule and has four motors in it making it quite thick.  When the capsule dropped out of the shell during descent, it looked much smaller.

Edit-  MLAS may have been rolled out of that hangar instead of the hangar rolling back.  I haven't been to that hangar.
« Last Edit: 07/08/2009 01:02 pm by ineedalife999 »
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Offline Garnam

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« Last Edit: 07/08/2009 01:34 pm by Garnam »

Offline Danny Dot

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Is there any plan to test the actual MLAS motors or stability system?  My guess is no or they wouldn't have run out of money to do this test.  This was Griffin's bad idea and he is gone.

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Offline rdale

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NASA TESTS ALTERNATE LAUNCH ABORT SYSTEM FOR ASTRONAUT ESCAPE

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. -- NASA has successfully demonstrated an alternate system for future astronauts to escape their launch vehicle. A simulated launch of the Max Launch Abort System, or MLAS, took place Wednesday morning at 6:26 a.m. at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va.

The unpiloted launch tested an alternate concept for safely propelling a future spacecraft and its crew away from a problem on the launch pad or during ascent. The MLAS consists of four solid rocket abort motors inside a bullet-shaped composite fairing attached to a full-scale mockup of the crew module.

The 33-foot-high MLAS vehicle was launched to an altitude of approximately one mile to simulate an emergency on the launch pad.
The flight demonstration began after the four solid rocket motors burned out. The crew module mockup separated from the launch vehicle at approximately seven seconds into the flight and parachuted into the Atlantic Ocean.

The test demonstrated a number of things: the unpowered flight of the MLAS along a stable trajectory; reorientation and stabilization of the MLAS; separation of the crew module simulator from the abort motors; and stabilization and parachute recovery of the crew module simulator. An important objective of the test was to provide the workforce of NASA's Engineering and Safety Center, or NESC, with experience in flight testing a spacecraft concept. NESC leads the project at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.

NASA has chosen another launch abort system, known as the LAS, for the Orion spacecraft. The system has a single solid launch abort motor in a tower mounted at the top of the launch vehicle stack of the Orion and Ares I rocket. The LAS will be capable of automatically separating the spacecraft from the rocket at a moment's notice to make possible a safe landing. Orion, part of a new spacecraft system NASA's Constellation Program is developing, is undergoing design reviews in preparation for flying astronauts to the International Space Station in 2015 and, later, to the moon.

Data from today's MLAS pad abort test could help NASA in several ways.
MLAS is the first demonstration of a passively-stabilized launch abort system on a vehicle in this size and weight class. It is the first attempt to acquire full-scale aero-acoustic data -- the measurement of high loads on a vehicle moving through the atmosphere at high velocity -- from a faired capsule in flight. The test is also the first to demonstrate full scale fairing and crew module separation and collect associated aerodynamic and orientation data.
In addition, data from the parachute element will help validate simulation tools and techniques for Orion's parachute system development.

The NESC is an independently funded NASA program that draws on technical experts from across all NASA centers to provide objective engineering and safety assessments of critical, high risk projects.

The MLAS is named after Maxime (Max) Faget, a Mercury-era pioneer.
Faget was the designer of the Project Mercury capsule and holder of the patent for the "Aerial Capsule Emergency Separation Device,"
which is commonly known as the escape tower.

NESC partners in the MLAS effort include Northrop Grumman Corporation.


For images and video of the test firing, visit:



http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/missions/mlas.html


Offline Danny Dot

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Thanks for the video.  The mains looked a little small to support a human landing.  And the impact looked a little to fast for a person.  Does anyone know what the final sink rate was?

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Offline Skyrocket

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the rockets are under it,and not on the sides?

Yes. As they did not want to build the expensive manifold to connect the four Terrier motors, they mounted the four motors in the airframe below the capsule. Therefore the test vehicle was IMHO pretty far from the actual MLAS system.

Offline Skyrocket

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So its not that important..they dont check the real rockets...
so oly the upper capsule with the rockets will be in the final design..
we know when they will test the actual rockets?

Probably never. The MLAS is not baselined for the Orion flights.

The actual launch escape system to be used for Orion will be tested at White Sands probably later this year.

Offline block51

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Here are some pictures from the launch this morning
« Last Edit: 07/08/2009 02:23 pm by block51 »

Online Chris Bergin

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Offline Danny Dot

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the rockets are under it,and not on the sides?

This test had very little to do with an actual MLAS design.  Motors were different and stabilization system was different. 

Danny Deger
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Offline Thande

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If nothing else, it certainly looked pretty spectacular.

Has anyone done any studies on whether MLAS would save any weight vs the current conventional LAS baseline, or the reverse?

Online Chris Bergin

Reverse apparently. It's a heavy system....and there was a fair amount of chatter this was all about a Human Rated Ares V abort system, as the LAS tower made Ares V just too tall for the VAB, but with MLAS it just fitted under the door.


PS Nice pics block51!
« Last Edit: 07/08/2009 02:51 pm by Chris Bergin »
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Offline Skyrocket

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just a waste of money?
IMHO, yes.

why this sytem will save some weight (you know exactly how?)for a better Orion...
The main point is, that it would save height, because it does not need a tower on top of the capsule. Which might become interesting, when you launch Orion on an Ares-5.

Mlas can be guided?because of 4 rockets there a many possibilities...
No, the rockets are fixed.
« Last Edit: 07/08/2009 02:51 pm by Skyrocket »

Offline gladiator1332

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Pretty cool launch. At least everything worked out for them. The parachute sequence was pretty cool looking.

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