Author Topic: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)  (Read 700271 times)

Offline shuttlefan

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #620 on: 11/13/2015 02:11 am »
Just a short story relating to the VAB. Thought it was interesting enough to write up (VAB - its continued revamp, local company doing good, etc.) :

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/11/vab-fire-suppression-system-upgrade/

Great article about current VAB work Chris!

Offline Khadgars

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #621 on: 11/15/2015 09:38 pm »
Excellent article on EM-1.  Really enjoyed reading the progress  ;)

Doesn't look like their is any show stoppers now for EM-1.
Evil triumphs when good men do nothing - Thomas Jefferson

Offline redliox

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #622 on: 11/16/2015 10:18 am »
Excellent article on EM-1.  Really enjoyed reading the progress  ;)

Doesn't look like their is any show stoppers now for EM-1.

As am I.  The only thing that discourages, if anything, is just worrying how NASA will obtain the funds and permissions to proceed to Block 1B so quickly to do EM-2.  Although it'll be easier with the commonality with the core and boosters, I've been told it'd require another review process since the upper stage is significantly different.

What I'm keen to hear about is news on EUS specifically, THEN I'd be assured on human flight.
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Online Steven Pietrobon

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #623 on: 11/17/2015 07:38 am »
According to a presentation given at the recent Von Braun symposium at Huntsville EM-2 is still base lined to use Block I.
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline redliox

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #624 on: 11/17/2015 08:18 am »
According to a presentation given at the recent Von Braun symposium at Huntsville EM-2 is still base lined to use Block I.

Well that's both depressing and illogical.  The interim upper stage isn't human rated; NASA both can't and wouldn't use it for a human flight.  Their default plan would be to wait until the EUS was ready and delay the crewed flights.  Maybe they could use a few cargo flights during the wait, especially for flight-proving EUS, but the current administration would prefer not to...probably in part to avoid the fee for flight rating it when it's only going to be once...or in this case hypothetically twice.
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Offline woods170

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #625 on: 11/17/2015 08:47 am »
According to a presentation given at the recent Von Braun symposium at Huntsville EM-2 is still base lined to use Block I.

Well that's both depressing and illogical.  The interim upper stage isn't human rated; NASA both can't and wouldn't use it for a human flight.  Their default plan would be to wait until the EUS was ready and delay the crewed flights.  Maybe they could use a few cargo flights during the wait, especially for flight-proving EUS, but the current administration would prefer not to...probably in part to avoid the fee for flight rating it when it's only going to be once...or in this case hypothetically twice.

NASA is unlikely to shout out to the world that they will be flying EM-2 on EUS when in fact EUS has not been authorized to go into full development. Until that changes, the default baseline remains in place. Meaning: EM-2 scheduled to fly on SLS Block 1.
I have no doubt that EUS will eventually be authorized to go into full development. But at some point in time NASA will have to make a decision: fly EM-2 per the schedule, possibly on Block 1, or delay EM-2 until EUS is ready to fly on a manned mission. Heck, NASA might even do something else: like flying EM-2 unmanned and deferring first manned flight to some later mission. That would at least save the cost of man-rating iCPS. Other (different) scenarios are possible as well.

Offline llanitedave

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #626 on: 11/17/2015 04:11 pm »
Maybe they can squeeze a Europa mission in there to keep the blistering schedule pace.
"I've just abducted an alien -- now what?"

Offline TrueBlueWitt

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #627 on: 11/17/2015 05:43 pm »
So.. If I have this right.. Baseline  they have core stretch.. 4-SSME and 5-seg..  and still not exceeding numbers that you would have gotten for shuttle length tank with 3 SSME and shuttle 4-seg SSRMS?   And throw in with a conformal tank version of EUS to the above and would that out perform 1B?

And they spent how much to do this?

Offline Khadgars

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #628 on: 11/17/2015 07:37 pm »
According to a presentation given at the recent Von Braun symposium at Huntsville EM-2 is still base lined to use Block I.

Well that's both depressing and illogical.  The interim upper stage isn't human rated; NASA both can't and wouldn't use it for a human flight.  Their default plan would be to wait until the EUS was ready and delay the crewed flights.  Maybe they could use a few cargo flights during the wait, especially for flight-proving EUS, but the current administration would prefer not to...probably in part to avoid the fee for flight rating it when it's only going to be once...or in this case hypothetically twice.

NASA is unlikely to shout out to the world that they will be flying EM-2 on EUS when in fact EUS has not been authorized to go into full development. Until that changes, the default baseline remains in place. Meaning: EM-2 scheduled to fly on SLS Block 1.
I have no doubt that EUS will eventually be authorized to go into full development. But at some point in time NASA will have to make a decision: fly EM-2 per the schedule, possibly on Block 1, or delay EM-2 until EUS is ready to fly on a manned mission. Heck, NASA might even do something else: like flying EM-2 unmanned and deferring first manned flight to some later mission. That would at least save the cost of man-rating iCPS. Other (different) scenarios are possible as well.

Yup, completely agree here.  They won't baseline EUS until it's authorized.  Hopefully in the next two years NASA will get authorization.

Evil triumphs when good men do nothing - Thomas Jefferson

Offline edkyle99

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #629 on: 11/18/2015 03:00 am »
So.. If I have this right.. Baseline  they have core stretch.. 4-SSME and 5-seg..  and still not exceeding numbers that you would have gotten for shuttle length tank with 3 SSME and shuttle 4-seg SSRMS?   And throw in with a conformal tank version of EUS to the above and would that out perform 1B?
SLS Block 1 will easily out-lift a 3 x SSME 4-seg SRB concept.       

 - Ed Kyle

Offline AnalogMan

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #630 on: 11/21/2015 04:21 pm »
Simulating SLS Booster Separation
November 19, 2015 Michelle Moyer - NASA Advanced Supercomputing Facility, Ames Research Center

NASA's new heavy-lift launch vehicle, the Space Launch System (SLS), will carry three times the payload of the space shuttle, requiring innovative rocket design. The SLS configuration consists of a center core stage with four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters (SRBs), which separate from the core as fuel is exhausted soon after liftoff.

To help SLS design engineers understand how aerodynamic forces will affect the path of the SRBs away from the core stage during separation, researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center and the University of California, Davis, are running high-fidelity simulations of thousands of possible separation scenarios.

In this visualization, a shock wave (colored by pressure) is clearly shown at the front of the vehicle; farther back, booster separation-motor plumes are colored by Mach number. The simulation was run on the Pleiades supercomputer at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing facility at Ames Research Center.  The visualization was part of a NASA showcase of nearly 40 of the agency’s exciting computational achievements at SC15, the international supercomputing conference, Nov. 15-20, 2015 in Austin. For more information about NASA's research presented at the conference, visit: http://www.nas.nasa.gov/SC15/.

Image Credit: Stuart Rogers, NASA/Ames; Ryan Rocha, University of California, Davis

Offline AnalogMan

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #631 on: 11/23/2015 09:55 pm »
NASA Awards Contract to Restart Development of Engines to Power Agency’s Journey to Mars
Release C15-049 - November 23, 2015 - Sarah Ramsey

NASA selected Aerojet Rocketdyne of Sacramento, California, to restart production of the RS-25 engine for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket in the world, and deliver a certified engine. SLS will use four RS-25 engines to carry the agency’s Orion spacecraft and launch explorers on deep space missions, including to an asteroid placed in lunar orbit and ultimately to Mars.

Part of NASA’s strategy to minimize costs of developing the SLS rocket was to leverage the assets, capabilities, and experience of the Space Shuttle Program, so the first four missions will be flown using 16 existing shuttle engines that have been upgraded.

Under the $1.16 billion contract, Aerojet Rocketdyne will modernize the space shuttle heritage engine to make it more affordable and expendable for SLS. The contract runs November 2015 and continues through Sept. 30, 2024.

The new RS-25 engine developed under this contract will have fewer parts and welds and will be certified to a higher operational thrust level. The new engine benefits from improvements in materials and manufacturing techniques such as five-axis milling machines, 3-D manufacturing and digital X-rays.

The contract restarts the firm’s production capability including furnishing the necessary management, labor, facilities, tools, equipment and materials required for this effort, implementing modern fabrication processes and affordability improvements, and producing hardware required for development and certification testing.

The contract also allows for a potential future modification that would enable NASA to order six flight engines.

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the SLS Program for the agency. Engine testing will be performed at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and the SLS will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

For information about NASA's Space Launch System and the RS-25 engine, visit:  http://www.nasa.gov/sls

http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-awards-contract-to-restart-development-of-engines-to-power-agency-s-journey-to

Offline robertross

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #632 on: 11/24/2015 01:34 am »
NASA Awards Contract to Restart Development of Engines to Power Agency’s Journey to Mars
Release C15-049 - November 23, 2015 - Sarah Ramsey

NASA selected Aerojet Rocketdyne of Sacramento, California, to restart production of the RS-25 engine for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket in the world, and deliver a certified engine. SLS will use four RS-25 engines to carry the agency’s Orion spacecraft and launch explorers on deep space missions, including to an asteroid placed in lunar orbit and ultimately to Mars.

Part of NASA’s strategy to minimize costs of developing the SLS rocket was to leverage the assets, capabilities, and experience of the Space Shuttle Program, so the first four missions will be flown using 16 existing shuttle engines that have been upgraded.

Under the $1.16 billion contract, Aerojet Rocketdyne will modernize the space shuttle heritage engine to make it more affordable and expendable for SLS. The contract runs November 2015 and continues through Sept. 30, 2024.

The new RS-25 engine developed under this contract will have fewer parts and welds and will be certified to a higher operational thrust level. The new engine benefits from improvements in materials and manufacturing techniques such as five-axis milling machines, 3-D manufacturing and digital X-rays.

The contract restarts the firm’s production capability including furnishing the necessary management, labor, facilities, tools, equipment and materials required for this effort, implementing modern fabrication processes and affordability improvements, and producing hardware required for development and certification testing.

The contract also allows for a potential future modification that would enable NASA to order six flight engines.

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the SLS Program for the agency. Engine testing will be performed at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and the SLS will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

For information about NASA's Space Launch System and the RS-25 engine, visit:  http://www.nasa.gov/sls

http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-awards-contract-to-restart-development-of-engines-to-power-agency-s-journey-to

FINALLY (it was released)

Offline Chris Bergin

Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #633 on: 11/30/2015 06:08 pm »
Article on the test stands via photos from L2 over time:
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/11/new-sls-test-stands-rise-marshall/
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Offline catdlr

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #634 on: 11/30/2015 10:02 pm »
Work Platform H Arrives at Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Published on Nov 30, 2015
The second half of the H level work platforms for the Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 3 arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The H platforms are the third of 10 levels of platforms that will support processing of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the journey to Mars.

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Offline tea monster

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #635 on: 12/01/2015 01:55 pm »
So.. If I have this right.. Baseline  they have core stretch.. 4-SSME and 5-seg..  and still not exceeding numbers that you would have gotten for shuttle length tank with 3 SSME and shuttle 4-seg SSRMS?   And throw in with a conformal tank version of EUS to the above and would that out perform 1B?
SLS Block 1 will easily out-lift a 3 x SSME 4-seg SRB concept.       

 - Ed Kyle

Yeah, but is the extra lift per launch worth the cost of the entire Constellation and SLS programs?

Even when you figure in the cost of the development of the side-saddle cargo pod (including the inevitable cost over-runs, etc), it's breathtaking how much money was wasted for not that much added lift.

The whole sorry saga is just beyond words - especially if you figure out what could have been accomplished with the money thrown at this thing. When people say "There isn't enough money to go to Mars", I just want to scream at them.

What could have been accomplished by now, if we'd gone ahead with a 'vanilla' Shuttle C concept and put the money into transfer and landing craft?

Offline Star One

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #636 on: 12/01/2015 03:11 pm »

So.. If I have this right.. Baseline  they have core stretch.. 4-SSME and 5-seg..  and still not exceeding numbers that you would have gotten for shuttle length tank with 3 SSME and shuttle 4-seg SSRMS?   And throw in with a conformal tank version of EUS to the above and would that out perform 1B?
SLS Block 1 will easily out-lift a 3 x SSME 4-seg SRB concept.       

 - Ed Kyle

Yeah, but is the extra lift per launch worth the cost of the entire Constellation and SLS programs?

Even when you figure in the cost of the development of the side-saddle cargo pod (including the inevitable cost over-runs, etc), it's breathtaking how much money was wasted for not that much added lift.

The whole sorry saga is just beyond words - especially if you figure out what could have been accomplished with the money thrown at this thing. When people say "There isn't enough money to go to Mars", I just want to scream at them.

What could have been accomplished by now, if we'd gone ahead with a 'vanilla' Shuttle C concept and put the money into transfer and landing craft?

But that was never going to happen so no point lamenting such might bes.

Offline catdlr

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #637 on: 12/01/2015 09:00 pm »
Work Continues on Test Version of SLS Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter

Published on Dec 1, 2015
Progress continues on a structural test article of the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) for NASA’s Space Launch System. The LVSA will connect two major sections of the SLS -- the core stage and the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Along with eight vertical welds, the forward and aft rings also have been completed for the LVSA structural test article. The LVSA structural test article will be stacked with other prototypes of the upper part of the rocket and tested in early 2016 at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to verify the integrity of the hardware and ensure it can withstand the loads it may experience during flight. Teledyne Brown Engineering of Huntsville is the prime contractor on the LVSA work. When completed, SLS will be the most powerful rocket ever built for deep-space missions, including to an asteroid and ultimately to Mars.



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Offline catdlr

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #638 on: 12/09/2015 10:52 pm »
Preparing America for Deep Space Exploration Episode 11: Committed to Exploration

Published on Dec 9, 2015
Engineers around the country are making progress developing NASA’s Space Launch System, Orion spacecraft and the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center in Florida needed to send astronauts on missions to deep space destinations. Between July and September, progress continued as pieces of Orion’s crew module and the SLS core stage tanks were welded together at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, modifications were made to the mobile launcher at Kennedy, astronauts tested techniques for exiting Orion after a mission, and an RS-25 engine was tested at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.


Tony De La Rosa, ...I'm no Feline Dealer!! I move mountains.  but I'm better known for "I think it's highly sexual." Japanese to English Translation.

Offline psloss

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #639 on: 12/16/2015 10:04 pm »
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/gsdo-critical-design-review-marks-progress-for-nasas-journey-to-mars

Excerpt:
Quote
NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program (GSDO) has successfully completed its critical design review, on the path to preparing for the agency's journey to Mars.

Members of the review board completed their in-depth assessment of the plans for the facilities and ground support systems at Kennedy Space Center in Florida that will be needed to process NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for deep-space exploration missions. A Standing Review Board composed of aerospace experts from NASA and industry also will provide an independent assessment. Results of the review process will be briefed to senior agency officials in the coming months as the last step in the process.

"The completion of this review represents a critical milestone for the GSDO team that clearly demonstrates we are on track with the launch site upgrades required to support SLS and Orion test, checkout and launch in 2018," said Mike Bolger, GSDO program manager.

 

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