Author Topic: NASA Invites Media to Orion Egress Testing with Astronauts in Gulf of Mexico  (Read 13688 times)

Offline Jim

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It wasn't widely advertised, but the test of Orion being recovered in a big Navy landing ship's internal dock was pretty much a failure. The command module had a much more violent response to ocean swells than the LCUs and LCACs normally docked in these ships. It was very difficult to keep it straight on its cradle as the dock was pumped out. Simple hoisting worked much better for Apollo and Dragon and will probably be adopted for Orion too.

Note that this test was done in a flat calm, not normal open-sea conditions.
Yes. NASA had to try something new again despite having a 5 decades old procedure in hand that worked, and still works, perfectly. What a waste of money.


They tried doing it with a smaller ship than a carrier.  They were actually trying to save money.

Offline Ike17055

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Obviously the ocean treats the spacecraft different after a deep-space mission than it does after a measly LEO mission.  Enough so that NASA will blow millions of taxpayer's money to hire a Navy amphibious combat ship and four or five hundred crew and helo squadron professionals to go recover it.


Since we aren't doing an amphibious assault in the next couple days, it really doesn't matter.

...Hmmmm. Are you SURE of that??

Offline woods170

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It wasn't widely advertised, but the test of Orion being recovered in a big Navy landing ship's internal dock was pretty much a failure. The command module had a much more violent response to ocean swells than the LCUs and LCACs normally docked in these ships. It was very difficult to keep it straight on its cradle as the dock was pumped out. Simple hoisting worked much better for Apollo and Dragon and will probably be adopted for Orion too.

Note that this test was done in a flat calm, not normal open-sea conditions.
Yes. NASA had to try something new again despite having a 5 decades old procedure in hand that worked, and still works, perfectly. What a waste of money.


They tried doing it with a smaller ship than a carrier.  They were actually trying to save money.
I was referring to hoisting the CM from the water, in stead of floating it onto a cradle. You don't need a carrier for that, nor an amphibious assault ship. And I will point out that NASA is not prevented from using non-government assets for recovery of the crew and the CM.

Offline Khadgars

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It wasn't widely advertised, but the test of Orion being recovered in a big Navy landing ship's internal dock was pretty much a failure. The command module had a much more violent response to ocean swells than the LCUs and LCACs normally docked in these ships. It was very difficult to keep it straight on its cradle as the dock was pumped out. Simple hoisting worked much better for Apollo and Dragon and will probably be adopted for Orion too.

Note that this test was done in a flat calm, not normal open-sea conditions.
Yes. NASA had to try something new again despite having a 5 decades old procedure in hand that worked, and still works, perfectly. What a waste of money.


They tried doing it with a smaller ship than a carrier.  They were actually trying to save money.
I was referring to hoisting the CM from the water, in stead of floating it onto a cradle. You don't need a carrier for that, nor an amphibious assault ship. And I will point out that NASA is not prevented from using non-government assets for recovery of the crew and the CM.

I still don't understand why you keep questioning this, this is testing.  They are testing to see what works and what doesn't.  Nothing wrong with what NASA is doing.
Evil triumphs when good men do nothing - Thomas Jefferson

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