Author Topic: Human Rating Q&A  (Read 2273 times)

Offline Basto

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Human Rating Q&A
« on: 09/28/2017 03:52 pm »
I hope this is worthy of its own thread... I know there are tidbits scattered in various threads.

You see the term “Human Rated” thrown around so much. But it’s not entirely clear to me what that actually entails.

Obvious thing would be a launch escape system. But what other things are required to make a rocket human rated? And why would one engine be human rated and another not?

Example SSME vs RS-68


Offline envy887

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Re: Human Rating Q&A
« Reply #1 on: 09/28/2017 04:12 pm »
A launch escape system is not a requirement for human rating, see STS.

Human rated systems are designed to different safety factors and with different design controls than non human rated systems. That's why RS-68 is not human rated while SSME was.

Edit: should say that a LES was not always a requirement for human rating, as STS was human rated. However, current NASA requirements include a LES, which is why all CC vehicle designs have them.
« Last Edit: 09/28/2017 05:04 pm by envy887 »

Offline A_M_Swallow

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Re: Human Rating Q&A
« Reply #2 on: 09/28/2017 04:43 pm »
Have the human rating standards for interplanetary transfer vehicles and landers been published?

Offline whitelancer64

Re: Human Rating Q&A
« Reply #3 on: 09/28/2017 04:50 pm »
NASA's human-rating requirements are specified in a document available here:

https://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?t=NPR&c=8705&s=2B

And attached for posterity:
"One bit of advice: it is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic tree -- make sure you understand the fundamental principles, ie the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to." - Elon Musk
"There are lies, damned lies, and launch schedules." - Larry J

Offline A_M_Swallow

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Re: Human Rating Q&A
« Reply #4 on: 09/28/2017 06:07 pm »
Thank you

Offline Basto

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Re: Human Rating Q&A
« Reply #5 on: 09/28/2017 07:08 pm »
NASA's human-rating requirements are specified in a document available here:

https://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?t=NPR&c=8705&s=2B

And attached for posterity:

Thanks! I look forward to reading through that all.

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