Orion Hardware Processing

[Jim]

Delta IV was using it in the 1990's

[sandrot]

Delta IV was using it in the 1990's

Not a very informed or accurate article then.

[renclod]

Friction stir weldings performed on Orion GTA are of a "self reacting" type - how common is that process ?

[ classic FSW = rotating shoulder on the tool side, pushing against an anvil on the back side.
self reacting FSW = rotating shoulders on both sides, pinching; no anvil]

[jacqmans]

Orion Spacecraft Takes Shape

Date 15-Jun-2010 12:06 PM

Lockheed Martin Completes Final Friction Stir Weld on Orion Spacecraft

NEW ORLEANS, June 15, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --The Orion crew exploration vehicle took shape as the two halves of the crew module were fused together at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, La. The Lockheed Martin Orion team welded the forward cone assembly to the aft barrel assembly using the next generation friction stir weld process. The 445-inch long weld is the longest such weld of its kind and will ensure optimal structural integrity for the harsh environments of space flight.

The completion of the crew module welds marked another key milestone for the Orion crew exploration vehicle, completing the structural framework of the spacecraft. All welds have met stringent quality requirements without any rework required. Prior to flight testing, this crew module will be tested on the ground in flight-like environments, including static vibration, acoustic, and water landing tests. Results will be used to correlate sizing models for all subsystems on the vehicle.

Orion weld operations take place on a Universal Weld System II (UWS II) that includes a 22-foot diameter turntable, a self-reacting friction stir weld head and a modular t-grid floor. The system affords virtually unlimited five-axis welding on fixture-mounted hardware. The UWS II is part of the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing, managed by the University of New Orleans Foundation in partnership with NASA and the State of Louisiana.

The friction stir welding process advances the state-of-the-art for circumferential welds, yielding higher strength and higher quality welds at a lower cost. The latest state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies, efficient processes and new materials, such as the ultra-light weight Aluminum-Lithium alloy, are all being employed on Orion to produce the lightest possible vehicle for space flight.

"The combination of material and manufacturing advancements in technology are key reasons why the spacecraft is more lightweight and damage resistant than many industry experts thought possible," said Larry Price, Lockheed Martin Orion deputy program manager. "The balance of manufacturing methods and varied materials such as composites and advanced alloys that have been applied to Orion resulted in vehicle optimizations across the board - lowest cost, lightest weight, and improved structural integrity, which is critical to crew safety."

Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor to NASA for the Orion crew exploration vehicle - the nation's next generation spacecraft for future exploration throughout our solar system. The Orion spacecraft is comprised of a crew module for crew and cargo transport; a service module for propulsion, electrical power and fluids storage; a spacecraft adapter for securing it to the launch vehicle, and a launch abort system that will significantly improve crew safety.

The Lockheed Martin Orion Project office is based in Houston, Texas, near NASA's Johnson Space Center and leads the industry team that includes major subcontractors as well as a network of minor subcontractors and small businesses working at 88 facilities in 28 states. In addition, the program contracts with more than 500 small businesses across the United States through its expansive supply chain network.

[sandrot]

Friction stir weldings performed on Orion GTA are of a "self reacting" type - how common is that process ?

[ classic FSW = rotating shoulder on the tool side, pushing against an anvil on the back side.
self reacting FSW = rotating shoulders on both sides, pinching; no anvil]

I don't know how common, but I found this on YouTube.

[renclod]

I don't know how common, but I found this on YouTube.

That youtube channel user (materialzgirl)... maybe she worked for CxP / Orion !
No kidding ... her fav video is this :



What a small world !

[renclod]

Advanced Welding Applications

[jacqmans]

Title: Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle Passes Key NASA Milestone

Date(s): 6-Jul-2010 2:25 PM


Phase 1 Safety Review Meets Critical Human Space Flight Requirements

DENVER, July 6, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Orion crew exploration vehicle has successfully completed the Phase 1 Safety Review of NASA's Human Rating Requirements for space exploration in low Earth orbit and beyond. The NASA/Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) Orion team earned the approval from NASA's Constellation Safety & Engineering Review Panel (CSERP) upon completion of the review, an essential requirement for the Orion program to move forward to the Critical Design Review and Phase 2 Safety Review.

The safety review process is a rigorous and exhaustive look at the design and operational concepts to assure that all requirements have been adequately met. System safety requirements address potentially catastrophic failures that could result in loss of crew or loss of mission during launch, ascent to orbit, approach and docking to the International Space Station, re-entry, landing, and recovery operations. Thoroughly reviewing spacecraft designs and operations for possible causes of such catastrophic failures, and designing appropriate mitigations for them, is a critical part of NASA's human rating program.

"Completing this significant safety review puts Orion well down the road in satisfying the requirements to minimize the nation's gap in human space flight," said Paul Benfield, Lockheed Martin Integrated Reliability & Safety Manager for the Orion Program. "NASA's current human rating standards include stringent requirements and thorough procedures developed from the best practices of NASA's past 50 years of human spaceflight."

Benfield noted that human rating a vehicle for beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) is particularly challenging given the greater autonomy of such a mission, the extended mission durations, and increased time to return to Earth. This Phase 1 Safety milestone covers the requirements for Orion missions in LEO as well as sortie missions to the moon. The design enables a six-month on-orbit duration which is vital to assure return capability of the space station crew, as well as support autonomous lunar orbit operations. This long duration design far exceeds the one- to two-week capabilities offered by other potential providers.

"Human rating a spacecraft is not a feature you can just simply add on once the vehicle is designed," explained Benfield. "It is a process that requires endurance and attention to detail to ensure that safety is driven into every aspect of the vehicle design and operations from the beginning. Optimal safety and reliability is strategically and systematically incorporated into the vehicle from day one, concurrent with critical trade decisions considering vehicle mass and cost."

Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor to NASA for the Orion crew exploration vehicle - the nation's next generation spacecraft for future exploration throughout our solar system. The Orion spacecraft is comprised of a crew module for crew and cargo transport; a service module for propulsion, electrical power and fluids storage; a spacecraft adapter for securing it to the launch vehicle, and a launch abort system that will significantly improve crew safety.

The Orion crew exploration vehicle is at the peak of its development phase, which has spurred several new technologies and innovations in composites, structures, avionics and thermal protection systems. The spacecraft is on schedule to complete the Critical Design Review in 2011 which will put Orion on the path for flight to low Earth orbit as early as 2013, provided appropriate funding is approved in the near future.

The Lockheed Martin Orion Project office leads the industry team that includes major subcontractors as well as a network of minor subcontractors and small businesses working at 88 facilities in 28 states. In addition, the program contracts with more than 500 small businesses across the United States through its expansive supply chain network.

[MP99]

The spacecraft is on schedule ... for flight to low Earth orbit as early as 2013, provided appropriate funding is approved in the near future.

I see they're still offering that Orion could have it's first flight (a test flight?) in 2013.

cheers, Martin

[JosephB]

I was curious what kind of material was used for BEO radiation shielding and found this interesting article. Probably old hat to some folks but still good reading.

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12045&page=62

[Space Pete]

[Photos] NASA: "Orion Spacecraft Takes Shape".
www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/multimedia/orion_takes_shape.html

NASA: "NASA Tests Launch Abort System At Supersonic Speeds".
www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2010/10-59AR.html

[Space Pete]

Aerojet's Successful Main Engine Injector Tests Provide Milestone for NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle - Testing confirms combustion stability and provides initial performance data.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 5, 2010 – Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, under contract to Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), has successfully completed more than 20 injector tests for the 7500-pound thrust Orion main engine (OME) for NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle. The tests are a combination of checkout, development, and qualification that will anchor models and satisfy combustion stability qualification requirements. The OME is a pressure-fed, regeneratively cooled, storable bi-propellant engine that is a technically advanced, increased performance version of Aerojet’s flight-proven 6000-pound thrust space shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System Engine (OMS-E).

"Successful completion of this test series represents a major milestone in the OME development program and clears the way for further testing with the regeneratively cooled flight design chamber in 2011," said Sam Wiley, Aerojet's Orion technical director.

The injector has performed exceptionally well to date, verifying the engine's combustion stability and additionally providing chamber wall heat flux and injector performance data to anchor mathematical models. All testing is being performed in heavy-weight combustion chambers specifically designed for these tasks. This early demonstration of the engine's combustion stability at expected Orion operating conditions is being conducted to retire risk to the Orion vehicle.

The OME injector combines the reliability and combustion stability of the OMS-E injector with current Aerojet best practices in design and manufacturing to reduce process variability affecting injector performance and cost for the Orion program. The OME injector is a diffusion-bonded platelet device with the same injector element type, face pattern layout, and element quantity as the OMS-E, but with improvements in the injector body design and platelets to provide more uniform flow to the injector elements.

The current Aerojet platelet manufacturing capability results in significantly less dimensional variability than was possible for the OMS-E, enabling improved uniformity of propellants injected into the combustion chamber. The improvements in injection uniformity are also expected to result in improved nominal and minimum vacuum specific impulse for the OME.

The OME will provide thrust for events requiring large velocity changes such as Earth orbital insertion, translunar/trans Earth injection, Earth de-orbit, and emergency thrust for high-altitude abort scenarios. Orion's engine complement also includes 16 25-pound thrust engines and eight 100-pound-thrust bipropellant engines for the Orion service module. Additionally, Aerojet supplies 12 160-pound-thrust monopropellant thrusters for the Orion crew module. Aerojet is providing all of the engines for the Orion spacecraft which is comprised of a crew module for crew and cargo transport, and a service module for propulsion, electrical power and fluids storage. Risk reduction testing of critical subsystems has been ongoing throughout Orion's development phase to maximize mission success and crew safety.

Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor to NASA for the Orion spacecraft, which is being developed as the nation's next generation spacecraft for future human exploration throughout our solar system. Aerojet is part of the nationwide Orion industry team led by Lockheed Martin, which includes five major subcontractors and an expansive network of minor subcontractors and small businesses working at 88 facilities in 28 states across the country.

Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets. GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems with a real estate segment that includes activities related to the entitlement, sale, and leasing of the company's excess real estate assets. Additional information about Aerojet and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies' Web sites at www.Aerojet.com and www.GenCorp.com.

Accompanying image at: www.aerojet.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=240

[MarsMethanogen]

Aerojet's Successful Main Engine Injector Tests Provide Milestone for NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle - Testing confirms combustion stability and provides initial performance data.

The OME will provide thrust for events requiring large velocity changes such as Earth orbital insertion, translunar/trans Earth injection,

Interesting news release.  I noticed the above phrase relating to the OME's potential use in high altitude abort scenarios.  Help me understand how this engine would be used in concert with the LAS in such a scenario.

[Jim]

Interesting news release.  I noticed the above phrase relating to the OME's potential use in high altitude abort scenarios.  Help me understand how this engine would be used in concert with the LAS in such a scenario.

It is used when there is no LAS

[MarsMethanogen]

Interesting news release.  I noticed the above phrase relating to the OME's potential use in high altitude abort scenarios.  Help me understand how this engine would be used in concert with the LAS in such a scenario.

It is used when there is no LAS

Which would be in an unmanned mission scenario?

[Jim]

Interesting news release.  I noticed the above phrase relating to the OME's potential use in high altitude abort scenarios.  Help me understand how this engine would be used in concert with the LAS in such a scenario.

It is used when there is no LAS

Which would be in an unmanned mission scenario?

No, after it is jettison

[renclod]

http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/Orion/documents/ORION_WEEKLY_08062010.pdf
http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/Orion/documents/ORION_WEEKLY_07302010.pdf
http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/Orion/documents/ORION_WEEKLY_07092010.pdf
http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/Orion/documents/ORION_WEEKLY_06252010.pdf
http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/Orion/documents/ORION_WEEKLY_06182010.pdf
http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/Orion/documents/ORION_WEEKLY_06112010.pdf
http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/Orion/documents/ORION_WEEKLY_06042010.pdf

[marsavian]

Orion Starts Testing Phase

http://www.onorbit.com/node/2435

[Ronsmytheiii]

Looks like they are building a mock white room for the Orion mockup at KSC:

[beancounter]

I'm afraid I'm really confused as to exactly what Orion is and what it's going to be used for.

I originally thought it was a BEO vehicle; then that got changed to an LEO vehicle; then an LEO return only vehicle; and now it seems to have morphed back into a BEO vehicle.  Seems like the capabilities of a BEO vehicle would far exceed that required for an LEO vehicle which just adds to my confusion.  How can you keep changing back and forth?  What does that do to the design requirements?

Can anyone give me a clear idea of where the vehicle is at with respect to it's intended use and current funding levels.  Guess I mean 'at this point in time'.  Tomorrow could be different.