Author Topic: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates  (Read 201536 times)

Online FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #100 on: 06/08/2017 02:50 pm »
Quote
Orbital ATK‏ Verified account @OrbitalATK 2m2 minutes ago

T-minus one week! Next Thursday we will test fire the launch abort motor for @NASA_Orion Launch Abort System

https://twitter.com/OrbitalATK/status/872826448758931456

Edit to add video from tweet
« Last Edit: 06/08/2017 02:54 pm by FutureSpaceTourist »

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #101 on: 06/12/2017 11:15 pm »
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QM-1 Static Ground Test of the Launch Abort Motor for Orion Launch Abort System

This summer, NASA and Orbital ATK will conduct the QM-1 Static Ground Test of the Launch Abort Motor for NASA’s Orion spacecraft’s Launch Abort System, which will greatly enhance crew safety on missions to explore deep space.

          What: Vertical ground test firing of QM-1 launch abort motor

          When: June 15, 2017, 1:00 p.m. MDT

          Where: Orbital ATK facility in Promontory, Utah

A public viewing area is available along State Road 83 North approximately 20 miles west of Corinne, Utah (see map – follow directions to Promontory). Please note: We recommend you arrive at the viewing site an hour prior to the test.

Please Note: Drones are NOT allowed to fly over Orbital ATK property.

http://www.orbitalatk.com/rocket-test/
« Last Edit: 06/12/2017 11:16 pm by FutureSpaceTourist »

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #102 on: 06/15/2017 02:44 pm »
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TODAY, 1:45pm CT: @NASA & @OrbitalATK will test the Launch Abort Motor for @NASA_Orion! Watch live: http://facebook.com/nasaorion

https://twitter.com/nasa_sls/status/875344649623351296

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #103 on: 06/15/2017 05:36 pm »
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Final preparations for @NASA_Orion launch abort motor test fire are underway at our Promontory, Utah facility

https://twitter.com/orbitalatk/status/875402759230562304

Online Chris Bergin

Well NASA's desperate attempt to get its quote of Facebook likes means it's only on Facebook and the stream isn't working.
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Online FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #105 on: 06/15/2017 07:00 pm »
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T-minus 60 seconds - motor is committed

https://twitter.com/orbitalatk/status/875427438217404417

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #106 on: 06/15/2017 07:02 pm »
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Looks like the abort system engine test was successful.  #orbitalatk

https://twitter.com/spcplcyonline/status/875428081808420864

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #107 on: 06/15/2017 07:03 pm »
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Test fire is complete! @NASA_Orion

https://twitter.com/orbitalatk/status/875428216759918592
« Last Edit: 06/15/2017 07:04 pm by FutureSpaceTourist »

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #108 on: 06/15/2017 07:05 pm »
Hmm, don't get this on NASA TV:

Quote
Launch abort system motor fires, creating a plume of emojis.

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/875428347786006528

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #109 on: 06/15/2017 08:16 pm »
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3, 2, 1, Fire! First images from our remote cameras of today's launch abort motor test for @NASA_Orion

https://twitter.com/orbitalatk/status/875444728438718464

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #110 on: 06/15/2017 08:57 pm »

Offline jacqmans

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #111 on: 06/16/2017 06:34 am »
NASA and Industry Team Successfully Test Orion Launch Abort Motor

Orbital ATK-Developed Launch Abort Motor Test Qualifies Motor for Flight, Ensures Astronaut Safety

Dulles, Virginia 15 June 2017 – Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, along with NASA and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), successfully performed a ground firing test of the abort motor for NASA’s Orion spacecraft Launch Abort System (LAS) at Orbital ATK’s facility in Promontory, Utah. The launch abort motor is a major part of the LAS, which provides a tremendous enhancement in spaceflight safety for astronauts.

“We at Orbital ATK are very proud to work with NASA and Lockheed Martin on the Orion Launch Abort System, and to provide a motor that is so integral to astronaut safety,” said Charlie Precourt, Vice President and General Manager of Orbital ATK’s Propulsion Systems Division and former NASA astronaut. “The importance of our crews’ safety and well-being can’t be stressed enough.”

The mission for Orion’s LAS is to safely jettison the spacecraft and crew out of harm’s way in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during initial launch ascent. Today’s abort motor test, Qualification Motor-1 (QM-1), was the culmination of a series of component tests conducted over the past few years in preparation for qualification. The test will confirm the motor can activate within milliseconds and will perform as designed under high temperatures.

The abort motor, which stands over 17 feet tall and spans three feet in diameter, has a manifold with four exhaust nozzles. It was fixed into a vertical test stand with its nozzles pointing skyward. Upon ignition, the abort motor fired for five seconds with the exhaust plume flames reaching up to 100 feet in height. The high-impulse motor was specifically developed so the majority of its propellant would be expended in the first three seconds, burning three times faster than a typical motor of this size and delivering the thrust needed to pull the crew module safely away from its launch vehicle. The motor reached 400,000 pounds of thrust in one eighth of a second, as expected. This is enough thrust to lift 66 large SUVs off the ground.

This milestone brings Orion one step closer to its first flight atop NASA’s Space Launch System, Exploration Mission-1, and to eventually enabling humans to explore beyond the Moon, Mars and other destinations beyond low-Earth orbit. More analysis will be performed in the coming weeks, but all initial test results appear to be nominal.
 
Orbital ATK’s next major abort motor milestones include the QM-2 launch abort motor test firing scheduled for late next year in Utah, and the Ascent Abort-2 Flight Test (AA-2) scheduled to take place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, in 2019. Previous large-scale tests of the launch abort motor include a development motor test in 2008 and a test of the complete LAS in 2010.

Orbital ATK is responsible for the launch abort motor through a contract to Lockheed Martin – Orion’s prime contractor. The Orion LAS program is managed out of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia. Orbital ATK produces the abort motor at its Magna, Utah, facility and the attitude control motor at its Elkton, Maryland, facility. The company also manufactures the composite case for the abort motor at its facility in Clearfield, Utah.

http://www.orbitalatk.com/News-Room/release.asp?prid=262
Jacques :-)

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Feature article by Philip Sloss who was there at the event for NSF:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/06/qualifying-life-saver-las-two-tests-em-2/
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Offline darkenfast

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #113 on: 06/20/2017 03:34 am »
Great article, as always!  Does anyone know how much a complete LAS system (including fairing) will cost?
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Offline jacqmans

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #114 on: 06/21/2017 11:06 am »
Orbital ATK Completes Key Milestone In NASA's Orion Launch Abort System Qualification Effort

Test Data Reveals Added Security for Future Manned Missions

Elkton, Maryland 20 June 2017 -- Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, today announced that is has completed analysis of the critical components demonstrated in the Orion Launch Abort System Attitude Control Motor (ACM) test conducted at the company’s Elkton, Maryland, facility.  Results from the test indicate the motor’s HT-11 ‘High Thrust’ test was fully successful.

The ACM consists of a solid propellant gas generator and eight equally-spaced valves capable of providing 7,000 lbs. of thrust in any direction. The HT-11 test used a three-valve version of the ACM to verify the latest design improvements. Orbital ATK recently completed a physical review of all test hardware and an analysis of all test data to confirm that the improvements performed as expected. This key milestone clears the way for the ACM to enter into the qualification phase of the program. Three qualification units will undergo additional static testing in 2018 and 2019, also at Orbital ATK’s controllable propulsion center of excellence in Elkton.  Founded in 1948, the 550-acre facility employs more than 400 employees, principally engaged in engineering and manufacturing. It is recognized as an AIAA Historic Aerospace Site.

“For decades, Orbital ATK has been an important component of Maryland’s thriving aerospace industry and of America’s accomplishments in space,” said Maryland Commerce Secretary Mike Gill. “This collaboration between NASA, Lockheed Martin, and Orbital ATK not only illustrates the strength of aerospace in Maryland, but also advances space exploration far beyond our horizon.”

The launch abort system (LAS), which is being developed by Lockheed Martin for NASA’s Orion spacecraft, will protect the astronaut crew on the launch pad and during ascent. Orion is being built to take humans farther than they’ve ever gone before. NASA is building a flexible, reusable and sustainable capability and infrastructure beyond the moon that will last multiple decades and support missions of increasing complexity. Orbital ATK is providing key propulsion subsystems for the LAS, including an advanced ACM to safely control the LAS during the main abort phase and to reposition the capsule for descent and parachute release.

http://www.orbitalatk.com/News-Room/release.asp?prid=265
Jacques :-)

Offline jacqmans

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #115 on: 07/11/2017 09:21 am »
Orion Structural Test Article at Structural Test Lab
 

The Orion Crew Module Structural Test Article undergoes structural testing at Lockheed Martin in Denver, Colorado.

Photos: Lockheed Martin
Jacques :-)

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #116 on: 07/13/2017 09:39 pm »
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View from Platform 34 in the #VAB where Orion will top off the @NASA_SLS when they stack up for their first flight around the moon.

https://twitter.com/nasa_orion/status/885506758621487105

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #117 on: 08/07/2017 01:27 pm »
August 07, 2017
MEDIA ADVISORY M17-026

NASA Invites Media to See Astronauts’ Windows on the Universe

Media are invited to see the first completed structural piece of NASA’s Orion spacecraft that will send astronauts beyond the moon, at AMRO Fabricating Corp., in South El Monte, California, on Wednesday, Aug. 9 at 11 a.m. PDT.

The completed piece includes the frame for the windows through which crew will view the moon and Earth from their deep-space vantage point on Exploration Mission-2 in the early 2020s.

Leaders developing Orion and NASA Astronaut Lee Morin will be available for interviews.

U.S. media interested in participating must contact Laura Kinto at [email protected] by noon on Tues., Aug. 8. International media accreditation for this event is closed but phone interviews can be accommodated. AMRO is located at 1430 Adelia Ave. in South El Monte.

AMRO is manufacturing three of the seven sections that make up the Orion pressure vessel, the underlying structure of the crew module that will house astronauts during their deep space missions in the spacecraft. The completed window panel will be shipped in the coming weeks to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans in preparation for welding with other sections. AMRO also fabricates several sections of the core stage for NASA’s powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. More than 350 small businesses and companies across California have supported the Orion program since its inception, and more than 600 suppliers in the state support NASA’s deep space exploration programs.

Orion and SLS are two of the foundational elements of NASA’s new exploration systems that will send humans on a series of missions beyond the moon. Orion’s first crewed mission will take humans farther into space than ever before.

For more information about Orion, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/orion

For Astronaut Lee Morin’s biography, visit:

https://go.nasa.gov/2hoJWdl
Jacques :-)

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #118 on: 08/22/2017 11:47 am »
News Release Issued: Aug 22, 2017 (6:00am EDT)

Lockheed Martin Powers-up Next Orion Spacecraft for First Time

Brain and Heart Brought to Life on NASA's Deep Space Exploration Ship

DENVER, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Engineers at Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and NASA breathed life into the next Orion crew module when they powered up the spacecraft for the first time at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Designed for human spaceflight, this Orion will be the first to fly more than 40,000 miles beyond the Moon during its nearly three-week Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), a feat that hasn't been possible before.

"Orion was designed from the beginning to take humanity farther into space than we've ever gone, and to do this, its systems have to be very robust and reliable," said Mike Hawes, vice president and Orion program manager at Lockheed Martin. "Over the last year, we've built great momentum in assembling the crew module for EM-1. Everyone on the team understands how crucial this test campaign is, and more importantly, what this spacecraft and mission means to our country and future human space flight."

The initial power-on event was the first time the vehicle management computers and the power and data units were installed on the crew module, loaded with flight software and tested. Evaluating these core systems, thought of as the "brain and heart" of the Orion capsule, is the first step in testing all of the crew module subsystems.

Although astronauts will not fly in this capsule on this flight, a large majority of the subsystems and avionics are the same design that astronauts will rely on during following missions with Orion into the solar system. Launching on NASA's Space Launch System—the most powerful rocket in the world—the EM-1 flight is critical to confirming the Orion spacecraft and all of its interdependent systems operate as designed in the unforgiving environment of deep space. 

With the successful initial power on behind them, engineers and technicians will now continue integrating the 55 components that make up the spacecraft avionics suite, connecting them with nearly 400 harnesses. Over the course of the next two to three months, as each system is installed, they will perform thorough functional tests to ensure Orion is ready to move to the all-important environmental testing phase.

NASA's Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle is the world's first human-rated spacecraft designed for long-duration, deep space exploration. Orion will transport humans to interplanetary destinations beyond low Earth orbit, including the Moon and eventually Mars. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor to NASA for Orion, and is responsible for the design, build, testing, launch processing and mission operations of the spacecraft. Orion is managed out of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Jacques :-)

Offline woods170

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Re: EM-1/Artemis 1 Orion Construction and Processing Updates
« Reply #119 on: 08/24/2017 11:27 am »
Update on schedule threats, related to Orion, from the most recent ASAP meeting minutes (publically available):

Quote from: ASAP
The second critical path flows through the European Service Module (ESM). Delivery is well behind the original schedule. The total Program is out of schedule margin and thus any slip in a critical path item results in a slip in the final integrated schedule. Unlike the core stage, where much of the work is under NASA’s control, the ESM is being delivered by Airbus and is out of NASA’s direct control of program execution. It is governed by a series of fixed-price contracts in Europe, over which even Airbus has little schedule control.

The third critical path item is Orion software, which is progressing from flight-software build to integrated-software testing. There is only one integrated test lab for the avionics software, hence it is a natural bottleneck to schedule flow. The Program works this on a continuous basis, but every piece of software must go through the Software Integration Lab (SIL), and it will remain a bottleneck in terms of any schedule acceleration.

Note: the first critical path item relates to the core stage of SLS being behind schedule. But that's for a different thread.
« Last Edit: 08/24/2017 11:28 am by woods170 »

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