Author Topic: Preparing the Mobile Launcher to be armed and ready for SLS  (Read 72682 times)

Offline Chris Bergin

I'm giving this a standalone as Philip's interviewed a bunch of GSDO managers for this and it really is a great update to a lot of articles we've run on the LETF and ML.

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/07/mobile-launcher-armed-ready-sls/ - by Philip Sloss


Previous LETF:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=LETF

Previous ML:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/tag/ML/


And if you have L2, you'll love this. Engineering kid in a candy store:
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=33528.0
« Last Edit: 09/05/2018 11:19 am by eeergo »
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Offline Gary NASA

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This is great. The site's coverage of the LETF fills me with pride.

Offline Harold KSC

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Everyone here got told about it. :)

To: KSC-DL-GSDO-All
Subject: GSDO Feature Article

Team,
 
Below is a link to the recent release of an article covering the GSDO program from nasaspaceflight.com. Enjoy!
 
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/07/mobile-launcher-armed-ready-sls/
 
-GSDO Comm Team

Offline jacqmans

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The Orion crew access arm
« Last Edit: 10/23/2017 09:21 am by jacqmans »
Jacques :-)

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I put this post in the wrong thread yesterday.  It should be here instead.

Inside KSC! for Oct. 20, 2017

NASAKennedy
Published on Oct 20, 2017

The Kennedy Space Center recently took further steps in NASA's efforts to send humans beyond low-Earth orbit as the core stage inter-tank umbilical, or CSITU, was lifted to the mobile launcher for a fit check. The mobile launcher's crew access arm also was transported from Precision Fabricating and Cleaning in Cocoa, Florida, to the center.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UZa1RvOVFU?t=001

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More pics of crew access arm awaiting installation

Quote
Crew Access Arm for Orion. Soon to be attached to the ML for SLS

https://twitter.com/NASA_Nerd/status/925345303183659008

Offline AncientU

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More pics of crew access arm awaiting installation

Quote
Crew Access Arm for Orion. Soon to be attached to the ML for SLS

https://twitter.com/NASA_Nerd/status/925345303183659008

Since the ML isn't going to be used to fly crew until after the 3-year modification, why add the Crew access arm.  Just going to take back off without use.
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Offline russianhalo117

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More pics of crew access arm awaiting installation

Quote
Crew Access Arm for Orion. Soon to be attached to the ML for SLS

https://twitter.com/NASA_Nerd/status/925345303183659008

Since the ML isn't going to be used to fly crew until after the 3-year modification, why add the Crew access arm.  Just going to take back off without use.
AFAIA, the CAA will be used for EM-1 for personnel access including Launch Day.
« Last Edit: 11/02/2017 10:36 pm by russianhalo117 »

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Inside KSC! for Nov. 17, 2017


NASAKennedy
Published on Nov 17, 2017

The crew access arm that will serve as the astronauts' bridge to the Orion spacecraft recently was moved to the mobile launcher tower, progress toward launching NASA astronauts from American soil.



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Offline oldAtlas_Eguy

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Chris, I think it may be time for an update to this article or new article considering current ML-1 status.

Offline Chris Bergin

Chris, I think it may be time for an update to this article or new article considering current ML-1 status.

OK then.....

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/02/sls-ml-leaning-not-corrective-work/
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Re: Preparing the Mobile Launcher to be armed and ready for SLS
« Reply #11 on: 02/19/2018 08:33 pm »
Thanks for the update....I think. I'm really not sure whether to laugh or cry. This is for a single, one, uno launch.
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Offline jensfridthjof

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Re: Preparing the Mobile Launcher to be armed and ready for SLS
« Reply #12 on: 02/19/2018 09:10 pm »
As far as I understand, it is the result of a decision to skip manrating the intermediate upper stage, used on the first launch.  It certainly saves money if it shows up not to be needed at all.  But I agree - it is kind of funny to see this big mobile launcher being built and used for only one flight. 

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Re: Preparing the Mobile Launcher to be armed and ready for SLS
« Reply #13 on: 02/20/2018 03:11 am »
Clarification from the article re: further SLS use of this ML.  It doesn't HAVE to be a one-off:
Quote
Late last year NASA managers spoke of their desire to have two MLs, avoiding a multi-year delay between EM-1 and EM-2 due to the vast amount of modifications required to redesign the ML to cater for the larger SLS Block 1B, along with the potential to continue to fly Block 1 SLS missions off the current ML.
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Offline AncientU

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Re: Preparing the Mobile Launcher to be armed and ready for SLS
« Reply #14 on: 02/20/2018 11:09 am »
Clarification from the article re: further SLS use of this ML.  It doesn't HAVE to be a one-off:
Quote
Late last year NASA managers spoke of their desire to have two MLs, avoiding a multi-year delay between EM-1 and EM-2 due to the vast amount of modifications required to redesign the ML to cater for the larger SLS Block 1B, along with the potential to continue to fly Block 1 SLS missions off the current ML.

Conundrum is they have to get funded for a second mobile launcher, design it and build it in under five years, while finishing ML-1.  Price tag of $300M seems a gross underestimate in light of the cost of existing ML-1 modification and timeline.  Real cost more likely several times that... $1-1.5B maybe?

Is there an increase for this in the 2019 budget?  Haven't heard it mentioned.
« Last Edit: 02/20/2018 11:39 am by AncientU »
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Offline AncientU

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Re: Preparing the Mobile Launcher to be armed and ready for SLS
« Reply #15 on: 02/20/2018 01:35 pm »
New numbers coming from Eric Berger:
Quote
Dug a bit deeper into the numbers underlying the mobile launcher tower. Brutal. Story coming soon.
https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/965947612464582656

Also:
Quote
Another relevant data point. NASA (at the insistence of Congress) spends nearly $500 million annually on ground system development at Kennedy. That is the entirety of what SpaceX spent to develop and fly the Falcon Heavy rocket.
https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/965699610638475265
« Last Edit: 02/20/2018 01:37 pm by AncientU »
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Offline AncientU

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Re: Preparing the Mobile Launcher to be armed and ready for SLS
« Reply #16 on: 02/20/2018 01:48 pm »
And the article:
Quote
NASA spends $1 billion for a launch tower that leans, may only be used once
Quote
Instead of costing just $54 million, the US Government Accountability Office found that NASA spent $281.8 million revamping the mobile launcher from fiscal years 2012 to 2015, but still the work was not done. The recently released White House budget for fiscal year 2019 reveals that NASA anticipates spending an additional $396.2 million on the mobile launcher from 2015 through the maiden launch of the SLS, probably in 2020.

Therefore, from the tower's inception in 2009, NASA will have spent $912 million on the mobile launcher it may use for just a single launch of the SLS rocket. Moreover, the agency will have required eight years to modify a launch tower it built in two years.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/02/nasa-spends-1-billion-for-a-launch-tower-that-leans-may-only-be-used-once/
"If we shared everything [we are working on] people would think we are insane!"
-- SpaceX friend of mlindner

And the article:
Quote
NASA spends $1 billion for a launch tower that leans, may only be used once
Quote
Instead of costing just $54 million, the US Government Accountability Office found that NASA spent $281.8 million revamping the mobile launcher from fiscal years 2012 to 2015, but still the work was not done. The recently released White House budget for fiscal year 2019 reveals that NASA anticipates spending an additional $396.2 million on the mobile launcher from 2015 through the maiden launch of the SLS, probably in 2020.

Therefore, from the tower's inception in 2009, NASA will have spent $912 million on the mobile launcher it may use for just a single launch of the SLS rocket. Moreover, the agency will have required eight years to modify a launch tower it built in two years.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/02/nasa-spends-1-billion-for-a-launch-tower-that-leans-may-only-be-used-once/
How is this even possible... Where did all the money go?
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Offline AncientU

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Re: Preparing the Mobile Launcher to be armed and ready for SLS
« Reply #18 on: 02/20/2018 02:13 pm »
Mobile launcher money discussed above is a small fraction (~20%) of $500M annually for ground development -- $2.5B approx. between 2012-2017 -- so real question is where did all that go?
« Last Edit: 02/20/2018 02:20 pm by AncientU »
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Offline envy887

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Re: Preparing the Mobile Launcher to be armed and ready for SLS
« Reply #19 on: 02/20/2018 03:17 pm »
Mobile launcher money discussed above is a small fraction (~20%) of $500M annually for ground development -- $2.5B approx. between 2012-2017 -- so real question is where did all that go?

VAB updates, 39B updates, maintenance ... and??? NASA has a lot of people to keep occupied at KSC.

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