Quote from: MikeAtkinson on 06/12/2016 06:02 amGiving up a large and still expanding LEO presence for the occasional BEO mission is not a good trade in my opinion.NASA won't be giving anything up, as there is no international support past 2024 to keep ISS going making your point moot.
Giving up a large and still expanding LEO presence for the occasional BEO mission is not a good trade in my opinion.
Quote from: Khadgars on 06/13/2016 06:46 pmQuote from: MikeAtkinson on 06/12/2016 06:02 amGiving up a large and still expanding LEO presence for the occasional BEO mission is not a good trade in my opinion.NASA won't be giving anything up, as there is no international support past 2024 to keep ISS going making your point moot.NASA has repeatedly said it wants LEO research capability beyond 2024.
Thanks AnalogMan. For anyone: will they be able to use this adapter between the EUS and 5 meter payloads (ostensibly Orion+SM) when that variant flies?
We got to see one of the center segments for EM-1 already made at the NASA Social today. Don't know if it's for left or right hand booster. Again this is SLS flight hardware, the 1st segment that came through the final assembly building.
Quote from: Bubbinski on 06/27/2016 05:52 pmWe got to see one of the center segments for EM-1 already made at the NASA Social today. Don't know if it's for left or right hand booster. Again this is SLS flight hardware, the 1st segment that came through the final assembly building.Nice -- was this picture via Orbital ATK? They told us no pictures on our tour, but we could request photo subjects that would then get a safety check for things like ITAR. The only other detail I heard when we went through Final Assembly was that it was a forward-center segment.
We were allowed to take pics in the final assembly building. We all got excited when we heard that and took some pics. We weren't allowed to take pics anywhere else on our tour. That pic was mine, I only wish I'd thought to bring my Coolpix in instead of my iPad camera which I used.
In brief, he takes a highly negative view of the SLS/Orion program because of its high costs, legacy architecture, long R&D timeline, low launch cadence, and mission objectives. Listening to the interview was well worth my time. He praises the work being done by SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Bigelow Aerospace.
So I have been wondering for awhile now about the RS-25 testing.I mean what are they testing? Shouldn't the RS-25 be very well understood with all that test and flight history from shuttle? As best as I can surmise from the #Journeytomars PR press releases there is an upgraded controller and it will use 109% thrust and not 104.5% thrust as under shuttle.Is that it?
The July 29 test and four future scheduled firings in the current series are focused on the new engine controller and higher operating parameters. While RS-25 engines are among the most tested – and proven – in the world, they have been modernized for SLS. The developmental tests are designed to show they will meet the new parameters of the rocket. During the firings, the test team will put the engine through a variety of adaptations, starting it at different temperatures and pressures, for instance. The team also will watch closely to ensure the new engine controller functions as needed. In addition to the existing RS-25 engines, NASA has contracted with Aerojet Rocketdyne to build additional engines for use on SLS missions. All flight testing for SLS take place at Stennis, as will the actual core stage testing for the first integrated mission of SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft, Exploration Mission-1. The next scheduled RS-25 developmental test at Stennis is set for Aug. 18.
Quote from: WindyCity on 07/23/2016 12:52 amIn brief, he takes a highly negative view of the SLS/Orion program because of its high costs, legacy architecture, long R&D timeline, low launch cadence, and mission objectives. Listening to the interview was well worth my time. He praises the work being done by SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Bigelow Aerospace.He makes his arguments in the first 5 minutes, the rest is not particularly interesting. IMO he puts to much emphasis on "commercial is so much more awesome" instead of the fact that SLS/Orion has nowhere to fly to.I was recently thinking about how to make SLS into an effective LEO launcher, since SEP will eat away the benefit of SLS's high BEO capacity. The problem is that in such a case even less SLS launches will be needed (EMC can already be done with 2 SLS per year without using SEP for LEO to LDRO).If Orbital/ATK gets its all-solid rocket maybe the monster can be slayed?Sorry if OT.