Author Topic: Northrop Grumman (formerly Orbital Sciences / Orbital ATK): Cygnus Update Thread  (Read 312145 times)

Offline antonioe

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You know, there should be options on your blackberry to adjust the white balance. There is on mine, and I've got an old one.

Welll.. actually a) it was an Android, not a BlackBerry (O.K., O.K., so I took RIM's name in vain... shows my bias... currently use an iPhone) and b) I did not take the pic, Neiland Haggard (head of Cygnus I&T) did.  And I'm thankful enought to Neiland for taking them and sending them to me so I won't nag him about being unbalanced ;)

my "plan" is to crowd-source the white balancing of Orbital cheesy pictures
« Last Edit: 02/15/2012 03:46 pm by antonioe »
ARS LONGA, VITA BREVIS...

Online AnalogMan

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Hold on there, here is a retouched version


Wait, wait!... can you do the same with this one, taken this morning?...


This is my go at retouching (while waiting for Ron)!
« Last Edit: 02/15/2012 09:52 pm by AnalogMan »

Offline robertross

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And I'm thankful enought to Neiland for taking them and sending them to me so I won't nag him about being unbalanced ;)

my "

And we thank both of you: we love pictures as things progress :)

Offline Ronsmytheiii

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Hold on there, here is a retouched version


Wait, wait!... can you do the same with this one, taken this morning?...


This is my go at retouching (while waiting for Ron)!

pretty close, but a bit overblown, hope this is better

Offline Space Pete

Progress Update on Orbital's Cygnus and ISS Cargo Resupply Activities

February 2012

Frank Culbertson, Orbital's Senior Vice President and head of our human space systems business, gave a presentation to the FAA's Commercial Space Transportation Conference in Washington, DC on February 16 with an update on our Cygnus and ISS Cargo Resupply Activities. His presentation, which contains some new photos and updates, is posted below.

http://www.orbital.com/Antares/files/Culbertson_FAA_Conference_2012.pdf
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Offline Space Pete

Some cool Cygnus images from the aforementioned presentation.
NASASpaceflight ISS Editor

Offline Robotbeat

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Some cool Cygnus images from the aforementioned presentation.
Looks like they have a lot of hardware pretty far along already, even the first "enhanced" Cygnus started! That's very good.
Chris  Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

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Offline Ronsmytheiii

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Some cool Cygnus images from the aforementioned presentation.
Looks like they have a lot of hardware pretty far along already, even the first "enhanced" Cygnus started! That's very good.

Well the "enhanced" or PCM+ is only a third band added on, so I assume it would not require any major changes for the Thales Alenia tooling. The long pole will probably be the bus modifications to support the Ultraflex arrays. Cygnus is designed to have most of its major systems in the bus to get it to act as a bus to support multiple different configurations (pressurized cargo, large unpressurized cargo ORU's, and cargo return versions)

Offline Robotbeat

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Some cool Cygnus images from the aforementioned presentation.
Looks like they have a lot of hardware pretty far along already, even the first "enhanced" Cygnus started! That's very good.

Well the "enhanced" or PCM+ is only a third band added on, so I assume it would not require any major changes for the Thales Alenia tooling. The long pole will probably be the bus modifications to support the Ultraflex arrays. Cygnus is designed to have most of its major systems in the bus to get it to act as a bus to support multiple different configurations (pressurized cargo, large unpressurized cargo ORU's, and cargo return versions)
I wasn't saying it's incredibly hard for them to make the extended version (compared to the original), just good that they have hardware starting to come together several future flights in advance.

Regarding the rest of your post... I'm really interested in how much control authority the Cygnus bus has... Could it act as an ARDV (well, berthing instead of docking) for Node 4, for instance?
Chris  Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Federal Government shall plan missions to accommodate the space transportation services capabilities of United States commercial providers. US law http://goo.gl/YZYNt0

Offline Space Pete

Updated 2012 COTS & CRS Schedules

February 2012

Today, Orbital updated its 2012 COTS and CRS operational schedules. Gone is our colorful Development and Flight Milestones chart, now that we're in the homestretch to our four major milestones for the year, which are as follows:

May - Antares First-Stage Static Fire Test at Wallops

June - Antares Test Flight for COTS

Third quarter - COTS Demonstration Mission*

Fourth quarter - CRS Mission #1*

*Orbital's operational dates are subject to coordination with NASA's ISS cargo delivery schedule
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Offline Chris Bergin

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Offline manboy

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Progress Update on Orbital's Cygnus and ISS Cargo Resupply Activities

February 2012

Frank Culbertson, Orbital's Senior Vice President and head of our human space systems business, gave a presentation to the FAA's Commercial Space Transportation Conference in Washington, DC on February 16 with an update on our Cygnus and ISS Cargo Resupply Activities. His presentation, which contains some new photos and updates, is posted below.

http://www.orbital.com/Antares/files/Culbertson_FAA_Conference_2012.pdf
Thanks for the link Pete  :)
"Cheese has been sent into space before. But the same cheese has never been sent into space twice." - StephenB

Offline raketen

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The PCM also appears to have been stretched by roughly 1/3 of its previous length.

Yes that would be the PCM+ configuration, with an extra band added to add more pressurized volume/cargo lift. This configuration depends on the introduction of the Castor XL upper stage for performance increase. The first flight of Castor 30 XL will be on Taurus II flight 5, or OSC CRS flight 3.

I have seen quotes of the Enhanced Cygnus mass of about 6.5 mt which includes 2.7 mt of payload.  I assume that Cygnus would do all the orbital maneuvers from the Antares insertion point of 200 km.

But if I look at the capabilities of Antares 130 to 200 km and ISS inclination (using Castor 30XL), its capability is about 5.5 mt (see attached plot from Orbital's Antares brochure).

What am I missing?


Offline edkyle99

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The PCM also appears to have been stretched by roughly 1/3 of its previous length.

Yes that would be the PCM+ configuration, with an extra band added to add more pressurized volume/cargo lift. This configuration depends on the introduction of the Castor XL upper stage for performance increase. The first flight of Castor 30 XL will be on Taurus II flight 5, or OSC CRS flight 3.

I have seen quotes of the Enhanced Cygnus mass of about 6.5 mt which includes 2.7 mt of payload.  I assume that Cygnus would do all the orbital maneuvers from the Antares insertion point of 200 km.

But if I look at the capabilities of Antares 130 to 200 km and ISS inclination (using Castor 30XL), its capability is about 5.5 mt (see attached plot from Orbital's Antares brochure).

What am I missing?

There were plans a year or more ago for an "Enhanced" Taurus 2 projected to lift 6.6 tonnes to LEOx51.6deg, but those plans appear to have been shelved, or at least placed on the back-burner for the time being.  It would not surprise me, though, if similar growth options aren't still under consideration.

 - Ed Kyle

Offline baldusi

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The May 2011 Briefing stated that Taurus IIe (now Antares something), would do 6tonnes to 52d x 200km.

Offline simonbp

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This video appears to show a Cygnus using an inflatable heat shield to recover the pressurized section. Any more info on that?

Offline mr. mark

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I'm really loving this video. This is where NASA research combined with the private sector  can result in breakthroughs in technology. Let's hope that future Cygnus modules can utilize this for return cargo.

Offline douglas100

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Inflatable heat shield technology was flight tested 12 years ago with only partial success. See: http://www.esa.int/esapub/bulletin/bullet103/marraffa103.pdf

It was also part of Spacehab's proposed ARCTUS vehicle. I imagine it could be applied to Cygnus, HTV or even ATV if there were a pressing need for it, but a lot of development work will still be needed.
Douglas Clark

Offline simonbp

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Inflatable heat shield technology was flight tested 12 years ago with only partial success. See: http://www.esa.int/esapub/bulletin/bullet103/marraffa103.pdf

The program in question (at NASA Langley) has successfully tested a suborbital shield much more recently (IRVE II in September 2009) and will test another vehicle (IRVE 3) later this year at much higher entry velocities. It's pretty low-key (and low-budget) for a NASA development program, but they seem to be making great incremental progress with it.

The specific vehicle that the video shows is a Cygnus PCM with an IRVE-style heatsheild deploying from the PCM/SM interface after separation. I'm not sure how that would work, but that's what the video shows. They also had what appeared to be a low-speed wind tunnel model of this configuration sitting on the table, so it's more than just a video.

The key would be for whomever actually looks at Cygnus manifests to keep an eye out for "IRVE-n" sometime after 2014, where n>4, as IRVE-4 is still suborbital and planned for 2014.

Offline Robotbeat

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It'd be great for Mars EDL... It'd allow a fully-fueled Mars Ascent Vehicle to be landed on the surface ready to go.

The IRVE doesn't look terribly reusable... Could it be reused?
Chris  Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Federal Government shall plan missions to accommodate the space transportation services capabilities of United States commercial providers. US law http://goo.gl/YZYNt0

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