Author Topic: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)  (Read 700291 times)

Offline Steven Pietrobon

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #800 on: 03/11/2017 02:31 am »
Found this interesting paper from 2015 on the RSRMV boosters while surfing the web. Goes into a bit of detail on some of the changes that have been made.
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Offline AnalogMan

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #801 on: 03/11/2017 12:31 pm »
Here's the presentation that goes with that paper.

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #802 on: 03/23/2017 12:26 pm »
Quote
Dan Burbank‏Verified account @AstroCoastie 8h8 hours ago

A view from the VAB roof of the giant Mobile Launcher for the @NASA_SLS rocket that will carry @NASA_Orion to space.

https://twitter.com/AstroCoastie/status/844782137341501440

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #803 on: 03/23/2017 12:53 pm »
Quote
Stephen C. Smith‏ @SpaceKSCBlog 20h20 hours ago

On the road again ... The upgraded crawler out for a test drive at @NASAKennedy .

https://twitter.com/SpaceKSCBlog/status/844603975190110213

Edit: here's one more

Quote
NASA Kennedy / KSC ‏Verified account @NASAKennedy 4m4 minutes ago

Crawler on the move! Crawler Transporter-2 has recently been upgraded with new equipment for transporting the new #SLS rocket. @NASA_SLS

https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy/status/844930224416546818
« Last Edit: 03/23/2017 02:19 pm by FutureSpaceTourist »

Online Chris Bergin

Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #804 on: 04/03/2017 01:09 pm »
Article about Starliner EES, but includes a SLS 39B EES update....the massive crane:

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/04/slc-41-completes-ees-starliner-missions/
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Offline AlexA

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #805 on: 04/04/2017 11:45 am »
Article about Starliner EES, but includes a SLS 39B EES update....the massive crane:

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/04/slc-41-completes-ees-starliner-missions/

I'm unsure what the crane does exactly in this EES concept?

Online jacqmans

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #806 on: 04/12/2017 02:42 pm »
April 11, 2017
MEDIA ADVISORY M17-026

NASA Performing First Major SLS Structural Tests, Media Invited

EDITOR’S NOTE:
This event is being postponed. We will notify media when the event is rescheduled.

________________________________________

Media are invited to see one of the rigorous tests for the Space Launch System rocket and go inside the control room facility during operations at 1 p.m. CDT Thursday, April 13, at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

SLS will be the most powerful rocket in the world, built for human missions to deep space with the Orion spacecraft. The test series is underway on qualification articles that make up the upper portion of the SLS rocket.

For testing, the hardware is equipped with simulators and stacked as it will be for launch. Rather than liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen used for launch, liquid nitrogen is used for the test to pressurize the stage’s fuel tanks. Liquid nitrogen is the safest cryogenic for testing, with no smoke and fire. Large hydraulic systems inside the test stand push, pull and twist the integrated stack of hardware to simulate the extreme loads, or pressures, it will encounter during flight.

 The pieces are designed almost exact to flight hardware specifications:
•   Core stage simulator -- a duplicate of the top of the SLS core stage, designed and built at Marshall.
•   Launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) -- connects the SLS core stage and the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). The LVSA was designed and built by prime contractor Teledyne Brown Engineering of Huntsville.
The ICPS, designed and built by The Boeing Co. in Huntsville and United Launch Alliance of Decatur, is a liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen-based system that will push Orion beyond the moon before it returns to Earth.
•   Frangible joint assembly -- part of the separation system on the SLS. The flight version will have small explosive devices installed that will separate the ICPS from the rest of the rocket in space. Only the structural part of the frangible joint assembly is included for this test series. It was designed and built by Boeing and United Launch Alliance.

•   Orion stage adapter – connects the Orion to the ICPS and was designed and built at Marshall.
•   Orion spacecraft simulator – a replica of the bottom portion of the exploration vehicle that will carry the crew to space, designed and built at Marshall.

NASA and contractor officials will be available for interviews. News media interested in attending should contact Tracy McMahan in Marshall's Office of Communications at 256-544-0034 no later than 10 a.m. Thursday, April 13. Media must report to the Redstone Arsenal Joint Visitor Control Center at Gate 9, Interstate 565 interchange at Research Park Boulevard by 12 p.m., April 13. Vehicles are subject to a security search at the gate. News media will need photo identification and proof of car insurance.

For more information on the SLS structural loads testing, visit:
http://go.nasa.gov/2dS8yXB
« Last Edit: 04/12/2017 02:43 pm by jacqmans »
Jacques :-)

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #807 on: 04/24/2017 09:25 pm »
Quote
All 16 booster separation motors for 1st flight of @NASA_SLS have been received @NASA_Kennedy to be installed on aft skirt or fwd assembly!

https://twitter.com/orbitalatk/status/856617824034447360

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #808 on: 04/25/2017 04:59 pm »
Quote
We're almost finished casting boosters for @NASA_SLS first flight! Get an inside look at the process in this timelapse of yesterday’s cast

https://twitter.com/orbitalatk/status/856883395355443201

Short (6s) time lapse video attached.

Offline psloss

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #809 on: 04/27/2017 01:12 am »
Images and video of stacking of the engine section STA over the last month or so are now available:

Flickr album of stills of moving from 110 to 103 (final assembly):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasamarshallphotos/sets/72157680995844111/with/34241842936/

Time-lapse of stacking in Cell A of Building 110 (left) and welding the LOX tank STA in the VAC (right):
https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-MAF_20170420_SF02_V_Cell%20A%20&%20VAC%20TL%20Video_ES%20STA%20&%20LOX%20Assembly%201080P.html

Video of moving out of 110 over to final assembly in 103 to wait shipping:
https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-MAF_20170419_SF02_V_Engine%20Section%20STA%20Moves%20to%20BLDG%20103_No-badge%20Edit.html
« Last Edit: 04/27/2017 01:17 am by psloss »

Online Chris Bergin

Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #810 on: 04/28/2017 11:15 am »
And here's Philip's article:

Pegasus trip to Marshall for SLS engine section STA:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/04/pegasus-trip-marshall-sls-engine-section-sta/
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Offline Jaskentner

Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #811 on: 04/28/2017 05:30 pm »
Looks like Miss Becky and Sacred Heart are the tugs that are taking Pegasus upriver. They cleared the Industrial Canal Lock around 11:30 local (16:30 UTC).

If you want to follow her progress:
http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:887675/mmsi:367430810/imo:8987307/vessel:MISS_BECKY

Offline AnalogMan

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #812 on: 05/11/2017 10:30 pm »
Final Brick Installed in Launch Complex 39B Flame Trench for NASA’s Space Launch System
May 11, 2017 - Linda Herridge

Intense heat and fire will fill the north side of the flame trench beneath the pad when NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft lift off from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A project to upgrade the walls of the flame trench to withstand these conditions recently was completed.

All of the new heat-resistant bricks now are in place in the flame trench below the surface of the pad. Construction workers installed the final brick May 9, completing about a year’s worth of work on the walls on the north side of the flame trench to support the launch of the (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft on deep-space missions, including the Journey to Mars.

About 96,000 heat-resistant bricks, in three different sizes, now are secured to the walls using bonding mortar in combination with adhesive anchors. The flame trench will be able to withstand temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit at launch of the rocket’s engines and solid rocket boosters.

“The flame trench has withstood so many historical launches, and we are giving it new life to withstand many more,” said Regina Spellman, the launch pad senior project manager with the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program.

The north side of the flame trench is about 571 feet long, 58 feet wide and 42 feet high.

A new flame deflector soon will be installed that will safely contain and deflect the plume exhaust from the massive rocket to the north during launch. Two side flame deflectors, repurposed from space shuttle launches, will be refurbished and reinstalled at pad level on either side of the flame trench to help reduce damage to the pad and SLS rocket.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/groundsystems/2017/05/11/final-brick-installed-in-launch-complex-39b-flame-trench-for-nasas-space-launch-system/

Photo Caption: A construction worker installs the final brick on the north side of the flame trench May 9, 2017 at Launch Complex 39B. Photo credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

Offline AncientU

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #813 on: 05/17/2017 03:29 pm »
More news:
Quote
NASA OIG: Construction of Test Stands 4693 and 4697 at Marshall Space Flight Center
Quote
...NASA spent approximately $76 million to build the two test stands.

We initiated this review to assess NASA's acquisition approach for the test stands; the cost, schedule, and performance of the construction project; the justification for placing the stands at Marshall; and plans for future use of the stands. We reviewed Federal and NASA policies, regulations, and plans; interviewed officials from NASA and Army Corps of Engineers; and reviewed contract documentation and various Agency studies concerning planning and construction of the test stands.

WHAT WE FOUND

In an attempt to meet a 2017 launch date for the SLS, NASA expedited construction of the test stands and paid the contractor a premium of approximately $7.6 million to complete construction on a compressed timetable. Moreover, because the stand designs were based on preliminary testing specifications, the requirements and testing capabilities that would be needed were not fully understood when the construction contract was awarded. As the testing requirements matured, NASA modified the contract to meet changing requirements, added additional features, and made other modifications that raised the contract price by $20.3 million. In addition, NASA did not establish adequate funding reserves to cover these changes and therefore had to secure $35.5 million in additional funding over the planned budget. Finally, because NASA did not adequately consider alternative locations before selecting Marshall as the site for the test stands, it cannot ensure it made the most cost-effective decision regarding where to build the stands.

http://spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=50131
« Last Edit: 05/17/2017 03:30 pm by AncientU »
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Online Chris Bergin

Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #814 on: 06/07/2017 10:12 pm »


Dynetics selected to build NASA’s Universal Stage Adapter for the Space Launch System Rocket

 

 

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. June 7, 2017 - Dynetics, Inc. in Huntsville, Ala., has been awarded the prime contract by NASA’s Glenn Research Center to manage the design, analysis, manufacturing, testing and assembly of the Universal Stage Adapter (USA) for the Space Launch System (SLS). The estimated value is $221 million, if all options are exercised.

 

The SLS is a powerful, advanced heavy-lift launch vehicle and is designed to be flexible and evolvable for deep-space destinations.   SLS will have three different launch capabilities, called blocks. USA and the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) will sit atop the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters for the Block 1B and future configurations. Block 1B is scheduled for launch in the 2020’s.

 

The USA will integrate the EUS to the Orion crew module while providing structural, electrical and communication paths. The USA will also provide environmental control to payloads during integrated ground operations, launch, and ascent phases. The USA will also integrate co-manifested and secondary payloads.

 

“We are extremely proud to be selected as the prime contractor for the NASA Space Launch System’s Universal Stage Adapter. This contract will build on Dynetics’ expertise in the space industry which includes developing the low-cost, full-scale advanced booster cryogenic liquid oxygen demonstration tank and manufacturing, designing and testing propulsion components and systems for the SLS core and upper stages,” said Robert Wright, Dynetics program manager. “Our teammates – RUAG Space USA, ZIN Technologies, Dynamic Concepts, Inc., Craig Technologies, Tuskegee University and Paragon Tec – will bring vast levels of experience and knowledge together as we design and develop flight hardware that will be used to take humans and science missions further into deep space.” 

 

The USA will be designed, built and tested in Huntsville and at the new Dynetics Aerospace Structures Complex and the RUAG Space USA facility both in Decatur, Ala. The Dynetics Decatur facility will break ground in the summer of 2017 and the USA assembly facility will be completed in 2019.

 

After the USA is assembled and tested, it will be delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The USA will travel by barge from Decatur down the Tennessee River and the Tombigbee Waterway to the Gulf of Mexico and then around south Florida and up to the Kennedy Space Center.

 

The contract expands Dynetics’ role at NASA’s Glenn Research Center and Marshall Space Flight Center and moves the company into more flight hardware development, production and test. Dynetics holds a prime contract for SLS Advanced Booster Engineering Demonstration and Risk Reduction. Dynetics is also the subcontractor for manufacturing and transportation for the SLS core stage pathfinder vehicle.

 

The work is expected to begin in June 2017.
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Offline AnalogMan

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #815 on: 06/15/2017 07:11 pm »
Appeared on NTRS today:

Space Launch System (SLS) Mission Planner's Guide
ESD 30000 Ver 1 Initial Baseline - release date  April 12, 2017 - 106 pages

Abstract
The purpose of this Space Launch System (SLS) Mission Planner's Guide (MPG) is to provide future payload developers/users with sufficient insight to support preliminary SLS mission planning. Consequently, this SLS MPG is not intended to be a payload requirements document; rather, it organizes and details SLS interfaces/accommodations in a manner similar to that of current Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) user guides to support early feasibility assessment. Like ELV Programs, once approved to fly on SLS, specific payload requirements will be defined in unique documentation.

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20170005323

[Copy of guide attached]

Offline catdlr

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #816 on: 06/24/2017 11:34 pm »
Orbital ATK's Booster Fabrication Facility prepares for new era in exploration


Published on Jun 24, 2017

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- NASA and Orbital ATK are preparing the new super heavy-lift Space Launch System for its first flight, currently slated to take place in 2019 from Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. To find out about the five segment boosters being developed to help send the powerful new rocket and the astronauts who will fly on it, on their first missions. Orbital ATK's Larry Clark, provided SFI with an exclusive look at the Booster Fabrication Facility that will be used to ready these boosters for flight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOx3KmMvKUE?t=001

« Last Edit: 07/26/2017 12:24 pm by Chris Bergin »
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Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #817 on: 07/06/2017 01:38 pm »
Quote
Orbital ATK‏Verified account @OrbitalATK 46s47 seconds ago

Booster casting for the first @NASA_SLS mission is complete! Here, the final segment is transferred from casting pits at our Utah facility

https://twitter.com/OrbitalATK/status/882956166304854017

Offline Lar

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #818 on: 07/07/2017 05:49 pm »
Update thread
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"We're a little bit like the dog who caught the bus" - Musk after CRS-8 S1 successfully landed on ASDS OCISLY

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