Author Topic: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)  (Read 700205 times)

Offline newpylong

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #160 on: 08/23/2013 01:23 pm »
Gonna cross post this in Orion too.



Exploration Systems Division Quarterly Report #3: 2013

Offline Mark S

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #161 on: 08/23/2013 01:51 pm »
Gonna cross post this in Orion too.

link

Exploration Systems Division Quarterly Report #3: 2013

Thanks, that is a pretty exciting report. It really underscores the massive amount of work that is going on everywhere in NASA in preparation for SLS. New machinery at MAF, lots going on at KSC, contractors producing actual flight hardware, MPCV coming together, and much more.

Wow.

Offline Lobo

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #162 on: 08/23/2013 06:36 pm »
Gonna cross post this in Orion too.

link

Exploration Systems Division Quarterly Report #3: 2013

Thanks, that is a pretty exciting report. It really underscores the massive amount of work that is going on everywhere in NASA in preparation for SLS. New machinery at MAF, lots going on at KSC, contractors producing actual flight hardware, MPCV coming together, and much more.

Wow.


Agreed, thanks.

For those who keep saying SLS and Orion should be cancelled still, I'm thinking that train may have left the station already for you guys.  A fair amount of real work looks as though it's being done and permanent hardware being put in place to set up full scale production. 

It's really not much different from Direct, just 10 years late and a lot of interim money spent that didn't need to be.  ;-)
« Last Edit: 08/23/2013 06:37 pm by Lobo »

Offline Robotbeat

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #163 on: 08/23/2013 07:05 pm »
Gonna cross post this in Orion too.

link

Exploration Systems Division Quarterly Report #3: 2013

Thanks, that is a pretty exciting report. It really underscores the massive amount of work that is going on everywhere in NASA in preparation for SLS. New machinery at MAF, lots going on at KSC, contractors producing actual flight hardware, MPCV coming together, and much more.

Wow.


Agreed, thanks.

For those who keep saying SLS and Orion should be cancelled still, I'm thinking that train may have left the station already for you guys.  A fair amount of real work looks as though it's being done and permanent hardware being put in place to set up full scale production. 

It's really not much different from Direct, just 10 years late and a lot of interim money spent that didn't need to be.  ;-)
The cost of maintaining a multi-billion-dollar redundant infrastructure while not having enough money for payloads will not go away just by wishing or by inertia, as much as we all would like it to. There's still no need for NASA to have their own launch vehicle.


EDIT: But both your post and mine are off-topic as this is an UPDATE thread, not a discussion (cheerleading or criticism) thread.
« Last Edit: 08/23/2013 07:07 pm by Robotbeat »
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 Lobo

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #164 on: 08/23/2013 07:46 pm »

The cost of maintaining a multi-billion-dollar redundant infrastructure while not having enough money for payloads will not go away just by wishing or by inertia, as much as we all would like it to.

A multi-billion-dollar infrastructure in place or mostly in place won't go away just by wishing it either.  Even if it doesn't do a whole lot.  As we saw with STS even after it had become very clear it would never return the low cost space access it was hoped it would.  Lots of other ideas floating around to suppliment or replace it for many years...but it's infrastructure was already in place, and there was just never enough will to replace it.  At least until the Columbia accident.


There's still no need for NASA to have their own launch vehicle.


I fully agree.  Or their own capsule really.  But as I said, I think that train has already left the station.  They have it now...or will soon have it.


EDIT: But both your post and mine are off-topic as this is an UPDATE thread, not a discussion (cheerleading or criticism) thread.

Noted.

Offline newpylong

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #165 on: 08/26/2013 06:51 pm »

Offline Starlab90

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #166 on: 09/07/2013 12:15 am »

Offline Starlab90

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #167 on: 09/07/2013 12:39 am »
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/j2x/j2x-last-gimbal-test.html

I also came across this link. It covers both J2X and RS-25 testing.

Offline plutogno

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Offline newpylong

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #169 on: 09/10/2013 01:22 pm »
Great find Plutogno. Interesting to see a pathfinder article for the fairing. Damn that's big.
« Last Edit: 09/10/2013 01:26 pm by newpylong »

Offline newpylong

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #170 on: 09/11/2013 05:58 pm »
NASA's building momentum on the path to deep space in the Orion, Space Launch System and Ground Systems Development and Operations programs.


Offline newpylong

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Offline Steven Pietrobon

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #172 on: 09/16/2013 06:41 am »
Thanks newpylong. One thing I learned from that are that the RS-25 engines are at 109% for SLS Block 1.
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline MP99

Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #173 on: 09/16/2013 03:59 pm »
Thanks newpylong. One thing I learned from that are that the RS-25 engines are at 109% for SLS Block 1.

Yeah - that's new news, I think.

Cheers, Martin

Offline newpylong

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #174 on: 09/16/2013 04:04 pm »
You're welcome.  These are always good reads.

When they moved the engines from Kennedy to Stennis early last year they mentioned it briefly that they would be up-rated to over 500,000 lb thrust and along with the new J-2X based controller were the big reasons they needed re-qualification. I don't think many noticed it though.
« Last Edit: 09/16/2013 04:05 pm by newpylong »

Offline russianhalo117

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #175 on: 09/17/2013 06:09 pm »
You're welcome.  These are always good reads.

When they moved the engines from Kennedy to Stennis early last year they mentioned it briefly that they would be up-rated to over 500,000 lb thrust and along with the new J-2X based controller were the big reasons they needed re-qualification. I don't think many noticed it though.
I am quoting Chris Bergins article:
Quote
... RS-25, given that engine is much more powerful, with the ability to produce approximately 530,000 pounds of thrust.

Article Link: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/09/stennis-throttle-up-sls-engine-testing/

Offline Marsin2010

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #176 on: 09/17/2013 09:28 pm »
It is my understanding that the J-2X derived controller would be adapted for new build RS-25E's only and not retrofitted onto fully functional RS-25D's.  That does not seem a very economic concept.

You're welcome.  These are always good reads.

When they moved the engines from Kennedy to Stennis early last year they mentioned it briefly that they would be up-rated to over 500,000 lb thrust and along with the new J-2X based controller were the big reasons they needed re-qualification. I don't think many noticed it though.

Offline Steven Pietrobon

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #177 on: 09/19/2013 08:09 am »
I am quoting Chris Bergins article:
Quote
... RS-25, given that engine is much more powerful, with the ability to produce approximately 530,000 pounds of thrust.
Article Link: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/09/stennis-throttle-up-sls-engine-testing/

Yes, but 530 klbf (2357 kN) is 112.8% of rated thrust. That's a lot higher than what SLS will be flying with at 109% (2279 kN or 512 klbf). For people doing SLS simulations (like myself), the latter number is important to know.
« Last Edit: 09/19/2013 08:10 am by Steven Pietrobon »
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline Steven Pietrobon

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #178 on: 09/19/2013 08:16 am »
It is my understanding that the J-2X derived controller would be adapted for new build RS-25E's only and not retrofitted onto fully functional RS-25D's.  That does not seem a very economic concept.

No, the J-2X controller will be adapted for the RS-25D's. See this article

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/rs25_engine.html
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline AnalogMan

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Re: SLS Development Stage UPDATE Thread (2)
« Reply #179 on: 09/21/2013 12:42 am »
Wind Tunnel Testing Used to Ensure SLS Will 'Breeze' Through Liftoff
Sept 20, 2013

Environmental factors, like wind gusts, can factor into an aircraft's performance. NASA's new heavy-lift launch vehicle, the Space Launch System (SLS), is no exception when it comes to Mother Nature.

NASA engineers and contractors recently completed liftoff transition testing of a 67.5-inch model of the SLS in a 14-by-22-foot subsonic wind tunnel at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. Data acquired from the test will help prepare SLS for its first mission in 2017, Exploration Mission-1, which will deliver an unmanned Orion spacecraft to a stable lunar orbit to check out the vehicle's fully integrated systems.

Wind tunnel tests are a tried-and-true method to understand the forces an object may endure as it moves through the atmosphere.

Instead of learning how environmental factors affect the SLS only during flight, engineers have started at the beginning to improve understanding of how the environment also affects the rocket while it's sitting on the pad, ready for liftoff.

"In a typical wind tunnel test, we point the model into the flow field," said John Blevins, lead engineer for aerodynamics and acoustics in the Spacecraft & Vehicle Systems Department at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. "For the liftoff test, that's not the case. The wind is actually traversing across the model at much higher angles -- simulating a liftoff environment."

Engineers tested four different payload configurations of the SLS, carrying up to 130 metric tons.

"The test data is key to ensure vehicle control as we lift off and pass the ground tower," Blevins added. "At supersonic speeds, engineers can more easily compute the forces and moments, but that's more challenging at low speeds. This test is low speed, with winds in the tunnel only reaching up to 160 miles per hour."

With winds up to 160 mph over the model, engineers can measure forces and moments that the air exerts over the vehicle.

"Moments, or torque, act like a twisting force on the vehicle," explained Jeremy Pinier, research aerospace engineer in Langley’s Configuration Aerodynamics Branch.

Understanding forces and moments upon the vehicle at different wind conditions enables the vehicle to fly safely.

Engineers also used a technique for studying airflow streamlines called smoke flow visualization. Smoke is put into the wind flow and can be seen during testing. This allows engineers to see how the wind flow hits the surface of the model. "Understanding the flow patterns can give us insight into what we are seeing in the data," Pinier explained.

Now that the liftoff transition testing is complete, NASA engineers and contractors can apply their findings to the actual vehicle.

"We will be using the data we receive from this test to run flight simulations on the actual SLS vehicle and assess its performance," Pinier said. "There’s nothing more motivating and exciting than contributing toward the design of a launch vehicle that will be travelling farther than humans have ever been."

The SLS capability is essential to America’s future in human spaceflight and scientific exploration of deep space. Only with a heavy-lift launch vehicle can humans explore our solar system, investigate asteroids and one day set foot on Mars. Marshall manages the SLS Program for the agency.

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/sls-wind-tunnel-liftoff-testing.html

[youtube]Gfm4gKCcqR8[/youtube]

Photo Captions:

Upper Photo: During the liftoff transition testing of a nearly six-foot model of the Space Launch System, engineers used a technique for studying airflow streamlines called smoke flow visualization, giving them insight into the data retrieved.  Image Credit: NASA/LaRC

Lower Photo: NASA engineers and contractors tested four different payload configurations during the liftoff transition testing of a 67.5-inch model of the SLS at NASA Langley Research Center’s 14-by-22-foot subsonic wind tunnel in Hampton, Va.  Image Credit: NASA/LaRC
« Last Edit: 09/21/2013 01:02 am by AnalogMan »

 

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