I think SpaceX is feeling like they left a lot of money on the table for CRS. I remember SpaceX getting upset that Orbital got the same money for fewer flights.
That's nobody's fault but their own. Whether because they felt they had to go on the cheap side for NASA to select their bid or something else, it's irrelevant now.
I will point out, though, that looking at the CRS selection letter, OSC came pretty close to losing out to PlanetSpace. You can't set the price either too high or too low. So how do you a priori know what the sweet spot is?
Do you have a link to the CRS selection statement?
First Cargo Module Ships. Service Module Integration Continues.June 2011
The first Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM) for Orbital's COTS demonstration mission completed Qualification and Hardware Acceptance Reviews at Thales/Alenia's facility in Turin Italy. The PCM and its Ground Support Equipment will now be prepared for shipment from Italy to the Wallops Island Virginia launch site. Read about the PCM in this
news release from Thales/Alenia.
As the PCM makes its way to the launch site, integration and testing of the Cygnus Service Module for the COTS demonstration mission continues in Orbital's Dulles, Virginia Satellite Manufacturing Facility. The Service Module completed its Open Panel assembly activities and will transition to its Initial Integrated Systems Testing.
Upon completion of all its testing, the Service Module will be shipped to Wallops Island, where it will be mated to the PCM. The fully assembled Cygnus spacecraft will then be attached to Orbital's new Taurus II rocket and launched to the International Space Station to demonstrate the delivery of supplies and payload items. See the
Taurus II Microsite for more progress updates.
Image 1: PCM production in Turin, Italy (Thales/Alenia photo)
Image 2: View of the interior of the PCM (Thales/Alenia photo)
Image 3: Cygnus Service Module Integration
http://www.orbital.com/CargoResupplyServices
I love the sight of spaceship production lines.
Can you give any further details on the manufacturing process used to make the MPLM's? I believe they are forged and have no longitudinal seams.
Can you give any further details on the manufacturing process used to make the MPLM's? I believe they are forged and have no longitudinal seams.
They have longitudinal seams
Can you give any further details on the manufacturing process used to make the MPLM's? I believe they are forged and have no longitudinal seams.
The MPLMs were built by modifying designs and methods developed by Boeing at MSFC back in the early 90's for the original Space Station Freedom Lab/Hab modules and Nodes. Those modules consisted of quarter-round chords bump-formed to bend them into shape and then welded together. I still remember seeing photos of the first test articles that were . . . somewhat less than successfully shaped. :p The welds were x-ray inspected, with all the x-rays being recorded and stored digitally. That in itself was quite an impressing IT feat in 1990/91. In any case, all the designs were made available to Alenia when SSF morphed into ISS thereafter, and Alenia determined how best to detail design and manufacture the actual flight articles.
Can you give any further details on the manufacturing process used to make the MPLM's? I believe they are forged and have no longitudinal seams.
The MPLMs were built by modifying designs and methods developed by Boeing at MSFC back in the early 90's for the original Space Station Freedom Lab/Hab modules and Nodes. Those modules consisted of quarter-round chords bump-formed to bend them into shape and then welded together. I still remember seeing photos of the first test articles that were . . . somewhat less than successfully shaped. :p The welds were x-ray inspected, with all the x-rays being recorded and stored digitally. That in itself was quite an impressing IT feat in 1990/91. In any case, all the designs were made available to Alenia when SSF morphed into ISS thereafter, and Alenia determined how best to detail design and manufacture the actual flight articles.
Huh? Alenia used the experience from Spacelab and Spacehab, which predated any SSF test articles
Can you give any further details on the manufacturing process used to make the MPLM's? I believe they are forged and have no longitudinal seams.
The MPLMs were built by modifying designs and methods developed by Boeing at MSFC back in the early 90's for the original Space Station Freedom Lab/Hab modules and Nodes. Those modules consisted of quarter-round chords bump-formed to bend them into shape and then welded together. I still remember seeing photos of the first test articles that were . . . somewhat less than successfully shaped. :p The welds were x-ray inspected, with all the x-rays being recorded and stored digitally. That in itself was quite an impressing IT feat in 1990/91. In any case, all the designs were made available to Alenia when SSF morphed into ISS thereafter, and Alenia determined how best to detail design and manufacture the actual flight articles.
Curious. There's an interview with someone from Alenia on the BBC website by their space correspondent. I think it was linked to earlier in this thread.
The interviewee said the design was made of forged rings with the the stiffener pattern machined into them. The difference between the Cygnus section and the standard design was it had a reduced wall thickness (roughly 2mm from >3mm) although OSC had wanted to go with 1mm walls.
I was very impressed at this as I'd read that Boeing had looked at this for the Integrated Airframe Structure programme but could not make it work. It sounded a good way to *eliminate* lengthwise welds and in Europe forged rings are available up to 8.8m (28 feet) in diameter. Not very good for aircraft (where the production methods seem to be driven by how to make the wings, then see if they can make a fuselage as well) but excellent for launch vehicle tanks and large cylindrical structures.
I checked the Alenia site but it's basically marketing. Very little actual information. hence my interest in anyone who could point me in the direction of more information.
Here are the pictures I got of the landing. Just took them on my cellphone so they aren't amazing, but hopefully after work I can swing by and see if they are doing any unloading!
I wonder what the pictures taped to the top of the avionics ring are.
I wonder what the pictures taped to the top of the avionics ring are.
My guess is either "reference pics" to confirm for techs that what they're doing matches up with how things are supposed to be connected (photos taken in a systems integration lab or something), or less likely close-out pics (but it wouldn't make sense to take them, print them and then display them there).
I wonder what the pictures taped to the top of the avionics ring are.
My guess is either "reference pics" to confirm for techs that what they're doing matches up with how things are supposed to be connected (photos taken in a systems integration lab or something), or less likely close-out pics (but it wouldn't make sense to take them, print them and then display them there).
Yep, they look like reference pictures to me as well. Note how each picture has the same component pictured as below it.
