-
Orbital ATK agree deal for Orion LAS through to second SLS mission by Chris Bergin on 07 Jul, 2015 17:09
-
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/07/orbital-atk-deal-orion-las-through-second-mission/
Was a short and fluffy release, so I padded it out with some LAS history (not for the first time, but it's interesting) and then photo-bombed it with a SpaceX reference.
Nathan with an epic LAS lead photo again. Was from a while back in L2, but finally got its day on the news site. -
#1 by RocketmanUS on 07 Jul, 2015 17:23
-
Nice write up
.
So three LAS's for $98M or about $33M each? -
#2 by tesla on 07 Jul, 2015 17:40
-
Great article!!! Thx Chris!
-
#3 by jacqmans on 07 Jul, 2015 18:25
-
Was a short and fluffy release
Here is that fluffy release.....
Orbital ATK Signs $98 Million Agreement for Orion Launch Abort Motor
Company to Provide Advanced Propulsion System for Increased Safety for Future Astronaut Crews
Magna, Utah 7 July 2015 – Orbital ATK, Inc. (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, today announced that is has signed a $98 million agreement with Lockheed Martin to provide the launch abort motor for the Orion human spaceflight capsule’s Launch Abort System (LAS). The Orion spacecraft will launch aboard NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), enabling humans to explore new deep space destinations.
The launch abort motor, manufactured at Orbital ATK facilities in Magna, Promontory and Clearfield, Utah, is a powerful solid rocket motor designed to ensure crew safety. Orion’s LAS is a unique safety feature, similar to an ejection seat found in a fighter jet. If an emergency were to occur at the launch pad, or during lift-off and ascent, the abort system would rapidly lift the capsule and crew away from the rocket.
“Orbital ATK is proud to be a key contributor to the Orion program and to astronaut safety,” said Fred Brasfield, Vice President of Orbital ATK’s NASA Propulsion Programs. “The benefit of using a solid launch abort motor is being able to transport the crew far from harm’s way in milliseconds, should the need arise.”
Under the recently signed agreement, the primary objective is to complete design, development, test and qualification of the abort motor. Major milestones in the process include structural tests, loads tests, igniter open air tests, and motor static firing tests. These tests will ultimately qualify the abort motor for operational flight missions. The agreement with Lockheed Martin provides funding for the launch abort motor through the second launch of Orion on SLS, Exploration Mission-2.
Charlie Precourt, Vice President and General Manager of Orbital ATK’s Propulsion Systems Division, and four-time space shuttle astronaut, has nothing but praise for Orion’s LAS system. “As a former astronaut, I firmly believe in the need for a robust launch abort system. Orbital ATK’s launch abort motor greatly increases the level of safety for future crews.”
The second flight test of the LAS, dubbed AA-2, is scheduled for GFY19. AA-2 will test the full capability of the launch abort system in a high altitude abort test.
Under a separate contract with Lockheed Martin, Orbital ATK also provides the LAS attitude control motor. This motor is manufactured at the company’s Elkton, Maryland facility.
Orion and SLS will launch on their first joint mission, Exploration Mission-1, in just a few years. The next major milestones for SLS include Boeing’s Vertical Assembly Center core stage welding, continued testing of Aerojet Rocketdyne’s RS-25 engine at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, avionics and controls testing at Marshall Space Flight Center, and Orbital ATK’s second qualification test of a five-segment solid rocket motor (QM-2) next year.
The SLS and Orion programs are supported by a network of hundreds of suppliers representing 47 states. Orbital ATK has 29 key SLS booster suppliers across 16 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.
-
#4 by newpylong on 07 Jul, 2015 18:27
-
Nice write up
.
So three LAS's for $98M or about $33M each?
I'm in the wrong business!
-
#5 by clongton on 07 Jul, 2015 18:49
-
I remember the CxP discussions on which way to go wrt the abort design. Griffin at one time was actually pursuing the side-motor abort system later adopted by SpaceX, however with solids in lieu of liquids. Somewhere on this site is a .jpg of the napkin design he drew which the design teams went to work on. At that time Orion still was sporting the air bag landing system and would have employed the motors during landing, similarly to what Soyuz does today. The air bags were abandoned during the ZBV effort. I speculated at that time that the side-motor abort died because Orion's OML was already decided and would have had the motors canted too far outward. They would have been too large and heavy in that configuration to facilitate a reasonable use of mass. Not sure of the timeline wrt which was dropped first, but neither made the cut for the final design. Interesting days indeed.
Nice article Chris - Thanks
-
#6 by Jim on 07 Jul, 2015 18:56
-
I remember the CxP discussions on which way to go wrt the abort design. Griffin at one time was actually pursuing the side-motor abort system later adopted by SpaceX, however with solids in lieu of liquids. Somewhere on this site is a .jpg of the napkin design he drew which the design teams went to work on. At that time Orion still was sporting the air bag landing system and would have employed the motors during landing, similarly to what Soyuz does today. The air bags were abandoned during the ZBV effort. I speculated at that time that the side-motor abort died because Orion's OML was already decided and would have had the motors canted too far outward. They would have been too large and heavy in that configuration to facilitate a reasonable use of mass. Not sure of the timeline wrt which was dropped first, but neither made the cut for the final design. Interesting days indeed.
They were on the SM in Griffin's sketch. Later in the origin MLAS design, they were on the boost cover but never were intended to be used for landing. -
#7 by clongton on 07 Jul, 2015 19:03
-
I remember the CxP discussions on which way to go wrt the abort design. Griffin at one time was actually pursuing the side-motor abort system later adopted by SpaceX, however with solids in lieu of liquids. Somewhere on this site is a .jpg of the napkin design he drew which the design teams went to work on. At that time Orion still was sporting the air bag landing system and would have employed the motors during landing, similarly to what Soyuz does today. The air bags were abandoned during the ZBV effort. I speculated at that time that the side-motor abort died because Orion's OML was already decided and would have had the motors canted too far outward. They would have been too large and heavy in that configuration to facilitate a reasonable use of mass. Not sure of the timeline wrt which was dropped first, but neither made the cut for the final design. Interesting days indeed.
They were on the SM in Griffin's sketch. Later in the origin MLAS design, they were on the boost cover but never were intended to be used for landing.
I may be mis-remembering. Perhaps the landing element was just part of the thread discussion. Lots of water over the dam since then
-
#8 by Jim on 07 Jul, 2015 19:05
-
Nice write up
.
So three LAS's for $98M or about $33M each?
Half a ride to orbit on a F9. -
#9 by RocketmanUS on 07 Jul, 2015 19:58
-
Cargo, but more for crew capsule ( about $183M ).Nice write up
.
So three LAS's for $98M or about $33M each?
Half a ride to orbit on a F9.
Still would be cheaper with two launches instead of one SLS with greater flexibility.
And with the possible Vulcan why still are we funding SLS for Lunar orbits? -
#10 by kirghizstan on 07 Jul, 2015 20:19
-
Nice write up
.
So three LAS's for $98M or about $33M each?
Half a ride to orbit on a F9.
Jim are you just pointing out a fact or are you saying that you think launching humans on SLS is a waste of money -
#11 by MikeAtkinson on 07 Jul, 2015 21:03
-
Was a short and fluffy release
Orbital ATK Signs $98 Million Agreement for Orion Launch Abort Motor
...
Under the recently signed agreement, the primary objective is to complete design, development, test and qualification of the abort motor. Major milestones in the process include structural tests, loads tests, igniter open air tests, and motor static firing tests. These tests will ultimately qualify the abort motor for operational flight missions. The agreement with Lockheed Martin provides funding for the launch abort motor through the second launch of Orion on SLS, Exploration Mission.
...
Under a separate contract with Lockheed Martin, Orbital ATK also provides the LAS attitude control motor. This motor is manufactured at the company’s Elkton, Maryland facility.
According to this fluffy release the $98 million is for completion of development of the motor, and support through the first two missions, not the LAS which presumably the subject of further contracts. -
#12 by ClaytonBirchenough on 07 Jul, 2015 22:52
-
Quote
(From the article)
Despite being an inert motor, the LAS provided vital data to the engineering teams as it launched with the EFT-1 Orion atop the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV-Heavy.
What vital data is this? Aerodynamic data?
And development of an LAS and production of three LAS's costs $98 million!? Damn. -
#13 by rayleighscatter on 08 Jul, 2015 00:12
-
Nice write up
I would assume a few more than 3. The release also mentions structural tests, load tests, static tests, and open air tests. Presumably NASA won't use LAS hardware that has been pushed nearly to its breaking point in earlier tests for use in EM-1, EM-2, or AA-2. .
So three LAS's for $98M or about $33M each? -
#14 by gongora on 08 Jul, 2015 01:11
-
According to this fluffy release the $98 million is for completion of development of the motor, and support through the first two missions, not the LAS which presumably the subject of further contracts.
The contract for the attitude control motor was another $90M. -
#15 by Steven Pietrobon on 08 Jul, 2015 07:11
-
Here's a paper on the MLAS test a while back, showing what it would have looked like.
(And Articles on MLAS - Chris: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=MLAS )
-
#16 by woods170 on 08 Jul, 2015 08:06
-
Jim has never made a secret of the fact that he doesn't like SLS.Nice write up
.
So three LAS's for $98M or about $33M each?
Half a ride to orbit on a F9.
Jim are you just pointing out a fact or are you saying that you think launching humans on SLS is a waste of money -
#17 by Proponent on 08 Jul, 2015 09:59
-
Though he hasn't been F9's biggest cheerleader either....
-
#18 by Jim on 08 Jul, 2015 11:28
-
Here's a paper on the MLAS test a while back, showing what it would have looked like.
(And Articles on MLAS - Chris: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=MLAS )
That was the waste of money abort "test" flight which was nothing like the intend of the origin abort system.
One of the reasons for having the real MLAS abort motors on the outside of the boost cover was to reduce the height of the LAS so that Ares V vehicle could use most of the available VAB door height. Another characteristic of the real MLAS was that the 4 abort motors would be manifolded at the top of the boost cover to balance out pressure (thrust) in all 4 motors. -
#19 by woods170 on 08 Jul, 2015 13:05
-
Though he hasn't been F9's biggest cheerleader either....
You can't have it all.
.