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NASA’s Ascent Abort-2 Test of Orion
by
catdlr
on 10 Nov, 2017 03:08
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NASA’s Ascent Abort-2 Test of Orion
NASA Johnson
Published on Nov 9, 2017
In a test targeted for April 2019 known as Ascent Abort-2, NASA will verify the Orion spacecraft’s launch abort system, a tower on top of the crew module, can steer the capsule and astronauts inside it to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during ascent for deep-space missions. The test is quick, fast and high, lasting less than three minutes with the test crew module reaching an average speed of Mach 1.5, roughly 1020 miles per hour, at approximately 32,000 feet in altitude.
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#1
by
RonM
on 10 Nov, 2017 04:53
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Interesting they are skipping the parachutes. I guess there have been enough parachute drop tests.
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#2
by
woods170
on 10 Nov, 2017 09:10
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Interesting they are skipping the parachutes. I guess there have been enough parachute drop tests.
Skipping the chutes seems logical, given that the chutes will be fully qualified by then. But installing ejectable data-recorders is introducing new failure modes. Better hope that telemetry is prime data-acquisition channel and the data-recorders are just back-ups.
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#3
by
mike robel
on 10 Nov, 2017 10:32
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Seems to me including parachutes would provide a more robust test at higher speeds with more stress. They performed 6 tests for Apollo and only two for Orion? Perhaps computer simulation is the reason for fewer tests?
Is this test date far enough out from the now planned DEC 2019 first launch to recover from a failure?
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#4
by
russianhalo117
on 10 Nov, 2017 15:09
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Seems to me including parachutes would provide a more robust test at higher speeds with more stress. They performed 6 tests for Apollo and only two for Orion? Perhaps computer simulation is the reason for fewer tests?
Is this test date far enough out from the now planned DEC 2019 first launch to recover from a failure?
Several tests previously planned under Constellation Programme were cancelled under the follow on programme: PA-2 and 3 and AA-1 were cancelled but AA2 was kept.
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#5
by
rayleighscatter
on 10 Nov, 2017 19:08
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Seems to me including parachutes would provide a more robust test at higher speeds with more stress. They performed 6 tests for Apollo and only two for Orion? Perhaps computer simulation is the reason for fewer tests?
Is this test date far enough out from the now planned DEC 2019 first launch to recover from a failure?
It was originally scheduled to be more than 6 months
after EM-1. But with EM-1 moving right, and AA-2 moved forward from December to April it got back around to the happy side of the schedule.
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#6
by
Basto
on 10 Nov, 2017 19:47
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Is there any information of the motor that it is launching on? I am assuming some sort of solid motor.
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#7
by
whitelancer64
on 10 Nov, 2017 19:50
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Is there any information of the motor that it is launching on? I am assuming some sort of solid motor.
The first stage of a Peacekeeper missile.
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#8
by
ZachS09
on 12 Nov, 2017 19:03
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Is there any information of the motor that it is launching on? I am assuming some sort of solid motor.
The first stage of a Peacekeeper missile.
More like the first stage of the Minotaur IV/V/VI.
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#9
by
russianhalo117
on 12 Nov, 2017 22:03
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Is there any information of the motor that it is launching on? I am assuming some sort of solid motor.
The first stage of a Peacekeeper missile.
More like the first stage of the Minotaur IV/V/VI.
Same motor. Just Peacekeeper GFE.
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#10
by
Fequalsma
on 19 Nov, 2017 02:08
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AA-2 boilerplate capsule under construction
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#11
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 08 Dec, 2017 15:55
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#12
by
Yeknom-Ecaps
on 09 Dec, 2017 02:15
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In the November issue above there is the Orion Crew Survival event at Texas A&M and the launch abort motor test at Corinne UT but it doesn't list the dates. Anyone know the dates and/or have any other references to these events? Thanks.
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#13
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 27 Jan, 2018 19:43
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#14
by
rayleighscatter
on 18 Feb, 2018 20:33
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The AA-2 motor was cast and went through NDT in late January.
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#15
by
rayleighscatter
on 18 Feb, 2018 20:38
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And JB Langley-Eustis finished painting the boilerplate capsule.
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#16
by
Yeknom-Ecaps
on 20 Feb, 2018 00:09
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The AA-2 motor was cast and went through NDT in late January.
Where did this test take place? NDT = Non-Destructive Test? Thanks.
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#17
by
russianhalo117
on 20 Feb, 2018 02:09
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The AA-2 motor was cast and went through NDT in late January.
Where did this test take place? NDT = Non-Destructive Test? Thanks.
Promontory, UT
Yes.
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#18
by
catdlr
on 10 Mar, 2018 03:09
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Ascent Abort-2 Module Arrives in Houston
NASA Johnson
Published on Mar 9, 2018
NASA’s Johnson Space Center is the center of activity leading the design and build up for a critical safety test of America’s new exploration spacecraft. An Orion crew module was delivered to Houston last week for assembly and outfitting for the April 2019 Ascent Abort-2 test, to demonstrate the ability of the spacecraft’s Launch Abort System to pull the crew module to safety if an emergency ever arises during ascent to space. Doing this work at JSC is part of a lean approach to development, to minimize cost and schedule risks associated with the test.
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#19
by
centaurinasa
on 10 Mar, 2018 11:42
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Our team welcomes @NASA_Orion's Ascent Abort-2 crew module to Houston. Our engineers will outfit the module with all the brains it needs for an April 2019 flight test that will help pave the way for crewed missions to the Moon and beyond...
https://twitter.com/NASA_Johnson/status/971464389697200129
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#20
by
Ike17055
on 15 Mar, 2018 16:00
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Where does this test launch take place from? The video states Cape Canaveral”. Do we know which launch complex hosts this?
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#21
by
Flying Beaver
on 15 Mar, 2018 16:12
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Where does this test launch take place from? The video states Cape Canaveral”. Do we know which launch complex hosts this?
From:
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/orion_las_fact_sheet.pdfThe Ascent Abort-2 test will launch an Orion mock-up from Space Launch
Complex 46 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. During the test, the spacecraft will be
integrated with an ascent test booster – a first stage booster from a Peacekeeper
missile modified by Orbital Sciences Corporation in Arizona.
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#22
by
catdlr
on 30 Mar, 2018 05:32
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Orion Ascent Abort-2
NASA Langley Research Center
Published on Mar 29, 2018
The Orion Ascent Abort-2 Crew Module Fabrication Lead Tom Arboneaux reviews work conducted on the crew module at NASA Langley prior to it being shipped to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for follow-on instrumentation installation.
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#23
by
Archibald
on 30 Mar, 2018 19:51
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Little Joe II !
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#24
by
rayleighscatter
on 30 Mar, 2018 21:03
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#25
by
catdlr
on 31 Mar, 2018 02:13
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Supercomputer Simulation of NASA's Orion Launch Abort Vehicle
NASA's Ames Research Center
Published on Mar 30, 2018
Launch is one of the most complex parts of flight -- and one of the most likely places for something to go wrong. At NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, researchers are producing highly detailed simulations and visualizations to help keep astronauts safe during the dynamic liftoff conditions of NASA's Orion spacecraft.
This simulation, run on NASA's Pleiades supercomputer, shows an ascent abort scenario that is triggered as the vehicle is traveling at close to the speed of sound. The video starts at abort initiation with motor ignition. Colored plumes indicate high pressure (red) and low pressure (blue). Each pixel changing from blue to red (and vice versa) over time is related to pressure waves that cause vibrations on the vehicle (white). The video slows down when the pressure and air flow conditions are particularly harsh. Regions where the color changes abruptly in space, but stays constant in time, indicate the presence of shock waves.
Video credit: NASA/Ames Research Center/T. Sandstrom