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Orion spacecraft parachute test December 15, 2017
by
jacqmans
on 05 Dec, 2017 14:09
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December 05, 2017
MEDIA ADVISORY M17-143
NASA Invites Media to Orion Spacecraft Parachute Test in Arizona
NASA is inviting media to attend a test of parachutes for the agency’s Orion spacecraft Wednesday, Dec. 13, at the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. This test is the fifth in a series of eight to qualify the parachute system for crewed Orion missions.
Media will have the opportunity to view the test from the drop zone, see the engineering model of Orion up close, and interview NASA personnel including astronaut Butch Wilmore and Exploration Mission-1 manager Michael Sarafin.
To attend, media must contact Laura Rochon at
[email protected] by 1 p.m. EST Friday, Dec. 8.
During the test, a model Orion spacecraft will be dropped from a C-17 aircraft flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet. Engineers will evaluate a simulated scenario in which one of the three main parachutes fails to open after the deployment of several other parachutes that help slow and stabilize the spacecraft.
Orion’s parachutes are critical to the safe return of the spacecraft and its future crews after deep-space exploration missions. They help Orion slow from about 300 to 20 mph in less than 10 minutes, enabling a safe splashdown in the ocean.
Orion will carry astronauts farther into the solar system than ever before, provide emergency abort capabilities, sustain the crew during their mission and provide safe re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere.
Find more information about Orion at:
https://www.nasa.gov/orion
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#1
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 13 Dec, 2017 13:51
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#2
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 13 Dec, 2017 13:53
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#3
by
Chris Bergin
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:17
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#4
by
Chris Bergin
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:22
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#5
by
Chris Bergin
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:26
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OK, some bloke just said 5 mins to dry pass and then 15 mins after that for the drop.
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#6
by
Chris Bergin
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:35
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Butch Wilmore is there....
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#7
by
Chris Bergin
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:36
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"What are we hoping to see?"
Butch Wilmore. "BIG ORANGE PARACHUTES!"
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#8
by
Chris Bergin
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:43
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I'm going to Tennessee. Butch's accent is the best thing ever!
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#9
by
Rocket Science
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:44
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17 chutes in total will be used in today's test...
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#10
by
eeergo
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:44
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Interesting fact they just mentioned: in Apollo, the parachute risers were made out of steel, and there were constraints on how they could recontact hot parts of the capsule upon deployment. New materials are now used, along with better modeling, so concerns about this kind of issues are alleviated.
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#11
by
eeergo
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:45
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Black Hawk (lower) and C-17 (contrails)
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#12
by
eeergo
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:46
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Going around and doing another lap, door still not open.
Commentator standing by to hear about the cause for the delay.
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#13
by
Chris Bergin
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:47
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False start. Didn't drop.
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#14
by
eeergo
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:47
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C-17 door opening issue because of altitude and depressurization of the aft. Trying known and proven backup options to open it.
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#15
by
eeergo
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:48
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15-minute go-around pass, last shot today.
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#16
by
Rocket Science
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:48
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Break out the crowbar...
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#17
by
dawei
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:53
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Butch and Flight Director Mike Sarafin make a jovial pair for a live broadcast. I'd like to hear them banter for the 15 minutes between passes.
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#18
by
eeergo
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:53
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Go-around/racetrack cut short by five minutes - means in ~5 minute the drop will be attempted. No word on the door yet.
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#19
by
Rocket Science
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:55
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If it is a pressurization relief issue they could blow open the relief doors...
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#20
by
Chris Bergin
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:55
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Yeah, we know
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#21
by
eeergo
on 13 Dec, 2017 14:59
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No drop!
Door not opening.
Trying again tomorrow.
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#22
by
dawei
on 13 Dec, 2017 15:02
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Bummer. But it would be rather challenging to get the capsule out the door with the door shut. Having walked into a glass door before myself I'm going to go out on a limb and say they made the right call to abort.
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#23
by
dawei
on 13 Dec, 2017 15:12
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Looks like Mike Sarafin is no longer a flight director but is rather the Mission Manager for Exploration Systems Development (ESD), EM-1 and EM-2 at Nasa HQ.
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#24
by
Chris Bergin
on 14 Dec, 2017 12:22
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Do we know they are still going for it again today? It's been silent on the channels.
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#25
by
Rocket Science
on 14 Dec, 2017 14:08
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Bump: Anybody?
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#26
by
Chris Bergin
on 14 Dec, 2017 14:08
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Bump: Anybody?
Still nothing. Doesn't sound like they are going for it today.
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#27
by
oldAtlas_Eguy
on 14 Dec, 2017 17:29
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Bump: Anybody?
Still nothing. Doesn't sound like they are going for it today.
The aircraft system failure may be more complex than first envisioned and has grounded the aircraft until the craft is fully repaired. C17's are a hard resource to get. So this one is probably the only one NASA has access to for the test. So no test until the aircraft is fixed. Plus the capsule may have had to be offloaded while the repair work was being done which would also increase the test's delay.
So everyone be patient.
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#28
by
StarGeezer
on 14 Dec, 2017 17:39
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I want PATIENCE and I want it NOW!!
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#29
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 15 Dec, 2017 13:55
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#30
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 15 Dec, 2017 13:56
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#31
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 16 Dec, 2017 06:45
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Dec. 15, 2017
Orion Parachute Tests Prove Out Complex System for Human Deep Space Missions
When NASA’s Orion spacecraft hurtles toward Earth’s surface during its return from deep-space missions, the capsule’s system of 11 parachutes will assemble itself in the air and slow the spacecraft from 300 mph to a relatively gentle 20 mph for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean in the span of about 10 minutes. As the astronauts inside descend toward the water on future missions, their lives will be hanging by a series of threads that have been thoroughly ruggedized, tested and validated to ensure the parachute-assisted end of Orion missions are a success.
Through a series of tests in the Arizona desert, the engineers refining Orion’s parachutes have made the road to certifying them for flights with astronauts look easy, including a successful qualification test Dec. 13 that evaluated a failure case in which only two of the systems three orange and white main parachutes deploy after several other parachutes in the system used to slow and stabilize Orion endure high aerodynamic stresses. But behind the scenes, engineers are working hard to understand and perfect the system that must be able to work across a broad range of potential environmental conditions and bring the crew home.
While Orion’s parachutes may look similar to those used during the Apollo-era to the untrained eye, engineers can’t simply take that parachute system and scale it up to accommodate Orion’s much larger size. Through testing and analysis, technicians have developed Orion’s parachutes to be lighter, better understood and more capable than Apollo’s. NASA has also been able to adjust the system as elements of the spacecraft, such as attachment points, have matured.
“Through our testing, we’ve addressed some known failures that can happen in complex parachute systems to make the system more reliable,” said Koki Machin, chief engineer for the system. “We built upon the strong foundation laid by Apollo engineers and figured out how to manage the stresses on the system during deployment more efficiently, decrease the mass of the parachutes by using high tech fabric materials rather than metal cables for the risers that attach the parachute to the spacecraft, and improve how we pack the parachute into Orion so they deploy more reliably.”
Orion’s parachute system is also incredibly complex. About 10 miles of Kevlar lines attach the spacecraft to the outer rim of nearly 12,000 square feet of parachute canopy material – over four times the average square footage of a house – and must not get tangled during deployment. In addition to the fabric parachutes themselves, there are cannon-like mortars that fire to release different parachutes. Embedded in several parachutes are fuses set to burn at specific times that ignite charges to push blades through bullet proof materials at precise moments, slowly unfurling the parachutes to continue the sequential phases of the deployment sequence. All of these elements must be developed to be reliable for the various angles, wind conditions and speeds in which Orion could land.
With the analysis capabilities that exist today and the historical data available, engineers have determined that approximately 20-25 tests, rather than the more than 100 performed during the Apollo era, will give them enough opportunities to find areas of weakness in Orion’s parachute system and fix them. After the three remaining final tests next year, the system will be qualified for missions with astronauts.
“There are things we can model with computers and those we can’t. We have to verify the latter through repeated system tests by dropping a test article out of a military aircraft from miles in altitude and pushing the parachutes to their various limits,” said CJ Johnson, project manager for the parachute system. “Lots of subtle changes can affect parachute performance and the testing we do helps us account for the broad range of possible environments the parachutes will have to operate in.”
Orion parachute engineers have also provided data and insight from the tests to NASA’s Commercial Crew Program partners. NASA has matured computer modeling of how the system works in various scenarios and helped partner companies understand certain elements of parachute systems, such as seams and joints, for example. In some cases, NASA’s work has provided enough information for the partners to reduce the need for some developmental parachute tests.
“Orion’s parachute system is an extremely lightweight, delicate collection of pieces that absolutely must act together simultaneously or it will fail,” said Machin. “It alone, among all the equipment on the crew module, must assemble itself in mid-air at a variety of possible velocities and orientations.”
Parachute testing is just one part of the vast expanse of work being performed across the country that enable humans to venture farther into space than ever before.
Last Updated: Dec. 15, 2017
Editor: Mark Garcia
Tags: Commercial Crew, Orion Spacecraft
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/orion-parachute-tests-prove-out-complex-system-for-human-deep-space-missionsPhoto 1 caption:
Two pilot parachutes pull out two main parachutes of the Orion spacecraft during a test Dec. 15, 2017.
Credits: U.S. Army
Photo 2 caption:
NASA is testing Orion’s parachutes to qualify the system for missions with astronauts.
Credits: U.S. Army
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#32
by
SciNews
on 17 Dec, 2017 14:00
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Orion Spacecraft Parachutes Test, 15 December 2017
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#33
by
deruch
on 18 Dec, 2017 00:24
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Looks pretty wobbly under those drogue chutes.
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#34
by
A_M_Swallow
on 18 Dec, 2017 05:33
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Looks pretty wobbly under those drogue chutes.
Very wobbly. The bottom is almost vertical several times.
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#35
by
woods170
on 18 Dec, 2017 07:34
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Looks pretty wobbly under those drogue chutes.
Very wobbly. The bottom is almost vertical several times.
The parachute test article does not reflect an actual Orion CM. It's significantly shorter than an actual Orion CM and has different aerodynamic behaviour. The reason is that it has to fit into the cargo hold of a C-17 (which it barely does, even with the squatted shape):
https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/mpcv/gallery/parachute_testing/jsc2013e028111.htmlCompare the PTA wobble against the drogue phase of an actual Orion CM on the EFT-1 flight here:
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#36
by
Helodriver
on 18 Dec, 2017 07:56
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All the more reason I find it surprising and a missed opportunity that there is not going to be a full parachute deployment as part of the Orion In Flight Abort test coming up. Flight shape and weight capsule at flight parameters dropped onto the desert floor after ejecting data recorders.
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#37
by
woods170
on 18 Dec, 2017 08:52
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All the more reason I find it surprising and a missed opportunity that there is not going to be a full parachute deployment as part of the Orion In Flight Abort test coming up. Flight shape and weight capsule at flight parameters dropped onto the desert floor after ejecting data recorders.
Not desert floor because the in-flight abort test will launch from CCAFS over the Atlantic.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-moves-up-critical-crew-safety-launch-abort-testEngineers at several NASA centers already are building the Orion test article that has many of the design features and the same mass as the capsule that will carry crew. Because the test is designed to evaluate Orion’s launch abort capabilities, the crew module used for AA-2 will not deploy parachutes after the abort system is jettisoned, nor will it have a reaction control system with thrusters needed to help orient the capsule for a parachute-assisted descent and splashdown after the LAS is jettisoned.
The reason for all of this is budget (or better: lack of budget). Doing a full test would require construction of an additional test vehicle with a full-up Earth Landing System and a full-up RSC set-up. Basically: a second parachute test article, with added RCS, but this time with the full shape. The way NASA does business this would cost several millions of dollars extra. Now they can get away with basically a mass-and-shape simulator (in other words: a pure boilerplate).
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#38
by
Lars-J
on 18 Dec, 2017 18:12
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All the more reason I find it surprising and a missed opportunity that there is not going to be a full parachute deployment as part of the Orion In Flight Abort test coming up. Flight shape and weight capsule at flight parameters dropped onto the desert floor after ejecting data recorders.
The reason for all of this is budget (or better: lack of budget). Doing a full test would require construction of an additional test vehicle with a full-up Earth Landing System and a full-up RSC set-up. Basically: a second parachute test article, with added RCS, but this time with the full shape. The way NASA does business this would cost several millions of dollars extra. Now they can get away with basically a mass-and-shape simulator (in other words: a pure boilerplate).
This program is not being starved for funds. Not even close.
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#39
by
Khadgars
on 27 Dec, 2017 15:49
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Looks pretty wobbly under those drogue chutes.
Very wobbly. The bottom is almost vertical several times.
The parachute test article does not reflect an actual Orion CM. It's significantly shorter than an actual Orion CM and has different aerodynamic behaviour. The reason is that it has to fit into the cargo hold of a C-17 (which it barely does, even with the squatted shape): https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/mpcv/gallery/parachute_testing/jsc2013e028111.html
Compare the PTA wobble against the drogue phase of an actual Orion CM on the EFT-1 flight here:
Thanks Woods.I thought the whole point of this test was to simulate, sub-optimal conditions.
"During the test, a model Orion spacecraft will be dropped from a C-17 aircraft flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet. Engineers will evaluate a simulated scenario in which one of the three main parachutes fails to open after the deployment of several other parachutes that help slow and stabilize the spacecraft."
