Quote from: brickmack on 07/08/2019 04:07 pmI think a lot of people here are getting too hung up on specific details of the requirements. The key thing here is they're looking for a space station. Not an ISS addon, not a cargo vehicleThe time to think through what is needed is before the contracts are granted. Requirement modifications are just the cost of a handful of people sitting in an office. Plus the cost of a typist producing a new document. Both the current state and what is expected to happen in the next 10 years needs including.So does the military space station need a Common Berthing Module or a NASA Docking System (also know as IDSS)?Can CBM be unberthed by remote control?Are any of the ISS and LOP-G standards appropriate such as electrical voltage levels?
I think a lot of people here are getting too hung up on specific details of the requirements. The key thing here is they're looking for a space station. Not an ISS addon, not a cargo vehicle
Robotic arms can be remotely controlled, we do this all the time on Mars. The one on the ISS "can" be remotely operated, but I do not think that has ever been done. It is much much faster to command the robotic arm in real time.
Quote from: Zed_Noir on 07/06/2019 09:48 am....Is there anything the cargo dragon has that the crew dragon no longer has? Otherwise, just modify a crew dragon...
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The Sierra Nevada Corporation recently received a Pentagon contract to craft an experimental space outpost capable of supporting various research and development, training, and operational missions, including potentially with humans aboard.
On July 14, 2020, the Nevada-headquartered aerospace company announced the deal with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), but did not state the approximate value of the award.
Quote OZMENS’ SNC SELECTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO DESIGN, DEVELOP UNMANNED ORBITAL OUTPOST PROTOTYPEProposed Design Leverages Existing Commercial Tech to Achieve Savings in Cost, ScheduleSPARKS, Nev., July 14, 2020 – Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), the global aerospace and national security leader owned by Eren and Fatih Ozmen, was awarded a contract to repurpose SNC’s Shooting Star transport vehicle as a proposed commercial solution for an Unmanned Orbital Outpost – essentially a scalable, autonomous space station for experiments and logistics demonstrations – by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). SNC’s Shooting Star transport vehicle serves as the core structure for the proposed design.
OZMENS’ SNC SELECTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO DESIGN, DEVELOP UNMANNED ORBITAL OUTPOST PROTOTYPEProposed Design Leverages Existing Commercial Tech to Achieve Savings in Cost, ScheduleSPARKS, Nev., July 14, 2020 – Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), the global aerospace and national security leader owned by Eren and Fatih Ozmen, was awarded a contract to repurpose SNC’s Shooting Star transport vehicle as a proposed commercial solution for an Unmanned Orbital Outpost – essentially a scalable, autonomous space station for experiments and logistics demonstrations – by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). SNC’s Shooting Star transport vehicle serves as the core structure for the proposed design.
One year later, and it seems like SNC was awarded the contract.https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/34840/the-pentagon-moves-to-launch-its-own-experimental-mini-space-station
Quote from: leovinus on 07/16/2020 07:19 pmOne year later, and it seems like SNC was awarded the contract.https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/34840/the-pentagon-moves-to-launch-its-own-experimental-mini-space-stationSo, ... scaled up X-37B kinda thing?
Quote from: Eer on 07/16/2020 07:29 pmQuote from: leovinus on 07/16/2020 07:19 pmOne year later, and it seems like SNC was awarded the contract.https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/34840/the-pentagon-moves-to-launch-its-own-experimental-mini-space-stationSo, ... scaled up X-37B kinda thing?No, Shooting Star is the Cargo Section/ Service Module of Dreamchaser that would normally be jettisoned prior to reentry and would burn up in the atmosphere. That‘s why it’s called Shooting Star. It‘s not the winged Spaceplane called Dreamchaser.
Sound a bit like MOL in some ways...
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) picked Sierra Nevada Corp’s “Shooting Star” spacecraft, originally designed to carry payloads to the ISS for NASA, as its “Unmanned Orbital Outpost” space station to test capabilities — and perhaps in future serve as on-orbit fuel stations or logistics hubs.
Quote from: Rocket Science on 07/16/2020 09:57 pmSound a bit like MOL in some ways...Also mentioned in this article https://breakingdefense.com/2020/07/sierra-nevada-wins-diu-contract-for-experimental-space-station/QuoteThe Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) picked Sierra Nevada Corp’s “Shooting Star” spacecraft, originally designed to carry payloads to the ISS for NASA, as its “Unmanned Orbital Outpost” space station to test capabilities — and perhaps in future serve as on-orbit fuel stations or logistics hubs.
The same database also shows that DIU issued a second award to Nanoracks for $389,900 in late 2019 for the same project.
A third company, Arkisys, received $366,000 from DIU for the Orbital Outpost project in March.
I wonder why dragon 1 or dragon XL, or cygnus and starliner weren't considered or chosen. Was it cost or compatibility, or lack of interest? or maybe there is phase 2 coming?
Possibly, something that was tested out on the X-37B worked super well.
