NASA managers are pushing through the shutdown of the Constellation Program (CxP) at a pace, with a series of memos showing all the Ares test flights have already been cancelled, along Orion ‘defunded’ and returned to the sole control of contractor Lockheed Martin. Meanwhile, MOD director Paul Hill has written to NASA administrator Charlie Bolden, [...]
Read more... »
One of the final tests of the now-cancelled Orion Program has ended in failure, when a parachute drop test of an Orion boilerplate resulted in the near-destruction of the vehicle. It marks what is likely to be a sad end for the vehicle that was set to take US astronauts to the International Space Station [...]
Read more... »
NASA managers have created an evaluation and roadmap for a potential human mission to visit the 1999 AO10 Near Earth Object (NEO) as early as 2025, as part of their options under the Flexible Path approach to the future of Human Space Flight. The mission would focus on using the International Space Station (ISS) as [...]
Read more... »
Completing a series of summer meetings relating the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), the Constellation Program (CxP) undertook a review of the CEV Aero-science Project (CAP). This review provided NASA and CxP with vital information on the critical-path aerodynamic and aerothermal analyses pertaining to the Orion crew capsule’s reentry and various launch abort modes that it [...]
Read more... »
As the Constellation Program (CxP) prepares for the test flight of Ares I-X – the rocket modelled on the vehicle that will launch Orion sometime in the next decade – in less than one month, a design review of the Low Impact Docking System (LIDS) that Orion will use to dock with the International Space [...]
Read more... »
As part of the on going effort within the Constellation Program to finalize the design of the Crew Exploration Vehicle’s (CEV’s) Orion capsule, a CEV Parachute Assembly System (CPAS) review was held over the summer to document changes to the parachute system that will reduce the capsule’s speed during descent and splashdown operations.
Read more... »
The strategic direction of NASA is set to be announced in the first week of October, when new administrator Charlie Bolden and Human Space Flight Review panel chairman Norm Augustine conduct a NASA Executive Summit for all Senior Executive Service employees. The news came as center and space industry directors continue to tell their staff [...]
Read more... »
The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is undergoing further reductions in its capability – including the elimination of the vehicle’s unmanned ability - as Constellation managers attempt to resolve numerous issues ahead of the Orion Project PDR (Preliminary Design Review). Issues noted in the recent “Top Risks” review list 10 serious issues with the Ares and Orion vehicles, ranging from [...]
Read more... »
Shuttle Discovery has been tasked with a special DTO (Detailed Test Objective) – on behalf of the Orion Project Office – to be carried out during STS-128’s re-entry. A “Catalytic Coating” has been applied to two of Discovery’s Thermal Protection System (TPS) tiles, providing Orion – and shuttle – engineers with refined aeroheating data.
Read more... »
Citing schedule concerns and technical challenges, Constellation manager Jeff Hanley has outlined a series of proposed solutions to avoid further slips in the Ares/Orion schedule. Mr Hanley proposes deleting the Ares I-Y test flight, making Ares I’s first stage disposable, switching from Orion 4 to Orion 3 as the Full Operational Capability (FOC) date, along [...]
Read more... »
A study by the Aerospace Corporation, conducted at the request of NASA to disprove the viability of an option to switch Orion to an alternative Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV), has found both the Atlas V Heavy and Delta IV Heavy are capable of launching Orion on both ISS and Lunar missions. Meanwhile, former NASA [...]
Read more... »
NASA’s Constellation Program (CxP) will conduct a “Content and Schedule” summit meeting in the next few months, after it was evaluated their current schedules are “broken”. The meeting will aim to protect against a slip that is estimated to be as serious as 18 months, or outright cancellation for Ares I. Meanwhile, the push for [...]
Read more... »
Lockheed Martin have recommended a switch of a 8Mbs Phased array on its Communications and Tracking (C&T) system to a combination phased array S-Band at low data rates with a High Gain Antenna – called Hybrid “Lite” – due to Orion’s mass and power issues.
Read more... »
US lawmakers have agreed on a stimulus package that includes just over $1 billion in additional funds for NASA, to be utilized during 2009 and 2010. While the $400m allocated towards “Exploration” is not specifically earmarked for extension of the shuttle program, it could allow NASA to take the first steps in reducing “The Gap” [...]
Read more... »
A series of Ares I Thrust Oscillation (TO) meetings have concluded with the decision to recommend baselining Ares I’s Tuned Mass Absorber (TMA) on the aft of the vehicle as a passive – as opposed to active – system, as the latest analysis – which has included human tests – reduce TO as a potential [...]
Read more... »
The requirement to carry out an additional Design Analysis Cycle (DAC) has already delayed Orion’s Preliminary Design Review (PDR) into the middle of next year.
Read more... »Design by marge-it | © 2005-2009 NASASpaceFlight.com | powered by
WordPress
| Advertising | Entries (RSS) 
.
45 queries. 0.128 seconds.