The Kennedy Space Center is undergoing improvements to its buildings and infrastructure, work which will continue at the spaceport through to 2013. Most of the work is taking place on the 50 year old waterway, which links the Turn Basin to the crawlerway through to both Pad 39A and 39B – the latter of which [...]
Read more... »
For the past several months, a plan to restart shuttle operations – funded by billions of dollars of secured non-government investment – was under evaluation with NASA and shuttle contractors prior to the secret effort ending last week. However, the group behind the effort have now switched their focus to a “Next Generation, Shuttle Capable” vehicle [...]
Read more... »
With evaluations continuing into NASA’s future crewed exploration aspirations, the foundations behind what should be a definitive roadmap – otherwise known as Exploration Systems Development (ESD) Design Reference Missions (DRM) – are starting to come to light, as outlined in the Space Launch System (SLS) Concept Of Operations (Con Ops) document.
Read more... »
As NASA continues to define and plan for the future of human space exploration of the solar system beyond Low Earth Orbit, the Human Space Exploration Community’s Workshop on the GER – in cooperation with NASA – has outlined the potential path the U.S. space agency will follow in the build up to eventual crewed [...]
Read more... »
In a potential marriage of the Space Launch System (SLS) with a central exploration plan, a Boeing-authored presentation has proposed an Exploration Gateway Platform architecture that not only returns man to the lunar surface – via the use of only one SLS launch to a reusable Lunar Lander – but provides a baseline for pathfinders [...]
Read more... »
The recently produced Concept of Operations (Con Ops) documentation has revealed the Space Launch System (SLS) will be ready to launch within a week of rollout, around a third of the average pad flow time required for the Space Shuttle. Meanwhile, the SLS Mobile Launcher (ML) has been transported back off Pad 39B following numerous [...]
Read more... »
The Space Launch System (SLS) Mobile Launcher (ML) has completed its debut trip to Pad 39B, following a steady journey atop of the Crawler Transporter (CT). While a large amount of testing will be carried out at the pad, the trip down the crawlerway provides engineers with vital data, which can be feed into the [...]
Read more... »
In a full 500 second test firing, the J-2X engine – a key part of the evolved Space Launch System (SLS) – has been put through its paces at NASA’s Stennis Space Center (SSC). Up to three of the powerful engines will power the Upper Stage of the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV), in configurations [...]
Read more... »
The Space Launch System (SLS) Mobile Launcher (ML) will make its debut Crawler Transporter (CT) trip to Pad 39B later this month. Several week’s worth of testing will be conducted – including a visually dramatic fire suppression deluge test – as part of its development towards an eventual role of hosting crewed launches to Mars.
Read more... »
Teams at the main NASA centers are continuing to build up their involvement in the Space Launch System (SLS), ranging from mission operations in Houston, infrastructure evaluation at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and vehicle design at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Exploration roadmap details remain under evaluation, although NASA claim the vehicle’s “flexibility” [...]
Read more... »
October’s NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) mission, based at the Aquarius underwater habitat in Key Largo, Florida, is set to begin this week – weather permitting. The 13 day mission will conduct an underwater simulation of protocols which may become part of a crewed mission to a Near Earth Object (NEO).
Read more... »
The Space Launch System (SLS) is undergoing final refinements – known as trades – on a preferred baseline for the opening flights, with documentation showing a preference to debut the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV) with four RS-25s on the core stage, instead of three. Should this become an approved configuration, it would allow for [...]
Read more... »
With all cylinders now firing on NASA’s exploration planning effort, the development and early mission schedule for the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion are starting to fall into place, with dramatic improvements being worked for NASA’s opening crewed Beyond Earth Orbit (BEO) mission with the Orion (MPCV), which is moving to the left by [...]
Read more... »
As the Space Launch System (SLS) continues to push on – with the latest stage being the release of the acquisition overview – NASA’s recent official announcement of the new launch vehicle has been warmly received by the first and last men to walk on the Moon. However, both Neil Armstrong and Captain Gene Cernan [...]
Read more... »
NASA managers have further refined their plans to transfer Orbiter and Ground Support Equipment (GSE) Main Propulsion System (MPS) hardware to the Space Launch System (SLS). Known as hardware retention, the plan now calls for Discovery to remain untouched, while Atlantis and Endeavour would donate their “inners” to play a key role in the development [...]
Read more... »
After several years of trade studies and political arguments, NASA administrator Charlie Bolden finally gave the Space Launch System (SLS) its official public unveiling on Wednesday. As has been known for months, the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV) is Shuttle Derived (SD) and will use $10 billion of NASA funding through to its debut launch [...]
Read more... »
NASA’s Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) are continuing to expand their involvement in exploration training and simulation by working with the international Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP) team on multi-hour missions – a precursor to deep space exploration missions, which will one day involve humans searching for signs of life on Mars.
Read more... »
NASA and Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) have conducted a full-scale test of a five-segment solid rocket motor – designated Development Motor-3 (DM-3) – at their test facility in Promontory, on Thursday. The configuration is being tested ahead of a potential role with the Space Launch System (SLS), which would utilize two of the boosters during [...]
Read more... »
NASA’s three retired Space Shuttle orbiters are set to donate their entire Main Propulsion Systems (MPS) to the opening salvo of Space Launch System (SLS) Heavy Lift Launch Vehicles (HLV). The work to remove the MPS’ array of plumbing, tanks and valves from the aft of the orbiters would result in a delay of six [...]
Read more... »
While the political side of the Space Launch System (SLS) continues to be bogged down by delays and arguments, the engineering side of the vehicle is picking up, most notably on the core stage. With Boeing’s “Pathfinder” tank completed ahead of schedule, External Tank tooling is being unwrapped for checks, ironically as ET operations officially [...]
Read more... »© 2005-2011 NASASpaceFlight.com | powered by
WordPress
| Advertising | Entries (RSS) 
.
73 queries. 0.530 seconds.