NASA Selects Prime Contractor for Ares I Rocket Avionics

12.12.07

Brewster Shaw, VP and General Manager Boeing Space Exploration, left, Jeff Hanley, Constellation Program Manager, Danny Davis, Upper Stage Element Manager, Steve Cook, Ares Project Manager, Doug Cooke, deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems, and Rick Gilbrech, Associate Administrator for Space Exploration stand with a model of the Ares I rocket, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. Brewster Shaw, VP and General Manager Boeing Space Exploration, left, Jeff Hanley, Constellation Program Manager, Danny Davis, Upper Stage Element Manager, Steve Cook, Ares Project Manager, Doug Cooke, deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems, and Rick Gilbrech, Associate Administrator for Space Exploration stand with a model of the Ares I rocket, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA has selected The Boeing Company of Huntsville, Ala., as the prime contractor to produce, deliver and install avionics systems for the Ares I rocket that will launch the Orion crew exploration vehicle into orbit. The selection is the final major contract award for Ares I. (NASA/Paul E. Alers)




Source: NASA - Constellation - Ares Launch Vehicles

The Boeing press release is reproduce below:


Photo Credit: Boeing
Neg #: MSF07-1970-1


Photo Credit: Boeing
Neg #: MSF07-1970-2


ST. LOUIS, Dec. 12, 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has been awarded an initial NASA contract valued at approximately $265 million to produce the Ares I crew launch vehicle's instrument unit avionics (IUA). The award follows Boeing's selection as the Ares I upper stage production contractor in August.

The IUA provides the guidance, navigation and control hardware for the new Ares I crew launch vehicle, serving as the "brains" behind the rocket's ascent. The Ares I launches the Orion crew exploration vehicle, which will join other elements of NASA's Constellation program to help propel astronauts to the moon by 2020.

"We are ready to use Boeing's knowledge, processes and tools to NASA's advantage and are committed to bringing the best of Boeing and the best of industry to ensure success," said Roger A. Krone, Boeing Network and Space Systems president. "We will apply proven practices and expertise from several Boeing programs, including EA-18G Growler, Future Combat Systems and Ground-based Midcourse Defense, among others."

Boeing will produce three IUA flight test units and six production units, with an option to produce four additional units per year from 2014 to 2016.

Under the contract, Boeing will employ up to 100 technical personnel to support NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The center will lead the design for the upper stage and instrument unit avionics for Ares I, while Boeing provides production and engineering support. Boeing also expects to employ up to 20 production workers at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, La., where the IUA will be added to the upper stage.

"Our team, led by Dwight Potter, worked hard to put together an attractive offer that provides high value to NASA and the country," said former astronaut and Boeing Space Exploration Vice President and General Manager Brewster Shaw. "We're honored to be a part of taking America back to the moon."

Boeing's strong supplier network will be key to the success of Ares I IUA, said Dwight Potter, Boeing Ares I IUA program manager

"NASA will reap the cost and schedule benefits of maintaining broad competition for avionics boxes," said Potter. "Boeing also will apply industry-leading lean manufacturing processes throughout the supply chain to produce the Ares I IUA and upper stage."

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.4 billion business with 72,000 employees worldwide.

###

Source: Boeing press release

The Goodyear press release is reproduce below:

· NASA Glenn Research Center and Goodyear granted Seed Funding

· Step Change Technology required for "Universal" Mobility

· Joint Lunar, Mars project capability could yield "Earthly" rewards

AKRON, Ohio, Dec. 13, 2007 – Goodyear, the innovator of run-flat tire technology on Earth, is working with NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) to significantly evolve the technology and take its capabilities to the rest of the universe. Part of a funded program by NASA’s Innovative Partnership Program (IPP) to develop non-pneumatic tires for use first on the moon, and eventually on Mars, the IPP Seed Fund was established to advance key technologies to meet critical needs for NASA’s missions.

Because of the unique atmospheric characteristics of the operational environment, "The basic rubber-pneumatic design used on Earth does not have the same utility on the moon," said NASA Principal Investigator Vivake Asnani. "The challenges associated with creating a lunar tire are further complicated by the fact that there are no lunar roads. Lunar tires need to be designed to develop traction on sandy undulated terrain, in regions that humans have never even seen up close. Plus, the prospect of an immobilizing ‘flat tire’ would be devastating to the mission."

Vivake is a founding member of the Surface Mobility Technology team at GRC that was created in late 2005 in response to the announcement by President Bush in 2004 that the United States would embark on an initiative to further explore the moon and Mars. Vivake said Goodyear was selected to work with GRC because of its experience in previous lunar programs, understanding of vehicle dynamics and state-of-the-art computer modeling capabilities.

Goodyear engineers are used to thinking out-of-the-box in terms of developing entirely new technologies, so thinking "out-of-this-world" was not a stretch, according to Joe Gingo, Goodyear’s executive vice president and chief technical officer. "The mission performance goals for these tires will push known tire technology well beyond its comfort zone," Gingo said, "and I am confident we have the capabilities to do that."

Goodyear Principal Investigator Dave Glemming said the decision to partner with NASA for this initiative was easy. "Not only will the outcome of this project deliver a product that can handle the performance capabilities required for lunar mobility and beyond, we expect the outcome will yield answers to how future non-pneumatic tires may be designed for Earth applications."

The Goodyear team will consist of a cross section of research and tire technology associates at the Akron Technical Center. In the past year Goodyear has been evaluating the Apollo lunar rover wheel, prototype pneumatic tires and non-pneumatic concepts to build a baseline understanding of the mechanics of these wheels and the challenges of the lunar environment.

While a one-year timeline to develop and demonstrate something as novel as a lunar tire seems extremely aggressive, the group is building on technology from the first moon landing, Glemming said. In the 1960s, NASA funded over 10 years of intensive research at Goodyear and General Motors to develop the wire mesh moon tire for the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV).

The LRV tire was woven out of piano wire, in order to provide a soft, springy surface to contour to the ground and provide good ride quality. It looks a bit like the skeleton of an Earth tire. This approach worked very well, because each LRV tire was only required to support about 60 pounds of weight (all things weigh 6x less on the moon than on Earth) and be used for a maximum of 75 miles. The new fleet of lunar vehicles will require tires to support about 10 times the weight and last for up to 100 times the distance. A tire that would meet such requirements would also be useful for commercial applications on Earth, Glemming said.

To extend the utility of this wire mesh tire, the team is first analyzing the original design using computer modeling tools. Furthermore, exact replicates of the tires are being manufactured and tested to find out how and why their load and life are limited. Essentially, the tires will be loaded and cycled until they fail. The Goodyear tire designers and research engineers at NASA GRC will then iteratively design, build, and laboratory-test concept tires to mitigate the failures. The exact nature of these design changes has not been disclosed yet. Following in the NASA tradition, everything will be proven and nothing taken for granted. A set of 12 tires will be built by winter of 2009 and demonstrated on the new NASA Chariot roving vehicle at the Johnson Space Center in Texas. (See _http://robonaut.jsc.nasa.gov/chariot/.)

Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies. The company employs about 70,000 people and manufactures its products in more than 60 facilities in 26 countries around the world. For more information about Goodyear go to _www.goodyear.com/corporate.

Glenn Research Center develops technologies and flight systems for NASA’s exploration aeronautics, and science missions. For more information about NASA Glenn, go to _http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/home/index.html.



Source: Goodyear press release

Goodyear’s prototype non-pneumatic tire, under development for use first on the moon and eventually on Mars, builds on technology pioneered by Goodyear in the 1960s for the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle’s (LRV) wire mesh moon tire. During the past year, Goodyear has been using computer modeling tools to analyze the LRV’s original design, evaluating the Apollo lunar rover wheel, along with prototype pneumatic tires and non-pneumatic concepts, in order to build a baseline understanding of the wheel’s mechanics and the challenges of the lunar environment.



Source: Goodyear Media Photos

The Lockheed Martin press release is reproduced below:

Lockheed Martin Team Opens New Space Exploration Development Laboratory For Orion And Constellation

Houston, TX, December 12th, 2007 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] announced today the opening of its new space Exploration Development Laboratory in a ceremony dedicating the facility to support the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Project Orion and Constellation Program. Orion isAmerica’s next-generation human spaceflight vehicle that will transport up to six astronauts to and from the International Space Station and up to four to the moon and destinations beyond, beginning in 2015 after the space shuttle is retired.

The new 10,000 sq. ft. Exploration Development Laboratory is a state-of-the-art test facility funded by Lockheed Martin and its teammates United Space Alliance and Honeywell as part of an integrated EDL network that includes facilities in Denver, CO, Glendale, AZ and Arlington, VA. The EDL network is designed to reduce cost and schedule risk by providing an early opportunity to perform systems level avionics and software testing for Orion in a realistic environment in the development phase of the program.

“The Exploration Development Lab provides a tremendous benefit to NASA and the Lockheed Martin team as we begin a very robust test program for Orion,” said Cleon Lacefield, vice president and program manager of Project Orion for Lockheed Martin Space Systems. “We are very excited to have the EDL ready and operational for Orion and Constellation so early in the development phase of the program. Testing in this new facility has already begun and we successfully completed the first Pad Abort 1 avionics systems test for Orion last week.”

The EDL in Houston is located adjacent to NASA Johnson Space Center, enabling the Lockheed Martin team to work closely with NASA’s Project Orion and Constellation Program early in the development and testing phase to gain clarity on requirements. This location allows the team to take full advantage of the breadth of human space flight experience in Houston, including early involvement and collaboration with astronaut flight crew members and flight controllers.

Initial testing of critical systems will be done in the EDL, including the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C), Automated Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D), crew interfaces, and software development processes. Avionics system testing will be performed to reduce risk prior to abort flight testing at White Sands Missile Range and NASA Kennedy Space Center. EDL testing also will include system integration tests and mission tests that employ the team’s “test like you fly” philosophy. The Lockheed Martin team also is working closely with NASA on a Human Engineering mockup that will be used to perform fact finding activities, such as reach zone, panel displays, internal lighting assessment, seat mockup and development, docking hatch development, crew stowage, hand controller development, and other human interface devices.

Following EDL testing, the next phase of tests will be done at NASA’s CEV Avionics Integration Laboratory (CAIL). Verification of requirements in the EDL ensures that certification in the CAIL will be successful, greatly reducing software development risk.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, a major operating unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation, designs, develops, tests, manufactures and operates a full spectrum of advanced-technology systems for national security, civil and commercial customers. Chief products include human space flight systems; a full range of remote sensing, navigation, meteorological and communications satellites and instruments; space observatories and interplanetary spacecraft; laser radar; fleet ballistic missiles; and missile defense systems.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md. , Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2006 sales of $39.6 billion.

Joan Underwood, Lockheed Martin Space Systems

Office 303-971-7398; Mobile 303-594-7073
email, joan.b.underwood@lmco.com

Source: Lockheed Martin Press Release

The press release is reproduced below:

Beth Dickey/Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/4997
beth.dickey-1@nasa.gov, stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov

Kim Newton
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034
kimberly.d.newton@nasa.gov


RELEASE: 07-281

NASA to Begin Testing of Engine That Will Power Ares Rockets

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - In December, NASA will begin testing core components of a rocket engine from the Apollo era. Data from the tests will help NASA build the next generation engine that will power the nation's new Ares launch vehicles on voyages that will send humans to the moon.

NASA will test the engine's powerpack, a gas generator and turbopumps that perform the rocket engine's major pumping and combustion work. These components originally delivered propellants to the Apollo-era J-2 engine that fueled the second stage of the Saturn V rockets.

NASA is using these heritage parts to develop a new engine, known as the J2-X, to power the upper stages of both the Ares I crew launch vehicle and the Ares V cargo launch vehicle. Results from the tests will help engineers modify the machinery to meet the higher performance requirements of these two next-generation rockets.

"The J-2X engine will incorporate significant upgrades to meet higher thrust and efficiency requirements for Ares," said Mike Kynard, manager of the upper stage engine in the Ares Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. "That's why we're taking a new look at these components -- to gather performance data, test their limits, and reduce risks down the road when we're building and testing the engine."

The powerpack tests will be conducted at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss., where the components were installed in late September 2007.

"The final checkouts of the test article and facility are in work," said Gary Benton, test project manager of the Ares upper stage engine at Stennis. "The test team at Stennis has put a lot of effort into this project and looks forward to getting these first tests completed."

During the initial trials, engineers will run propellants through the powerpack, monitoring its ducts, valves and lines while simulating conditions as if it were attached to a rocket upper stage and main combustion chamber. Engineers will be able to preview conditions that might be present during an engine test fire.

The first test in the series will be a chill test, during which engineers will verify the tightness of seals in the fuel lines and pumps at propellant temperatures as low as minus 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Engineers also will verify accuracy of the chill procedure and determine the amount of time required to chill the pumps.

Later tests in the series will progress to include test fires at a variety of power levels and durations ranging from 12 seconds to 550 seconds. Testing is set to continue through February 2008.

The Ares rockets support NASA's goal of providing safe, reliable, affordable transportation to support sustainable, long-term exploration. The Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket that will transport the Orion crew vehicle to low Earth orbit. Orion will accommodate as many as six astronauts on missions to the International Space Station or as many as four crew members on lunar missions. The Ares V, a heavy-lift launch vehicle, will enable NASA to launch a variety of science and exploration payloads and key components needed to go to the moon.

The J-2X is an evolved version of two historic predecessors: the J-2 engine that propelled the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets, and the J-2S, a simplified version of the J-2 that was developed and tested in the early 1970s.

Marshall manages the J-2X upper stage engine for NASA's Constellation Program, based at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Under a contract awarded in July 2007, Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne Inc., of Canoga Park, Calif., will design, develop, test and evaluate the engine.

For more information about Ares launch vehicles, visit:


For more information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit:


For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:


Source: NASA Press Release 07-281

The contract release is reproduced below:

Dec. 18, 2007

Beth Dickey/Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/4997
beth.dickey-1@nasa.gov, stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov

Kelly Humphries/Lynnette Madison
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov, lynnette.b.madison@nasa.gov

CONTRACT RELEASE: C07-61

NASA Awards Orion Project Integration Services Contract

WASHINGTON - NASA has awarded a contract for Orion Project integration services to Barrios Technology Ltd. of Houston. The small business contract has a potential value of $49 million with options. Work on the contract will be performed at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, with additional work possible at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Barrios will provide critical products and services supporting the Constellation Program's Orion Project, which is developing new spacecraft to transport people to the International Space Station, the moon and beyond. Barrios will support the project's business management, configuration and data management, requirements analysis and integration, and engineering and technical services.

The procurement was a small business set-aside. The basic period of the indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-award-fee contract is three years. The contract's base value is not to exceed $29 million. Two one-year extension options are available and could bring the total contract value to $49 million. Science Applications International Corporation of Houston will be a major subcontractor.

More information about the Orion Project integration contract strategy is available at:

_http://procurement.jsc.nasa.gov/opic

For information about NASA's exploration program, visit:

_http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

- end -

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: NASA Contract Release C07-61

NASA Chooses "Altair" as Name for Astronauts' Lunar Lander

12.18.07

NASA has selected Altair as the name of the lunar lander the Constellation Program will use to put humans on the moon.


Image above: Three crew members work in the area of their lunar lander on the lunar surface in this NASA
artist's rendering. Please note that this artwork is not precise. NASA currently is seeking input from industry
experts and is developing conceptual designs for Altair.
Image credit: NASA
+ View hi-res image
+ View lo-res image

Altair will be capable of landing four astronauts on the moon, providing life support and a base for weeklong initial surface exploration missions, and returning the crew to the Orion spacecraft that will bring them home to Earth. Altair will launch aboard an Ares V rocket into low Earth orbit, where it will rendezvous with the Orion crew vehicle.


Image above: Orion (right) flies in space while docked with a lunar lander in this NASA
artist's rendering. Please note that this artwork is not precise.
Image credit: NASA
+ View hi-res image
+ View lo-res image

Altair finds its origins in Arabic and is derived from a phrase that means "the flying one." Altair is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila and is the 12th brightest star in the night sky. In Latin, Aquila means "eagle," reminiscent of the historic lunar exploration module Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon in 1969.

Altair is a key component in the Constellation Program, which is building the spacecraft, launch vehicles and surface support systems to establish a lunar outpost. This work will provide experience needed to expand human exploration farther into the solar system.


Image above: Orion (right) flies in space while docked with a lunar lander in this NASA
artist's rendering. Please note that this artwork is not precise.
Image credit: NASA
+ View hi-res image
+ View lo-res image

NASA currently is seeking input from industry experts and is developing conceptual designs for Altair. Between 2009 and 2011, the project plans to build hardware and test concepts.

The first crewed flight of the Orion spacecraft aboard an Ares I rocket is scheduled for no later than 2015, when it will fly to the International Space Station. Altair's first landing on the moon with an astronaut crew is planned for no later than 2020.

Source: NASA - Constellation - Altair Lunar Lander

The ATK press release is reproduce below:

Jan 11, 2008
The Value of the Initial Design and Development Contract is Expected to Exceed $50 Million

ATK Anticipates Solar Array Production to Continue Through 2020

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) has been selected by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, a division of Lockheed Martin Corporation to design, develop and build UltraFlex solar arrays for NASA's next generation Orion crew exploration vehicle. The value of the initial design and development contract is expected to exceed $50 million. Program management, design, engineering, analysis, manufacturing, assembly and test work for the solar arrays will be conducted at ATK's facility in Goleta, CA. Because the flight solar array system is expendable for each Orion mission, ATK expects continuous production through 2020 and beyond.

Powered by ATK's solar arrays, Orion is being designed to carry astronauts to the moon. It also will transport crew and cargo to the International Space Station.

ATK's UltraFlex disk shaped solar arrays, each measuring greater than 5 meters in diameter, will track the sun and provide power for Orion during its mission. ATK's UltraFlex arrays offer superior performance characteristics and mission enabling features, including ultra-lightweight, high strength, high stiffness, and compact stowage volume. The UltraFlex solar array configured for Orion will provide over twenty-five times the strength and ten times the stiffness of ATK's conventional rigid panel solar arrays, at less than one-fourth the weight.

"We are very excited to play such a key partner role on Lockheed Martin's team supporting NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle," said Mike Cerneck, Vice President and General Manager of ATK Space, headquartered in Beltsville, MD. "ATK is a leader in the development and supply of mission-enabling deployable space systems and we look forward to supporting NASA's new era of space exploration."

ATK is an industry leader in solar array systems-engineering competencies. It offers a broad range of technologies, skills and products, and a proven production and test capability for solar array systems. To date the company has delivered over 70 solar array wing systems.

ATK is an advanced weapon and space systems company with annual revenues in excess of $4.1 billion that employs more than 17,000 people in 21 states. News and information can be found on the Internet at _http://www.atk.com/.

Certain information discussed in this press release constitutes forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although ATK believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Among those factors are: the challenges of developing advanced space exploration technologies, changes in governmental spending, budgetary policies and product sourcing strategies; the company's competitive environment; the terms and timing of awards and contracts; and economic conditions. ATK undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For further information on factors that could impact ATK, and statements contained herein, please refer to ATK's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Media Contact:
Tracy Imm
Phone: 410-864-4824
E-mail: tracy.imm@atk.com

Investor Contact:
Steve Wold
Phone: 952-351-3056
E-mail: steve.wold@atk.com

SOURCE: ATK

Source: ATK press release

The press release is reproduced below:

Beth Dickey/Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/4997
beth.dickey-1@nasa.gov, stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov

Lynnette Madison
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
lynnette.b.madison@nasa.gov


RELEASE: 08-008

NASA Announces Study Proposal on Design of Human Lunar Lander

WASHINGTON -- NASA's Constellation Program has released a broad agency announcement for study proposals to evaluate human landing craft concepts for exploring the moon.

The Altair spacecraft will deliver four astronauts to the lunar surface late in the next decade. NASA plans to establish an outpost on the moon through a sustainable and affordable series of lunar missions beginning no later than 2020.

"By soliciting ideas and suggestions from industry and the science community, NASA hopes to foster a collaborative environment during this early design effort," said Jeff Hanley, the Constellation Program manager. "Such collaboration will support the development of a safe, reliable and technologically sound vehicle for our crews."

NASA is seeking responses in two primary areas before the release of a prime contract for lunar lander design, development, test and evaluation. Those areas include an evaluation of NASA's current developmental concept and innovative safety improvements, and recommendations for industry-government partnerships.

This broad agency announcement will be open to industry for 30 days from the issue date of Jan. 11.

NASA expects to award study contracts in the first quarter of 2008. A total of $1.5 million is available for awards. The maximum individual award amount is $350,000. The contract performance period is six months.

The Constellation Program, based at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, manages the Altair Project for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. Constellation is developing a new space transportation system that is designed to travel beyond low Earth orbit. The Constellation fleet includes the Orion crew exploration vehicle, the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles and Altair human lunar lander.

For more information about NASA's Constellation Program on the Internet, visit:


For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:


Source: NASA Press Release 08-008

Keeping it Cool

01.31.08

NASA is teaming up technology developed for the space shuttle and designs used for the Apollo Program to produce elements of the next spacecraft destined to deliver astronauts to the moon.

An early sign of that combination has made its way to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in the form of a prototype heat shield, which is the same size and dimensions of the one planned to protect the Orion spacecraft as it enters Earth's atmosphere on the way back from the International Space Station or the moon.


Image above: A developmental heat shield for the
Orion spacecraft is being tested and evaluated at
Kennedy. The shield was designed for NASA's
Constellation Program.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The arrival of the heat shield stirred up excitement from workers on the Constellation Program as they were able to see for the first time one of the first pieces of Orion's full-scale test hardware.

"When (it) got here at the end of November, it was very exciting because it is the first piece of hardware," said Joy Huff, a NASA shuttle orbiter thermal protection system engineer who is spearheading Kennedy's work on the Orion heat shield. "Not flight hardware, but it is flight-type material. And just to see the full size, it really gives you a scale of the size of it."

At five meters in diameter, the heat shield is the largest one of its kind ever built. The prototype was built largely just to prove it could be done, Huff said.

Also known as a manufacturing demonstration unit, or MDU, the prototype was also created by the need to develop heat shield evaluation, inspection and handling procedures, said Jim Reuther, project manager of the Crew Exploration Vehicle thermal protection system at NASA's Ames Research Center.

Although parts of Orion's thermal protection system, which serves as a barrier against the heat upon re-entry into Earth, will use shuttle tile materials, the base of the heat shield endures the most heat and will burn away or "ablate" as it descends through the atmosphere at more than 25,000 mph.

The use of ablative materials mirrors that of the Apollo Program's approach, in which the entire entry capsule was covered with an ablator, Reuther said. The Orion heat shield also uses techniques perfected for the shuttle's thermal protection system, particularly the bonding method used to attach the segments of ablative material to the base heat shield. But since the area to be protected is much smaller than that of the shuttle, and because the base of Orion's heat shield will not be reused, its design is simpler in respect to the number of parts and reusability.

The prototype heat shield is made of the leading candidate material called PICA, which stands for phenolic impregnated carbon ablator material. The PICA material was previously used for the base heat shield of Stardust, a small robotic spacecraft that successfully completed its mission of obtaining comet samples and returned to Earth in January 2006.

Because Stardust was less than 3 feet in diameter, it was possible to cast its heat shield in a single piece as opposed to the many pieces needed to make Orion's heat shield. At 16.5 feet in diameter, Orion's heat shield will require up to 200 pieces of PICA blocks.

"The actual final number of PICA blocks will be determined by both manufacturing and thermal-mechanical design constraints,"Reuther said. "However, when compared to the roughly 24,000 tiles used on the shuttle, the final number of blocks will be very manageable."


In Hangar N at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a
prototype heat shield for the Constellation crew
exploration vehicle is being prepared for testing.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The blocks on the heat shield share the same delicate characteristics as the shuttle's tiles. Designers also plan to include gap fillers between blocks, just as with the shuttle.

NASA chose an ablative heat shield that slowly burns off because it can handle higher temperatures than the shuttle's reusable tiles. A spacecraft returning from a lunar mission is expected to encounter temperatures as high as 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, compared to about 2,300 degrees for a space shuttle re-entry. Because of this, the Orion heat shield can only be used once, Huff said.

The prototype heat shield rests in Hangar N at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station where will it undergo several months of nondestructive evaluation testing, or NDE, that mainly includes laser scans and X-rays. The tests will be used to reveal flaws purposely built into the heat shield.

"We want to get it into the X-ray facility to use X-rays to look for these known flaws," Huff said. "That's part of the NDE task to come up with standards, so when you get a flight unit, you know what you're flying."

But before any NDE testing can be performed, the team at Kennedy has to learn the best way to move and handle the heat shield. Because of the size of the prototype, they also will have to test and develop new handling standards that will be applied to the actual flight heat shields.

Backup procedures call for using a crane to handle the prototype, but Huff said she hopes to see an adaptor made that will allow a forklift to be used instead. The forklift would make it easier to handle the prototype inside buildings and as it undergoes testing procedures.

"The materials (for the adaptor) have been ordered, (so we) should be fabricating (it) within the next few weeks, get that built and then we'll put the MDU on the adaptor and start NDE testing," Huff said.

She's looking forward to a special milestone to take place by late summer: turning all handling and NDE testing results over to Lockheed Martin.

And when that happens, the Constellation Program's mission of putting man on the moon and beyond will be one big step closer.

Tanya Nguyen, Staff Writer
NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center

Source: NASA - Constellation Program - Orion Crew Vehicle

The Boeing press release is reproduce below:

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 06, 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today hosted an aerospace industry conference in Huntsville, Ala., to recruit the nation's best suppliers for the Ares I Instrument Unit Avionics (IUA) contract.

As prime contractor, Boeing will produce, deliver and install avionics systems for the Ares I rocket. The system consists of onboard computers, flight controls, communications equipment, and other instruments and software for monitoring and adjusting the rocket's speed and position during flight. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville is leading the overall design effort.

The Ares I Industry Day conference drew more than 140 suppliers of all sizes and started the process of finding the best suppliers for NASA.

"We promised NASA we would encourage early supplier involvement while using competition to provide the best IUA solutions. That means giving NASA the opportunity to benefit from Boeing's buying power and expertise," said Dwight Potter, Boeing Ares I IUA program manager.

Boeing is looking to attract suppliers for items such as avionics components, wire harnesses and ground support equipment.

"Suppliers are an integral part of our Ares I program team, and our success depends on their participation and performance," Potter said.

Boeing provided attending suppliers with information about the Ares I avionics requirements and outlined plans to issue requests for information and proposals.

"We plan to distribute information requests in February with some preliminary NASA specifications to solicit initial comments and innovative ideas from industry. We can then work with NASA to finalize the requirements, eventually leading to draft and final requests for proposals (RFPs) in the coming months," said Ray Robin, Boeing Exploration Launch Systems supplier management. "We hope by including suppliers fully in the process, they will better understand our needs and provide us with innovative solutions. Following the RFPs, we'll go through the source-selection process later this year."

Boeing also targeted small businesses during the Industry Day event, recognizing the considerable benefits that small businesses offer.

"On the Ares program, we are focused on exceeding our small business goals and want to help small businesses develop the infrastructure needed to take on larger, more complex projects," said Robin.

Boeing operates one of the world's largest, most diverse global supplier networks in support of its space, commercial and defense programs. Through its supplier network, Boeing can ensure NASA benefits from the latest technologies while improving quality, cost and delivery schedules.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.1 billion business with 72,000 employees worldwide.

###

Source: Boeing press release

The Boeing press release is reproduce below:

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 15, 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has signed an associate contractor's agreement (ACA) with five other aerospace companies to work together on the Ares I upper stage. The agreement will save NASA time and resources by ensuring its contractors work together seamlessly.

The ACA was formed with those companies that have key contracts with Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Ala., on the Ares I upper stage. Participating companies include Aerojet, Boeing, Hamilton Sundstrand, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., Moog Inc., and Teledyne Brown Engineering Inc.

"The Ares I upper stage associates are being proactive and using the resources of our respective companies to resolve technical issues before they become problems for NASA," said Jim Chilton, Boeing vice president and program manager of Exploration Launch Systems.

Roger Campbell, Ares I upper stage program integration manager for Boeing, added, "NASA has encouraged us to use this approach to work together, transition complementary activities and resolve issues ourselves wherever possible." Boeing uses a similar approach on the International Space Station program.

Each company performs a wide variety of work for NASA. Aerojet has an advanced development contract for the first stage roll control system, which helps control the rocket during first stage flight. Hamilton Sundstrand, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), has an advanced development contract on the turbine pump assembly for the thrust vector control (TVC) system, which steers the upper stage engine. Under an engineering services contract, Jacobs is providing design support for MSFC. Moog Inc. has several advanced technology development contracts with NASA, including a prevalve for the main propulsion system and actuators and controllers for the TVC system. Teledyne Brown Engineering, under its support contract, is helping NASA with manufacturing process development of the Ares I-X test vehicle, including its roll control system, and other engineering support and test-related tasks.

The ACA can be expanded to include other companies and will continue as long as it remains beneficial to NASA and the associates.

Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket that will carry the Orion crew exploration vehicle to low-Earth orbit. This rocket will succeed the space shuttle as NASA's primary vehicle for human exploration in the next decade. Boeing will produce the upper stage and avionics for the new rocket.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.1 billion business with 71,000 employees worldwide.

###

Source: Boeing press release

Game On: NASA Advances Virtual Cockpit for Moon Landings

02.22.08

For the next generation of space explorers, landing on the moon or Mars might feel similar to playing an out-of-this-world video game.

NASA engineers are testing and fine-tuning software that combines a pilot’s cockpit view with preloaded imagery to provide a complete visual of the pilot’s external surroundings. In the future, NASA astronauts may use this technology to fly and land spacecraft. The system takes live video from outside the spacecraft and blends it with other imagery sources such as satellite photos, heads-up displays and topographical maps. The software then projects a composite image on flat-panel displays in front of the pilot. The combined imagery displays would allow the pilot to see landing areas, flight paths, keep-out areas and terrain information even if the view from the cockpit offers little or no visibility.

“Imagine driving down a foggy road in your car," said Jeff Fox, team lead for the project at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. "The system could project a virtual reality-type image in front of you to show you the lines on the road, any obstacles in the way and even the speed limit or other warning signs. This would increase your situational awareness immensely."


View footage from the research aircraft during the
recent flight demonstration of the Advanced
Cockpit Evaluation System.
+ Windows Media
+ Real

NASA pilots and engineers began work on the Advanced Cockpit Evaluation System software in 2004 with two private companies, Rapid Imaging Software and Aerospace Applications North America. The system recently was demonstrated for NASA’s Constellation program using a research aircraft at Ellington Field outside of Houston. Several research pilots and astronaut pilots were aboard. To simulate a lunar approach and landing, the software engineers configured the system to display a lunar black sky with landing corridors, keep-out zones, targets and other flight data on one of the monitors. The other two monitors showed a blend of video from outside the test aircraft and synthetic imagery.

"This was a terrific opportunity to see this type of technology in a flight environment, and it demonstrates the inexpensive nature of the system, which uses off-the-shelf computer monitors and cameras and is completely adaptable." Fox said.

The system could be used in NASA’s mission to return to the moon: in the astronauts’ lunar lander and lunar rover, in helmets for spacewalks and in rendezvous operations with the Orion crew spacecraft. The possible uses of such a system are vast, but one thing is sure: when NASA astronauts explore the moon, they will be able to visualize orbital and landing operations in a way that never has been used.

As NASA engineers continue to develop this technology, young video game enthusiasts should continue to hone their skills at home. One day, the joystick in their hand just might be piloting the Orion crew capsule through space or guiding the Altair lunar lander to a safe resting place on the moon.

Josh Byerly
NASA's Johnson Space Center

Source: NASA - Constellation Program

The contract release is reproduced below:

Beth Dickey/Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/4997
beth.dickey-1@nasa.gov, stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov

Lynnette Madison/Josh Byerly
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
lynnette.b.madison@nasa.gov, bill.j.byerly@nasa.gov

CONTRACT RELEASE: C08-007

NASA Awards Constellation Program Support Contract

WASHINGTON - NASA has awarded SGT Inc. of Greenbelt, Md., a contract for support services for Constellation Program, which is developing new spacecraft to travel beyond low Earth orbit. The Constellation fleet includes the Orion crew vehicle, the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles and Altair human lunar lander. The small business contract has a potential value of $60 million with options.

Work on the contract will be performed at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston with additional work possible at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

SGT Inc. will provide program planning and control services supporting the Constellation Program. Services include the program's business management, configuration and data management, requirements analysis and integration, schedule management and integration and technology protection.

The base period of the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-award-fee contract is three years, effective April 11. The contract's base value is not to exceed $60 million. Two one-year extension options are available and could bring the total contract value to $100 million.

For more information about the contract, visit:


For information about NASA's exploration program, visit:


Source: NASA Contract Release C08-007

NASA's Newest Concept Vehicles Take Off-Roading Out of This World

02.27.08

In a car commercial, it would sound odd: active suspension, six-wheel drive with independent steering for each wheel, no doors, no windows, no seats and the only color it comes in is gold.

But NASA's latest concept vehicle is meant to go way, way off-road -- as in 240,000 miles from the nearest pavement, driving on the moon. NASA is working to send astronauts to the moon by 2020 to set up a lunar outpost, where they will do scientific research and prepare for journeys to destinations like Mars.




Images above: While designing the lunar truck, JSC engineers
threw out some traditional assumptions on what a vehicle needs
-- for instance, doors and seats -- and added interesting new
capabilities such as active suspension, six-wheel drive with
independent steering for each wheel.
Credit: NASA

NASA is testing many technologies needed for research on the moon. Two examples are a lunar truck for astronauts and a rover equipped with a drill designed to dig into the moon's soil.

The concept for a future lunar truck was built at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. The vehicle provides an idea of what the transportation possibilities may be when astronauts start exploring the moon. Other than a few basic requirements, the primary instruction given to the designers was to throw away assumptions made on NASA's previous rovers and come up with new ideas.

"To be honest with you, it was scary when we started," said Lucien Junkin, a Johnson robotics engineer and the design lead for the prototype rover. "They tasked us last October to build the next generation rover and challenge the conventional wisdom. The idea is that, in the future, NASA can put this side-by-side with alternate designs and start to pick their features."

One of the first standards to go was the traditional expectation that a vehicle should have four wheels. Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, still cruising around the Red Planet, have already proved the value of a couple of extra wheels. When one of the six wheels became inoperable, the rovers had no problem rolling on the remaining five.

With the number of wheels decided, the next question was just how those wheels should turn. On a car, the front wheels turn a few inches in either direction, and both wheels point in the same direction. On this rover, all six wheels can pivot individually in any direction, regardless of where any other wheel points. To parallel park, a driver could pull up next to the parking place, turn all the wheels to the right and slide right in.

Of course, astronauts will not have trouble finding a parking space on the moon. But the feature, called crab steering, has advantages for a vehicle designed to drive into the craters of the moon. If a slope is too steep to drive down safely, the vehicle could drive sideways instead -- no backing up or three-point turns required. The all-wheels, all-ways steering also could come in handy when unloading and docking payloads or plugging into a habitat for recharging.

Introducing crab steering drove the concept in a few other ways. If the rover's wheels turn to drive in a different direction, the driver needs to be able to do the same. The driver stands at the steering mechanism because sitting in a spacesuit is not comfortable or practical. The astronaut's perch -- steering mechanism, driver and all -- can pivot 360 degrees.

"The Apollo astronauts couldn't back up at all because they couldn't see where they were going in reverse," said Rob Ambrose, assistant chief of the Automation, Robotics and Simulation Division at Johnson. "If you have a payload on the back or are plugging into something, it could be really important to keep your eyes directly on it."

The vehicle also can be the ultimate lowrider. It can lower its belly to the ground, making it easier for astronauts in spacesuits to climb on and off. Individual wheels or sections can be raised and lowered to keep the vehicle level when driving on uneven ground.

Some, all or none of these features may be selected to be in the design of a rover that eventually goes to the moon. NASA's lunar architects currently envision pressurized rovers that would travel in pairs, two astronauts in each rover. The new prototype vehicle is meant to provide ideas as those future designs are developed.

"This rover concept changed the whole paradigm," said Diane Hope, program element manager for NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., which sponsored the vehicle's development. "It's not something I would have expected. It provides an alternative approach."


A Robot to Find Water and Oxygen on the Moon

A robot rover designed for prospecting within lunar craters has to operate in continual darkness at extremely cold temperatures with little power. The moon has one-sixth the gravity of Earth, so a lightweight rover will have a difficult job resisting drilling forces and remaining stable. Lunar soil, known as regolith, is abrasive and compact, so if a drill strikes ice, it likely will have the consistency of concrete. Meeting these challenges in one system requires ingenuity and teamwork. Engineers used this lunar rover to demonstrate a drill capable of digging samples of regolith. The demonstration used a laser light camera to select a site for drilling then commanded the four-wheeled rover to lower the drill and collect three-foot samples of soil and rock.


Image above: This robot shares some features with the lunar
truck, but is equipped with a drill designed to find water and
oxygen-rich soil on the moon.
Credit: Carnegie Mellon University

Source: NASA - Constellation Program

The media advisory is reproduced below:

Stephanie Schierholz/Grey Hautaluoma
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-4997/0668
stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov, grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov

Emily Outen
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
757-864-7022/272-9859
emily.s.outen@nasa.gov


MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-052

Media Invited to See Hardware Built to Test Astronaut Escape System

HAMPTON, Va. - Reporters are invited to see a mock-up of the Constellation Program's Orion crew vehicle at NASA's Langley Research Center on Wednesday, March 12. The simulated capsule will be used in the first short-range flight test of the spacecraft's astronaut escape system. Project managers from Langley and NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will be available to brief media.

Engineers at Langley fabricated the structure, which precisely represents the size, outer shape and mass characteristics of the Orion space capsule. Part of NASA's fleet of next generation spacecraft, Orion is being designed to take astronauts to the International Space Station and later to the moon.

After testing is complete at Langley, the crew module will be shipped to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., for further test preparations, including installation of flight computers, instrumentation and other electronics. Dryden will send the completed module to the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, where it will be integrated with the escape system for the abort flight test in late 2008.

Media interested attending the presentation and briefing should contact Emily Outen by noon, March 11, at 757-864-7022, 757-272-9859 or 757-344-7211.

NASA's Image of the Day Gallery for March 5 features the mockup. View the picture at:


For more information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit:


Source: NASA Media Advisory M08-052

Orion

A mock-up of the Orion space capsule heads to its temporary home in a hangar at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.

In late 2008, the full-size structural model will be jettisoned off a simulated launch pad at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to test the spacecraft's astronaut escape system, which will ensure a safe, reliable method of escape for astronauts in case of an emergency.

NASA's Constellation program is building the Orion crew vehicle to carry humans to the International Space Station by 2015 and to the moon beginning in 2020.

Image Credit: NASA/Sean Smith

Source: NASA - Multimedia - Image of the Day Gallery

God, that's exciting to look at, isn't it?

Reminds you of something we used long ago, doesn't it?

This is alot bigger, and certainly stacked with the latest technology...but she sure looks like a familar old ship.


This is gonna be fun!

Taking one step back in order to take two forward. This time going to the moon will be done properly, with science and exploration the primary goals not politics. This time we will be going to stay, not just for a quick look around. This time our sights will be set on even more distant goals with the moon being the stepping stone to Mars.

Fun... oh yes.

I concur, my friend.
(...nothing like coming home Blunt End Forward! I can't wait!).

And speaking of fun...we get to go flying again in about 6 days...

I spent a couple hours reviewing everything this afternoon.
This is gonna be a hell of a mission!

I`ve just started re-reading the Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson, which centre's on the colonisation and terraformation of Mars, so I`m currently obsessed with space news again, and seeing that just recently NASA's budget was increased, that the rover's are still going strong, that this project is charging ahead etc.... is fantastic. Although I was a bit concerned about Obama expressing plan's to delay our return to the moon by five years if elected. He has however softened his stance but it is quite concerning, luckily McCain and Clinton have both expressed significant support and confidence in the program. Clinton even mentioned the possibility of increasing funding for this program, which would be brilliant. What do our resident space experts MID and Waspie Dwarf think about the presidental candidates position on the space program?

Excellent books, and Kim Stanley Robinson is a nice chap. I met him at a book signing in London a few years ago (when Antarctica had just been published). I had a nice long chat with him about the Alan Hills meteorite (the one which was thought to contain evidence on life on Mars) and how it would have change the Marstrilogy id it had been discovered before he wrote them (the answer, in short, was "significantly").


I'm afraid this is one for MID to answer. As a Brit I am a little behind on the current thinking of the contenders. Indeed I am being a bit parochial at the moment. With rumours abounding that the UK may finally get rid of its ban on joining manned space programmes on one hand and massive cut backs in the UK astronomy budget on the other (even the great Jodrell Bank Radio Observatory may be under threat) my worries have been a bit closer to home.

I honestly haven't heard a thing regarding the Democratic positions on it, altough I heard about McCain's position, briefly. That was favorable.
Personally, I am not a huge fan of John McCain's, for complex reasons....but, I accept the fact that he's the only viable candidate for the job this time around. Despite my personal dis-agreements with some of his positions, he is favorable on many important issues.

Neither Obama or Clinton are favorable on any.

I haven't heard that either one supports the Space Exploration Initiative, and frankly, even if I did hear that they said they did, I would be inclined to pooh-pooh it.
Given the spending proposals and programs of either one of them (and I see little fundamntal difference between the two, save in their sex), I can only visualize that their programs will eventually curtail expenditures on the initiative that by definition, requires the continued suppoort of several successive administrations to see through.

Personally, I think a Democratic victory in November 2008, without a concurrent opposite victory in the Congress, will, among several other detrimental things, lead to deterioration, if not a complete standstill in regard the initiative that's designed to get us back on the Moon in the coming years...


...and if Clinton said she would possibly increase funding for the Initiative, I'd be inclined to ask her where in hell she thought she'd get the money to do that, given her proposals to fund socialized medicine, and other government programs that aren't necessary and which would in fact be detrimental, and the inevitable tax increase she'd put in place...reducing, as it always does, government revenue and slowing the economy as her Husband did during his term....

Interesting, I personally agree with your views on the three contenders as although it would be nice to have a women or African-american as president many of their policies or lack therof has me leaning towards supporting McCain even though I can`t vote, being an Australian. Also I can base my support entirely on their positions on the space program and more specifically this initative as American domestic issues don`t affect me. I suppose the space program really isn`t a major issue in the US with the state of your economy, the war on terror and so on, though.



True, I hadn`t really thought about that when reading the trilogy the first or second time but that would have definately caused Kim to alter it "significantly" had it been discovered before he began the series. I wonder just how long it will be before we take our first step's on Mars and establish an outpost, probably a lot longer than it should sadly.

Well, I actually don't want to get this thread off on a political tangent, but...

I don't think the fact that a woman and an African-american are running for the Democratic nomination for President is a relevancy whatsoever. The idea that it would be nice to have either one of them in the highest office in the land because of sex or race is utterly untenable.

The number of mush-minds I've heard say that they're for Hillary Clinton BECAUSE SHE'S A WOMAN...is absolutely amazing, and profoundly distressing. Because, THAT is the wrong woman for the job...

It's actually a matter of the fact that neither of these Democrats have any relevant experience (large scale management experience and a record of accomplishment in those areas), and both of them hold to policies which will prove destructive in many ways. Both are blatantly unattractive and scary.

The space program in the U.S. has, unfortunately, not been a major issue in people's minds since the 1960s, and it was never a major piece of the Federal budget. It is less today than it was then, and it wasn't a significant slice of the pie then.

It has nothing to do with the state of the economy (which is in a better state today than it was in 8 years ago by a long shot), but the war on terror is definitely the priority issue today. That of course, shouldn't, by rights have an effect on the pittance we spend on space efforts...but if the Democrats become dominant, it will, almost assuredly have an effect, because the money for the massive government programs proposed by these two will drain many other worthwhile things we do spend money on now...not the least of which is the pockets of the populace of this country.

Agreed, I could never base my vote on a person's sex or race, their party isn`t even that relevant to me, only their policies and actions influence my vote. However if they happened to be the first women or indigenous Australian to become prime minister down here it would simply be nothing more than a nice bonus. Anyway to get back on topic this is Obama's original position on this program:

"Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama released a new $18 billion education plan yesterday that he proposes to pay for by delaying the NASA Constellation program (to return humans to the moon) five years."

Link

When reading through the entire article the implication's of such a policy become quite clear and are definately quite disturbing. It is obvious he had not been well informed on this program at all.

However facing quite a bit of criticism over such a policy he has clarified his position:

"the Illinois senator later stated his commitment to reducing the five-year gap, saying the delay would only be for future stages of the program, such as Americans' return to the moon and a mission to Mars."

Link

Well it's an improvement but it still involves a delay which in my opinion is simply unaccceptable.

You would be correct, Aztec...

Obama is disturbing in his naivete, and in most of his positions. His delay is simply unacceptable. We need Orion on orbit and doing it's job on schedule, if not sooner.


Further, if you know anything about the Clintons...they will do anything, and say anything to bolster their position, no matter what their actual intentions are. I trust Mrs. Clinton about as far as I can throw her.

Bith Democrats are threats to further human presence in space, and threats to Constellation. I think for those of us who are people who love what's happening, and what's planned, There's one choice.

The funny thing is, if we make the correct choice in this, and upcoming elections, we will, likely before 2020, be seeing men on the Moon. Some young college Junior today will likely be commanding that mission...and who's legacy will that be...?


President George W. Bush...and God knows I hope he lives long enough to see it take place!

Americans can not allow it to stop...for five years, or for any length of time.

NASA Readies Hardware for Test of Astronaut Escape System

03.12.08

Returning humans to the moon by 2020 may seem like a distant goal, but NASA's Constellation Program already has scheduled the first test flight toward that goal to take place in less than 12 months.

The Constellation Program is developing a new space transportation system to travel beyond low Earth orbit, expanding human exploration of the solar system and extending human reach to the moon and Mars.

The 90-second flight will not leave Earth's atmosphere, but it will be an important first step toward demonstrating how NASA intends to build safety into its next generation of spacecraft, including the Ares I and V rockets and the Orion crew capsule.


Images above: The Orion crew module pad abort
flight test article image gallery.
Credit: NASA

The first in a series of unmanned abort tests, known as Pad Abort-1 or PA-1, is scheduled for late 2008 at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

The tests will help verify that NASA's newly-developed spacecraft launch abort system can provide a safe escape route for astronauts in the Orion crew capsule in the event of a problem on the launch pad or during ascent into low Earth orbit atop the Ares I rocket.

Orion is the Constellation Program's new crew exploration vehicle, set to carry as many as four crew members to lunar orbit and return its crew safely to Earth after missions to the moon's surface. The 5-meter (16.5 foot) wide, cone-shaped capsule also will provide transport services to the International Space Station for as many as six crew members.

But before launching to the moon or to the International Space Station, system tests on Earth have to prove the technologies work.

The pad abort test will simulate an emergency on the launch pad. Upon command from a nearby control center, a dummy Orion crew module -- which would sit on top of a rocket for an actual launch -- will be ejected directly from the launch pad by its rocket-propelled launch abort system to about one mile in altitude and nearly one mile downrange.

That is why engineers and technicians at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., and industry partners on the Orion Project are taking particular care to fabricate and equip the first flight test articles with extreme precision.

Engineers and technicians at Langley designed and fabricated the structural shell of the simulated crew module for the first pad abort test and now are conducting a series of ground checks on the structure. The "crew module simulator," as it is called, accurately replicates the size, outer shape and mass characteristics of the Orion crew module.
Orion crew module flight test article build-up


A time-lapse movie of the construction of the
Orion crew module pad-abort mock-up.
Credit: NASA/Sean Smith

> View Movie (.mov)

"The next step is to ship the completed crew module simulator to Dryden, where they will outfit it with the smarts -- the computers, the electronics, the instrumentation -- all the systems that need to work in conjunction with the structure," said Phil Brown, manager of the Langley Orion Flight Test Article Project.

After the instrumented dummy crew module is delivered to White Sands this summer, it will be integrated with the PA-1 launch abort system flight test article, a vertical tower containing the escape rocket motor and a guiding rocket motor currently under construction at Orbital Sciences, Inc. in Dulles, Va. The combined crew module and launch abort system will be placed on the launch pad being constructed especially for the abort flight test series.

During the pad abort test sequence, the escape system's main abort motor will fire for several seconds, rapidly lifting the simulated crew module from the test launch pad, after which the escape system will detach, and three 116-foot-diameter parachutes will deploy to slow the module for landing.

The test will provide early data for design reviews to follow and will be followed by an ascent abort test in 2009 and a second pad abort test scheduled for 2010, both at White Sands. A parallel series of higher-altitude launch tests will commence at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in 2009.

"These flight tests will either confirm that our system works or help us identify and correct any defects that surface," said Greg Stover, manager of the Orion Launch Abort System Project Office, located at Langley. "Our goal is that on every manned mission the launch abort system will be the most reliable system that we hopefully never have to use."

In addition to Langley, Dryden and Kennedy, the Orion Project launch abort system team and the abort flight test team includes members from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.; NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and NASA's Glenn Research Center near Cleveland -- as well as Orion Project prime contractor, Lockheed Martin of Denver; and its subcontractor, Orbital Sciences Inc. of Dulles, Va.

The Orion Project Office, located at Johnson, is leading the development of the Orion spacecraft for the Constellation Program, which also includes the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles, the Altair human lunar lander and lunar surface systems to support sustained crew habitation.

For more information about Orion and the Constellation Program, visit:


Keith Henry & Emily Outen
NASA Langley Research Center

Source: NASA - Constellation Program

The contract release is reproduced below:

Stephanie Schierholz/Grey Hautaluoma
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-4997/0668
stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov, grey.hautaluoma@nasa.gov

Lynnette Madison
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
lynnette.b.madison@nasa.gov

CONTRACT RELEASE: C08-014

NASA Awards Contracts for Design Study of Lunar Landing Craft

HOUSTON - NASA's Constellation Program has selected five space-related companies to receive contract awards for a 210-day study to independently evaluate NASA's in-house design concept for a lunar lander that will deliver four astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2020.

The awards total approximately $1.5 million, with a maximum individual award of $350,000. The study recommendations will be used to increase the technical maturity of the existing design in preparation for the development of vehicle requirements.

The Constellation Program is building NASA's next generation fleet of spacecraft -- including the Ares I and Ares V rockets, the Orion crew capsule and the Altair lunar lander -- to send humans beyond low Earth orbit and back to the moon. NASA plans to establish a human outpost on the moon through a successive series of lunar missions.

"These studies will provide valuable input for developing a sound set of requirements for the Altair lunar lander," said Jeff Hanley, the Constellation Program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "Industry collaboration will provide insight for our planning and early design efforts for the spacecraft."

The selected companies are Andrews Space of Seattle, The Boeing Co. of Houston, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company of Denver, Northrop Grumman Corporation of El Segundo, Calif., and Odyssey Space Research of Houston.

The companies will evaluate the current in-house design, propose safety improvements and recommend industry-government partnering arrangements.

The Constellation Program is based at Johnson and manages the Altair Project for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, Washington.

For more information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit:


Source: NASA Contract Release C08-014

Apollo Veterans Bridge Generation Gap to Mentor Young Engineers

03.14.08

On the front row of the Pearl Young Theater at NASA Langley Research Center, Milt Silveira and Tom Modlin talk quietly while they await the start of a meeting at which they will impart wisdom gleaned over the past four decades.


The Resident Engineer team is flanked by (top row,
left) mentors Tom Modlin and (far right) Milt
Silveira, among others. NESC head Ralph Roe
(third from left) is in overall charge of the program.
Credit: NASA/Sean Smith

They are mentors, and behind them, scattered round the auditorium and ready to listen, are "resident" engineers who weren't yet born when Silveira and Modlin were working on Apollo. The engineers are part of NASA's future, and they are supporting the Constellation Program to build the next generation of spacecraft for human exploration.

Department heads from Langley, and Johnson Space Center, Glenn Research Center, Kennedy Space Center and Goddard Space Flight Center chose the Resident Engineers to work and learn in a program that allows them to do something important and new. The space shuttle, which launched its first mission 26 years ago, is the last time NASA built a human space vehicle.

"We're building a new rocket and crew vehicle," says Ralph Roe, director of the NASA Engineering and Safety Center and the person with overall responsibility for the Resident Engineer program. "I've never done it."

Says Tim Wilson, NESC deputy director and the person directly in charge of the Resident Engineers: "Most of us at NASA have had little opportunity to design new hardware."

TK Mattingly, a former astronaut in the Apollo and space shuttle programs and himself a mentor, is the father of the Resident Engineer program. "The only way to learn is by doing things," he says.

Mattingly's vision was to run the Resident Engineer program much as a hospital does its surgical residency: from the bottom up, adding responsibility until the resident is ready to operate under the eye of an experienced surgeon.

"My son went through a surgical residency," Mattingly says, "so I had the vicarious opportunity to learn how they train surgeons. They're not taking chances with anybody's life, but failure has to be an option, or you won't ever learn."

With that in mind, NASA chief engineer Mike Ryschkewitsch directed Roe and NESC to gather a group of people who are early in their careers to work on the Max Launch Abort System (MLAS). The primary launch abort system and the MLAS are designed to allow the crew of the Orion space vehicle to escape in the event of launch difficulties. The MLAS is a secondary system to provide risk mitigation.

Roe and Wilson outlined the criteria used in identifying people who would benefit from the mentor program.

"We deliberately targeted folks who had five to 10 years of experience, because we wanted to let them have hands-on experience in designing something," Wilson says. "At the same time, we wanted to get their outside, fresh look at things."

After selecting at least two candidates from each of the five centers involved, Roe and Wilson determined what the residents would do and assigned them to MLAS sub-leads. The young engineers also formed their own team to determine the test article's instrumentation and a timeline for MLAS, which is due to be tested in September at Wallops Island, Va.


Sarah Quach, who works in launch services at
Kennedy Space Center, works at a computer while
Resident Engineer lead Gary Dittemore, a shuttle
flight controller at Johnson Space Center; Omar
Torres, who works in Electromagnetics and Sensors
Branch at Langley, and mentors Tom Modlin and
Milt Silveira look on.
Credit: NASA/Sean Smith

"We wanted to give them tasks that were really important," Wilson says. "They are too valuable a resource for us to bring them here and have them make photocopies. It's an important piece of work, and we're taking a hands-off approach: 'You guys go and do it.' "

The knowledge and experience the residents are getting aren't available anywhere else.

"It's amazing and almost surreal," says Gary Dittemore, a shuttle flight controller at Johnson Space Center and the Resident Engineer team leader. "We're working with the people who wrote the books (engineers study in college). It's come full circle."

One of the goals of the program is to combat the perception of a "brain drain" at NASA, that time is taking away the people who pioneered the nation's space exploration.

Another goal is to give the residents a perspective of work done throughout the agency at all centers. "I was at Kennedy for the first 16 years of my career and didn't know anything other than what I did at Kennedy," Roe says. "Being exposed to something like this across the agency would, I think, be a great thing."

The residents agree.

"If you only work at one center, on one program, you don't really understand everything else that's going on out there," says Sarah Quach, who works in launch services at Kennedy Space Center and has been assigned to the avionics and instrumentation team with MLAS. "It helps give you a better sense of what NASA's all about."

Adds Wilson: "It gives them a network of people, of contacts at other centers. … The network itself is worth its weight in gold."

The newness of the work impresses the residents.

"It's exciting, switching from a research project to a project in which we're going to build something and actually test it," says Omar Torres, who works at NASA Langley's Electromagnetics and Sensors Branch and is applying that sensors knowledge to MLAS's instrumentation package.

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