Constellation Program - Ares, Orion & Altair

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NASA Successfully Completes Engine Hardware Tests for Ares V

05.08.07

Kim Newton
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
Phone: 256-544-0034

News release: 07-053


HUNTSVILLE - NASA engineers have successfully completed testing of subscale main injector hardware, an early step in development of the RS-68 engine that will power the core stage of NASA’s Ares V -- the cargo launch vehicle that will deliver large-scale hardware and systems to space for exploration missions to the moon.

Engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., recently conducted multiple hot-fire tests on the injector hardware. The injector is a major component of the engine that injects and mixes liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants in the combustion chamber, where they are ignited and burned to produce thrust.

The tests support the design and development of Ares V under the Constellation Program, which is responsible for overall development of the spacecraft and launch vehicles systems for NASA’s exploration initiative to return to the moon and travel to Mars and destinations throughout our solar system.

The tests, begun in February, were part of a series investigating different injector element designs for propellant flow. During testing, engineers fired the injectors for durations of 10 to 20 seconds.

The hot-fire tests of the hardware and number of injector elements are part of efforts to investigate design options and maximize performance of the RS-68 engine. A cluster of five RS-68 engines will power the core stage of the Ares V. The engine will be an upgraded version of those now used in the Delta IV, the largest of the Delta rocket family developed in the 1990s by the U.S. Air Force for its Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program.

Data from the tests also will be used to develop the J-2X engine systems for the upper stages of Ares V and for Ares I, the crew launch vehicle that will carry the Orion spacecraft and its crew of astronauts to Earth orbit.

The injector hardware for the RS-68 and J-2X engines share design features similar to the subscale hardware, such as the type of elements and density patterns. This hardware commonality makes operations more cost effective for both the crew and cargo vehicles.

The test series was conducted by a joint Marshall Center team including members of the Exploration Launch Projects Office, Engineering Directorate and Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate.

The Ares V launch vehicle project includes teams at NASA and organizations around the nation. The Exploration Launch Projects Office at Marshall is responsible for the design and development of the Ares launch vehicles. The project reports to the Constellation Program Office, hosted by NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne of Canoga Park, Calif., is the prime contractor for the RS-68 core stage engines.

For more information about NASA's Ares projects, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ares

For information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation/

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/home/

Source: NASA - Constellation Program - Ares Launch Vehicles

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RS-68 Engine Hardware Tests for Ares V

05.08.07

Engineers conduct a hot-fire test of subscale main injector hardware March 9 at the East Test Stand at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The test, part of a series conducted at Marshall, supports development of the RS-68 engine for Ares V, the cargo launch vehicle that will deliver large-scale hardware and systems to space for exploration missions to the moon. The main injector is a key engine component. It injects and mixes hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants in the combustion chamber, where they are ignited and burned to produce thrust. During the tests, engineers fired the injector horizontally for durations of 10 to 20 seconds.

A cluster of five RS-68 engines will power the core stage of Ares V. The engine will be an upgraded version of those now used in the Delta IV, the largest of the Delta rocket family developed in the 1990s by the U.S. Air Force for its Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program.

Image credit: NASA

Source: NASA - Constellation Program - Multimedia

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NASA Completes Constellation Ground Operations Review

The press release is reproduced below:

May 11, 2007

Beth Dickey/Melissa Mathews
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/1272

Tracy Young
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468

RELEASE: 07-112

NASA Completes Constellation Ground Operations Review


WASHINGTON - NASA has established a requirements baseline for ground systems to be developed in support of the Constellation Program. The systems requirements review was conducted at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 5.

"Completion of the systems requirements review marks a major milestone in executing the development of ground systems, as well as operations strategies to support the next generation of space vehicles," said Tip Talone, Constellation's Ground Operations Project manager at Kennedy. The space center will be the launch site for future missions to low Earth orbit, the moon and other destinations in the solar system.

The review was an in-depth look at the basic capabilities necessary to support space vehicle integration and ground processing; launch processing infrastructure, including the vehicle assembly building, launch pads and launch control center; launch vehicle protection systems; launch checkout and control; crew safety and emergency egress; and fault tolerance requirements for the systems. Agency and contractor engineers from across the country reviewed the requirements. The requirements will be applied to all launch, landing and recovery activities for the Orion crew exploration vehicle, Ares I crew launch vehicle and Ares V cargo launch vehicle.

The ground operations team established plans for ensuring the requirements will be clearly communicated to hardware developers so the systems developed will comply with all relevant agency program and project requirements.

After completion of all project-level reviews, the Constellation Program plans an integrated review in late May to update and synchronize all Constellation Program baseline requirements. For more information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

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Source: NASA Press Release 07-112

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NASA Issues Lightning Protection System Request for Proposals

The /Kennedy Space Center press release is reproduced below:

May 11, 2007

Tracy Young
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468

RELEASE: 19-07

NASA Issues Lightning Protection System Request for Proposals

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA on Monday issued a request for proposals for the construction of a lightning protection system at Launch Pad 39B in support of the Constellation Program and the next generation of space vehicles.

The request for proposals outlines work to be performed in fabricating and erecting three 600-foot-tall self-supporting structural steel towers, and installing a suspended overhead wire system with associated conductors and electrical grounds. The proposals are due to the Kennedy Space Center on June 6 and a contract is expected to be awarded in August.

The system will support launches of the Ares I and Ares V boosters, their spacecraft and cargos throughout the life of the program. The first Ares I launch from Pad 39B with the new system in place will be the second Ares I flight test in 2012.

This project, along with several other Constellation initiatives, was reviewed for environmental compliance as required under the National Environmental Policy Act and found to not produce significant environmental impacts. NASA published an environmental assessment in late March for public and regulatory agency review and received no adverse comments.

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

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

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Source: NASA/KSC Press Release 19-07

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NASA Awards Contract for Developmental First Stage Roll Control Engines for
Ares I

The Marshall Space Flight Center press release is reproduced below:

NASA Awards Contract for Developmental First Stage Roll Control Engines for Ares I

05.15.07

Kim Newton
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034

News Release: C07-057
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – NASA has selected Aerojet-General Corp. of Redmond, Wash., to provide developmental engines for the Ares I crew launch vehicle first stage roll control system.

These engines are the first in a series of steps to develop the roll control system to manage the amount of rotation by the first stage solid rocket from liftoff to its separation from the second stage, ensuring that Ares I stays on the designated trajectory for the first two minutes of flight. The engines being developed by Aerojet under this contract will be used to mature the roll control system that will be used on the Ares I tests program.

The Ares I crew launch vehicle will transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew or other small cargo payloads to low-Earth orbit. The first stage will consist of a single solid rocket booster similar to those used on the space shuttle, but with a fifth motor segment added. An upper stage consisting of a J-2X liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen engine and the associated propellant tanks and fuel distribution systems will complete the trip to orbit.

The cost-plus-fixed-fee contract - a competitive award - has an 11-month period of performance with a potential total value of $8.1 million, if the additional 11- month contract option for engine fabrication and testing is exercised.

The Ares I project is managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. for NASA’s Constellation Program.

For information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation/

Source: NASA/MSFC - News Edited May 17, 2007 by Waspie_Dwarf

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Using History to Design the Future

Visitors to Kennedy Space Center in Florida recently poured into the Saturn V Center and curiously stepped up to a display. They watched as a small group of lab-coated experts surrounded an aluminum box about the size of a file cabinet.


Image above: The Apollo Command Modules on display
at Kennedy Space Center's Saturn V Complex. The
umbilical housing compartment can be seen between
the service and crew modules in the lower-right area
of the image.
Photo credit: NASA/KSC
+ View Larger Image

The air filled with cautious excitement as the box was slowly unbolted and carefully lowered, exposing the contents for the first time in decades.

With an eye toward the future, the experts were working on a piece of history. NASA had commissioned the team to inspect an umbilical connection from an Apollo-era spacecraft. The agency is seeking to tap the experience of past engineers as it develops Orion, the new crew exploration vehicle for the Constellation Program.

"We're looking at this device to help improve the design for the Orion vehicle, the next-generation manned space vehicle," said Damon Delap, mechanical engineer of NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. "We're learning from the past and can see that the former engineers did it very well, so we're looking to see what they did."


Image above: Delap skillfully scores the adhesive between
the cover and the housing while Chris Lamoreaux, Orion
spacecraft mechanism designer from Lockheed Martin,
photographs the procedure.
Photo credit: NASA/KSC
+ View Larger Image

NASA engineers wanted to inspect an intact Apollo-era umbilical connection, which is used to provide communication, electrical and life support connections to the astronauts in the crew compartment. They were particularly interested in the umbilical release mechanism.

But finding one was like looking for a needle in a haystack because, in the Apollo days, the umbilical was severed before the astronauts came back to Earth. A guillotine-like device cut through all the tubes and wires between the command and service modules before the crew headed home.


Image above: Dan Catalano and Lamoreaux begin to
remove the umbilical housing cover.
Photo credit: NASA/KSC
+ View Larger Image

"The service module had all the communication and life-sustaining equipment the crew needed (in space) and, before they came back through the atmosphere, the umbilical cord had to be detached," said Dan Catalano, Orion service mechanisms and pyrotechnics lead of Glenn Research Center.

A break finally came by chance when Catalano came across a family's vacation photos posted on the Internet. There he saw the happy family standing in front of the Apollo Command Modules at the Saturn V Complex. And behind them was an umbilical housing!


Image above: It took a group effort to carefully carry
the housing cover to a protective area for storing until
the inspection was completed.
Photo credit: NASA/KSC
+ View Larger Image

The Apollo spacecraft on display, designated CSM 119, was the backup for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project but never flew. What makes this artifact so significant to the Constellation Program are the housing components located between the command and service modules.

After finding the umbilical housing -- the only one that exists intact in the United States -- NASA spent many months coordinating and planning to prepare for the inspection project. Orion Integration Engineer Tracy Gill of NASA's Kennedy, Delap, Catalano and Lamoreaux gathered at the Saturn V Center to inspect the Apollo-age capsule because of its similarity to the Orion crew compartment.

A few umbilical drawings found at the National Archives in Fort Worth, Texas, gave the engineers a "road map" to what they were seeking.


Image above: Dunlap and Gill pour over the historical
umbilical documents and plans while Catalano records
the process and result of every procedure.
Photo credit: NASA/KSC
+ View Larger Image

"It was very worthwhile to do this and made the drawings come to life," Dunlap said.

Catalano and Dunlap worked with surgical precision to remove the housing, sometimes using only their gloved fingertips for tools. Every action was photographed, videotaped and documented. They went back and forth checking out the reference materials on a table next to the modules to be sure they were on the right track.

"Seeing the actual housing and all its contents filled in the gaps of the information we needed to take back and work on," said Catalano. "We could see the pieces that were missing in the drawings; we found them through our hands-on inspection."

The goal for the new Crew Exploration Vehicle connection is reusability. The newer design for Orion will not have the same number of tubes and wires because of today's technology, but a lot of the information that comes from this inspection will be combined with the old design that worked for the Apollo days. However, the next-generation crew module will be larger and more technologically advanced.


Image above: With the housing cover safely detached
the intact cord assembly is in full view. Still in place
after all these years is the "Remove Before Flight"
caution ribbon.
Photo credit: NASA/KSC
+ View Larger Image

"It was very important to see how they built the Apollo mechanism because...well, it worked many times and instead of reinventing the wheel...it's good to start with something we know worked," said Lamoreaux. "It was a very valuable experience to come down here. I can use (the findings) to improve my design."

At the end of the inspection, the team members dexterously reassembled the housing, leaving it as they found it. They agreed that a lot will be learned from the trials, tribulations, successes and failures of the Apollo engineers, giving the "new guys" a foundation to build the new Orion vehicle even better.


Image above: Dunlap, Lamoreaux, Catalano and Gill
pause for a photo in front of the Apollo command
modules after a job well done.
Photo credit: NASA/KSC
+ View Larger Image

When asked what it was like to have a chance to work on a piece of history, Catalano said: "For me, it's a very big highlight. I grew up in the Apollo age and used to watch all the launches. I was a product of that era. To be able to come and actually touch the hardware is a real thrill for me."

Although ownership of the Apollo Command and Service Module was transferred by NASA to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington in 1977, it is on permanent display at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at Kennedy.

Elaine M. Marconi
NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center

Source: NASA - Constellation Program - Orion Crew Vehicle

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Reviews Document NASA's Progress on Next Human Spacecraft

The press release is reproduced below:

May 24, 2007

Beth Dickey/Melissa Mathews
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/1272

Kelly Humphries/John Ira Petty
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111

RELEASE: 07-122

Reviews Document NASA's Progress on Next Human Spacecraft


HOUSTON - NASA this week wrapped up six months of system requirements reviews for the Orion spacecraft, the Ares launch vehicles and other support systems, bringing together the Constellation Program's list of basic capability needs.

The Constellation Program is developing a new space transportation system that will take astronauts to Earth orbit, the moon, and eventually to Mars.

The basic program architecture for design, development, construction and operation of the rockets and spacecraft remains unchanged as a result of the reviews, but it now has a firmer foundation built through extensive requirements allocation, reconciliation, analyses and validation testing.

A "baseline synchronization" on May 23 followed individual systems requirements reviews, or SRRs, by the Constellation Program and the Orion, Ares, Ground Operations, Mission Operations and Extravehicular Activity (spacewalk) projects. The synchronization effort was designed to identify any conflicts or gaps between and among the projects and the program and to establish a plan for resolving those issues.

"This has been an eventful spring, known as the 'season of SRRs,'" said Jeff Hanley, Constellation Program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. "This summer will bring a new season of rolling system definition reviews that will finish our requirements for initial mission capability and set us up for our first preliminary design reviews."

The Constellation requirements work was completed at the same time the program was dealing with other significant challenges, including development of an integrated test schedule, a mission manifest and a budget profile that will support its next 20 years of work.

The program also closely followed the work of NASA's Lunar Architecture Team, which is formulating the requirements for a lunar surface outpost development and scientific research activities. A lunar architecture system requirements review is expected in spring of 2009. "This is an impressive accomplishment in a short period of time, and I'm pleased with the dedication and cooperation across projects and attention to detail that has gotten us this far," said Chris Hardcastle, Constellation Program systems engineering and integration manager at Johnson.

The next series of reviews will begin with the Orion system definition review in August and continue through another Constellation Program baseline synchronization in March 2008. System definition reviews focus on emerging designs for all transportation elements and compare the predicted performance of each element against the currently baselined requirements.

The next significant milestones for the Constellation Program are a preliminary design review series in summer 2008 and a critical design review series in early 2010.

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

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

- end -

Source: NASA Press Release 07-122

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NASA Issues Proposal Request for Ares I Avionics Unit

The press release is reproduced below:

June 6, 2007

Melissa Mathews/Beth Dickey
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1272/2087

Kim Newton
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034

RELEASE: 07-134

NASA Issues Proposal Request for Ares I Avionics Unit
WASHINGTON - NASA has issued a request for proposal for key guidance, navigation and control hardware for the new Ares I crew launch vehicle. The upper stage instrument unit avionics will be used during the Ares I ascent.

Proposals are due no later than 2 p.m. EDT July 30, with a selection expected in November. The contract will be awarded through a full and open competition.

The avionics unit will be mounted on the Ares I upper stage. It will provide guidance, navigation and control for the entire launch vehicle as it transports the Orion crew exploration vehicle to low Earth orbit.

The request for proposal calls for the selected contractor to partner with the NASA design team to provide engineering support during the design phase. It also specifies that the contractor will produce avionics for the development and flight program and will provide sustained engineering support for the upper stage avionics system through 2016.

The instrument unit is part of the Ares I upper stage, which includes a separately procured upper stage engine. The first stage will consist of a single reusable solid rocket booster and motor, similar to those used on the space shuttle, with a fifth integrated motor segment. The instrument unit with avionics installed will be mounted on the Ares I at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana. The Ares I launch vehicle design and development is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

For more information about the request for proposal, visit:

http://www.exploration.nasa.gov

For more information about NASA's Ares Projects, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ares

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

Source: NASA Press Release 07-134

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Rededication of NASA's Space Power Facility in Sandusky

The /Glenn Research Center press release is reproduced below:

June 6, 2007

Sally Harrington
Media Relations Office
216-433-2037
Sally.V.Harrington@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 07-17

Rededication of NASA's Space Power Facility in Sandusky

Cleveland - NASA will rededicate the Space Power Facility, the world's largest space environment simulation chamber, at Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, on June 11.

The Space Power Facility will host integrated environmental testing of Orion, the crew exploration vehicle being designed to carry humans back to the moon.

Media are invited to attend the rededication ceremony, which begins at 10 a.m. in the Space Power Facility. An opportunity to ask questions will follow brief comments from a distinguished panel of representatives from NASA and Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the Orion Project.

Modifications under way in the facility will enable tests that will simulate environmental conditions such as those experienced during launch, in-orbit operations and atmospheric re-entry. The tests will demonstrate the ability of the Orion hardware to meet specified performance requirements. Thermal, acoustic and mechanical vibration and electromagnetic compatibility testing will be conducted on the fully assembled spacecraft. The launch abort system, crew module, service module and spacecraft adapter will be tested.

Media representatives interested in attending the event should contact Sally Harrington at 216-433-2037 by noon on Friday, June 8.

For more information about Orion, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/orion

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Source: NASA/GRC Press Release 07-17

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World's Largest Vacuum Chamber to Test Orion

Before NASA's new spacecraft, Orion, carries the next generation of explorers into space, it first will make a shorter journey to the world's largest vacuum chamber. In this massive, cathedral-like structure, it must endure a variety of rigorous challenges.

Called the Space Power Facility, the vacuum chamber resides at NASA Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio. It measures 100 feet in diameter and towers at 122 feet tall. Its immense size and ability to simulate the vacuum of space make it ideal for testing the Orion crew exploration vehicle.


Image above: Inside the Space Power Facility at Plum
Brook Station.
Photo credit: NASA
+ View Larger Image

On June 10, the facility opened its doors for a rededication ceremony. Agency managers, community stakeholders and elected officials gathered to celebrate the role this facility will play in the country's next phase of space exploration.

Making its first flights early in the next decade, Orion is part of NASA's Constellation Program to send human explorers back to the moon and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system.

The fully assembled spacecraft will stand 75 feet tall and include a crew module to carry the astronauts; a service module to provide power, propulsion and communications; a launch abort system for emergency escapes; and an adapter to connect the spacecraft to its launch system.

But before NASA can launch Orion, the agency "must demonstrate that the vehicle is capable of withstanding the harsh environment of space," said Robert Moorehead, Director of Space Flight Systems at Glenn. "The Space Power Facility will help us do that."

In 2008, workers will begin modifying the building to accommodate these tests. A new vibration and acoustic test chamber, a mechanical vibration test stand, and electromagnetic interference equipment will enable the facility to simulate the conditions Orion must endure on its mission.

"The Space Power Facility will be the only facility in the U.S., if not the world, that can perform complete environmental testing on a fully assembled spacecraft," said David Stringer, director of Plum Brook Station.

The new reverberant acoustic chamber will subject Orion to the intense vibrations and shockwaves it will endure during launch and ascent. In the vacuum chamber, infrared lamps and cold walls flushed with liquid nitrogen will simulate the extreme hot and cold temperatures of space. The electromagnetic interference tests will also take place inside the vacuum chamber, which blocks radio frequencies and cell phone signals. Electromagnetic interference equipment positioned on moving platforms will challenge the reliability of Orion's communications and electronics systems.


Image above: U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Sen. Sherrod Brown, CEV
Project Manager Skip Hatfield, NASA Glenn Center Director Dr. Woodrow
Whitlow Jr., Sen. George Voinovich, Rep. Marcy Kaptur and Ohio
Lt. Governor Lee Fisher, seated from left to right at the rededication
ceremony.
Photo credit: NASA

Built in 1969, the Space Power Facility has tested the International Space Station's radiator and solar arrays, the Mars rover landing systems, and most of the nation's major rockets, including Atlas and Delta. With the upgrades, the Plum Brook facility also will be well suited to test next-generation lunar landers, robotic systems, and military and commercial spacecraft.

"Plum Brook will have an important role to play in the future exploration of space," said NASA's Associate Deputy Administrator Charles Scales. "It's hard to believe that in less than two decades, people will look up and, with nothing but a strong telescope, see the shining lights of a research center on the moon."

Jan Wittry (SGT, Inc.)
NASA's Glenn Research Center

Source: NASA - Constellation Program - Orion Crew Vehicle

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NASA Authorizes Contract for
Ares I Materials

The contract release is reproduced below:

June 21, 2007

Beth Dickey/Melissa Mathews
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/1272

Kim Newton
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034

CONTRACT RELEASE: C07-25

NASA Authorizes Contract for Ares I Materials

WASHINGTON -- NASA has authorized a contract with a maximum value of $16.7 million with Alcoa North American Rolled Products of Bettendorf, Iowa, to supply aluminum lithium plates and metal ingots for early development of the Ares I crew launch vehicles upper stage. The firm fixed-price contract has a period of performance through Aug. 5, 2008.

Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket that will transport to low Earth orbit the Orion crew exploration vehicle containing up to six astronauts. The first stage will consist of a single reusable solid rocket booster similar to those used on the space shuttle, with an additional fifth segment. The second, or upper, stage will consist of a J-2X main engine fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants.

For information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

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

Source: NASA Contract Release C07-25

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NASA Announces Constellation Management Changes in Florida

The /Kennedy Space Center press release is reproduced below:

06.26.07

Tracy Young
Kennedy Space Center,
Fla.321-867-2468

RELEASE: 31-07

NASA Announces Constellation Management Changes in Florida

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Kennedy Space Center Director Bill Parsons recently announced the appointment of John J. "Tip" Talone Jr. to the new position of associate program manager of the Constellation Program at the center. Philip E. "Pepper" Phillips will replace Talone as the director of the Constellation Project Office.

In his new position, Talone will continue reporting directly to the center director and the Constellation Program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, acting as a liaison between Parsons and the program. Talone will ensure technical and operational issues are identified and resolved, represent the Constellation Program and KSC to external entities, and provide program insight into NASA and contractor activities throughout the development cycle of the program.

Talone was the director of the Constellation Project Office at Kennedy from its inception in 2005. Prior to that assignment, he was director of International Space Station and payload processing for five years, following 31 years in space shuttle and Saturn/Apollo operations at Kennedy.

As director of the Constellation Project Office, Phillips will be responsible for the office's management, leadership and direction to ensure the safe and effective execution of all Constellation systems processing and integration requirements in support of NASA's plan to return to the moon. He has served as Talone's deputy since the Constellation Project Office was created.

"As a unified management team, Talone and Phillips have ensured the integration and implementation of program policies and requirements, and effective cost and schedule management," said Parsons.

Jennifer Kunz will serve as acting deputy director of the Constellation Project Office. Kunz has served as chief of the operations and integration division for the project office since it was created.

The Constellation Program is developing new vehicles to explore the moon, Mars and beyond. For more information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html

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Source: NASA/KSC Press Release 31-07 Edited June 27, 2007 by Waspie_Dwarf

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Ares I Launch

A concept image shows NASA's next generation crew launch vehicle, the Ares I, during ascent. Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Orion crew exploration vehicle and launch abort system. The Ares I first stage is a single, five-segment reusable solid rocket booster, derived from the space shuttle. Its upper stage is powered by a J-2X engine, similar to those used in the Apollo program. Ares I will carry the Orion with its crews of up to six astronauts to Earth orbit, where they would dock with a lunar module and earth departure stage before leaving for the moon.

Image credit: NASA/MSFC

+ Full Resolution (3.4 Mb)


Source: NASA - Multimedia - Image of the Day Gallery

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Apollo Lunar Lander Team to Share Lessons Learned With NASA

The media advisory is reproduced below:

June 6, 2007

Melissa Mathews/Beth Dickey
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1272/2087

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-080

Apollo Lunar Lander Team to Share Lessons Learned With NASA

WASHINGTON -- On July 20, the 38th anniversary of the first moon landing, NASA will host more than a dozen retired members of an engineering team that worked on the Apollo-era spacecraft that carried astronauts to the lunar surface. The engineers will share lessons learned with current NASA employees in the Constellation Program, which will return astronauts to the moon by 2020.

Media are invited to attend a panel discussion with the retired engineers. The event will take place at 2:30 p.m. EDT in the NASA Headquarters auditorium, 300 E Street, S.W., Washington. Journalists at the event will be able to ask questions, along with NASA employees. Reporters interested in attending the panel discussion should contact Melissa Mathews at 202-358-1272 or Beth Dickey at 202-358-2087.

The retired engineers are former members of the Grumman Corporation's Lunar Module reliability and maintainability team. They are meeting in Washington to participate in technical discussions that will address such issues as testing, failure analysis and corrective action.

NASA is looking to build on the experiences of previous moon exploration experts, including those of the Grumman team. Similar discussions of lessons learned are going on throughout the Constellation Program.

For more on NASA's plans to return to the moon, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration

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

Source: NASA Media Advisory 07-80

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Northrop Grumman Helps NASA Shape Plans for Affordable Lunar Lander

The Northrop Grumman press release is reproduce below:

Company's Apollo Design, Production, Operational Support Experience Provides Unique Perspective On Future Missions

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., July 9, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The lunar lander that will carry NASA astronauts to the moon's surface by the end of the next decade will benefit from more than 50 years of technological change -- and more than 50 years of unique engineering and operational experience from Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), the designer and producer of the original Apollo Lunar Module.

Since late 2006, the company has hosted a series of technical interchange meetings (TIM) with officials from NASA's Lunar Lander project office to share lessons learned from Northrop Grumman's "book" of lander know-how. The intent is to help NASA end up with a robust yet affordable Lunar Lander program.

"NASA knows how to undertake and execute the job of designing, producing and sending a spacecraft to the moon because they've done it before," explained Bob Davis, director of business development for space systems for Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector. "We can help make the learning curve for that undertaking significantly less steep by showing them how they can benefit from what was learned by industry during the original Apollo missions."

Northrop Grumman's most recent TIM with NASA took place in early May at a company facility in Bethpage, N.Y. -- in the same conference room used for design and development meetings by the builders of the original Lunar Module. The meeting included project managers and engineers from Northrop Grumman and a team of NASA representatives led by Lauri Hanson, the space agency's Lunar Lander project manager.

The TIM focused on how lessons learned from the Apollo Lunar Module could be applied to the design and development of a new Lunar Lander and its mission; and how the last 50 years of advances in technology and business practices could help shape and drive a disciplined, productive and cost-effective program. The discussions included topics that ranged from "big picture" considerations such as the design, power and structural load requirements of the lander, to details such as battery profiles and pre-launch test processes.

"These meetings provide an ideal way for us to explore with NASA the new technologies, and business and engineering tools that could best be used to ensure a safe, affordable and operationally effective lunar outpost," said Carl Meade, a former NASA astronaut and Northrop Grumman's Lunar Lander lead. "The collaboration has been particularly effective for identifying issues that need further research, refinement and understanding before we put humans on the moon for extended periods of time."

Issues that warrant additional research, he added, include protection against long-term exposure to space radiation; mitigation and control of lunar dust; and protection of humans and space structures against micrometeoroid strikes.

Northrop Grumman's TIMs with NASA are part of a larger company effort to help the space agency succeed in formulating and conducting space missions to the moon and beyond. Through its sponsorship of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge (NGLLC), for example, the company is helping foster dialogue and technical cooperation between NASA and commercial entrepreneurs.

Part of NASA's Centennial Challenge series, the NGLLC is an engineering competition that challenges private or commercial enterprises to develop and prove concepts for space vehicles that could ferry humans or cargo back and forth between the lunar surface and lunar orbit. It requires unmanned, rocket-powered vehicles carrying an assigned payload to perform a series of maneuvers that simulate the initial ascent and final descent phases of a trip between the lunar surface and lunar orbit.

The 2007 Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge will be held Oct 26-28 at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, as part of the 2007 Wirefly X-Prize Air and Space Exposition.

Northrop Grumman is a $30 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.

Source: Northrop Grumman press release

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Rocket Tests Move NASA Closer to the Lunar Vision

The Marshall Space Flight Center news release is reproduced below:

Rocket Tests Move NASA Closer to the Lunar Vision

07.09.07

Jennifer Morcone
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
(Phone: 216-544-0034)

Katherine K. Martin
Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio
(Phone: 256-433-2406)

News release: 07-079



HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - A liquid oxygen-hydrogen pump fed engine developed to demonstrate advanced rocket technologies for future space vehicles achieved a major technical milestone in throttling capability. The engine was designed to demonstrate successful throttling from full power down to 10 percent of its thrust. This flexibility to control the flow of fuel through an engine is necessary for a lunar lander, allowing the spacecraft ample propulsion, yet enough control to land gently on the moon’s surface.

The Common Extensible Cryogenic Engine, CECE for short, was built off the design of the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL10 engine which has a proven history of performance. CECE is fueled by a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen and generates 13,800 pounds of thrust. Cryogenic means "ice cold" in Greek, referring to the extremely low temperatures needed to keep the hydrogen and oxygen in a liquid phase.

Using liquid hydrogen and oxygen in rockets will provide major advantages for landing astronauts on the moon. Hydrogen is very light but has about 40 percent more performance (force on the rocket per pound of propellant) than other rocket fuels, enabling lower vehicle mass and a larger payload than with the same amount of conventional propellants.

"This technology has the potential to be the backbone of a deep-throttling, reliable, reusable engine for use across most human and robotic missions," said Tony Kim, NASA’s Deep Throttling Engine Project Manager. "Through two rounds of testing, the CECE team has accomplished quite a bit, but we still have a long way to go before this technology will be ready for full scale development."

Engineers have added throttling ability by using a bypass valve to direct hydrogen around the turbopump that drives propellant into the combustion chamber. Through two rounds of hot-fire testing, the CECE team has demonstrated throttling operability to 9.5 percent power, but operation with stable combustion to 20 percent power, or a 5-to-1 throttling ratio. Engine performance data collected during 2098 seconds of hot run time will be analyzed to support future development decisions.

Looking forward, the team will push CECE to lower throttle levels. Currently, at lower throttle levels, oxygen vapor forms on the inner injector plate and causes the oxygen flow to fluctuate. This triggers pressure oscillations in the engine called "chugging." Chugging may not be a problem for the engine itself, but the vibrations it causes has the potential to resonate with the structure of the rocket and could cause damage. The next tests will determine whether, with modifications to the injector and valves, CECE can demonstrate stable combustion down to 10 percent power, a 10-to-1 throttle ratio.

The CECE collaboration includes engineers from Marshall Space Flight Center and Glenn Research Center joined with Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. The CECE effort is part of the Propulsion and Cryogenics Advanced Development (PCAD) project at Glenn, which is developing cryogenic propulsion and propellant management systems for the Lunar Lander. The PCAD project is funded by the Exploration Technology Development Program in NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.

NASA has invested in CECE technology since 2005. The aim is to achieve a more reliable, robust and less expensive rocket engine ready in 2018 for America’s next moon landing. "This CECE testing has moved us another step closer in providing risk mitigation for designing and building a future lunar lander," said Mark Klem, NASA's PCAD Project Manager.

Source: NASA/MSFC - News

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Rocket Tests Move NASA Closer to the Lunar Vision

07.09.07

Jennifer Morcone

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.

(Phone: 216-544-0034)

Katherine K. Martin

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

(Phone: 256-433-2406)

Photo release: 07-079

The Common Extensible Cryogenic Engine, or CECE, is a liquid oxygen-hydrogen pump-fed engine developed to demonstrate advanced rocket technologies for future space vehicles. (Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne)

Source: NASA/MSFC - Multimedia

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ATK Awarded Contract for Orion Launch Abort Motors

The ATK press release is reproduce below:

SCOPE INCLUDES DEVELOPMENT, TEST AND PROGRAM SUPPORT

MINNEAPOLIS, July 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) has received a $62.5 million contract from Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) for the main abort motor of the NASA Orion crew exploration vehicle Launch Abort System (LAS). NASA's Orion will succeed the Space Shuttle in transporting humans to and from the International Space Station, as well as carrying crews to the Moon and eventually Mars.

Under the terms of the contract, ATK will design, develop, produce, test and deliver the launch abort motor (LAM), the largest of three propulsion units integrated into the LAS. The contract includes four full-scale static test units and eight deliverable motors to Orbital for pathfinders, test flights and program support. Orbital is subcontracted to Lockheed Martin who is the prime contractor for Orion.

"The LAS is a critical system that allows the astronaut crew to safely separate from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency during launch pad operations and ascent," said Mike Kahn, ATK vice president of Space Launch Systems. "We have the necessary skills and experience to support Orbital in the development of this vital capability."

The LAM is not a conventional solid rocket motor; it is a reverse flow motor with four nozzles mounted on the forward end. Once ignited, the LAM produces over a half-million pounds of thrust, pulling the crew module away from the launch vehicle within milliseconds of notification. ATK has conducted three sub-scale static tests of the reverse flow motor. Two additional sub-scale tests for Orbital are planned this summer.

ATK is the world's leading supplier of solid rocket motors. It is the only solid propulsion supplier that has been involved on all U.S. human-rated missions, including Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and the Space Shuttle. The company's solid rocket portfolio ranges from 3-inch diameter spin motors to the Space Shuttle's reusable solid rocket motors.

ATK is a $3.9 billion advanced weapon and space systems company employing approximately 16,500 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: 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.

Source: ATK press release

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Boeing to Bid for Ares I Instrument Unit Avionics Contract

The Boeing press release is reproduce below:

ST. LOUIS, July 13, 2007 -- Decades of successful spaceflight and aircraft avionics integration and a highly experienced network of suppliers are the key to the Boeing [NYSE: BA] bid to provide a low-risk approach to producing Instrument Unit Avionics (IUA) for the next-generation Ares I crew launch vehicle.

Boeing will submit its final IUA proposal July 30 -- just eight weeks after NASA issued its initial request. NASA plans to select an IUA contractor in November.

"It's important that NASA and its future space explorers can depend on an avionics system built on proven experience that is safe and reliable," says former NASA astronaut and Boeing vice president and general manager Brewster Shaw. "Boeing has unique capabilities to produce the critical avionics and software needed, drawing on more than 45 years of human space flight and commercial airplane experience. We are confident that Boeing can produce and integrate the best avionics system for NASA's next generation system."

If selected, Boeing will work closely with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., to support avionics design requirements and functional integration as well as IUA procurement and production. Boeing has a large, highly experienced workforce in Huntsville that provides systems integration for missile defense systems, the International Space Station and other projects. This experience base is significant in that the IUA contractor also will provide avionics components for other Ares I segments, engineering and test support, training and sustaining engineering. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center will be responsible for the overall IUA design and certification.

"Boeing's vast experience in manufacturing and integrating avionics systems into military, space and commercial products will significantly lower customer risks," said Dwight Potter, Boeing's Ares I IUA program manager. "We'll continue to rely on our experienced, industry-rated workforce in Huntsville as well as a network of local and national suppliers to execute a producible, high quality and affordable system. These long-term relationships are critical to providing NASA a tailored, innovative solution."

Boeing also will leverage its unrivaled safety and mission assurance record in its Ares I IUA offering, highlighting the countless airline passengers, space travelers and warfighters who rely on its avionics systems every day.

"Our day-to-day business focuses on transporting people and products safely and putting in place the procedures needed to ensure mission success," said Potter. "Our continued work in human space flight avionics on the International Space Station and space shuttle programs illustrates our reliability and performance as reflected in our consistently high NASA award fees."

The IUA, which guides the rocket into orbit, consists of onboard computers, flight controls, communications equipment, gyroscopes and other instruments and their associated software for monitoring the rocket's speed and position while supporting safe assembly, check-out and flight operation.[/size]

###

Source: Boeing press release

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Throttling Back to the Moon

July 16, 2007: Accelerating from 0 to 60 then slowing down for a stop light is no problem for an ordinary automobile. But if you were piloting a rocketship, it wouldn't be so easy. Most rocket engines are designed to burn full-on (liftoff!) or full-off (coasting through space) with no in-between. And that can be a problem--namely, how do you land this thing?

Throttling is crucial for a planetary lander. Descending from orbit is a unique balancing act, cutting engine power as the lander losses mass through the engine exhaust that slows it, until landing pads just kiss the surface. For a lunar landing, velocity drops from almost 4,000 mph to 0 in about one hour.


Above: Apollo 11's Lunar Module, the Eagle.

The Apollo Lunar Module (LM) descent engine, the all-time throttling champ, did it perfectly on six landings in 1969-72. It could throttle from 10,125 lbs down to 1,250 lbs. It was also a simple engine, burning corrosive fuel and oxidizer that ignited on contact, and fed by pressurized tanks, eliminating the need for pumps.

NASA is heading back to the Moon in the next decade, and "we want to put more mass down on the lunar surface than Apollo did. That means we need a higher-performing engine," says engineer Tony Kim of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. "The Apollo Lunar Module descent engine was very good, very reliable, but it doesn't have the performance we need for future exploration."

To investigate technologies for a next-generation lunar lander, engineers at two NASA centers--the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama and the Glenn Research Center in Ohio--are supporting Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne in developing the Common Extensible Cryogenic Engine--"CECE" for short.

At CECE's core is the RL10 engine that boosted seven Surveyor robot landers to the Moon in 1966-68, then flew dozens of other missions for more than 2.2 million seconds of operations (almost 26 days) and 718 in-space firings. The RL10 is a far more powerful and complex beast than the Apollo LM engine. It burns hydrogen and oxygen that are stored as supercold liquids in insulated tanks. These are not only high-energy propellants, but also environmentally friendly compared to the corrosive fuel of the original LM.

Now the engine is being asked to demonstrate something new: throttle from 100 percent of its 13,800-lb thrust to 10 percent on command for a human-rated spacecraft. But making it throttle is not as simple as pushing the gas pedal in and out. Like most rocket engines, the RL10 was designed for full power. Almost like a living organism, changes in one area are felt through the entire body. For example, at low power, liquid hydrogen can slow and vaporize in the coolant lines, possibly stalling the engine.

Above: Multiple images on the left are pictures of the CECE engine at different throttle levels.

In Phase 1 Demo 1 tests, "we were able to get the engine modified and show that throttling is possible, though cautiously," Kim says. CECE racked up 932 seconds of firing time in eight tests, though some were cut short "because we are experimenting."

The principal challenge was "chugging." Something was causing the engine to vibrate 100 times per second. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne conducted a "Demo 1.5" to investigate and isolate the problem: It turns out oxygen vapors were forming on the injector plate and inhibiting normal flow at lower throttle levels.

"We're considering modifications to the injector and valves to improve performance," Kim says. Already, CECE has demonstrated stable combustion (no chugging) down to 5-to-1 and operability (some chugging) at 11-to-1 throttle ratios.

CECE's not ready for space, Kim emphasizes, but it is an important testbed to develop technology. "This work has the potential to influence design of the next lunar lander."

CECE is one of a number of candidate technologies being investigated under NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program.

Author: Dave Dooling | Production Editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

____________________________________________

More Information

NASA's current throttling champ is the Space Shuttle Main Engine, with a range of 65 to 109 percent of normal power. An RL10A-5 used on the DC-X demonstrator in 1993 can throttle 3:1, but that was not a space engine.

NASA's Future: The Vision for Space Exploration

Source: Science@NASA

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NASA Awards Upper Stage Engine Contract for Ares Rockets

The contract release is reproduced below:

July 16, 2007

Beth Dickey/Melissa Mathews
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/1272

Kim Newton
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034

CONTRACT RELEASE: C07-30

NASA Awards Upper Stage Engine Contract for Ares Rockets
WASHINGTON - NASA has signed a $1.2 billion contract with Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne Inc., of Canoga Park, Calif., for design, development, testing and evaluation of the J-2X engine that will power the upper stages of the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles.

The contract includes ground and test flight engines. It continues work that began on June 2, 2006, under a preliminary letter contract with Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne.

NASA awarded the cost-plus-award fee contract to Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne on a sole-source basis, NASA determined that no other existing capability meets its architecture requirements and is able to be extended to future exploration missions to the moon and beyond.

The contract performance period extends through Dec. 31, 2012. Engines for operational missions will be purchased through a separate contract.

The J-2X is an evolved version of two historic predecessors: the powerful J-2 engine that propelled the Apollo-era 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. Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne designed and developed both the J-2 and the J-2S and has been responsible for producing, refurbishing and improving them. The J-2X engine will incorporate significant upgrades to meet higher performance and reliability requirements for the Ares vehicles.

Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket that will transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle to low Earth orbit. Orion will accommodate as many as six astronauts. The first stage will consist of a single reusable solid propellant rocket booster similar to those used on the space shuttle, with an additional fifth segment. The second, or upper, stage will consist of a J-2X liquid oxygen- and liquid hydrogen-fueled main engine and a new upper stage fuel tank.

Ares V will enable NASA to launch a variety of science and exploration payloads, as well as key components needed to go to the moon and later to Mars. Ares V, a heavy lift launch vehicle, will use five RS-68 liquid oxygen- and liquid hydrogen-fueled engines mounted below a larger version of the space shuttle's external tank and two five-segment solid propellant rocket boosters for the first stage. The upper stage will use the same J-2X engine as the Ares I.

The J-2X upper stage engine is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., for NASA's Constellation Program.

For information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

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

Source: NASA Contract Release C07-30

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Artist Concept of J-2X Engine

07.16.07

The J-2X is an evolved version of two historic predecessors: the powerful J-2 engine that propelled the Apollo-era 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. The J-2X engine will incorporate significant upgrades to meet higher performance and reliability requirements for the Ares vehicles.

Image credit: NASA

+ View large image

Source: NASA - Constellation program - Multimedia

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Artist Concept of J-2X Engine

07.16.07

The J-2X engine will power the upper stages of the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles. Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket that will transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle to low Earth orbit. Ares V will enable NASA to launch a variety of science and exploration payloads, as well as key components needed to go to the moon and later to Mars. The J-2X upper stage engine is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., for NASA's Constellation Program.

Image credit: NASA

+ View large image

Source: NASA - Constellation program - Multimedia

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NASA Selects Lightning Protection System Contractor

The contract release is reproduced below:

July 27, 2007

Beth Dickey/Melissa Mathews
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/1272
bdickey@nasa.gov, melissa.mathews-1@nasa.gov

Tracy Young
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
tracy.g.young@nasa.gov

CONTRACT RELEASE: C07-33

NASA Selects Lightning Protection System Contractor

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA has selected Ivey's Construction Inc. of Merritt Island, Fla., to build a new lightning protection system for Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. The system will support launches of the Constellation Program's Ares I rockets.

The lightning protection system is designed to reduce the probability of a direct lightning strike to the Ares I and associated launch equipment during processing and other activities prior to flight.

Under the contract, the company will provide all labor and materials to fabricate and construct three 600-foot, self-supporting structural steel towers and an overhead wire system with associated conductors.

Ivey's Construction Inc. will receive a fixed-price contract for $27,915,000. The system is expected to be complete by March 2010.

For more on NASA's Constellation Program, including an image and animation of the lightning protection system, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

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Source: NASA Contract Release C07-33 Edited August 2, 2007 by Waspie_Dwarf

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Lightning Protection System

07.27.07

An artist's rendition of a new lightning protection system that will be built at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39B. The launch pad will be modified to support future launches of Ares and Orion spacecraft.

Image credit: NASA

+ View large image

Source: NASA - Constellation Program - Multimedia