NASA has completed the first full-scale rocket motor test for the Constellation Program's Orion spacecraft, a test of a solid rocket that will be used to jettison the craft's launch abort system.
Now under development, Orion will be America's next human spacecraft, designed to fly to the International Space Station and be part of a space flight system to return humans to the moon. The Orion jettison motor will separate the craft's launch abort system from the Orion crew module during launch.
The Orion launch abort system is a larger solid rocket motor system that will provide a safe escape for the crew in an emergency on the launch pad or during the climb to orbit. The test completed late last month is a critical milestone in NASA's preparations for a series of flight tests planned to begin late this year of the full Orion abort system.
The jettison motor static test firing was conducted by Aerojet Corporation in Sacramento. NASA has partnered with Lockheed Martin Corporation, Orbital Sciences Corporation, and Aerojet to supply the jettison motor. NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., manages the Orion launch abort system design and development effort with partners and team members from Marshall.
Mock-Up Orion Capsule 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.
Testing Orion 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.
Orion Spacecraft, Key Review The Orion requirements data set was reviewed by agency and contractor scientists and engineers from across the country. More than 1,700 topics covering all aspects of vehicle performance, design and qualification were discussed during the course of the formal review.
Orion Testing at Arnold A second Tunnel 9 team provided support by pushing the use of temperature sensitive paint, or TSP, to its limits during the project's final phase.
The Ocean Surface Topography Mission on the Jason-2 satellite (OSTM/Jason-2) will be a follow-on to the Jason mission. It is scheduled to launch in June of 2008.
Science Objectives
- Extend the time series of ocean surface topography measurements beyond TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) and Jason to accomplish two decades of observations
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) successfully delivered a telecommunications satellite into orbit aboard an Atlas V rocket manufactured by United Launch Alliance. Liftoff on the Atlas V 421 configuration occurred on April 14th, 2008 at 4:12 p.m. followed by spacecraft separation some 30 minutes later and signal acquisition at 45 minutes post launch.