Keep the shuttle flying: Fwd: Lockheed Martin reveals new method for resupplying space station

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From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: March 15, 2015 at 8:25:38 PM CDT
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: Lockheed Martin reveals new method for resupplying space station

Lockheed Martin Solution For NASA's Commercial Resupply Services Designed For Reliable Space Cargo Delivery
Proposal Resupplies International Space Station and Supports Deep Space Exploration
DENVER, March 13, 2015 – The technologies behind Lockheed Martin's [NYSE:LMT] proposal for NASA's Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) program contain three major elements: a reusable space servicing vehicle called Jupiter™; a large, versatile cargo container named the Exoliner™; and a robotic arm. Unveiled March 12 in Washington, the company's approach to the CRS-2 program offers NASA extensive cargo capacity and the opportunity to host commercial payloads, and builds a foundation for future deep space exploration systems.
CRS-2 is a NASA program to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) with food, equipment and other critical supplies.
"We know how important it is to get astronauts on the ISS the supplies they need on time, every time," said Wanda Sigur, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Space Systems' Civil Space line of business. "Our approach is designed to deliver a large volume of critical supplies and cargo with each flight, and do so on schedule. That's why we're bringing together flight-proven technologies that are reliable, safe and cost-effective."
The Jupiter spacecraft builds upon the design of MAVEN, now in orbit around Mars, and OSIRIS-REx, currently under construction for an asteroid sample return mission. The Exoliner container is based upon teammate Thales Alenia Space's cargo carrier used on the Automated Transfer Vehicle. The robotic arm, built by teammate MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates, draws from technology used on the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle for more than 30 years.
The Lockheed Martin CRS-2 solution brings many affordability benefits with it. Not only does it employ a reusable spacecraft and create the option to host commercial payloads, it's also designed to support future exploration missions in deep space. Jupiter and the Exoliner cargo carrier can be pre-positioned with supplies of food, fuel, water and equipment for astronauts to use as they travel on manned missions farther into space than ever before.
"Our top priority is safe, reliable and affordable delivery of cargo to the ISS," said Jim Crocker, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Space Systems' International line of business. "At the same time, as NASA continues on the journey to Mars, we're excited by the possibilities CRS-2 can offer to accelerate that goal."
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 112,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2014 were $45.6 billion.

An illustration showing Lockheed Martin's solution for NASA's Commercial Resupply 2 Program. This image shows the Jupiter spacecraft, the Exoliner cargo container and the robotic arm docking to the International Space Station.

An illustration showing Lockheed Martin's solution for NASA's Commercial Resupply 2 Program. This image shows the Jupiter spacecraft, the Exoliner cargo container, and the robotic arm in space.
Photos and video of Lockheed Martin's solution: www.lockheedmartin.com/crs2
Media Contacts:
Allison Rakes
(240) 364-4367
Allison.M.Rakes@lmco.com
Matt Kramer
(303) 526-8623
Matthew.S.Kramer@lmco.com
Gary Napier
(720) 224-7955
Gary.P.Napier@lmco.com

© 2015 Lockheed Martin Corporation

Lockheed Martin reveals new method for resupplying space station
The versatile system could ultimately find a way to make itself useful in a variety of future NASA missions.
By Brooks Hays | March 14, 2015 at 11:07 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WkJOUoJK8kA

WASHINGTON, March 14 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has a new plan for resupplying the International Space Station, and it includes the use of a tugboat-like craft called Jupiter. As the defense contractor and aerospace company explains it, Jupiter would serve as deliveryman, garbageman, satellite deployment specialist and astronaut transport vehicle -- all in one.
The most immediate use for Jupiter will be as a cargo ferry, shuttling supplies back and forth to ISS. But unlike other cargo vehicles that start and end their mission on the Earth's surface -- like SpaceX's Dragon capsule -- Jupiter will hang out in space 24/7.
Jupiter would begin its life by delivering a cargo load in a container the size of a rail car called the Exoliner. After delivering the Exoliner, Jupiter will chill out in low Earth orbit, perhaps serving other purposes -- like deploying satellites -- until it's time to deliver another cargo load.
When another resupply mission comes along, Jupiter will both take out the trash for ISS and deliver the space station the new Exoliner. Jupiter would all the while be accompanied by a detached robotic arm to assist in the various handoffs.
"Just imagine a future of interplanetary shipping lanes to the Moon and Mars, bustling autonomous spacecraft carrying supplies, scientific instruments and construction materials for habitats," Jim Crocker, vice president and general manager of Space Systems Company International, said in a company press release that likened their plans to a 21st century Transcontinental Railroad in space.
"Picture commercial hosted payloads and cube sats, sharing space with NASA instruments and reducing costs," Crocker said. "Picture a fleet of space habitats, serving as orbiting labs and helping Orion astronauts on their journey to Mars."
The new space architecture won't necessarily revolutionize how cargo is delivered to ISS. And it's unclear whether the method will save time or money. But Jupiter has the advantage of versatility. In an aerospace industry that's become increasingly crowded, Lockheed seems to be making the long play.
A versatile system like Jupiter could ultimately find a way to make itself useful in a variety of future NASA missions.
"Although our priority is going to be servicing the International Space Station and providing the ability to carry commercial payloads and deploy small satellites, we're also designing this system from the beginning to be able to do deep-space missions," Josh Hopkins, the company's space exploration architect, told reporters at a press briefing on Thursday night.
In other words, if NASA awards this ISS delivery contract to Lockheed, it could set the company up for more success down the line.

© 2015 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Lockheed Martin unveils Jupiter cargo ship for ISS, exploration
03/12/2015 08:24 PM
By WILLIAM HARWOOD
CBS News

Taking space station resupply to new heights, Lockheed Martin unveiled plans for an innovative modular spacecraft Thursday that could be used to deliver cargo to the lab complex or serve as a small habitat for NASA astronauts making deep space voyages aboard the agency's Orion capsules.

Two companies, SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corp., currently hold commercial contracts with NASA valued at $3.5 billion to deliver critical supplies and equipment to the lab complex through 2016. In June, NASA plans to award one or more new contracts for resupply flights through 2020 with options extending to 2024.

SpaceX, which holds another NASA contract to develop a piloted version of its Dragon cargo ship, is expected to be in the hunt for the second round of cargo resupply contracts, along with Orbital Sciences, Boeing and Sierra Nevada, which is promoting its winged Dream Chaser spaceplane.
Lockheed Martin's proposed Jupiter space tug and "Exoliner" cargo carrier are captured by the International Space Station's robot arm in this computer graphic. Lockheed Martin has entered the design in a NASA competition for downstream station resupply flights. (Credit: Lockheed Martin)

During a webcast briefing Thursday from Union Station in Washington, Lockheed Martin officials unveiled their proposed "solution" in the resupply competition, a mostly reusable spacecraft named Jupiter.

"We've named this system Jupiter after one of the trains that came together at Promontory Summit," said Jim Crocker, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Space Systems International. "This public-private partnership, that basically established the transcontinental railroad, changed everything. It changed the economics of how the United States competed in the world, and we believe the system we're unveiling tonight will do the same."

In a radical departure from current space station resupply architectures, the Jupiter spacecraft would be made up of a power, data and propulsion module based on the company's flight-proven design for interplanetary spacecraft like NASA's Maven Mars orbiter and its Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft.

The solar-powered bus and a refuelable mission support module would feature a robot arm provided by MacDonald Dettwiler Associates, or MDA, the same Canadian company that built the arms used by NASA's space shuttles and the International Space Station. Frequently referring to the transcontinental railroad, Crocker described the Jupiter spacecraft as a locomotive and the robot arm as the coupling mechanism.

For space station resupply missions, up to 3,300 pounds of unpressurized cargo could be carried with up to 11,000 pounds in a roomy pressurized module modeled after the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle, built by Thales Alenia Space. The pressurized module could be used to carry large components, such as full-size lab racks, as well as spare parts, research equipment, food, clothing and other supplies.

The Jupiter spacecraft and "Exoliner" cargo carrier would be launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket. After separating from the rocket's Centaur second stage, the cargo ship would rendezvous with the space station and rely on the lab's robot arm to pull it in for berthing.

The module then would be unloaded by the lab crew and repacked with trash and no-longer-needed equipment. The Jupiter spacecraft then would be unberthed by the station's robot arm, allowing the cargo ship to either remain in space to deploy secondary payloads or rendezvous with another cargo module launched atop another Atlas 5.

After the initial mission, the Jupiter "locomotive" would remain in orbit and await delivery of another cargo module by an Atlas 5. Using the craft's robot arm, the vehicle would autonomously snare the new cargo carrier and attach the trash-filled module to the Atlas 5 second stage to burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

The expensive part of the spacecraft -- the power, propulsion and data management section -- would remain in orbit between delivery missions, reducing the cost of resupply, company officials said.
(Credit: Lockheed Martin)

In a break with past proposals, Lockheed Martin is designing the spacecraft from the ground up with deep space exploration in mind.

"Although our priority is going to be servicing the International Space Station and providing the ability to carry commercial payloads and deploy small satellites, we're also designing this system from the beginning go be able to do deep space missions," said Josh Hopkins, a Lockheed Martin "space exploration architect."

"And that means that NASA will be able to start doing some early human spaceflights beyond low-Earth orbit without a huge investment. Instead, what they'll be able to do is buy more copies of the same design."

He said multiple studies in recent years have called for flights to a small habitat in the vicinity of the moon to perfect the technology and procedures needed for eventual flights to deep space targets ranging from nearby asteroids to the ultimate destination, Mars.

Operating near the moon, astronauts would be able to test and demonstrate the reliability of advanced life support systems, develop techniques for protecting crews from space radiation and procedures for long-term operations beyond low-Earth orbit.

"Cislunar space is a pretty good place to practice that," Hopkins said. "It's about a thousand times farther from the Earth than the International Space Station is, but it's still close enough that you can get astronauts home in a week or so in an emergency. So it's a good place to learn those key skills that will enable these longer term missions in the future."

He said the ATV-heritage cargo modules would be designed to serve as habitats that could be attached to NASA's Orion exploration capsule, instantly tripling the volume available to its crew.

"Orion can get the astronauts to deep space, that's what it's designed to do," Hopkins said. "But if you want to extend that mission from just a few weeks up to a few months, you need more room, you need this habitat."

He said NASA's Space Launch System super rocket, scheduled for an initial test flight in 2018, will be able to carry an Orion capsule and a Jupiter spacecraft and habitat without any significant modification.

If the Jupiter project moves forward, "NASA could choose to launch one of these on each Orion mission if it chose to do so, for more supplies and more living space," Hopkins said. "It's also designed to be compatible as a primary payload on existing and planned commercial heavy launch vehicles."
"We want the ability to offer commercial logistics services to NASA and the international partners not just to ISS, but to lunar orbit and beyond," he said. "This gives us the capability to exercise that business model."

© 2015 William Harwood/CBS News

Lockheed Pitches Reusable Tug for Space Station Resupply
by Jeff Foust — March 13, 2015
A Lockheed Martin cargo vehicle, consisting of a reusable tug called Jupiter and a cargo module called Exoliner, berths with the International Space Station in this illustration. Credit: Lockheed Martin
WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin confirmed March 12 that it submitted a proposal for NASA's commercial cargo competition, offering a system that includes a reusable tug that can be used for other applications, including supporting human missions beyond Earth orbit.
"We're unveiling a solution that goes beyond the space station, a solution that will allow us to set the stage for a revolution in commercial exploration," said Jim Crocker, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Space Systems International, in an event here to announce their system.
Jim Crocker, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Space Systems International, discusses his company's commercial cargo system at an event at Washington's Union Station March 12. Credit: SpaceNews photo by Jeff Foust
The company's system features two key components: a reusable tug called Jupiter and a cargo module called Exoliner. Initially, the two would be launched together on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket and berth with the International Space Station in much in the same way as existing commercial cargo vehicles.
At the end of its mission at the ISS, the cargo vehicle would depart and fly independently for weeks or months. During this time it would be able to carry out additional missions, such as the deployment of small satellites or remote sensing of the Earth.
Follow-on cargo missions would launch only Exoliner modules. Jupiter and the old Exoliner would rendezvous with the Centaur upper stage carrying the new Exoliner module, and Jupiter would use its robotic arm to swap the modules. Jupiter then returns to the ISS with the new cargo module, while the Centaur deorbits the old one.
The Jupiter tug, based on interplanetary spacecraft like the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution orbiter Lockheed helped build and launch in 2013, is designed to operate in orbit for extended periods. "In essence it has an unlimited life," said Crocker, since the vehicle can be refueled and serviced on orbit.
Credit: Lockheed Martin
The company did not offer specific pricing details, but emphasized what it termed the "affordability" of the system by noting that many key systems, such as sensors and other electronics, are incorporated into Jupiter and thus need to be built only once. "The expensive part of this system stays in orbit and is reused on every mission," Crocker said.
The system can carry up to 5,000 kilograms of pressurized cargo and 1,500 kilograms of unpressurized cargo per mission, the maximum set by NASA in its Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) request for proposals last September. The amount of cargo it can dispose of is limited only by the volume of the cargo container, company officials said; NASA requires a minimum of 2,500 kilograms of cargo disposal per mission.
Lockheed Martin said it is developing the cargo system with two international partners. Thales Alenia Space is providing the cargo module, based on the cargo carrier it built for Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle. Canada's MDA Corp. is building the robotic arm for Jupiter.
All of the major components of Jupiter and Exoliner have flight heritage. "Selecting hardware that has been effectively demonstrated on the space station has got to be a solution that provides a level of comfort" to NASA, said Wanda Sigur, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Space Systems civil space line of business.
In addition to servicing the ISS and potential future commercial space stations, Lockheed Martin said this system could also support operations beyond Earth orbit. A Jupiter and Exoliner module could be launched, along with an Orion spacecraft, on a single Space Launch System booster, serving as a habitat and logistics module for extended stays in cislunar space.
"Although our priority is going to be servicing the ISS," said Josh Hopkins, a Lockheed Martin space exploration architect, "we're also designing the system from the beginning to be able to do deep space missions."
Lockheed Martin is the latest company to confirm its bid in what has become a crowded field for the CRS-2 competition. Boeing, Orbital ATK, and Sierra Nevada Corp. said in December that they submitted CRS-2 proposals. SpaceX, which, along with Orbital ATK, has contracts today to deliver cargo to the ISS, is widely believed to have also proposed, but the company has declined to publicly confirm that. NASA plans to select at least two companies by June.
Sierra Nevada, which lost to Boeing and SpaceX in NASA's commercial crew competition last year, announced March 12 that it would provide details of its CRS-2 bid, called the Dream Chaser Cargo System, at a briefing here March 17.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WkJOUoJK8kA

© 2015 SpaceNews, Inc. All rights reserved.