| | JSC TODAY CATEGORIES - Headlines
- NASA's Chief Scientist Town Hall Today
- Ant-ronauts in Space!
- Active NASA@work Challenges: Submit Your Solution - Organizations/Social
- MLK Observance on Jan. 23: 'Day of Service'
- Tomorrow: Network After Work With Emerge
- Focus Group Discussion on Interfaith Practices
- New Year's Resolutions ... Again
- Youth Dodgeball Clinic - Jobs and Training
- ISS EDMS User Forum
- Pressure Systems Familiarization |  |
| Headlines - NASA's Chief Scientist Town Hall Today
Mark your calendar to attend a Town Hall with NASA's Chief Scientist Dr. Ellen Stofan today, Jan. 15, at 3 p.m. in the Building 30 Auditorium. Stofan will share her presentation "Looking Outward, Inward and Homeward: The Value of NASA Science," and there will be an opportunity for questions. Event Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2014 Event Start Time:3:00 PM Event End Time:4:00 PM
Event Location: Bulding 30 Auditorium
Add to Calendar
Dr. Eileen Stansbery x35540
[top] - Ant-ronauts in Space!
The Orb-1 Cygnus spaceship, named the S.S. C. Gordon Fullerton in honor of the late NASA astronaut Gordon Fullerton, has arrived at the International Space Station, bringing 2,780 pounds (1,260 kilograms) of supplies and research experiments. One student experiment, Ants in Space, is already underway. Results may provide insight into ant behavior (or swarm intelligence), or how the simple actions of individuals add up to the complex behavior of a group. Understanding swarm intelligence helps create mathematical procedures for solving complex human problems, such as routing trucks, scheduling airlines and telecommunications efficiency. Read more here. - Active NASA@work Challenges: Submit Your Solution
Check out our active challenge on the NASA@work platform: Display Format Development System for Deep Space Human Spacecraft. And, there's still time to provide your feedback in our NASA@work Survey: 2013 Year In Review. To read more about our active challenge and take our survey, click here. Are you new to NASA@work? NASA@work is an agencywide, collaborative problem-solving platform that connects the collective knowledge of experts (like YOU) from all centers across NASA. Challenge owners post problems, and members of the NASA@work community participate by responding with their solutions to posted problems. Anyone can participate! Organizations/Social - MLK Observance on Jan. 23: 'Day of Service'
On Jan. 23 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., we look forward to the observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. In observance of this "Day of Service," the African-American Employee Resource Group is pleased to have Dr. Regan Flowers, founder/CEO of Challenge-Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (C-STEM), speak to the JSC community. Also, students from WALIPPS-TSU Academy's Reader's Theatre will be performing at this program. Event Date: Thursday, January 23, 2014 Event Start Time:11:00 AM Event End Time:12:30 PM
Event Location: B30 Auditorium
Add to Calendar
Orlando Horton x46584
[top] - Tomorrow: Network After Work With Emerge
Help Emerge kick off 2014 tomorrow with a networking event while enjoying a free nacho bar and drink specials. People gravitate to do business with people they know, like and trust. We'd love to get to know you and what you do. We are a group comprised of JSC's next generation, fostering cross-center collaboration. No reservation is required, and this is open to Emerge and the JSC community. - Focus Group Discussion on Interfaith Practices
We need your help! The Inclusion & Innovation (I&I) Office, in collaboration with the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (OEOD), recognize the need to provide a practical tool to communicate, align and reinforce a commitment to inclusive interfaith practices. Therefore, we're seeking inputs from the JSC community to determine the various holidays and observances that are practiced by employees. The end product will be an annual calendar that will serve as an awareness tool for managers. We will meet on Thursday, Jan. 16, from 1 to 2 pm in Building 12, Room 134. Please contact Carolyn Williams to inform of your interest to participate in this input session. - New Year's Resolutions ... Again
New Year's resolutions come and go. Is there a resolution that keeps coming up year after year that seems to never get fulfilled? Join Takis Bogdanos, MA, LPC-S, CGP, with the JSC Employee Assistance Program, for a "Resolution-Keeping Refresher" on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 12 noon in the Building 30 Auditorium. - Youth Dodgeball Clinic
Dodge, duck, dip and dive your way into a fun and exciting new youth dodgeball clinic. Children will learn throwing and dodging techniques all while enjoying the game of dodgeball. Soft Gatorskin balls will be used. Dates: Feb. 6 to 27 Day and Time: Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Ages: 8 to 12 Price: $50 Jobs and Training - ISS EDMS User Forum
The International Space Station Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) team will hold the monthly General User Training Forum this Thursday, Jan. 16, at 9:30 a.m. in Building 4S, Conference Room 5315. WebEx and telecom are provided. If you use EDMS to locate station documents, join us to learn about basic navigation and searching. Bring your questions, concerns and suggestions, and meet the station EDMS Customer Support team. The agenda can be found here. - Pressure Systems Familiarization
This course gives the student an overview of NASA policy, center policy and center requirements for Pressure System Certification. The five JSC categories of Certified Systems are presented. The role of the pressure and pressure systems are defined as well. - ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Codes (B&PV)
- ASME B31 Pressure Piping Codes
- ASME Performance Test Codes (PTC)
- National Board Inspection Code (ANSI/NB-23)
- Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 49
Date/Time: Feb. 4 from 8 a.m. to noon Where: Safety Learning Center, Building 20, Room 205/206 Registration via SATERN required: | |
| |
| JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles. Disclaimer: Accuracy and content of these notes are the responsibility of the submitters. |
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2014.0.4259 / Virus Database: 3658/7003 - Release Date: 01/14/14
NASA and Human Spaceflight News
Wednesday – Jan. 15, 2014
HEADLINES AND LEADS
Budget deal would preserve NASA's big missions
Ledyard King – USA Today
The nation's space program would fare reasonably well under a fiscal 2014 spending bill expected to pass Congress later this week.
New NASA budget has 'strong' funding for Space Launch System being developed in Huntsville
Lee Roop – Huntsville Times
"Strong funding for NASA" and the deep-space rocket known as the Space Launch System being developed in Huntsville is included in a joint House-Senate Omnibus funding bill for 2014 released Monday night by funding committees in both houses, aides to U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) said today.
Commercial Crew Would Get Boost in Omnibus Spending Bill for 2014
Dan Leone – Space News
NASA's Commercial Crew Program would get up to $696 million — its highest annual budget yet — under an omnibus spending bill drafted by Congress to fund the federal government for the remainder of 2014.
But the allocation is still considerably less than the $821 million sought by U.S. President Barack Obama and also comes with a string attached: $171 million of the funds would be held in reserve until NASA completes an independent cost-benefit analysis of the program. That would temporarily keep the program funded at about $525 million, the same level it got in 2013.
Finally, Congress Does Its Job
The Editorial Board – The New York Times
The last time Congress approved a series of spending bills to pay for the government — its most basic job — was in 2011. Since then, Republican lawmakers, determined to thwart the Obama administration at every step, have forced the government to subsist on stopgap measures that simply carry over or cut previous spending, with no accounting for growth, inflation or changing priorities.
Brevard launches climbing in 2014
James Dean – Florida Today
The number of Space Coast rocket launches could double this year compared to 2013, the commander of the Air Force's 45th Space Wing said Tuesday.
Orbital Sciences plans upgrades to resupply system
Stephen Clark – Spaceflight Now
Orbital Sciences Corp. officials say the Obama administration's endorsement of a life extension for the International Space Station will allow for technical upgrades and cost reductions for the company's commercial resupply service.
COMPLETE STORIES
Budget deal would preserve NASA's big missions
Ledyard King – USA Today
The nation's space program would fare reasonably well under a fiscal 2014 spending bill expected to pass Congress later this week.
The $1.012 trillion package includes $17.65 billion for NASA, only slightly below what President Obama had requested. It includes funding for the agency's major space and science initiatives, including a crewed mission to Mars by the 2030s.
The fiscal year began Oct. 1 and runs through Sept. 30.
"This is a big win," said Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who chairs the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee that handles space policy.
NASA officials had worried about the effect that prolonged sequestration spending cuts would have on science and exploration. They warned lawmakers that another year of the automatic cuts would be bad news for an agency that budgets for the long term and needs consistent funding sources for its multi-year missions.
In fiscal 2013, NASA received nearly $16.9 billion. The House Appropriations Committee had approved a NASA budget of $16.6 billion for fiscal 2014 while the Senate Appropriations Committee called for $18 billion. Obama had asked for $17.7 billion.
The spending bill would give NASA:
— $3.1 billion for the Mars mission, including $1.2 billion for the Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle that will carry astronauts to Mars and $1.9 billion for the Space Launch System that will build and guide the rocket that will propel them to the Red Planet.
— $696 million for commercial space activities, mainly to further development of private spacecraft to carry astronauts to the International Space Station. NASA has set 2017 as a target date for the first crewed mission. Until then, American taxpayers must pay more than $70 million each time Russia gives an astronaut a ride to the orbiting lab.
— $5.2 billion for science missions, including $80 million for a mission to explore Europa, one of Jupiter's moons.
— $566 million for aeronautics, including "cutting-edge research into cleaner and quieter airplanes," according to NASA.
The bill also would cap money for the James Webb Space Telescope at $8 billion. The telescope, Hubbell's much-touted successor, has been beset by cost overruns and schedule delays.
The bill also would continue to bar NASA from sharing any sensitive information with China.
The deal would give the agency more than the $2.7 billion the administration requested for the Mars mission, a congressional priority. And it would provide less than the $821 million NASA wanted for commercial space programs, an administration priority.
Still, NASA officials were generally pleased with the proposed allocation.
"This appropriations bill reaffirms support for the bipartisan space exploration plan agreed to by the president and Congress," NASA spokesman David Weaver said Wednesday. "The bill keeps NASA's deep-space exploration program on track and will continue to spur American innovation and keep the U.S. the world leader in space exploration."
Had sequestration continued, NASA would have received as little as $16.2 billion next year, which would have imperiled some major missions.
"It may not be the full enchilada," Marcia Smith, editor of SpacePolicyOnline.com, wrote on the online news site. "But NASA did pretty well, all things considered." New NASA budget has 'strong' funding for Space Launch System being developed in Huntsville
Lee Roop – Huntsville Times
"Strong funding for NASA" and the deep-space rocket known as the Space Launch System being developed in Huntsville is included in a joint House-Senate Omnibus funding bill for 2014 released Monday night by funding committees in both houses, aides to U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) said today.
SLS is getting $1.6 billion for the rocket development part of the program for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, Shelby's aides said today. Another $300 million approximately will go to funding ground facility improvements for SLS at Kennedy Space Center. The Orion crew capsule is getting nearly $1.2 billion. Huntsville's Marshall Space Flight Center is leading the development of the rocket, and Houston's Johnson Space Flight Center is leading on Orion.
"I am pleased that this legislation includes the funding necessary to continue the great work underway in Huntsville on the Space Launch System," Shelby said in a statement. "If we are to maintain our leadership role in human space flight, we must continue to make SLS a priority in NASA's budget. I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that."
As vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Shelby served as the top Republican negotiator on the Senate side for the bill.
The overall NASA funding number of $17.6 billion is just $70 million under President Obama's request for the agency. That number does not include sequestration, which was ended for this year by a funding compromise.
The amount going to the overall SLS program is close to the amount Senate appropriators wanted and almost $200 million more than House appropriators provided. The House anticipated continued sequestration in its budgeting, but is expected to pass the Omnibus bill this week. The Senate is also expected to pass it before the weekend.
The Omnibus bill provides $696 million for NASA's commercial crew program, according to reports, and that is less than the $821 million NASA and the White House said is needed to keep the program on track. Shelby's aides said additional accountability measures for commercial crew were also included.
Commercial Crew Would Get Boost in Omnibus Spending Bill for 2014
Dan Leone – Space News
NASA's Commercial Crew Program would get up to $696 million — its highest annual budget yet — under an omnibus spending bill drafted by Congress to fund the federal government for the remainder of 2014.
But the allocation is still considerably less than the $821 million sought by U.S. President Barack Obama and also comes with a string attached: $171 million of the funds would be held in reserve until NASA completes an independent cost-benefit analysis of the program. That would temporarily keep the program funded at about $525 million, the same level it got in 2013.
NASA would receive $17.6 billion in total under the plan, or about $100 million below the White House's request and roughly $700 million more than the agency's sequestered 2013 budget.
The House Appropriations Committee released the text of the proposed $1.1 trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2014 (H.R. 3745), which will go straight to the House floor for a vote before being considered by the Senate, on its website late Jan. 13. Spending levels in the bill are the result of a December budget compromise that provided some relief from the sequestration of funds that hit budgets last year as part of the Budget Control Act of 2011.
House and Senate aides said Congress will likely have to extend the current stopgap spending bill, which expires Jan. 15, for three days to get the new omnibus plan to Obama's desk and avoid another partial shutdown of the federal government. The House was expected to take up the short-term extension Jan. 14.
The spending bill would extend through 2016 the federal government's launch indemnification program, which shields U.S. commercial launch providers from third-party damage claims that exceed $500 million. House Democrats had pushed for a one-year extension.
The bill's proposed funding levels for NASA's major spending accounts are:
- Science: $5.2 billion, about $200 million more than the White House's 2014 request, and $400 million more than the 2013 budget settled on back in August as part of the agency's final operating plan for that year. Of the proposed 2014 appropriation, 658.2 million is for the James Webb Space Telescope, the agency's biggest science project.
- Exploration: $4.1 billion, about $100 million more than the request and roughly $400 million more than in 2013. About $1.9 billion of the proposed amount is for the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and its associated ground systems. The Orion Multi-Purpose crew vehicle, the rocket's companion capsule, would get about $1.2 billion.
- Space Operations: $3.8 billion, most of which is for the international space station. That is about $100 million less than the request, and roughly $100 more than in 2013.
- Cross Agency Support: $2.8 billion to cover agency-wide operating expenses, or about $100 million less than both the request and the 2013 appropriation.
- Construction and Environmental Compliance and Restoration: $515 million, some $94 million below the request and $132 million lower than in 2013 to cover upkeep and maintenance at NASA's national network of field centers.
- Education: $116.6 million, or about $22 million more than the White House requested as part of a 2014 budget proposal that sought to overhaul the federal government's education and public outreach programs. The proposed appropriation is essentially flat compared with the 2013 operating plan.
- Inspector General: $37.5 million for agency oversight, roughly even with the request, but about $2.5 million more than in 2013.
Finally, Congress Does Its Job
The Editorial Board – The New York Times
The last time Congress approved a series of spending bills to pay for the government — its most basic job — was in 2011. Since then, Republican lawmakers, determined to thwart the Obama administration at every step, have forced the government to subsist on stopgap measures that simply carry over or cut previous spending, with no accounting for growth, inflation or changing priorities.
That's about to change this week, in one of the few pieces of good news to emerge from the current Congress. Assuming hard-right members of the House don't manage to block it, a $1 trillion appropriations bill is about to be approved by both chambers for the rest of the 2014 fiscal year, through the end of September. That means some of the most important domestic programs, starved for cash by budget caps and the sequester, will finally get much of the money they need.
Republican moderates, politically burned by the government shutdown last fall, joined Democrats in fending off almost all of the Tea Party's demands. Right-wing Republicans failed to prevent any money from being spent on implementing the health care law, or enforcing power-plant regulations, or reforming financial practices under the Dodd-Frank law.
While the bill still reflects many Republican priorities, most of the worst proposals are gone. So are the deepest cuts of the sequester, following the budget agreement reached last month. Head Start would get $612 million more than last year, enough to restore the 57,000 slots that were cut by the sequester. The bill creates a new $250 million grant program that would encourage states to build or expand high-quality preschool classes for poor families. There would also be significant increases for health agencies whose research budgets had been cut: $1 billion more for the National Institutes of Health, $567 million more for the Centers for Disease Control, and $91 million for the Food and Drug Administration. NASA gets a boost over last year's amount, and the administration's transportation grant program for the states, intended to create jobs and rebuild infrastructure, won $600 million, more than the White House requested.
Republicans did win some victories. The financial regulators, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission, received far less money than they need to do their jobs rigorously, and there was an unnecessary cut to a fund for disease prevention and public health. There will not be enough money for the United States to fulfill its pledges to the International Monetary Fund. One terrible environmental rider was included, a gift to the coal industry that allows continued dumping of toxic coal-mining waste in streams. Also included is the ridiculous provision that prevents enforcement of new light-bulb standards, a triumph for those who consider incandescent lights a symbol of freedom.
The right-wing's larger victory is in the overall spending amount, which is far less than it should be to revive the economy. In 2008, discretionary spending under President George W. Bush was $1.176 trillion. That amount should have gone up in the following six years to reflect growth and inflation, paid for with new tax revenues. Instead it has fallen sharply to $1.012 trillion. The spending bill is better than a stopgap measure, but it is nowhere near sufficient to pay for the necessary investments in education and infrastructure that the country needs.
Brevard launches climbing in 2014
James Dean – Florida Today
The number of Space Coast rocket launches could double this year compared to 2013, the commander of the Air Force's 45th Space Wing said Tuesday.
Last year, the wing supported 10 launches of spacecraft atop Atlas V, Delta IV and Falcon 9 rockets, plus another four submarine-launched Trident II missile tests.
This year, 21 space launches are tentatively scheduled from the Eastern Range — 10 by United Launch Alliance and 11 by SpaceX.
"The Eastern Range is in for a treat," Brig. Gen. Nina Armagno told more than 350 guests at a National Space Club Florida Committee meeting at the Radisson Resort at the Port in Cape Canaveral.
Launch schedules change frequently, so it's likely some will slip to next year. Only 10 of the 15 space launches expected at this time last year actually took flight in 2013.
But both ULA and SpaceX are poised to increase their totals from last year, with SpaceX representing the biggest growth potential.
The Hawthorne, Calif., company completed just two Cape launches in 2013, while taking time to upgrade its Falcon 9 rocket for launches of commercial communications satellites that began late last year.
SpaceX could equal that total by next month. It has already launched a commercial satellite this month and is targeting a Feb. 22 liftoff of cargo to the International Space Station — the first of four possible resupply missions for NASA in 2014.
This year could see SpaceX's first attempts to recover a first-stage booster from the Atlantic Ocean, and possibly to fly one back to a landing site.
The company also plans abort tests of its Dragon capsule, from a launch pad and mid-flight.
Meanwhile, United Launch Alliance plans six Atlas V and four Delta IV launches from the Cape this year, equaling last year's Atlas total and adding two more Deltas.
They start next week, with an Atlas V targeting a 9:05 p.m. Jan. 23 liftoff with a next-generation NASA Tracking and Data Relay satellite.
Another highlight could be the first launch to space of NASA's Orion exploration capsule, without a crew, atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket in September.
(Page 2 of 2)
The remainder of ULA's local launches include a NASA science mission, three Global Positioning System satellites and Department of Defense missions.
Armagno, who assumed command of the 45th Space Wing and Eastern Range in June, said her team including 14,700 employees at Patrick Air Force Base and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station faced a challenge to support launches more efficiently with a flat budget and potential cuts ahead.
"It's time to change the way we do things; we cannot continue to throw money at our problems," she said. "Here on the Space Coast, we're looking into our own processes, infrastructure, equipment and even our overall culture to see where we can make improvements."
The 45th Space Wing operates the Eastern Range, providing tracking and safety services — including blowing up a rocket veering off course — for all missions launched from Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center.
The wing has a payroll of $365 million and annual spending totals about $605 million, according to an Air Force fact sheet.
Armagno said the Wing has launched a "Year of Innovation" to promote ideas that could help ensure successful launches despite fewer resources.
"If there's an instruction that was written years ago and just doesn't make sense anymore, let's rewrite it," she said. "If there's a process that can be done faster or easier, let's change it."
Orbital Sciences plans upgrades to resupply system
Stephen Clark – Spaceflight Now
Orbital Sciences Corp. officials say the Obama administration's endorsement of a life extension for the International Space Station will allow for technical upgrades and cost reductions for the company's commercial resupply service.
But the Virginia-based company is not waiting for a new contract to introduce improvements. Later this year, engineers will install higher-power radios and a better navigation sensor into Orbital's Cygnus cargo carrier and fly a more capable solid-fueled upper stage motor on the Antares launcher used to send supplies into orbit.
Orbital invited Spaceflight Now into the Cygnus control center at the company's Northern Virginia headquarters Sunday, offering rare behind-the-scenes access to the mission operations team as the spacecraft rendezvoused with the space station for a high-flying delivery of 2,780 pounds of experiments and supplies.
The Cygnus spacecraft's cargo load was the heaviest ever transported to the space station by one of the U.S. commercial cargo vehicles, eclipsing previous hauls by Cygnus and SpaceX's Dragon capsule.
The 16.8-foot-long cargo vessel completed a smooth three-day pursuit of the space station Sunday, holding its position 30 feet below the complex as astronaut Mike Hopkins snagged the automated spaceship with a robotic arm.
Sunday's arrival marked the first of eight cargo missions Orbital has under contract with NASA. The $1.9 billion agreement, reached by NASA and Orbital in December 2008, calls for the delivery of 40,000 pounds of supplies over the eight flights.
Orbital officials welcomed NASA's announcement Jan. 8 that the White House supports continuing to fly the space station until at least 2024.
"There's really no reason to stop operations on the space station until it completely is no longer usable, and I think it will be usable for a long time because it's very well built, very well maintained, and NASA and their engineers understand it very well," said Frank Culbertson, executive vice president and general manager for Orbital's advanced programs group.
The space station will need crew and cargo transportation services as long as it operates, giving Orbital Sciences and other companies in the business an anchor market. Orbital and SpaceX, NASA's other cargo transport provider, developed their rockets and resupply ships in a cost-sharing scheme using NASA funding and private capital.
NASA's current contracts for cargo missions with SpaceX and Orbital run through the end of 2016. To ensure no gap in service, Orbital officials say they would like to see new orders in place this year.
"We're hopeful that some time in 2014 NASA will see our spacecraft performs very well and start looking at ordering additional missions from us, so that we can start ordering hardware not only for us to manufacture internally, but for our suppliers to manufacture," said Frank DeMauro, Orbital's Cygnus program manager. "I think we've shown tremendous benefits of building ahead and buying ahead. We would like to continue to do that for follow-on missions."
NASA officials have not said how many more resupply missions they will put under contract, or whether the procurement will be an extension of the existing deals with SpaceX and Orbital or another open competition.
The space station extension to 2024 "gives us a chance to be innovative and maybe invest in some improvements on how we do this to make it more cost-effective, more efficient, quicker turnaround times, [and] go more often," Culbertson said.
We definitely will go to more of a production mode rather than a development mode on the spacecraft and the rocket," Culbertson said. "We can really get very efficient with that if we can do the same design over and over, and that's what we intend to do for the next phase of [cargo] services."
Orbital Sciences managers said they would study incremental upgrades to the spacecraft's systems and would respond to any NASA request for extra capability.
Some improvements will be introduced as soon as the next Cygnus resupply mission, named Orb-2 and tentatively scheduled for launch May 1.
DeMauro said engineers will install a U.S.-built software-defined radio on the Orb-2 mission to replace a radio from a European subcontractor. And the Orb-2 flight will see the debut of a new navigation sensor to aid the craft's approach to the space station.
The TriDAR sensor, developed and built by Ottawa-based Neptec Design Group, is a next-generation rendezvous aid tested on three space shuttle flights, including the final mission in July 2011.
The Cygnus spacecraft's existing laser navigation system measures the distance and closing rate of the spaceship by bouncing light signals off of reflectors mounted on the space station's Japanese lab module. The TriDAR system does not need reflectors, instead determining the Cygnus spacecraft's position by creating a three-dimensional thermal map of the station and comparing it with a model embedded in the system's software.
The TriDAR is also effective at greater distances from the space station, according to Neptec engineers.
Orbital will use the radio and TriDAR in backup mode on Orb-2. If they perform well, they will be used operationally on the Orb-3 resupply mission in October.
The October cargo launch will also mark the first flight of the Antares rocket's more powerful Castor 30XL upper stage motor provided by ATK. The Castor 30XL is a lengthened version of the Antares rocket's flight-proven Castor 30 motor, boosting the launcher's maximum load to the space station by more than 1,000 pounds.
Then on Orbital's first logistics mission in 2015, known as Orb-4, the company will trot out an enhanced version of the Cygnus spacecraft with a larger pressurized cargo module, a new circular solar array design, and lighter structural components and wiring harnesses, DeMauro said.
The upgrades will allow Cygnus to haul nearly three tons of supplies to the space station.
According to DeMauro, the Cygnus service module for Orb-2 is finishing up testing at the company's headquarters here and will be moved to the launch site at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore in March. The pressurized cargo module, built by Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, will be shipped to Wallops aboard an Antonov An-124 transport plane in late January, he said.
Culbertson said the readiness of the Antares rocket's twin first stage AJ26 engines, built in the 1970s by Russia's Kuznetsov Design Bureau and modernized by Aerojet Rocketdyne, present the toughest challenge to Orb-2's targeted May 1 launch date.
Originally designed for the Soviet Union's doomed lunar exploration program, the engines are fired at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for final testing before shipment to the Wallops launch facility.
Orbital Sciences officials have said the aging engines suffer from corrosion, making them difficult to test and qualify for flight. Culbertson did not say what, if any, problems are being encountered in the current round of engine testing in Mississippi.
Aerojet Rocketdyne and Orbital Sciences have a contract to supply the Antares rocket with 20 AJ26 engines to cover 10 Antares launches on the manifest - the eight resupply flights to the space station and two test flights already in the books. Six of the powerplants have already flown on three launches.
Before Aerojet Rocketdyne's upgrades and rebranding, the Russian-built engines were known as NK-33s.
If Orbital signs a deal for cargo flights beyond 2016, it will need more engines.
Aerojet Rocketdyne has another 23 kerosene-fueled NK-33 engines in stock it says could be used for additional Antares launches to the space station or for other potential customers.
But Orbital Sciences wants a more permanent propulsion solution for the Antares rocket. The NK-33s are no longer in production, and although Aerojet Rocketdyne president Warren Boley said in June the company had struck a deal with Kuznetsov to resume manufacturing the NK-33, Culbertson said he was not aware of any commitment to restart production with set financial terms.
"We have active negotiations going on in a variety of areas" for engines for future Antares missions, Culbertson said, adding that Orbital was looking both domestically and internationally and would stick with a liquid-fueled first stage.
The Antares rocket's two AJ26 engines generate about 750,000 pounds of thrust.
"We're looking in the same ballpark or better," Culbertson said. "It's just a matter of what type of engines are available and what will fit in the aft compartment. A million pounds [of thrust] would be great if we could get that."
Orbital filed a lawsuit against United Launch Alliance, the contractor for the Atlas and Delta rocket families, and one of its engine suppliers in June for the right to purchase RD-180 engines for the Antares rocket.
According to court documents, Orbital alleged ULA and RD AMROSS participate in anti-competitive practices and is seeking up to $1.5 billion in damages.
Lockheed Martin Corp., a ULA stakeholder along with Boeing Co., invested in the development of the RD-180 engine for the Atlas 5 rocket in the 1990s. ULA says it still maintains intellectual property rights to the engine, giving the Atlas 5 rocket exclusive access to RD-180 engines in the U.S. market.
RD AMROSS, which supplies RD-180 engines for ULA's Atlas 5 rocket, is jointly owned by U.S. and Russian companies.
A federal judge rejected an argument from ULA and RD AMROSS in December that the lawsuit be dismissed. ULA and RD AMROSS argued that Orbital Sciences has viable alternatives to the RD-180 engine.
One option is the RD-181 engine, a single-nozzle engine that would provide roughly half the thrust of an RD-180, which packs about 860,000 pounds of thrust at sea level.
But the RD-181 only exists on paper. The engine has never been built or fired.
There is not a U.S.-built kerosene rocket engine in production in the same class as the RD-180 or AJ26 engines.
END
-----
No virus found in this message.
Version: 2014.0.4259 / Virus Database: 3658/7003 - Release Date: 01/14/14
No comments:
Post a Comment