Orion fired up

Avionics placed in Orion at Kennedy.
Lockheed Martin photo

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- NASA's deep space craft, Orion, has been powered on for the first time in a major milestone in the final year of preparations for flight. Orion's avionics system was installed on the crew module and powered up for a series of systems tests last week. Preliminary data indicate Orion's vehicle management computer, as well as its innovative power and data distribution system -- which use state-of-the-art networking capabilities -- performed as expected. All of Orion's avionics systems will be put to the test during its first mission, Exploration Flight Test-1(EFT-1), targeted to launch in the fall of 2014. (Source: NASA, Lockheed Martin, 10/28/13) Note: Orion is built in part at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans. Engines for the rocket that will eventually be used to lift Orion will be tested at tennis Space Center, Miss.

Crew abort test reviewed

Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, recently laid out its plan to NASA to demonstrate the Dragon spacecraft's ability to carry astronauts to safety in the event of an in-flight emergency. In the test, which will take place along Florida's space coast next summer, a Dragon spacecraft will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket and an abort command will be issued about 73 seconds into the flight, when it's flying through the area of maximum dynamic pressure. The test spacecraft will be retrieved from splashdown and returned to Port Canaveral by barge so data can be incorporated into the system's design. SpaceX is one of three companies working under NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability initiative to develop spaceflight capabilities that eventually could provide launch services to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil. SpaceX has already flown cargo missions to the ISS. (Source: Space Travel, 10/28/13) Note: SpaceX will test its developing Raptor engine at Stennis Space Center, Miss., beginning in 2014. Previous

Dream Chaser has landing snafu

Sierra Nevada's prototype Dream Chaser spacecraft had its first free-flight test Saturday, but sustained damage when its landing gear failed to deploy properly while landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The spacecraft, which looks like NASA's space shuttle, was unmanned during the test. It was released from an air-crane helicopter at 12,000 feet and adhered to the design flight trajectory throughout the flight profile. The landing gear in the test flight was adapted from an F-5E fighter, but future versions will use a different design. Sierra Nevada is one of the commercial companies contracted by NASA to develop spacecraft to bring supplies and personnel to the International Space Station. (Sources: NBC News, 10/27/13, Space Travel, 10/28/13) Sierra Nevada contracted with Lockheed Martin to assemble the composite structure for the first space-bound Dream Chaser at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

Bolden visits SSC

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden was at Stennis Space Center Wednesday to welcome employees back to work after the U.S. government shutdown. Bolden held separate meetings with SSC and NASA Shared Services Center workers. He also toured the B-2 Test Stand, which is being prepared to test the core stage of NASA’s new Space Launch System, which will carry humans deeper into space than ever before. Stennis employees returned to work Oct. 17 following a 16-day furlough. (Source: NASA/SSC, 10/24/13)

SpaceX picks SSC for engine R&D

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – SpaceX, the first commercial company to successfully fly a cargo mission to the International Space Station, has chosen Stennis Space Center for its rocket engine testing program. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant made the announcement today. SpaceX will use SSC to test its Raptor methane rocket engines, capable of generating nearly 300 tons of thrust. SpaceX will upgrade the E-2 test stand at SSC with methane capability. Another commercial company involved in flying cargo to the ISS, Orbital Sciences, tests AJ-26 engines that power its Antares launch vehicle at SSC. Commercial company Blue Origin also tests engine at SSC. (Source: GCAC, governor's press release, 10/23/13) Previous: Cygnus leaves ISS; Blue Origin tests thrust chamber. For background on SSC, see Chapter III, Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor 2013-2014.

Cygnus leaves ISS

A private cargo ship built by Orbital Sciences left the International Space Station and will re-enter the atmosphere Wednesday and self-destruct. Unlike the Dragon spacecraft of SpaceX, Cygnus is designed to burn up upon re-entry. It has been loaded with items no longer needed at the ISS. The unmanned spaceship attached itself to the ISS on September 29, the first successful resupply flight by Orbital Sciences. Dragon was the first private company to successfully dock with ISS. Both companies have billion-dollar NASA contracts to deliver cargo to the ISS on multiple missions over the coming years. Cygnus launched Sept. 18 atop an Antares rocket, powered by AJ-26 engines tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Sources: Space Travel, 10/21/13, NBC, 10/22/13) Previous: Cygnus docks with ISS

New RR test stand opens

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. – Rolls-Royce North America today officially opened its second test stand at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center, an investment of $50 million that will mean 35 new jobs when fully operational. SSC is where NASA and commercial companies test rocket engines, but Rolls-Royce opened its first jetliner engine test stand here in 2007. "Our decision to first build, and now expand, the Rolls-Royce Outdoor Jet Engine Test Stand here at Stennis embraces the spirit of partnership with the state of Mississippi," said James M. Guyette, President and CEO of Rolls-Royce North America. "Rolls-Royce is investing in America because our collective innovation, competitiveness and cooperative spirit – and we find the state of Mississippi is the perfect location to expand our operations." The site conducts jet engine testing, including noise, crosswind, endurance and other tests, on the latest and most sophisticated Rolls-Royce civil aircraft engines. That includes the Trent 1000 that powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Trent XWB that powers the Airbus A350 XWB. (Source: Business Wire, 10/16/13)

RR to mark stand opening

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- Rolls-Royce North America will officially open its second jet engine test stand at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in South Mississippi Oct. 16. The test stand represents a $50 million investment and high technology jobs. The same day, Rolls-Royce will donate a Trent 1000 jetliner engine to Infinity Science Center, just outside SSC. The engine, which was tested at SSC, will serve as a centerpiece for aviation engineering and STEM career education. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Rolls-Royce North America opened its Outdoor Jet Engine Testing Facility at SSC in 2007, the first outside the United Kingdom. Testing at SSC includes noise, crosswind, thrust reverse, cyclic and endurance testing on all current Rolls-Royce engine types. (Source: Rolls-Royce, 10/07/13) RR to open second SSC test stand; RR breaks ground on test facility

RR welcomes Japan order

Rolls-Royce welcomed a decision by Japan Airlines to order 31 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft, which are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. The Trent XWB will power 18 A350-900 and 13 A350-1000 aircraft. The engine powered the A350 XWB to its first test flight in June this year at the Airbus base in Toulouse, France. (Source: Rolls-Royce, 10/07/13) Note: Trent XWB engines are tested at Stennis Space Center, Miss. Previous

The body heat charger

Smart phones could one day be charged in a pocket using only body heat. Even sooner than that, rocket sensors needed to monitor an engine's health while launching it into space could feature sensors powered solely by the heat generated from the rocket. Those opportunities are within the realm of possibility thanks to a new patent-pending Loyola University New Orleans invention by physics professor Patrick Garrity. A $74,523 NASA grant from Stennis Space Center, Miss., will allow the invention to enter prototype or beta testing at SSC. Thermoelectric technology, turning heat into electricity, has been around for years but it's inefficient. But Garrity aims to change that with a system that redirects the heat and raises the efficiency. (Source: Loyola University, 09/30/13)