{"id":16789,"date":"2014-12-04T23:28:53","date_gmt":"2014-12-04T15:28:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/orion-exploration-flight-test-no-1-timeline\/"},"modified":"2014-12-04T23:28:53","modified_gmt":"2014-12-04T15:28:53","slug":"orion-exploration-flight-test-no-1-timeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/orion-exploration-flight-test-no-1-timeline\/","title":{"rendered":"Orion Exploration Flight Test No. 1 timeline"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first orbital test flight of NASA\u2019s Orion crew capsule will lift off on top of a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket from Cape Canaveral\u2019s Complex 37B launch pad. The rocket will send the unmanned crew module 3,600 miles above Earth \u2014 15 times higher than the International Space Station\u2019s orbit \u2014 then drive the capsule back into the atmosphere at 20,000 mph to simulate a re-entry at near lunar return velocity.<\/p>\n

Orion\u2019s software, avionics, separation systems, and heat shield are among the systems to be tested on the EFT-1 mission. The 16-foot-diameter capsule will encounter temperatures up to 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit during re-entry before parachuting into the Pacific Ocean for recovery by a U.S. Navy vessel.<\/p>\n

T-0:00:07 Main engine start<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The
The Delta 4-Heavy rocket\u2019s three RS-68 main engines ignite at T-minus 5.5 seconds and build up thrust before the launcher is cleared for liftoff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T-0:00:00 Liftoff!<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The
The Delta 4-Heavy rocket soars away from Cape Canaveral\u2019s Complex 37B launch pad.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+0:03:56 Separation of port and starboard Common Booster Cores<\/b><\/p>\n

\"03eft\"
The 15-story tall starboard and port Common Booster Cores that provided the vast majority of thrust during the first four minutes of flight have expended their fuel and peeled away from the center stage. Tiny solid-fueled motors on the discarded boosters gave helpful nudges to ensure a clean separation. The boosters will tumble into the Atlantic Ocean below.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+0:05:33 Separation of center Common Booster Core<\/b><\/p>\n

\"After
After shutting down its RS-68A main engine, the Delta 4\u2019s core stage separates from the rocket\u2019s upper stage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+<\/b>0:05:49 Upper stage ignition<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"05eft\"
The Delta 4\u2019s upper stage RL10 engine fires to put the Orion spacecraft in a preliminary orbit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+0:06:15 Service Module panel jettison<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Three
Three aerodynamic panels jettison from the Orion spacecraft\u2019s mock-up service module once the rocket reaches an altitude above the dense atmosphere.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+0:06:20 Launch Abort System jettison<\/b><\/p>\n

\"07eft\"
The Orion spacecraft\u2019s launch abort system tower fires away from the Delta 4 rocket. On a crewed launch, the abort system would be used to carry the astronauts away from a launch vehicle failure.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+0:17:39 Cutoff of upper stage first burn<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The
The Delta 4\u2019s Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engine shuts down after the first of two burns on the EFT-1 mission.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+1:55:26 Ignition of upper stage second burn<\/b><\/p>\n

\"09eft\"
The hydrogen-fueled RL10 engine re-ignites to send the Orion spacecraft to an orbit 3,600 miles above Earth and set up for a high-speed re-entry over the Pacific Ocean.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+2:00:09 Cutoff of upper stage second burn<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The
The RL10 upper stage engine is switched off after burning more than four-and-a-half minutes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+2:05:00 Entering first high radiation period<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Orion
Orion enters a 15-minute period of intense radiation in the lower Van Allen Belt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+3:05:00 Peak altitude<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Orion
Orion reaches 3,600 miles in altitude, the highest point in the flight test.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+3:23:41 Crew Module\/Service Module separation<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The
The Orion spacecraft\u2019s crew module \u2014 fitted with a heat shield \u2014 separates from the vehicle\u2019s mock-up service module, which remains on the Delta 4 upper stage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+3:30:00 Entering second high radiation period<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Orion
Orion passes down through the lower Van Allen radiation belt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+4:13:35 Entry blackout<\/b><\/p>\n

\"12eft\"
The Orion crew module, shielded by an ablative thermal protection material called Avcoat, encounters the upper reaches of the atmosphere.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+4:13:41 Entry blackout<\/b><\/p>\n

\"13eft\"
A sheath of plasma around the Orion crew module disrupts communications with the capsule during the most intense phase of re-entry, when temperatures will reach 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit outside the craft.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+4:15:03 Peak heating<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Orion
Orion experiences the hottest temperatures on its return to Earth, reaching almost 4,000 degrees F.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+4:16:05 Acquisition of signal<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Signals
Signals from the Orion spacecraft are re-acquired.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+4:19:31 Drogue chute deploy<\/b><\/p>\n

\"15eft\"
Two seconds after the Orion spacecraft jettisons its forward bay cover, two drogue parachutes are released to begin the chute deployment sequence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+4:20:38 Main chute d<\/b>eploy<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"16eft\"
Three orange and white main parachutes, measuring 116 feet in diameter each, are pulled out of their canisters and begin a multi-step disreefing and inflation sequence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

T+4:23:20 Splashdown!<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Under
Under the three main parachutes, the Orion spacecraft reaches the Pacific Ocean at a predicted splashdown velocity of about 20 mph.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first orbital test flight of NASA\u2019s Orion crew capsule will lift off on top of a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket from Cape Canaveral\u2019s Complex 37B launch pad. The rocket will send the unmanned crew module 3,600 miles above Earth \u2014 15 times higher than the International Space Station\u2019s orbit \u2014 then drive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4201,3688],"class_list":["post-16789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-delta-369","tag-eft-1"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16789"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16789\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}