![\"EFT-1](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Z74.jpg\" "\\"EFT-1")
The EFT-1 mission is a critical test of Orion\u2019s systems, providing vital data for the Critical Design Review (CDR) in April, 2015 \u2013 itself a major milestone ahead of Orion\u2019s debut with the SLS in 2017.<\/p>\nThe first Orion set to launch into space is now looking more like an actual spaceship, as engineers installed the secondary structures around the capsule. The Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) mission remains on track for launch next summer atop of a Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nEFT-1 Progress:<\/p>\n
While Orion\u2019s role with the Space Launch System (SLS) recently became more convoluted, following the apparent change to its second Beyond Earth Orbit (BEO) mission \u2013 known as Exploration Mission -2 (EM-2) \u2013 into flight to a \u201ccaptured asteroid\u201d near the Moon \u2013 the EFT-1 mission is proceeding full steam ahead.<\/p>\n
The EFT-1 mission is a critical test of Orion\u2019s systems, providing vital data for the Critical Design Review (CDR) in April, 2015 \u2013 itself a major milestone ahead of Orion\u2019s debut with the SLS in 2017.<\/p>\n
The debut SLS\/Orion mission \u2013 known as Exploration Mission -1 (EM-1) will be an uncrewed mission around the Moon, launched on a Block 1 SLS.<\/p>\n
The debut flight of Orion, launching with the United Launch Alliance Delta IV-H, will involve two orbits to a high-apogee, with a high-energy re-entry through Earth\u2019s atmosphere on what is a multi-hour test, testing critical re-entry flight performance data and demonstrating early integration capabilities.<\/p>\n
Orion will return home at a speed almost 5,000 miles per hour faster than that endured by the Space Shuttle orbiters, providing a crucial test of the vehicle\u2019s Thermal Protection System (TPS).<\/p>\n
Technology News (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n The heatshield that will be tasked with protecting Orion during re-entry was recently transported from Lockheed Martin\u2019s Waterton Facility near Denver to Textron Defense Systems in Wilmington inside a Super Guppy that landed in Boston at the end of March.<\/p>\n The Textron engineers will next apply the avcoat thermal ablation material to the heatshield over the next few months, prior to shipping it to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC).<\/p>\n The CM was recently relocated from the birdcage tool onto a purpose-built dolly, allowing for the installation of backshell drill templates to perform match drilling of the attachment assembly.<\/p>\n Strain gauge installations and secondary structure installations continue on the vehicle in preparation for the static loads test.<\/p>\n The cracks occurred during proof pressure testing on the vehicle, with the spacecraft sustaining three cracks in the aft bulkhead. A team composed of Lockheed Martin and NASA engineers designed a set of brackets to repair the area, as well as tooling to fix the cracked structure.<\/p>\n With the CM taking shape, work is continuing on both the EFT-1 Service Module, with shear web assembly and forward bulkhead installed into the service module structure inside the O&C building. Engineers have completed the laser alignment of the shear panels, while the drilling of the panels and longerons is currently in work.<\/p>\n Precision integration of the ogive assembly, which plays a part in protecting the crew module and providing protection during its journey through the atmosphere, was performed using the ogive integration tool.<\/p>\n The ogive panels were placed on the assembly tool and drilling on the panels is currently in progress.<\/p>\n With the ATK-built Launch Abort System (LAS) hardware already on site at Kennedy, the next major hardware to arrive on the Space Coast will be the Delta IV-H itself.<\/p>\n Click here for Orion articles: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/tag\/orion\/<\/p>\n In preparation for the mating between the EFT-1 Orion and the rocket, the United Launch Alliance will deliver a full-size section of the vehicle to the Marshall Space Flight Center (KSC) later this spring.<\/p>\n Work is currently taking place at a high bay of Building 4755 at MSFC, with expert welders using state-of-the-art friction stir welding machines worked on two separate adapters.<\/p>\n For each adapter, a vertical welding machine stitched panels together to form a conical cylinder, then a circumferential welding machine attached a thicker, structural support ring at the top and the bottom.<\/p>\n The flight of the adaptor on EFT-1 will provide engineers with important data about its performance before it rides on SLS\u2019 EM-1 flight.<\/p>\n (NSF and L2 are providing full future vehicle coverage, available no where else on the internet, from Orion and SLS to ISS and COTS\/CRS\/CCDEV, to European and Russian vehicles.)<\/p>\n (Click here to join L2: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/l2\/ )<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The first Orion set to launch into space is now looking more like an actual spaceship, as engineers installed the secondary structures around the capsule. The Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) mission remains on track for launch next summer atop of a Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle. EFT-1 Progress: While Orion\u2019s role with the Space […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30309,"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":[3688,640],"class_list":["post-39877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-eft-1","tag-orion"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39877"}],"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=39877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"EFT-1](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Z44.jpg\" "\\"EFT-1")
The EFT-1 Crew Module (CM) is currently located at at KSC\u2019s Operations and Checkout (O&C) building and is now taking shape and showing an appearance that is more familiar with fully constructed models of the Orion spacecraft.<\/p>\n![\"ETF-1](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Z83.jpg\" "\\"EFT-1")
In addition, the custom replacement brackets and the aft bulkhead doublers have been installed on the Crew Module to repair the cracks suffered on the aft bulkhead ribs.<\/p>\n![\"EFT-1](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Z35.jpg\" "\\"EFT-1")
Over in the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) where the EFT-1 Orion was born, engineers are making progress for the incorporation of the LAS Ogive Assembly.<\/p>\n![\"EFT-1](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Z63.jpg\" "\\"EFT-1")
This will allow engineers to test the fit of the spacecraft adaptor that will not only fly with the Delta IV-H\/Orion combination, but will also provide the same role with the SLS.<\/p>\n