\n
Huge amounts of VSE related insider news, presentations and videos \u2013 THE most comprehensive place to follow Ares\/Orion development \u2013 are <\/font><\/em>available for download on L2<\/em><\/font>. <\/em><\/font>See list at the end of this article. <\/font><\/em><\/p>\n All of this article is based on documented L2 information. For an overview of how L2 works, **click here for sample**<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n **ARES I \/ ORION LIVE UPDATE PAGES**<\/font><\/em><\/p>\n <\/font>**ARES V \/ Mars LIVE UPDATE PAGES**<\/font><\/em><\/p>\n <\/font><\/p>\n Aerospace & Defense (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n <\/font>Article<\/u><\/em><\/font><\/p>\n The workhorse of the shuttle fleet for over a quarter of a century, the engine has provided safe flight for the eight and a half minute ride to orbit since 1981, with only one major malfunction during its flight history \u2013 STS-51F (Engine number 1) \u2013 resulting in a safe Abort To Orbit (ATO). <\/font><\/p>\n Constructed at Pratt & Whitney\u2019s Rocketdyne Division, each SSME is capable of achieving 400,000 lbs of thrust with an isp of 453 seconds in a vacuum, or 363 seconds at sea level. Costing around $40 million each, the engines are made up from up to 50,000 parts and could be reused around 20 times. <\/font><\/p>\n Other issues related to the removal of its reusability, with each engine only flying the one time, before being discarded as part of the Upper Stage, also reducing its viability for use as a set of five main engines on the Ares V first stage \u2013 which will now utilized five modified RS-68 engines. <\/font><\/p>\n The TCB had several factors to take into account, as they move towards a scaled reduction in production capability with the SSME. Their evaluations looked at several key areas of production, from retiring assets, to \u2018spares and repairs\u2019 impacts, should new hardware be required. <\/font><\/p>\n \u2018Present SSME Nozzle new production capability retirement and asset disposal decision,\u2019 outlined the latest in a series of TCB presentations on the SSME, referencing the Nozzles, available on L2. \u2018New production capability is defined as the ability to manufacture a new component which includes manufacturing equipment, tooling, materials, supplier base, and skills.<\/p>\n \u2018Plan is to retire \/ dispose of Nozzle new production capabilities after Last Need Date (LND) of 6\/30\/09, unit 5016: Last Need Date \u2013 The date at which a capability can be released by SSP without incurring unacceptable risk to mission execution as defined by the element \/ project managers Nozzle new fabrication and assembly process takes approximately 5 years to complete.<\/p>\n \u2018Nozzle resources, processes, assembly tooling, equipment and a portion of the suppliers will be maintained for mission spares purchase orders requirements and recycle capabilities.\u2019 <\/p>\n Four more engines are set to be completed, with the potential for an additional two spares, which the TCB are confident will be adequate for the remainder of the shuttle manifest. <\/font><\/p>\n \u2018Minimal SSME risk to complete remaining SSP flight manifest. Current inventory contains sufficient spares to meet planned SSP manifest. Assuming completion of units 5013, 5014, 5015, 5016,\u2019 added the presentation. <\/p>\n \u2018Assembly equipment, tooling, spares, material, and suppliers to be retained to support recycle \/ repair efforts thru last flight supporting the SSP flight manifest. Minimum manufacturing capability will be retained for limited time to complete units 5017 and 5018 (if required). Support skills capability levels to be maintained to support recycle\/repair efforts and to resolve potential anomalies that may arise.<\/font><\/p>\n \u2018Preliminary assessment of capability property items completed. Need to complete detailed Transition Property Assessments (TPA), prepare disposition paperwork, and turnover assets to DCMA for disposal.\u2019<\/font><\/p>\n There will be an element of crossover to Constellation work for some SSME contractor work, with six of 53 companies \u2013 listed as capable of production \u2013 switching over to \u2018Exploration\u2019 activities. Also noted is the protection of Pratt & Whitney\u2019s Rocketdyne Division resources during the phased reduction in new production shutdown.<\/p>\n \u2018PWR resources will not be impacted through retirement of the new production capability. Repair \/ Recycle utilizes the same personnel for fabrication and assembly operations. Personnel to be retained for recycle efforts, failure investigation and hardware replacement through last flight in 2010,\u2019 added the presentation.<\/font><\/p>\n \u201953 Nozzle suppliers in 8 states have supported these capabilities and are on hiatus. Retirement \/ Close-out notification has not yet been issued, planned for 2nd Qtr GYF08. No supplier resources will be impacted with retirement of these capabilities.<\/font><\/p>\n \u2018Exploration will utilize 6 Nozzle suppliers. Supplier capability requirements identified and transition plan being developed by Exploration. Prior to disposition, assets required by Exploration will be transferred. Exploration suppliers identified and timely activation of suppliers ongoing.\u2019<\/font><\/p>\n An interesting sidebar to the shutdown of SSME assets is noted at the end of the presentation, referencing engine facilities in California.<\/p>\n \u2018The Pacific Furnace located at Canoga Park CA. is used to braze the Nozzle assembly. This has been identified as being eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.<\/p>\n \u2018Environmental hazards identified and will be handled in accordance with existing PWR Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) procedures. The chemical milling equipment at supplier GKN Chemtronics located in El Cajon CA. will require special disposal handling if expected supplier purchase offer not approved.\u2019<\/font><\/p>\n While 2010 is the current retirement date, discussions have been taking place about potentially adding up to six months of flying time to Shuttle, in order to help buffer what is currently a five year gap before Ares I comes on line for US manned access to the International Space Station (ISS) and primarily to aid any future pressure on the current manifest.<\/p>\n However, any extension \u2013 currently deemed unlikely due to funding requirements for Constellation \u2013 does not add further flights to the current manifest, which is targeted to end with the July, 2010, CLF (Contingency Logistic Flight) mission with Endeavour on STS-133.<\/p>\n Regardless, NASA has continued to improve the SSME, with recent additions including the AHMS (Advanced Health Monitoring System) and new knife edge seals on the High Pressure Oxidizer Turbopump (HPOTP) \u2013 which debuted on STS-120\u2019s SSMEs. Further refinements to the powerpacks will be continually monitored for safe flight.<\/font><\/p>\n However, the beginning of the end for shuttle is already being actioned, with resources being phased down around the US, such as at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF), home of External Tank production, where the last ET is has already started (ET-137) fabrication as a flight spare. <\/font><\/p>\n The TCB is expected to confirm phased shutdown of MAF\u2019s shuttle resources next Summer, though they will immediately transition to work on Ares I and eventually Ares V. \u2018Proposed\u2019 Ares I SRBSF (Mini VAB) and graphic. LSAM (LDAC-1) Video and Images. Several Constellation All Hands Videos and Presentations. Ares I Pad Rollercoaster (Old and New presentation and slides \u2013 the very cool \u2018CGI ride on the Ares pad coaster\u2019 video. Ares I VAB \u2018In-Line\u2019 Stacking presentation slides.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/font> Orion\/CEV Display Layout Presentation (40 pages). ATK figures on the 5-Seg Booster weight for CLV. Weather Shield (Rain Shield) for Orion on the pad. New Super hi-res images of Ares I. ATK Cutaway graphics of Ares I \u2013 perspective and axonometric. Ares I\/Orion CxP 72031 Requirements Validation Matrix Information. CEV Paracute Assembly System (CPAS) Presentation. <\/p>\n 90 Minute Video of Constellation all hands meeting. Escape System Trade Study Presentation. CEV-CLV Design Analysis Cycle Review (DAC-2) Presentation. Flight Design and Dynamics Division CEV update. CLV Mono-propellant RCS system. CEV pressurisation system review. CLV\/CEV Configuration Images. The 2\u00d73 Seg SRB Crew Launch Vehicle Option Presentation\u2026plus more.<\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NASA has drawn up the retirement plan for Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME), which will become obsolete at the closure of the shuttle program in 2010. NASA\u2019s Transition Control Board (TCB) \u2013 a body that is tasked with redirection of agency assets to Constellation \u2013 has already started to remove engine production capabilities, with only […]<\/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":[],"class_list":["post-41535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41535"}],"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=41535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41535\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The engine was set to live on with the Ares I Upper Stage. However, problems with the requirement for air starting the engine with Ares I altered NASA\u2019s direction towards the J-2X, with the Upper Stage eventually following the heritage of the Saturn IVB. <\/font><\/p>\n
All the major elements that make up the engine are being phased out, ending with the shutdown of the A-2 Test Stand at the Stennis Space Center.<\/font><\/p>\n
**Ride home through the fire, sparks and plasma of re-entry with Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavour. FIVE Stunning high quality 2hr, 355-400mb Camcorder and HUD videos \u2013 from payload bay closure \u2013 through re-entry with an astronaut held camcorder video \u2013 to post landing \u2013 several more videos showing landing from 90,000 ft also available and HUD videos from STA landings. Now includes HALO II Re-entry video, and re-entry videos from Gemini and Apollo (converted from 8mm)**<\/em><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n
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<\/font>Selection of L2 Resources For Ares I, V and Constellation: <\/em><\/font><\/p>\nMajor changes to Orion (Graphical overview, presentations). Specifics embargoed to L2). Latest Mobile Launcher details. Orion\/Ares I\/Delta IV Heavy NEO Feasibility Study (Video).<\/font> Constellation EVA Study Presentation. Superb Gene Kranz address to CxP workforce (Apollo to Orion feature) video. MOD \u2018LEO to Mars\u2019 presentations.<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n
Superb Ares I Launch Ascent, Pad Abort Test CGI Videos (three). Integrated Stack (IS) Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM) notes \u2013 Nov 6 to Nov 15. The full \u20188th Floor News\u2019 \u2013 Constellation Update (performance issues) \u2013 Nov 5. Ares I Mobile Launcher PMR.<\/p>\n
Presentation of Ares\/Orion impacts relating to Shuttle manifest acceleration. Ares I Interstage diagrams. Ares V Super Crawler. Ares I Launch Pad images (ML etc.) Hi Res images of Ares I-X Upper Stage. Orion 606-7 Data Updates. Updates Constellation launch schedule through to Orion 15. Orion Seat test photos. New ML Graphic and info. New Ares V graphic and baseline data. Large collection of hi res Orion paracute drop tests. SIX Part Series of Ares I Upper Stage Graphical Overviews. DAC-1C DDD Vast Slides on Vehicle Design. ATK First Stage Presentation. 39B Lightning Towers Slides. DAC-1C Departure points to DAC-2 Upper Stage Graphcs (Many Changes). <\/font><\/i><\/em><\/p>\n
Orion Launch Abort System (LAS) overview presentation. Changes to Ares I Upper Stage \u2013 expansive details and data. Ares I\/Orion CxP 72031 Requirements Validation Matrix Information. CLV Umbilical Trade Matrix XLS. Vehicle interfaces for the DAC 1C version of Orion Ares. Ares I-X Test Flight Plan (full outline) Presentation. Ares I-X timeline and modification expanded info. Ares I Reference Trajectory. Boeing\u2019s STS to Ares \u2013 Lessons Learned Presentation. CLV DAC-1C (Changes to CLV Upper Stage). <\/font><\/p>\n
Ares I-X: Four Seg+Dummy \u2018Tuna Can\u2019 stage. Ascent Developmental Flight Test Presentation. CLV Pad 39B Handover Info and Latest. New images of CLV on top of new MLP and LUT. Lockheed Martin CEV\/Orion Updates. ATK figures on the 5-Seg Booster weight for CLV. <\/p>\n