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Commercialization

NASA Adds New Commercial Crew Milestones

By Marc Boucher
NASA Watch
August 15, 2013
Filed under ,

NASA Announces Additional Commercial Crew Development Milestones, NASA
“NASA announced Thursday it is adding some additional milestones to agreements with three U.S. commercial companies that are developing spaceflight capabilities that could eventually provide launch services to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station from U.S. soil.
The milestones are:
— Boeing Spacecraft Safety Review. NASA’s investment is $20 million and the milestone is planned to be accomplished in July 2014.
— SpaceX Dragon Parachute Tests. NASA’s investment is $20 million and the milestone is planned to be accomplished over several months culminating in November 2013.
— SNC Incremental Critical Design Review #1. NASA’s investment is $5 million and the milestone is planned to be accomplished in October 2013.
— SNC Incremental Reaction Control System Testing #1. NASA’s investment is $10 million and the milestone is planned to be accomplished in July 2014.”

“These milestones each reduce risks, advance the partners’ development efforts or accelerate schedules consistent with the goals of CCiCap. NASA plans to use fiscal year 2014 funding for the total government investment of $55 million. Funding these optional milestones does not alter or affect NASA’s acquisition strategy for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.”

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7 responses to “NASA Adds New Commercial Crew Milestones”

  1. Vladislaw says:
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    oops .. that post was for a different thread .. it was for the MPCV thread

  2. Saturn1300 says:
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    20 million $ for a test of parachutes. This is for the pad abort. A drogue mortar will be used. A very expensive parachute test. If they were ram air steerable, it would be worth it. Unbelievable. This is not the abort test, just a parachute test. I don’t think they get that much for the abort test. The abort test is $30m. + being paid for a lot of reviews on the abort.
    The link has the change + the original SAA, if you want it
    I have said that if they use the thrusters to land that they had to have a mortar parachute as backup. A mortar launched drogue may work for abort. With the near zero speeds near touchdown for a regular landing it may not have enough air speed to inflate the parachutes. Even a 10′ drop may hurt. This is why they use air cushions. I still like ram air steerable chutes. That way Dragon does not drift with the wind. It can be steered into the wind for gentle touchdown. Just like an airplane. A elegant, NASA way to do it. Land at KSC and it could end up in the water with regular parachutes. Yes DTARS new milestones are good as long as there is money and it does not slow down the schedule.
    RCS might be used to steer Dragon. If the wind was steady, it would take a steady burn. They have been a mile off in their landings. Don’t know if enough fuel. Since the firing is way below the regular chutes, it might tilt the chute and it would act like a drag chute and go no where.

    • DTARS says:
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      Saturn
      Ages ago noofcsq said that NASA management may put more milestones in the way of commercial space to slow it down in an effort to make Orion and SLS more competive?? Or are these millstones good because they provide ccp with more money??? Are they needed? Or just a waste of time??? IS there anyone out there that KNOWS the answer to these questions. Keith???? That’s WHY I miss him! No one of consequence, You knew he KNEW what he was talking about!! He always cut through the BS and explained both sides and why.

      STEVE I AGREED WITH EVERYTHING YOU SAID ABOUT A SITES RIGHTS, AND WE ARE ALL JUST GUESTS HERE AND BOTTOM LINE IF WE DON’T LIKE IT WE CAN LEAVE.

      BUT MY POINT WE ARE NOT ALL EQUALLY GIFTED! AND EVEN THOUGH WE SHOULD ALL BE TREATED THE SAME, TO SILENCE A TEACHER THAT GIFTED IS A LOSS FOR US ALL!!!!!!!

  3. dogstar29 says:
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    The Commercial Crew Program is fixed price, not cost based, contracting. This is a fundamental advance which permits the contractor to use money provided under the contract for R&D, whereas under cost-based contracting the contractor must roboticly spend all the money to follow government directions with the only imperative being that the money must be spent (or wasted) by the time the contract period ends.

    But under fixed price contracting the contractors are paid for achieving milestones, not spending on costs, so there have to be milestones. The less it costs the contractor to actually achieve the milestone the better, they get to keep what’s left over as long as they want and use it for anything they want, and that’s the whole point. The contractors have shown they have the ability use the money to accomplish something useful OTHER THAN actually achieving the milestone without being micromanaged by government employees. It’s really a major advance!

  4. hikingmike says:
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    The mention of RCS on the Dream Chaser just made me realize it could use RCS upon landing as yet another way to make sure the thing stays straight on the front skid (referring to the previous Dream Chaser tow testing).