NASA’s Orion Spacecraft Proves Sound Under Pressure, NASA
“After a month of being poked, prodded and pressurized in ways that mimicked the stresses of spaceflight, NASA’s Orion crew module successfully passed its static loads tests on Wednesday.
When Orion launches on Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), which is targeted for September 2014, it will travel farther from Earth than any spacecraft built for humans in more than 40 years. The spacecraft will fly about 3,600 miles above Earth’s surface and return at speeds of approximately 25,000 mph. During the test, Orion will experience an array of stresses, or loads, including launch and reentry, the vacuum of space, and several dynamic events that will jettison hardware away from the spacecraft and deploy parachutes.”

Marc Boucher is an entrepreneur, writer, editor, podcaster and publisher who has worked in space media for more than 25 years. In 1999 he co-founded SpaceRef with Keith Cowing. The new media company grew into a network that included NASA Watch and The Astrobiology Web. After selling SpaceRef, he joined Multiverse Media, which later merged with SpaceNews. There he helped steer the combined company toward more multimedia, a subscription paywall and intelligence products, and pushed for a mobile app. He is also the founder of SpaceQ Media, Canada’s space news and market intelligence publication.

Marc started his first Internet content business in 1992 and hasn’t looked back. When he’s not working, he loves exploring Canada and the world and expanding his photography skills.

9 replies on “Orion Passes Static Loads Tests”

  1. “When Orion launches on Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), which is targeted for September 2014…”
    And the launch vehicle will be…?

    1. It’ll be a Delta IV Heavy, that’ll do the deed.

      (Not as much “Uber-Oomph” as the ever-moving-to-the-right SLS, but it’ll get the mission profile done just fine)

      2. Well I guess this just shows that there’s no requirement for SLS. Seems Delta IV is sufficient.

        1. The Delta IV-H isn’t powerful enough to lift a fully-fledged Orion with Service Module and propellants. The EFT-1 flight has a ‘dummy’ unfueled and therefore light Service Module. If an upgraded upper stage were funded, it would be powerful enough to lift a full Orion spacecraft, but Delta IV-H could still not send a full 20 ton-plus Orion beyond Earth Orbit.

        2. Unfortunately, this EFT-1 mission is just to do a couple of orbits – the last one highly elliptical – before reentering screaming hot & fast (as if it were returning from BEO). Delta IV Heavy is able to do that much, at least.

          To actually go way out there in BEO, may require that aforementioned “Uber-Oomph”, at least for the porky-Orion. Whether or not the “Uber-Oompher” should be SLS is another matter.

          In which case, I wonder if the Delta folks (or even Atlas) ever looked at slapping on 3 or 4 liquid boosters to do something like this. (OTOH, I wouldn’t put it past Elon to be musing such a configuration to super-size his own F-H . . . and more power to him if he is)

          1. Early in the Delta IV program, Boeing provided notional concepts for evolving the booster all the way up to 100MT to LEO capacity through a variety of combinations of liquid and solid propellant stages, engine upgrades, and ultimately a larger core stage. Unfortunately Congress doesn’t want an evolved Delta or Falcon, they want the rocket they designed to meet the requirements of various congressional districts.

Comments are closed.