DOCSLIB.ORG

Atlas V Delta Iv Heavy Vulcan Centaur

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

VULCAN ATLAS V CENTAUR DELTA IV Since 1957, the Atlas rocket has An evolution of the light-proven, highly For 60 years, the Delta family of been an integral part of the successful Atlas V and Delta IV rockets, launch vehicles has achieved United States’ space program, the Vulcan Centaur rocket introduces a unparalleled success in provid- supporting national defense balance of new technologies and ing access to space for our missions, launching Mercury innovative features to ensure a reliable Department of Defense (DOD), astronauts to orbit and sending and aordable space launch service. NASA and commercial custom- spacecraft to the farthest reaches Leveraging proven processes, technol- ers. From the earliest Delta of the solar system. Over the ogy and expertise, Vulcan Centaur rockets to the industry work- ROCKET years, the Atlas booster has provides the highest value launch horse Delta II, continual undergone a series of continuous service with optimal performance to upgrades and improvements improvements, culminating in the meet the full range of mission require- have led to the Delta IV Heavy, current Atlas V rocket with its ments. Vulcan Centaur consists of a the most reliable, highest-per- RUNDOWN modular design approach to meet single booster stage, the high-energy forming rocket in the world with speciic customer requirements. Centaur upper stage, and a 5-meter-di- a proven, 100 percent success All Atlas V launch vehicles consist ameter payload fairing. For additional record. Delta IV not only A Fleet Overview of a common core booster irst lift-o power, up to six solid rocket provides demonstrated reliabili- stage, a Centaur second stage boosters can be added to the Vulcan ty with 100 percent mission and either a 4-m diameter or a Centaur rocket. success for our nation’s most 5-m-diameter payload fairing. To More capabilities in space mean more critical payloads, it also boasts a accommodate missions requiring capabilities on Earth. By making launch highly capable second stage additional thrust at lifto, one to more aordable, Vulcan Centaur opens that enables ULA to deliver three solid rocket boosters (SRBs) up new opportunities for space capabil- unmatched performance. The can be added to the Atlas V 4-m ities, oering unprecedented lexibility Delta IV Heavy irst stage vehicle while the Atlas V 5-m in a single system. From low-Earth orbit consists of three common vehicle can support up to ive to Pluto, the single-core Vulcan Centaur booster cores. The Delta cryo- SRBs. Flexibility, reliability and does it all. genic second stage and a 100 percent mission success are 5-m-diameter payload fairing the hallmarks of the Atlas V complete the stack. With a system, making it the launch commitment to mission vehicle of choice for the full range success, the Delta IV Heavy of customer requirements. continues its legacy of launch- ing our nation’s mission-critical national security payloads. ulalaunch.com Copyright © 2015 United Launch Alliance, LLC. All rights reserved. Printed in USA. Copyright © 2018 United Launch Alliance, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Product information as of 4/18. For mission-speciic information, please refer to the Atlas V, Delta IV and Vulcan Centaur User’s Guides available at www.ulalaunch.com or contact your ULA representative. 71.6 m/235 ft 68.6 m/225 ft 1 1 21 61.0 m/200 ft 2 3 1 53.3 m/175 ft 3 2 4 5 45.7 m/150 ft 4 3 6 5 38.1 m/125 ft 66 4 7 5 76 86 8 96 6 9 30.5 m/100 ft 10 ATLAS V 7 VULCAN CENTAUR 10 DELTA IV HEAVY 11 11 Multi-Launch Shown 12 8 12 1312 22.9 m/75 ft 9 13 1. Payload Fairing 1. Payload Fairing 1. Payload Fairing 10 2. Acoustic Panels 2. Fairing Acoustic Panels (FAP) 2. Acoustic Blankets 14 14 3. Spacecraft 3. Spacecraft 3. Spacecraft 11 4. Payload Adapter 4. Forward Payload Attach Fitting (PAF) 4. Payload Attach Fitting 1415 15.2 m/50 ft 15 5. Centaur Forward Load Reactor 12 5. Multi-Launch Adapter 5. Second-Stage Fuel (LH2) Tank 6. Centaur Upperstage 6. Spacecraft 6. Second-Stage Intertank 7. Centaur Fuel (LH2) Tank 7. Aft Payload Attach Fitting (PAF) 16 Truss Assembly 13 1614 8. Common Bulkhead 8. Centaur Fuel (LH2) Tank 7. High Pressure Helium Bottle 7.6 m/25 ft 9. Centaur Oxidizer (LO2) Tank 9. Centaur 17 8. Second-Stage Oxidizer (LO2) Tank 10. Fairing Boattail 10. Centaur Oxidizer (LO2) Tank 9. Strap-on Nosecone 18 10. Second-Stage Equipment Shelf 11. Centaur Second-Stage Engine (RL10) 14 11. Common Bulkhead 17 12. Interstage Adapter 12. Second-Stage Fuel (LH2) Feedline 11. Second-Stage Engine (RL10) 0 13. First-Stage Oxidizer (LO2) Tank 13. Centaur Aft Bulkhead 12. Interstage Adapter Strap-on Strut Assembly AFT 14. Common Core Booster 14. Centaur Second-Stage Engine (RL10) 13. 18 VIEWS First-Stage Oxidizer (LO2) Tank 15. Isogrid Structure 15 15. Interstage Adapter 14. 15. Anti-slosh Bale 16. Solid Rocket Booster Nose Cone 16. Booster 19 19 17. Solid Rocket Booster 17. First-Stage Oxidizer (LO2) Tank 16. Centerbody 16 20 17. First-Stage Fuel (LH2) Tank 18. First-Stage Fuel (RP-1) Tank 18. Orthogrid Structure 2820 Atlas V Atlas V Atlas V Atlas V Atlas V Atlas V Atlas V Atlas V Atlas V Atlas V Atlas V Atlas V Vulcan Centaur Vulcan Centaur Vulcan Centaur Delta IV 19. First-Stage Oxidizer (LO2) Feedline 19. Solid Rocket Booster Nose Cone 21 18. First-Stage Oxidizer (LO2) Feedline 401 411 421 431 Starliner 501 511 521 531 541 551 552 (2 Solids) (6 Solids) Heavy Heavy 20. Solid Rocket Propellant 20. Common Bulkhead 2821 22 19. Port Strap-on Common 21. Hydrazine Bottle 21. Solid Rocket Booster Booster Core 23 2219 22. First-Stage Engine (RD-180) 22. First-Stage Fuel (LNG) Tank 20. Center Common Booster Core 17 PERFORMANCE (kg/lb) 23. First-Stage Oxidizer (LO2) Feedline 23. Solid Rocket Booster Nozzle 24 21. Starboard Strap-on Common 24. Solid Rocket Propellant Booster Core GEO N/A 1,935/4,270 2,480/5,460 2,820/6,210 N/A N/A N/A 2,540/5,610 3,080/6,800 3,530/7,800 3,850/8,500 N/A 2,050/4,500 6,000/13,200 7,200/15,900 6,580/14,500 18 25. First-Stage Engine (BE-4) 22. Isogrid Structure GTO 4,750/10,470 5,950/13,110 6,890/15,180 7,700/16,970 N/A 3,780/8,330 5,250/11,570 6,480/14,280 7,450/16,420 8,290/18,270 8,900/19,620 N/A 7,400/16,400 13,300/29,300 16,300/35,900 14,210/31,330 26. Solid Rocket Booster Nozzle 23. First-Stage Fuel (LH2) Feedline 19 24. Thermal Shield LEOREF 9,800/21,600 12,030/26,530 13,600/29,980 15,260/33,660 N/A 8,210/18,100 11,000/24,250 13,500/29,760 15,530/34,250 17,410/38,400 18,850/41,570 21,000/46,300 17,800/39,200 27,500/60,300 34,900/76,900 28,370/62,540 20 25. First-Stage Engine (RS-68A) LEOISS 8,910/19,640 10,670/23,530 12,060/26,600 13,250/29,220 13,250/29,220 7,540/16,630 10,160/22,410 12,510/27,590 14,480/31,920 16,290/35,920 17,720/39,080 19,730/43,500 15,300/33,800 24,200/53,400 31,400/69,300 25,980/57,280 21 2319 NAMING CONVENTION LEOPOLAR 8,080/17,820 9,980/22,020 11,140/24,560 12,130/26,750 N/A 6,770/14,930 9,060/19,990 11,160/24,610 12,880/28,410 14,480/31,940 15,760/34,750 18,050/39,800 14,300/31,500 22,300/49,200 27,900/61,500 23,560/51,950 Atlas V 551 22 25 24 Payload Fairing Diameter (Meters) 25 GEO (Geosynchronous Earth Orbit) = 35,786 km circular at 0 deg | GTO (Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit) = 35,786 km x 185 km at 27.0 deg | LEO-Reference (Low Earth Orbit-Reference) = 200 km circular at 28.7 deg | LEO-ISS (Low Earth Orbit-International Space Station) = 407 km circular at 51.6 deg | LEO-Polar (Low Earth Orbit-Polar) = 200 km circular at 90 deg 26 Number of Solid Rocket Boosters (0-5) 23 Number of Centaur Engines (1-2) .
Recommended publications
  • Vulcan Centaur

    Vulcan Centaur

    VULCAN CENTAUR The Vulcan Centaur rocket design leverages the flight-proven success of the Delta IV and Atlas V launch vehicles while introducing new technologies and innovative features to ensure a reliable and aordable space launch service. Vulcan Centaur will service a diverse range of markets including 225 ft commercial, civil, science, cargo and national security space customers. 1 The spacecraft is encapsulated in a 5.4-m- (17.7-ft-) diameter payload fairing (PLF), a sandwich composite structure made with a vented aluminum-honeycomb core and graphite-epoxy face sheets. The bisector (two-piece shell) PLF encapsulates the spacecraft. The payload attach fitting (PAF) is a similar sandwich composite structure creating the mating interface from spacecraft to second stage. The PLF separates using a debris-free horizontal and vertical separation system with 2 200 ft spring packs and frangible joint assembly. The payload fairing is available in the 15.5-m (51-ft) standard and 21.3-m (70-ft) 1 long configurations. The Centaur upper stage is 5.4 m (17.7 ft) in diameter and 3 11.7 m (38.5 ft) long with a 120,000-lb propellant capacity. Its propellant tanks are constructed of pressure-stabilized, corrosion-resistant stainless steel. Centaur is a liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen-fueled vehicle, with two RL10C 4 engines. The Vulcan Centaur Heavy vehicle, flies the upgraded 2 Centaur using RL10CX engines with nozzle extensions. The 5 175 ft cryogenic tanks are insulated with spray-on foam insulation (SOFI) to manage boil o of cryogens during flight. An aft equipment shelf provides the structural mountings for vehicle electronics.
  • Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Support to Commercial Space Launch

    Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Support to Commercial Space Launch

    The Space Congress® Proceedings 2019 (46th) Light the Fire Jun 4th, 3:30 PM Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Support to Commercial Space Launch Thomas Ste. Marie Vice Commander, 45th Space Wing Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.erau.edu/space-congress-proceedings Scholarly Commons Citation Ste. Marie, Thomas, "Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Support to Commercial Space Launch" (2019). The Space Congress® Proceedings. 31. https://commons.erau.edu/space-congress-proceedings/proceedings-2019-46th/presentations/31 This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences at Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Space Congress® Proceedings by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Support to Commercial Space Launch Colonel Thomas Ste. Marie Vice Commander, 45th Space Wing CCAFS Launch Customers: 2013 Complex 41: ULA Atlas V (CST-100) Complex 40: SpaceX Falcon 9 Complex 37: ULA Delta IV; Delta IV Heavy Complex 46: Space Florida, Navy* Skid Strip: NGIS Pegasus Atlantic Ocean: Navy Trident II* Black text – current programs; Blue text – in work; * – sub-orbital CCAFS Launch Customers: 2013 Complex 39B: NASA SLS Complex 41: ULA Atlas V (CST-100) Complex 40: SpaceX Falcon 9 Complex 37: ULA Delta IV; Delta IV Heavy NASA Space Launch System Launch Complex 39B February 4, 2013 Complex 46: Space Florida, Navy* Skid Strip: NGIS Pegasus Atlantic Ocean: Navy Trident II* Black text – current programs;
  • This Boeing Team's Skills at Producing Delta IV Rocket Fairings Helped

    This Boeing Team's Skills at Producing Delta IV Rocket Fairings Helped

    t’s usually the tail end of the rocket that gets all the early atten- other work. But they’d jump at the chance to work together again. tion, providing an impressive fiery display as the spacecraft is Their story is one of challenges and solutions. And they attribute hurled into orbit. But mission success also depends on what’s their success to Lean+ practices and good old-fashioned teamwork. Ion top of the rocket: a piece of metal called the payload fairing “The team took it upon themselves to make an excellent that protects the rocket’s cargo during the sometimes brutal ride product,” said program manager Thomas Fung. “We had parts to orbital speed. issues and tool problems, but the guys really stepped up and took “There’s no room for error,” said Tracy Allen, Boeing’s manu- pride and worked through the issues.” facturing production manager for a Huntington Beach, Calif., team The aluminum fairing team went through a major transition that made fairings for the Delta IV. The fairing not only protects the when Boeing merged its Delta Program with Lockheed Martin’s payload from launch to orbit but also must jettison properly for Atlas Program to form United Launch Alliance in 2006. deployment of the satellite or spacecraft. “There were a lot of process changes in the transition phase Allen and his colleagues built the 65-foot-long (20-meter-long) because we were working with a new company,” Fung said. “We aluminum isogrid fairings for the Delta IV heavy-lift launch vehicle. had part shortages because of vendor issues, and that caused The design was based on 41 similar fairings Boeing made for the an impact to the schedule.
  • Rocket Nozzles: 75 Years of Research and Development

    Rocket Nozzles: 75 Years of Research and Development

    Sådhanå Ó (2021) 46:76 Indian Academy of Sciences https://doi.org/10.1007/s12046-021-01584-6Sadhana(0123456789().,-volV)FT3](0123456789().,-volV) Rocket nozzles: 75 years of research and development SHIVANG KHARE1 and UJJWAL K SAHA2,* 1 Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, India e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] MS received 28 August 2020; revised 20 December 2020; accepted 28 January 2021 Abstract. The nozzle forms a large segment of the rocket engine structure, and as a whole, the performance of a rocket largely depends upon its aerodynamic design. The principal parameters in this context are the shape of the nozzle contour and the nozzle area expansion ratio. A careful shaping of the nozzle contour can lead to a high gain in its performance. As a consequence of intensive research, the design and the shape of rocket nozzles have undergone a series of development over the last several decades. The notable among them are conical, bell, plug, expansion-deflection and dual bell nozzles, besides the recently developed multi nozzle grid. However, to the best of authors’ knowledge, no article has reviewed the entire group of nozzles in a systematic and comprehensive manner. This paper aims to review and bring all such development in one single frame. The article mainly focuses on the aerodynamic aspects of all the rocket nozzles developed till date and summarizes the major findings covering their design, development, utilization, benefits and limitations.
  • 액체로켓 메탄엔진 개발동향 및 시사점 Development Trends of Liquid

    액체로켓 메탄엔진 개발동향 및 시사점 Development Trends of Liquid

    Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 119-143, 2021 119 Technical Paper DOI: https://doi.org/10.6108/KSPE.2021.25.2.119 액체로켓 메탄엔진 개발동향 및 시사점 임병직 a, * ㆍ 김철웅 a⋅ 이금오 a ㆍ 이기주 a ㆍ 박재성 a ㆍ 안규복 b ㆍ 남궁혁준 c ㆍ 윤영빈 d Development Trends of Liquid Methane Rocket Engine and Implications Byoungjik Lim a, * ㆍ Cheulwoong Kim a⋅ Keum-Oh Lee a ㆍ Keejoo Lee a ㆍ Jaesung Park a ㆍ Kyubok Ahn b ㆍ Hyuck-Joon Namkoung c ㆍ Youngbin Yoon d a Future Launcher R&D Program Office, Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Korea b School of Mechanical Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Korea c Guided Munitions Team, Hyundai Rotem, Korea d Department of Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, Korea * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT Selecting liquid methane as fuel is a prevailing trend for recent rocket engine developments around the world, triggered by its affordability, reusability, storability for deep space exploration, and prospect for in-situ resource utilization. Given years of time required for acquiring a new rocket engine, a national-level R&D program to develop a methane engine is highly desirable at the earliest opportunity in order to catch up with this worldwide trend towards reusing launch vehicles for competitiveness and mission flexibility. In light of the monumental cost associated with development, fabrication, and testing of a booster stage engine, it is strategically a prudent choice to start with a low-thrust engine and build up space application cases.
  • Status of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster

    Status of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster

    The Space Congress® Proceedings 1980 (17th) A New Era In Technology Apr 1st, 8:00 AM Status of The Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster William P. Horton Solid Rocket Booster Engineering Office, George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.erau.edu/space-congress-proceedings Scholarly Commons Citation Horton, William P., "Status of The Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster" (1980). The Space Congress® Proceedings. 3. https://commons.erau.edu/space-congress-proceedings/proceedings-1980-17th/session-1/3 This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences at Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Space Congress® Proceedings by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STATUS OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER William P. Horton, Chief Engineer Solid Rocket Booster Engineering Office George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812 ABSTRACT discuss retrieval and refurbishment plans for Booster reuse, and will address Booster status Two Solid Rocket Boosters provide the primary for multimission use. first stage thrust for the Space Shuttle. These Boosters, the largest and most powerful solid rocket vehicles to meet established man- BOOSTER CONFIGURATION rated design criteria, are unique in that they are also designed to be recovered, refurbished, It is appropriate to review the Booster config­ and reused. uration before describing the mission profile. The Booster is 150 feet long and is 148 inches The first SRB f s have been stacked on the in diameter (Figure 1), The inert weight Mobile Launch Platform at the Kennedy Space is 186,000 pounds and the propellant weight is Center and are ready to be mated with the approximately 1.1 million pounds for each External Tank and Orbiter in preparation for Booster.
  • Orbital Fueling Architectures Leveraging Commercial Launch Vehicles for More Affordable Human Exploration

    Orbital Fueling Architectures Leveraging Commercial Launch Vehicles for More Affordable Human Exploration

    ORBITAL FUELING ARCHITECTURES LEVERAGING COMMERCIAL LAUNCH VEHICLES FOR MORE AFFORDABLE HUMAN EXPLORATION by DANIEL J TIFFIN Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Science Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY January, 2020 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES We hereby approve the thesis of DANIEL JOSEPH TIFFIN Candidate for the degree of Master of Science*. Committee Chair Paul Barnhart, PhD Committee Member Sunniva Collins, PhD Committee Member Yasuhiro Kamotani, PhD Date of Defense 21 November, 2019 *We also certify that written approval has been obtained for any proprietary material contained therein. 2 Table of Contents List of Tables................................................................................................................... 5 List of Figures ................................................................................................................. 6 List of Abbreviations ....................................................................................................... 8 1. Introduction and Background.................................................................................. 14 1.1 Human Exploration Campaigns ....................................................................... 21 1.1.1. Previous Mars Architectures ..................................................................... 21 1.1.2. Latest Mars Architecture .........................................................................
  • Atlas V Cutaway Poster

    Atlas V Cutaway Poster

    ATLAS V Since 2002, Atlas V rockets have delivered vital national security, science and exploration, and commercial missions for customers across the globe including the U.S. Air Force, the National Reconnaissance Oice and NASA. 225 ft The spacecraft is encapsulated in either a 5-m (17.8-ft) or a 4-m (13.8-ft) diameter payload fairing (PLF). The 4-m-diameter PLF is a bisector (two-piece shell) fairing consisting of aluminum skin/stringer construction with vertical split-line longerons. The Atlas V 400 series oers three payload fairing options: the large (LPF, shown at left), the extended (EPF) and the extra extended (XPF). The 5-m PLF is a sandwich composite structure made with a vented aluminum-honeycomb core and graphite-epoxy face sheets. The bisector (two-piece shell) PLF encapsulates both the Centaur upper stage and the spacecraft, which separates using a debris-free pyrotechnic actuating 200 ft system. Payload clearance and vehicle structural stability are enhanced by the all-aluminum forward load reactor (FLR), which centers the PLF around the Centaur upper stage and shares payload shear loading. The Atlas V 500 series oers 1 three payload fairing options: the short (shown at left), medium 18 and long. 1 1 The Centaur upper stage is 3.1 m (10 ft) in diameter and 12.7 m (41.6 ft) long. Its propellant tanks are constructed of pressure-stabilized, corrosion-resistant stainless steel. Centaur is a liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen-fueled vehicle. It uses a single RL10 engine producing 99.2 kN (22,300 lbf) of thrust.
  • Space Coast Is Getting Busy: 6 New Rockets Coming to Cape Canaveral, KSC

    Space Coast Is Getting Busy: 6 New Rockets Coming to Cape Canaveral, KSC

    4/16/2019 Space Coast is getting busy: 6 new rockets coming to Cape Canaveral, KSC Space Coast is getting busy: 6 new rockets coming to Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center Emre Kelly, Florida Today Published 4:04 p.m. ET April 11, 2019 | Updated 7:53 a.m. ET April 12, 2019 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – If schedules hold, the Space Coast will live up to its name over the next two years as a half-dozen new rockets target launches from sites peppered across the Eastern Range. Company, government and military officials here at the 35th Space Symposium, an annual space conference, have reaffirmed their plans to launch rockets ranging from more traditional heavy-lift behemoths to smaller vehicles that take advantage of new manufacturing technologies. Even if some of these schedules slip, at least one thing is apparent to several spaceflight experts here: The Eastern Range is seeing an unprecedented growth in commercial space companies and efforts. Space Launch System: 2020 NASA's Space Launch System rocket launches from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39B in this rendering by the agency. (Photo: NASA) NASA's long-awaited SLS, a multibillion-dollar rocket announced in 2011, is slated to become the most powerful launch vehicle in history if it can meet a stringent late 2020 deadline. The 322-foot-tall rocket is expected to launch on its first flight – Exploration Mission 1 – from Kennedy Space Center with an uncrewed Orion capsule for a mission around the moon, which fits in with the agency's wider goal of putting humans on the surface by 2024.
  • Abstract US Patent References

    Abstract US Patent References

    Architecture for Reusable Responsive Exploration Systems: ARES - Platform and Reusable Responsive Architecture for Innovative Space Exploration: PRAISE (Part 1) PATENT PENDING Abstract A comprehensive Modular Reusable Responsive Space Exploration Platform (Architecture) composed of multiple modular reusable elements such that the assemblies can be flexibly configured into systems for low earth orbits launches and for long-range exploration such as orbits to moon, Lagrange points and others. This platform & architecture is named as Architecture for Reusable Responsive Exploration System (acronym ARES) / Platform and Reusable Responsive Architecture for Innovative Space Exploration (acronym PRAISE), in short ARES/PRAISE or simply ARES. It is also known as Alpha Spaces Architecture and Platform (acronym ASAP), in short as “αPlatform” or “αArchitecture”, or “αAres”. As an example, the configuration involves reusable lightweight wing, core stage, (optional booster stages) combination of expendable upper stage and reusable crew capsule. Further, the expendable upper stage can be re-used to serve as in-orbit fuel depots and for other innovative uses. This is first part of the multi part patent application. Inventor: Atreya, Dinesh S. US Patent References US Patent 6158693 - Recoverable booster stage and recovery method US Patent 4878637 - Modular space station US Patent 6726154 - Reusable space access launch vehicle system US Patent 6113032 - Delivering liquid propellant in a reusable booster stage US Patent 4557444 - Aerospace vehicle US Patent 4880187 - Multipurpose modular spacecraft US Patent 4452412 - Space shuttle with rail system and aft thrust structure securing solid rocket boosters to external tank US Patent 4802639 - Horizontal-takeoff transatmospheric launch system US Patent 4884770 - Earth-to-orbit vehicle providing a reusable orbital stage US Patent 4265416 - Orbiter/launch system U.S.
  • Orion Flight Test Press

    Orion Flight Test Press

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration Orion Flight Test Exploration Flight Test-1 PRESS KIT/December 2014 www.nasa.gov NP-2014-11-020-JSC Orion Flight Test Contents Section Page Flight Overview ......................................................................................................... 1 Timeline Overview .................................................................................................... 2 Flight Profile .............................................................................................................. 8 Recovery Operations .............................................................................................. 11 Vehicle Components ................................................................................................14 Delta IV Heavy Rocket ............................................................................................ 19 Flight Objectives ..................................................................................................... 21 Flight Personnel ...................................................................................................... 22 Next Steps for NASA ............................................................................................... 25 Public Affairs Contacts ........................................................................................... 28 December 2014 i Orion Flight Test ii December 2014 Orion Flight Test Flight Overview Orion is NASA’s new spacecraft built to carry returning from lunar orbit – will
  • Why It Could Be Time to Shoot for a Scramjet Big Enough to Do

    Why It Could Be Time to Shoot for a Scramjet Big Enough to Do

    AIAA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 18 MODELING 42 COMMERCIAL SPACE 10 The candidates speak The state of CFD Axiom’s Ondler on station planning Scaling up Why it could be time to shoot for a scramjetPAGE 22 big enough to do something big JANUARY 2021 | A publication of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics | aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org SPACE AND MISSILES SPACE AND MISSILES Crewed launch returns SpaceX launched its 100th mission in August, and in April its Falcon 9 rocket became the most to Kennedy Space Center fl own active rocket with its 84th launch. An August launch of a Falcon 9 fl ew a booster core for a record BY DALE ARNEY sixth time; a Falcon 9 payload fairing was reused for The Space Transportation Technical Committee works to foster continuous the fi rst time in November 2019. SpaceX performed improvements to civil, commercial and military launch vehicles. 150-meter test fl ights in August and September of its Starship prototype at its south Texas facility. .S. astronauts were launched from NASA’s ULA in July launched NASA’s Perseverance rover Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the to Mars on an Atlas V rocket. Blue Origin delivered fi rst time since 2011. For the Demo-2 mis- a pathfi nder BE-4 engine, and Northrop Grumman Usion, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley fl ew to completed the fi rst qualifi cation test for a strap- the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX on booster. Both are being developed for ULA’s Crew Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket in next-generation rocket, Vulcan Centaur.