Round Trip to Orbit: Human Spaceflight Alternatives
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The Flight to Orbit
There are numerous ways to get there— Around the Corner Th As then–US Space Command chief from rocket The Gen. Howell M. Estes III said to launch to space defense writers just before his re- tirement in August, “This is going maneuver to come along a lot quicker than we vehicles—and the think it is. ... We tend to think this stuff is way out there in the future, Air Force is but it’s right around the corner.” keeping its Flight The Air Force and NASA have divided the task of providing the options open. US government with a means of reliable, low-cost transportation to Earth orbit. The Air Force, with the largest immediate need, is heading to up the effort to revamp the Expend- to able Launch Vehicles now used to loft military and other government satellites. Called the Evolved ELV, this program is focused on derivatives of existing rockets. Competitors have been invited to redesign or value- engineer their proven boosters with new materials and technologies to provide reliable launch services at a he Air Force would like to go Orbit far lower price than today’s bench- back and forth to Earth orbit as bit mark of around $10,000 a pound to T O easily as it goes back and forth to Low Earth Orbit. The reasoning is 30,000 feet—routinely, reliably, and that an “evolved”—rather than an relatively cheaply. Such a capability all-new—vehicle will yield cost sav- goes hand in hand with being a true ings while reducing technical risk. -
Nasa X-15 Program
5 24,132 6 9 NASA X-15 PROGRAM By: T.D. Barnes - NASA Contractor - 1960s NASA contractors for the X-15 program were Bendix Field Engineering followed by Unitec, Inc. The NASA High Range Tracking stations were located at Ely and Beatty Nevada with main control being at Dryden/Edwards AFB in California. Personnel at the tracking stations consisted of a Station Manager, a Technical Advisor, and field engineers for the Mod-2 Radar, Data Transmission System, Communications, Telemetry, and Plant Maintenance/Generators. NASA had a site monitor at each tracking station to monitor our contractor operations. Though supporting flights of the X-15 was their main objective, they also participated in flights of the XB-70, the three Lifting Bodies, experimental Lunar Landing vehicles, and an occasional A-12/YF-12/SR-71 Blackbird flight. On mission days a NASA van picked up each member of the crew at their residence for the 4:20 a.m. trip to the tracking station 18 miles North of Beatty on the Tonopah Highway. Upon arrival each performed preflight calibrations and setup of their various systems. The liftoff of the B-52, with the X-15 tucked beneath its wing, seldom occurred after 9:00 a.m. due to the heat effect of the Mojave Desert making it difficult for the planes to acquire altitude. At approximately 0800 hours two pilots from Dryden would proceed uprange to evaluate the condition of the dry lake beds in the event of an emergency landing of the X-15 (always buzzing our station on the way up and back). -
Safety Consideration on Liquid Hydrogen
Safety Considerations on Liquid Hydrogen Karl Verfondern Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft der 5/JULICH Mitglied FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................1 2. PROPERTIES OF LIQUID HYDROGEN..........................................................................................3 2.1. Physical and Chemical Characteristics..............................................................................................3 2.1.1. Physical Properties ......................................................................................................................3 2.1.2. Chemical Properties ....................................................................................................................7 2.2. Influence of Cryogenic Hydrogen on Materials..............................................................................9 2.3. Physiological Problems in Connection with Liquid Hydrogen ....................................................10 3. PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROGEN AND SLUSH HYDROGEN................................... 13 3.1. Liquid Hydrogen Production Methods ............................................................................................ 13 3.1.1. Energy Requirement .................................................................................................................. 13 3.1.2. Linde Hampson Process ............................................................................................................15 -
Space Shuttle Program
Space Shuttle program The Space Shuttle Columbia seconds after engine ignition, 1981 (NASA). For the first two missions only, the external fuel tank spray-on foam insulation (SOFI) was painted white. Subsequent missions have featured an unpainted tank thus exposing the orange/rust colored foam insulation. This resulted in a weight saving of over 1,000 lb (450 kg), a savings that translated directly to added payload capacity to orbit. NASA's Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States government's sole manned launch vehicle currently in service. The winged shuttle orbiter is launched vertically, carrying usually five to seven astronauts and up to about 22,700 kg (50,000 lbs) of payload into low earth orbit. When its mission is complete, it reenters the earth's atmosphere and makes an unpowered gliding horizontal landing, usually on a runway at Kennedy Space Center. The Space Shuttle orbiter was manufactured by North American Rockwell, now part of the Boeing Company. Martin Marietta (now part of Lockheed Martin) designed the external fuel tank and Morton Thiokol (now part of Alliant Techsystems (ATK)) designed the solid rocket boosters. The Shuttle is the first orbital spacecraft designed for partial reusability. It carries large payloads to various orbits, provides crew rotation for the International Space Station (ISS), and performs servicing missions. While the vehicle was designed with the capacity to recover satellites and other payloads from orbit and return them to Earth, this capacity has not been used often; it is, however, an important use of the Space Shuttle in the context of the ISS program, as only very small amounts of experimental material, hardware needing to be repaired, and trash can be returned by Soyuz. -
1 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics from Air Bubbles Cast in the Fuel (Voids) Can Cause Problems During Hot-Fire Operations
Genetic Algorithm Optimization of a Cost Competitive Hybrid Rocket Booster George Story1 NASA MSFC Huntsville, Al Performance, reliability and cost have always been drivers in the rocket business. Hybrid rockets have been late entries into the launch business due to substantial early development work on liquid rockets and solid rockets. Slowly the technology readiness level of hybrids has been increasing due to various large scale testing and flight tests of hybrid rockets. One remaining issue is the cost of hybrids vs the existing launch propulsion systems. This paper will review the known state-of-the-art hybrid development work to date and incorporate it into a genetic algorithm to optimize the configuration based on various parameters. A cost module will be incorporated to the code based on the weights of the components. The design will be optimized on meeting the performance requirements at the lowest cost. I. Introduction Hybrids, considered part solid and part liquid propulsion system, have been caught in the middle of development goals of the various NASA and military programs. Solid rocket motor technology has matured due to the design simplicity, on-demand operational characteristics and low cost. The reliability of solids, given minimal maintenance requirements, made them the ideal system for military applications. On the other hand, liquid rocket engine technology has matured due to their higher specific impulse (ISP) over solids and variable control thrust capability. Hybrid Rockets have been used in only one flight-production application (Teledyne Ryan AQM-81A ‘Firebolt Supersonic Aerial Target) and one series of recent manned flight demonstrations (Burt Rutan’s SpaceshipOne), suggesting that advantages have been overlooked in some potential applications. -
Glex-2021 – 6.1.1
Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2021), St Petersburg, Russian Federation, 14-18 June 2021. Copyright ©2021 by Christophe Bonnal (CNES). All rights reserved. GLEX-2021 – 6.1.1 Human spaceflight from Guiana Space Center Ch. Bonnal1* – J-M. Bahu1 – Ph. Berthe2 – J. Bertrand1 – Ch. Bonhomme1 – M. Caporicci2 J-F. Clervoy3 – N. Costedoat4 – E. Coletti5 – G. Collange5 – G. Debas5 – R. Delage6 – J. Droz5 E. Louaas1 – P. Marx8 – B. Muller6 – S. Perezzan1 – I. Quinquis5 – S. Sandrone7 D. Schmitt2 – V. Taponier1 1 CNES Launcher Directorate, Pairs, France – 2 ESA Human & Robotic Exploration Directorate, ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands – 3 Astronaut Novespace, Paris, France – 4CNES Guiana Space Center, Kourou, France 5ArianeGroup, Les Mureaux, France – 6Airbus Defence & Space, Toulouse, France – 7Airbus Defence & Space, Bremen Germany – 8Consultant, Paris, France * Corresponding Author Abstract The use of Space has drastically evolved these last ten years. Tomorrow will see easier and cheaper access to Space, satellite servicing, in-orbit manufacturing, human private spaceflights to ever increasing number of Orbital Stations, road to the Moon, Asteroids, Mars. It seems fundamental to make sure we can rely on robust, reliable, frequent and affordable access to and from LEO with both automatic systems and human missions; such systems are the bricks with which all the future operations in Space will be built. Independent human access to space from Europe for our astronauts is a key to any future in Space. It has been studied in depth since the 80's with Hermes Spaceplane, then through numerous studies, pre- development activities, and demonstrations such as ARD, X38-CRV or IXV, which now allow Europe to reconsider such an endeavor with a much higher confidence. -
The Secret History of Extraterrestrials: Advanced Technology And
The Secret History of Extraterrestrials “With our present knowledge of the cosmos, there is now a real possibility of evolved and intelligent civilizations elsewhere in the vast cosmological space. And possible visitations and even encounters can no longer be ignored. Naturally we must tread with caution and not jump to conclusions too easily and too readily; but we must also keep an open mind and respect those bold investigators who apply rigorous research and common sense to this fascinating although very debated hypothesis. Len Kasten is such an investigator, and his book The Secret History of Extraterrestrials is a must for the libraries of all seekers of truth with unbiased minds.” ROBERT BAUVAL, AUTHOR OF THE ORION MYSTERY , MESSAGE OF THE SPHINX, AND BLACK GENESIS “Len Kasten has provided an up-to-date survey of the vast array of issues that are now emerging into the public consciousness regarding an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race. For those who want to jump right into the pool and not just sit on the side and dangle their feet, take the plunge with The Secret History of Extraterrestrials.” STEPHEN BASSETT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PARADIGM RESEARCH GROUP “You can always count on Len Kasten to take you on a spellbinding galactic adventure, for he never fails to seek out ideas and theories that challenge your assumptions of what is true while firing your imagination. Whether in this dimension or another, be it past or future, your travels with Len Kasten will open your mind and introduce you to realities and experiences, you may have mistakenly assumed can exist only as fiction.” PAUL DAVIDS, DIRECTOR/PRODUCER OF JESUS IN INDIA AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/COWRITER OF ROSWELL: THE UFO COVERUP “This comprehensive book covers some of the most intriguing UFO and alien-contact cases ever reported. -
Launch Options for the Future: a Buyer's Guide (Part 7 Of
— Chapter 3 Enhanced Baseline CONTENTS , Page Improving the Shuttle . 27 Advanced Solid Rocket Motors (ASRMs) . 27 Liquid Rocket Boosters (LRBs) . 28 Lighter Tanks . 29 Improving Shuttle Ground Operations . 29 Improving Existing ELVs . 29 Delta . 30 Atlas-Centaur . ● ● . .* . 30 Titan . ● . ✎ ✎ . 30 Capability . ✎ . ✎ ✎ . ● ✎ ✎ . 30 Table 3-1. Theoretical Lift Capability of Enhanced U.S. Launch Systems. 31 Chapter 3 Enhanced Baseline The ENHANCED BASELINE option is the U.S. Government’s “Best Buy” if . it desires a space program with current or slightly greater levels of activity. By making in- cremental improvements to existing launch vehicles, production and launch facilities, the U.S. could increase its launch capacity to about 1.4 million pounds per year to LEO. The investment required would be low compared to building new vehicles; however, the ade- quacy of the resulting fleet resiliency and dependability is uncertain. This option would not provide the low launch costs (e.g. 10 percent of current costs) sought for SDI deploy- ment or an aggressive civilian space initiative, like a piloted mission to Mars, IMPROVING THE SHUTTLE The Shuttle, though a remarkable tech- . reducing the number of factory joints and nological achievement, never achieved its in- the number of parts, tended payload capacity and recent safety . designing the ASRMs so that the Space modifications have further degraded its per- Shuttle Main Engines no longer need to formance by approximately 4,800 pounds. be throttled during the region of maxi- Advanced Solid Rocket Motors (ASRMs) or mum dynamic pressure, Liquid Rocket Boosters (LRBs) have the potential to restore some of this perfor- ● replacing asbestos-bearing materials, mance; studies on both are underway. -
Rockets for Education 5 June 2019
Rockets for education 5 June 2019 Technology, Poland. Several modular experiments are held in the circular containers imaged here. Called Hedgehog, the experiment tested patented instruments for measuring acceleration, vibration and heat flow during launch. The team hopes to refine the tools for use on ground-based qualification tests that all payloads must pass before launch. At launch, Rexus produces a peak vertical acceleration of around 17 times the force of gravity. Once the rocket motors shut off, the experiments enter freefall. On the downward arc parachutes deploy, lowering the experiments to the ground for transport back to the launch site by helicopter as quickly as possible. Credit: European Space Agency A service module sends data and receives commands from the ground to keep everything on course while sending videos and data to ground Why rockets are so captivating is not exactly rocket stations. science. Watching a chunk of metal defy the forces of gravity satisfies many a human's wish to soar ESA has used sounding rockets for over 30 years through the air and into space. to investigate phenomena under microgravity from the state-of-the-art facilities are available at Today there are countless rockets to satisfy the Esrange. The laboratories include microscopes, itch, and they are not all big launchers delivering centrifuges and incubators so investigators can heavy satellites into space, like Europe's Ariane 5 prepare and analyse their experiments around and the upcoming Ariane 6. flight. Sounding rockets, like this Rexus (Rocket Coordinated by ESA Education, the Rexus/Bexus Experiments for University Students) being programme launches two sounding rockets a year assembled at the ZARM facilities in Bremen, and provides an experimental near-space platform Germany, are launched regularly in the name of for students who can work on different research science from the Esrange Space Center in areas from atmospheric research and fluid physics, northern Sweden. -
ミルスペース 140710------[What’S New in Virtual Library?]
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -ミルスペース 140710- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [What’s New in Virtual Library?] AW&ST Aviation Week & Space Technology 1406F_Contents.pdf, Cover.jpg 140630AWST_Contents.pdf, Cover.jpg 1405F_Contents.pdf, Cover.jpg NASA Spaceport Magazine 1404F_Contents.pdf, Cover.jpg 1407ksc_Spaceport_Mag_27pages.pdf 1403F_Contents.pdf, Cover.jpg 1407ksc_Spaceport_Mag_Contents.pdf, Cover.jpg Military Technology BIS Space Flight 1406MT_Contents.pdf, Cover.jpg 1407SF_Contents.pdf, Cover.jpg [What’s New in Real Library?] [謝辞] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2014.7.10 12:30 http://sankei.jp.msn.com/wired/ スマートフォンが国際宇宙ステーション・ロボットの頭脳に 7 月 11 日に ISS に向け打上げる宇宙船には、グーグル 3D ヴィジョン Satellites」(姿勢保持、連動、方向修正同期型実験衛星)の略で、 搭載スマホ「Tango」が積込まれる。ISS 船内で浮遊しながら飛行士た 将来的には、ISS 船外での危険作業を含め、宇宙飛行士の代わりに ちを支援するロボットに利用される。 日常雑務をこなせるようになることが期待されていた。ただし、2006 年に 初めて ISS に送込まれたときには、正確な浮遊動作をする以外に大し たことはできなかった。カリフォルニア州マウンテンヴューにある NASA のエ イムズ研究センタの研究者たちは、2010 年から、SPHERES を改良す る最も優れた方法を探すべく取組んできた。 悩んだ結果、スマホにた どり着いた。 「SPHERES 高度化プロジェクト・マネージャー」のクリス・プ ロヴェンチャーは、Reuters に次のように話している。「われわれは、通信 やカメラ、処理能力の向上、加速度計をはじめとする各種センサなどを NASA は 7 月 11 日(米時間)、ISS に向けて、グーグル新型スマートフ 追加したかった。どうすればよいか頭を悩ませていたときに、その答えは ォンを乗せた宇宙船を打上げ予定。3D ヴィジョン技術「Tango」(日本 自分たちの手の中にあったことに気づいた。つまり、スマートフォンを使お 語版記事) うということになったのだ」 グーグルの「Tango」技術を搭載したスマートフ http://wired.jp/2014/05/26/google-creating-project-tango-tablets-with ォンには、SPHERES が利用するための 3D マップの作成に使用できる -3d-computer-vision/ 赤外線深度センサなど、魅力的な多数の技術が搭載されている。もち -
Nasa's Commercial Crew Development
NASA’S COMMERCIAL CREW DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CHALLENGES HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2011 Serial No. 112–46 Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://science.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 70–800PDF WASHINGTON : 2011 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HON. RALPH M. HALL, Texas, Chair F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas Wisconsin JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California DANA ROHRABACHER, California ZOE LOFGREN, California ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland BRAD MILLER, North Carolina FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona W. TODD AKIN, Missouri DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas BEN R. LUJA´ N, New Mexico PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia PAUL D. TONKO, New York SANDY ADAMS, Florida JERRY MCNERNEY, California BENJAMIN QUAYLE, Arizona JOHN P. SARBANES, Maryland CHARLES J. ‘‘CHUCK’’ FLEISCHMANN, TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama Tennessee FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida E. SCOTT RIGELL, Virginia HANSEN CLARKE, Michigan STEVEN M. PALAZZO, Mississippi VACANCY MO BROOKS, Alabama ANDY HARRIS, Maryland RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana DAN BENISHEK, Michigan VACANCY (II) C O N T E N T S Wednesday, October 26, 2011 Page Witness List ............................................................................................................ -
Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (SPCE) Putting the Zero in Zero-G
June 2021 Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (SPCE) Putting the Zero in Zero-G We are short shares of Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc., often described as the only publicly traded space-tourism company. After going public in October 2019 by way of a merger with a “blank check” company, Virgin Galactic has seen its share price and trading volume soar. It’s become a retail darling, with day traders captivated by images of billionaires donning space suits, blasting off from launchpads, and looking down on the blue marble of Earth. But Virgin Galactic’s $250,000+ commercial “spaceflights” – if they ever actually happen, after some 17 years of delays and disasters – will offer only the palest imitations of these experiences. In lieu of pressurized space suits with helmets – unnecessary since so little time will be spent in the upper atmosphere – the company commissioned Under Armour to provide “high-tech pajamas.” In lieu of vertical takeoff, Virgin’s “spaceship” must cling to the underside of a specialized airplane for the first 45,000 feet up, because its rocket motor is too weak to push through the lower atmosphere on its own. In lieu of the blue-marble vista and life in zero-g, Virgin’s so-called astronauts will at best be able to catch a glimpse of the curvature of Earth and a few minutes of weightlessness before plunging back to ground. This isn’t “tourism,” let alone Virgin’s more grandiose term, “exploration”; it’s closer to a souped- up roller coaster, like the “Drop of Doom” ride at Six Flags.