April 6, 2012 Vol. 52, No. 7 Spaceport News John F. Kennedy Space Center - America’s gateway to the universe Inside . SLF offers Morpheus realistic, rocky road 'Rocket University' By Cheryl Mansfield Project Morpheus, one of 20 inspires engineers Spaceport News small projects comprising the Advanced Exploration n area near Ken- Systems (AES) program in nedy Space Center's NASA's Human Explora- Shuttle Land- A tion and Operations Mission ing Facility (SLF) will Directorate. AES projects be turned into a field of pioneer new approaches for hazards as part of the next rapidly developing proto- phase of tests for the Project Morpheus lander. This type systems, demonstrating next step, which integrates key capabilities and validat- Page 2 technologies, hopefully will ing operational concepts for future human missions Trajectory Team someday be used to build beyond Earth orbit. keeps eye on target future spacecraft destined for asteroids, Mars or the Although the first test moon. at Kennedy has not been The lander has been un- scheduled, it could take dergoing testing at NASA's place as early as June, with Johnson Space Center in the series scheduled to wrap up by Sept. 30. The testing Houston for almost a year in CLICK ON PHOTO NASA/JSC preparation for its first free The Project Morpheus lander fires its liquid oxygen- and methane-fueled engine schedule is dynamic and flight. During that flight test- for a tethered test on May 4, 2011, at NASA's Johnson Space Center. With the changes as the vehicle and ing, it will rise almost 100 vehicle suspended from a crane, the tethered tests allowed engineers to test their weather dictate. The public control of the vehicle with little risk of damage to the lander. For more on Project can follow the tests on the Page 3 feet into the air, fly 100 feet Morpheus, click on the photo. laterally, and then land. Morpheus' Facebook and Astronaut meets Once the lander has with the addition of some site manager. "Our team is Twitter. For more informa- Dragon capsule successfully completed a hazards, Kennedy's former looking forward to facilitat- tion about Project Morpheus planned series of these free shuttle runway would be the ing successful testing this and videos of past tests, visit flight tests, the team will best choice. summer." the project's home page at move on to its next chal- "Kennedy Space Center The upcoming test rep- http://morpheuslander.jsc. lenge -- flying a kilometer- offers the perfect combina- resents a new milestone for nasa.gov/. long simulated surface tion of capabilities," said approach while avoiding Dr. Jon Olansen, Morpheus hazards in a landing field. project manager at Johnson. Morpheus integrates an "Range and airspace avail- autonomous landing and ability, hangar facilities, Page 4 hazard avoidance technol- propellant handling capabili- ogy (ALHAT) payload that ties -- and an open and often SCA crews focus on will allow it to navigate to available runway near which ferrying shuttles home clear landing sites amidst we can build a hazard field rocks, craters and other to complete the package." hazards during its descent, "It will be difficult to turn and land safely. the relatively flat, grassy But to put that capability area north of the runway to the test, Morpheus needs into a crater-filled planetary rocks, craters and hazards to scape for Morpheus to nego- NASA/JSC avoid -- and that's where the tiate and land in, but that's Steam billows around the Project Morpheus lander as its plumbing is filled with SLF comes in. After evalu- the kind of challenge that liquid nitrogen for a cold-flow test on March 17, 2011, at NASA's Johnson Space ating several potential test- the Kennedy team thrives Center in Houston. Project Morpheus integrates an engine that runs on "green" Page 7 propellants (liquid oxygen and methane) with NASA's automated landing and haz- ing sites, project managers on," said Greg Gaddis, ard avoidance technology into a fully operational lander that could deliver cargo to at Johnson determined that, Kennedy's Morpheus test the moon, asteroids and perhaps Mars. Page 2 SPACEPORT NEWS April 6, 2012 Aerospace engineers stay on course at 'Rocket University' By Steven Siceloff the pressure inside was too launch the balloon provided Spaceport News much and it burst. That was a much more rapid schedule when the payload, a Styro- to the team. here was a launch foam box holding the flight March 15 that didn't "My experience has been computer, cameras and other make the news, but on long-term projects," T gear, fell back to Earth, Peters said. "You're working nonetheless was an accom- deploying a parachute along plishment for engineers at ground support projects that the way and splashing down NASA's Kennedy Space can take years to come up." in the ocean about six miles Center. Their work is not over. offshore. They just kicked off another The launch had everything Preparing the box, about effort that will see them one might expect: an open the size of a small cooler, to drop an aeroshell from area, an expected course, land in the water or on land antennas that could pick up was just one of the steps a much larger balloon signals and video from the they took during the two launched from NASA's craft as it soared into the months from start to launch. Wallops Flight Facility in sky, and a recovery team. They also had to build a Virginia. The experiment The operation was even led flight computer and set of calls for more instrumenta- by aerospace engineers. instruments that would work tion and equipment to test But this was no rocket. In- in the cold air of the strato- the design, a challenge the stead, it was a large balloon sphere and handle the speed group is excited about. designed to climb high into changes of a parachute It also may open another the stratosphere carrying a opening. research avenue for sci- 6-pound box of instruments "We were combining entists outside the typical and three cameras, plus a Photo courtesy of Rocket University known technologies to NASA realm, Dawkins said. parachute and associated NASA systems engineers Norman Peters, left, and Elkin Norena prepare the make a hybrid," said Elkin The group came away equipment. payload before it is sent aloft on a high-altitude balloon on March 15. Norena, who worked on the from the balloon mission en- That it was being for the balloon mission. example, soared to 115,000 power source that operated ergized, they said, and eager launched by engineers ac- the cameras and trackers customed to dealing with "What we're encouraging feet, a region considered to start the more-advanced is, for instance, an avionics near-space that offers lots of during the flight and for a mission. space shuttles was the point time after landing so the bal- person to go off and work as opportunities for research. It "I had a ball doing this," of the exercise: pushing loon wouldn't be lost. "We a project manager." also was extremely inexpen- Peters said. "Everyone accomplished specialists out had to fit our requirements The work, done in coop- sive and the payload was worked together very well." of their comfort zones. By into what we could get off eration with University of assembled by the university "I think we've all launched venturing into new areas, the shelf." Central Florida professors, is participants using off-the- they will pick up new tech- "I think off-the-shelf items many shuttles, which is much deeper than hobbyist- shelf parts in the team nological tips along the way require a lot more research probably the highlight of our level interest and has to stick members' down times. that are expected to pay off for those of us who are used careers," Dawkins said. "I to proven management pro- The launch pad was a for future NASA missions. to having a part handed to us would say this is the prob- cesses, said Norman Peters, baseball field in Oviedo, The mission was a that was custom-made for a ably the most I've learned a NASA systems engineer. Fla., about 40 miles inland project for the new "Rocket certain task," Dawkins said. and the most fun I've had UCF's Dr. Larry Chew from Kennedy. Liftoff came University," an internal The two-month deadline since the shuttle program worked with the balloon at about 10:40 a.m. and the NASA program of courses, to build the payload and ended." workshops, labs and projects project team. balloon was tracked with offered to engineering and "It's advancing our ability GPS instruments riding with research pros of all types to to support customer needs, it, monitored by six teams keep their skills fresh and when it comes down to it," spread out along the ex- broaden their experiences. Peters said. "We're trying to pected path. As it climbed, About 20 Rocket University enhance skills." it drifted east with the wind students took part in the bal- Working with high- and sent back video of the loon launch. altitude balloons is one area ground, sky and horizon as "It's an opportunity the program deals with. it went along. for not just Kennedy, but Others include building "We saw the burst live engineers at other centers to rockets with payloads, (from the on-board cam- take courses and participate unmanned aerial vehicles era)," said Steve Pancoast, in labs and actually build and other aerospace special- who worked with the bal- payloads and in some cases ties.