Author: Bob Granath

Motors Arrive for Flight Safety Test of Orion Launch Abort System

Orion’s Launch Abort System
The two of three motors for Orion’s Launch Abort System (LAS) are shown inside the Launch Abort System Facility, or LASF, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Designed and built by NASA and Lockheed Martin, the jettison motor is on the left with the abort motor on the right. The motors arrived on Sept. 10, 2018, and are being stored in the LASF during processing for a full-stress test of the LAS called Ascent Abort-2.
Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

Launch Abort System, or LAS, motors are being assembled and checked out at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for an upcoming test for the Orion spacecraft designed to send astronauts on trips to the Moon, and support human exploration to Mars.

Orion is designed to launch atop the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will take astronauts into deep space. Before flying astronauts, the Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test will help verify that the LAS can pull astronauts to safety in the event of a problem during launch.
The crew escape system will be attached to the top of the spacecraft.

Ascent Abort-2 Flight Test
This illustration depicts the Ascent Abort-2 Flight Test scheduled for April 2019. An integral part of ensuring safe spaceflight, Orion’s Launch Abort System, or LAS, is a state-of-the-art crew escape system is attached to the top of the spacecraft. It can propel the crew module away from the rocket in milliseconds should a life-threatening event arise during launch.
Photo credit: NASA

According to Carlos Garcia of Orion Production Operations at Kennedy there are three motors on the LAS- the abort, attitude control and jettison motors. The abort motor can propel the crew module away from the rocket in milliseconds should there be an issue with SLS on the pad or during launch. The attitude control motor would steer the spacecraft during the maneuver. The jettison motor will pull the LAS away from the crew module, allowing Orion’s parachutes to deploy with the spacecraft safely landing in the ocean.

The abort and jettison motors for the test arrived on Aug. 27 and Sept. 10, 2018 respectively, and the attitude control motor was delivered Dec. 15.

“As the motor segments come in, we align and mate them to the motor truss assembly,” Garcia said. “We’re working on the electrical connections now.”

All are being checked out and processed in the Launch Abort System Facility, or LASF, prior to final assembly.

“Once the LAS assembly and checkout are complete, we’ll do a soft mate to the Orion crew module mock-up,” Garcia said. “That test will help us make sure everything is working as intended.”

Technicians with Jacobs check the aeroshells
On Aug. 3, 2018, in High Bay 4 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, technicians with Jacobs check the alignment during stacking of the aeroshells for Orion’s Launch Abort System (LAS) rocket. The aeroshells are being prepared for a full-stress test of the LAS, called Ascent Abort-2 Flight Test, or AA-2.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

For AA-2, a test version of Orion equipped with 284 sensors will launch atop a booster provided by Northrop Grumman from Space Launch Complex (SLC) 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The test booster is being processed in the space center’s Vehicle Assembly Building and later will be transported to SLC 46.

“After the LAS is mated to Orion, the combination will be moved to the Cape for mating to the booster,” Garcia said.

Targeted for May 2019, AA-2 will test an LAS abort under the highest aerodynamic loads it would experience in flight. The booster will accelerate to 31,000 feet, traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The LAS abort motor then will ignite, pulling the crew module away from the booster.

The jettison motor separates the LAS from the crew module. The AA-2 test will conclude as data recorders are jettisoned for retrieval in the Atlantic Ocean.

New Target Date for SpaceX Demo-1

NASA and SpaceX have agreed to move the target launch date of the uncrewed Demo-1 flight test to the International Space Station. SpaceX coordinated with the Eastern Range for a launch on Thursday, Jan 17. This adjustment allows the return of the Dragon spacecraft from the company’s 16th commercial resupply services mission. SpaceX’s Demo-1 will provide key data associated with the ground, integrated rocket and spacecraft, and autonomous docking systems, and the landing profile ahead of the company’s flight test with astronauts, known as Demo-2.

“We still have more work to do as the certification process, hardware development and readiness reviews continue,” said Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “The key readiness reviews along with NASA’s continued analysis of hardware and software testing and certification data must be closed out prior to launch. The upcoming steps before the test missions are critical, and their importance can’t be understated. We are not driven by dates, but by data. Ultimately, we’ll fly SpaceX Demo-1 at the right time, so we get the right data back to support the in-flight abort test and the next test flight when our astronauts are aboard. However, the fact we’re coordinating target dates with the Eastern Range is a great example of the real progress we’re making with commercial crew and how close we are to actually flying American spacecraft and rockets from American soil again.”

For more information on commercial crew flights, visit:

Commercial Crew Program Blogs

NASA’s ICON Analysis Underway at Vandenberg AFB

This illustration depicts NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, satellite that will study the frontier of space: the dynamic zone high in our atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above. Photo credit: NASA
This illustration depicts NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, satellite that will study the frontier of space: the dynamic zone high in our atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above.
Photo credit: NASA

On Monday, Nov. 19, Northrop Grumman flew the L-1011 Stargazer and Pegasus XL rocket carrying NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, spacecraft back to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. On Nov. 20, Northrop Grumman completed the de-mate of Pegasus from the L-1011 and transported the rocket safely into the integration facility.

The Northrop Grumman/NASA team continues its investigation into the off-nominal data observed during the Nov. 7 launch attempt. Once the analysis is complete, a new launch date will be determined. ICON will launch out of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The ICON spacecraft, which uses Northrop Grumman’s LEOStar-2 platform, is monitored at all times and remains healthy.

Dragon Set to Deliver Supplies to International Space Station

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on April 2, 2018, carrying the 14th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tim Powers, Tim Terry
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on April 2, 2018, carrying the 14th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station.
Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tim Powers, Tim Terry

Commercial Resupply Services Mission: SpaceX CRS-16
Launch: 1:38 p.m. EST, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018
Lift Off: Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida
Launch Vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9, 230 feet-tall
Spacecraft: Dragon, 20 feet high, 12 feet-in diameter
Payload: Dragon will deliver supplies and payloads, including materials to directly support dozens of the science and research investigations that will occur during the space station’s Expeditions 57 and 58.
Return to Earth: After about one month attached to the space station, Dragon will return with results of earlier experiments, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.
Payloads on Board: Includes the Robotic Refueling Mission 3, or RRM3, and the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation lidar, or GEDI.

For countdown coverage, NASA’s launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/spacex

Dragon Set to Deliver Supplies to International Space Station

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on April 2, 2018, carrying the 14th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tim Powers, Tim Terry
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on April 2, 2018, carrying the 14th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station.
Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray, Tim Powers, Tim Terry

Commercial Resupply Services Mission: SpaceX CRS-16
Launch: 1:38 p.m. EST, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018
Lift Off: Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida
Launch Vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9, 230 feet-tall
Spacecraft: Dragon, 20 feet high, 12 feet-in diameter
Payload: Dragon will deliver supplies and payloads, including materials to directly support dozens of the science and research investigations that will occur during the space station’s Expeditions 57 and 58.
Return to Earth: After about one month attached to the space station, Dragon will return with results of earlier experiments, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California.
Payloads on Board: Includes the Robotic Refueling Mission 3, or RRM3, and the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation lidar, or GEDI.

For countdown coverage, NASA’s launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/spacex

ICON to Return to Vandenberg AFB for Further Analysis

This illustration depicts NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, satellite that will study the frontier of space: the dynamic zone high in our atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above. Photo credit: NASA
This illustration depicts NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, satellite that will study the frontier of space: the dynamic zone high in our atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above.
Photo credit: NASA

NASA and Northrop Grumman have made the decision to fly the L-1011 Stargazer and Pegasus XL rocket carrying NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, spacecraft back to its integration facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The ferry flight will take place early next week. Returning to the environmentally-controlled integration facility allows the team to further investigate off-nominal data observed during the Nov. 7 launch attempt.

Once the investigation is complete, a new launch date will be determined. ICON will launch out of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The ICON spacecraft, which uses Northrop Grumman’s LEOStar-2 platform, is monitored at all times and remains healthy.

Kennedy Space Center Employees Support America Recycles Day

In the parking lot of the Data Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 15, 2018, employees turn in used household material for recycling as part of America Recycles Day. The annual event is a nationally recognized initiative dedicated to promoting recycling in the United States. This year, KSC is partnered with Goodwill Industries and several other local organizations to receive donation material from employees such as gently used household items, personal electronic waste, greeting cards and serviceable eyeglasses. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
In the parking lot of the Data Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 15, 2018, employees turn in used household material for recycling as part of America Recycles Day. The annual event is a nationally recognized initiative dedicated to promoting recycling in the United States. This year, KSC is partnered with Goodwill Industries and several other local organizations to receive donation material from employees such as gently used household items, personal electronic waste, greeting cards and serviceable eyeglasses.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The modern high-tech world is full of conveniences such as computers and cellular telephones. All make daily life easier. But, eventually, these products become waste when they are replaced with the latest developments. Employees at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida partnered with Goodwill Industries and several other local organizations to ensure much of the no-longer-needed items don’t become pollution.

On Nov. 14 and 15, Kennedy’s Spaceport Integration and Services Directorate encouraged employees to bring in materials such as new or gently used household items, personal electronic waste and other items for recycling.

The effort was part of America Recycles Day. The national emphasis focuses on opportunities not to discard items that can be recycled, giving them new life. According to Jeanne Ryba, an Environmental, Sustainability Program specialist, the annual event started out at Kennedy focusing on collecting electronic waste and now has expanded to include even more.

“For other charities, we collected phones for Cellphones for Soldiers, used eyeglasses for the Lyons club, bread tags for Danielle Cares for Chairs, coupons, valid up to six months expired, for Coupons for Troops, pop-top tabs for Ronald McDonald House and greeting cards and corks for local programs such as senior homes and craft organizations,” she said.

During the two-day event, hundreds of Kennedy employees turned in goods to be recycled, dropping them off in the parking lots of the Vehicle Assembly Building and the Kennedy Data Center.

All totaled, spaceport employees made approximately 253 drop-offs.

America Recycles Day is a program of Keep America Beautiful and is nationally recognized as a time dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling across the nation. Every year in mid-November, event organizers work to educate neighbors, friends and colleagues about the value of not discarding no-longer-needed items.

Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful provides the expertise, programs and resources to help people end littering, increase recycling and beautify America’s communities. Among the organization’s most effective efforts was their 1971 ad campaign discouraging roadside litter.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, recycling contributes to American prosperity and the protection of our environment.

“The recycling rate has increased from less than 7 percent in 1960 to the current rate of 35 percent,” the statement said. “An EPA study found that every 10,000 tons of materials recycled supports nearly 16 jobs and $760,000 in wages.”

Recycling is encouraged year-round at Kennedy. Blue containers for recycling glass, aluminum and plastic are located in many areas at the spaceport. When recycling containers are three-quarters full, visit the STAR website at http://star.ksc.nasa.gov to request that the container be emptied.

For information on the center’s recycling program, employees may call 321-867-3305.

ICON Launch Update

This illustration depicts NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, satellite that will study the frontier of space: the dynamic zone high in our atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above. Photo credit: NASA
This illustration depicts NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, satellite that will study the frontier of space: the dynamic zone high in our atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above.
Photo credit: NASA

NASA and Northrop Grumman are continuing to investigate the off-nominal data observed during the Pegasus XL rocket’s Nov. 7 launch attempt for the agency’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, mission. The next launch attempt will be evaluated once the investigation is complete. The ICON spacecraft remains healthy.

For updates, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/icon

ICON Launch Update

This illustration depicts NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, satellite that will study the frontier of space: the dynamic zone high in our atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above. Photo credit: NASA
This illustration depicts NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, satellite that will study the frontier of space: the dynamic zone high in our atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above.
Photo credit: NASA

NASA and Northrop Grumman have postponed the Nov. 7 launch attempt of NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, mission due to off-nominal data observed on the Pegasus XL rocket, during the captive carry flight. The L-1011 Stargazer carrier aircraft returned to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and the team will begin an investigation into the issue. The ICON spacecraft remains healthy. The team is evaluating the next launch attempt.

For updates, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/icon

Launch Readiness Review Completed for ICON

The Northrop Grumman L-1011 Stargazer aircraft lands on Oct. 19, 2018 at the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A Pegasus XL rocket is attached to the underside of the aircraft with NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, satellite. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
The Northrop Grumman L-1011 Stargazer aircraft lands on Oct. 19, 2018 at the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A Pegasus XL rocket is attached to the underside of the aircraft with NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, satellite.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA and Northrop Grumman completed their Launch Readiness Review on Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There are no technical issues being worked at this time. NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, satellite mission is scheduled to launch Wednesday, Nov. 7, by Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket, which will be carried aloft by the company’s L-1011 Stargazer aircraft taking off from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The 90-minute launch window opens at 3 a.m. EST, with a targeted release at 3:05 a.m. Ignition of the Pegasus XL rocket occurs five seconds after release from the Stargazer.

The official weather forecast calls for a 90 percent chance for favorable conditions for launch. The primary launch weather concerns are cumulous clouds.

ICON is designed to study the dynamic zone high in the atmosphere where terrestrial weather from below meets space weather from above.

Follow the launch coverage on NASA Television at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

Tuesday, Nov. 6
3 p.m. – NASA EDGE webcast from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station will discuss ICON spacecraft operations, science and engineering, as well as launch processing of the Northrop Grumman L-1011 Stargazer with the Pegasus rocket.

Wednesday, Nov. 7
2:45 a.m. – Launch coverage begins at 2:45 a.m. EST

Learn more about NASA’s ICON mission at:

https://www.nasa.gov/icon