As progress continues on NASA’s new spacecraft which will take humans on deep space missions, let’s take a look at some of the recent developments.
Orion capsule and service module, Image Credit: NASA
The new spacecraft, Orion, will launch in 2018 and fly thousands of miles beyond the moon before returning back to Earth. When it does, it will splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. What happens then? A group at NASA’s Johnson Space Center is tackling that question – divers, para-rescuemen and rescue swimmers have been practicing recovery techniques for Orion. Using a test version of Orion and the largest indoor pool in the world, Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, the team rehearsed getting to the spacecraft, equipping it with a flotation collar and using the hardware designed for attaching tether lines to Orion.
How will the Orion crew capsule be protected from the heat of reentering Earth’s atmosphere when it returns from deep space? A heat shield will protect the capsule. The shield was recently moved to Kennedy Space Center into the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building. Technicians will apply a thermal protection system to the shield which will wear off when the capsule experiences the heat of reentry. It’s called Avcoat, and will be installed on the heat shield in the form of blocks. The shield will undergo a thermal cycle test after the blocks of Avcoat are installed to verify their bondage and performance. During the 2018 flight, the heat shield will be equipped with instruments to record data of the system.
Orion heat shield, Image credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
The service module which will provide the crew capsule with power and propulsion as well as life support systems for astronauts is being developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). The agency’s prime contractor for the module is Airbus Defence and Space. Recently, the NASA Orion Program Manager visited a German manufacturer that is making components for the service module, Witzenmann GmbH.
With ongoing preparation toward expanding human presence into deep space, NASA is continuing to work hard to enable future exploration missions. During the 2018 launch of Orion on top of the agency’s new rocket, Space Launch System (SLS), the mission will be unmanned to test technologies that will be used in the future – missions that will have humans onboard Orion. From traveling beyond the moon to the ocean off the coast of San Diego, Orion’s mission in 2018 will ensure the spacecraft is ready for humans and deep space exploration.
Learn more about Orion here.