Orion next generation spacecraft from NASA

1. NASA’S SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM:
AHEAVY-LIFT PLATFORM FOR ENTIRELY NEW
MISSIONS
GOKUL LAKSHMANAN
M.TECH THERMAL AND FLUID ENGINEERING

2. Contents
• Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle
• Components
• Advanced technologies used in Orion crew module
• Thermal protection system
• Radiation shielding
• Launch abort system

3. Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle
• Carry a crew of up to four
• Beyond low earth orbit
• Currently under development
by NASA
• Sustain the crew during space
travel
• Provide safe re-entry from
deep space.
• Also provides an emergency
abort capability

5. DIMENSIONS
Height: 3.3 m
Diameter: 5 m
Pressurized volume: 19.56 m3
Capsule mass: 8,913 kg
Service Module mass: 12,337 kg
Total mass: 21,250 kg
Service module propellant mass: 7,907 kg

6. The Orion Spacecraft
Launch Abort System
Provides crew escape during launch
pad and ascent emergencies
Service Module
Power, propulsion and environmental
control support to the Crew Module
Crew Module
Human habitat from launch
through landing and recovery
Spacecraft Adapter
Orion-to-Space Launch System (SLS)
structural interface

7. Design and Components
• Designed to support long-duration deep space
missions
• Up to 8 months
• Includes both crew and service modules, and a
spacecraft adaptor.
• The service module fuels and propels the spacecraft
as well as storing oxygen and water for astronauts.
• Also provide locations to mount scientific
experiments and cargo.

8. Crew module (CM)
• Reusable transportation capsule
• Provides a habitat for the crew, provides storage for
consumables and research instruments
• Only part of the MPCV that returns to earth after
each mission
• It will have more than 50% more volume than the
Apollo capsule
• Carry four to six astronauts

9. • The CM is constructed of aluminum-lithium alloy
• The CM is covered with thermal protection system
• Reusable recovery parachutes to slow down the
decent of spacecraft into earth
• Designers claim that the Orion is designed to be 10
times safer during ascent and reentry than the space
shuttle.

11. Crew Module Manufacturing
Michoud Assembly Facility – New Orleans, Louisiana

12. Advanced technologies used in Orion crew module
Orion spacecraft uses various advanced technologies in
its cockpit to control the flight
• Glass cockpit: Features digital flight instrument
displays, typically large LCD screens, rather than the
traditional style of analog dials and gauges
• Traditional relies on mechanical gauges to display
information but a glass cockpit uses displays that can
be adjusted to display flight information as needed.

13. Analog controllers
Digital controllers

14. • An "Auto dock" feature : Auto dock is a feature
which allow the Orion spacecraft to control itself
automatically and dock (to come in contact ) with
international space station in space
• Improved waste-management facilities, with a
miniature camping-style toilet
• A nitrogen/oxygen mixed atmosphere at sea level
101.3 kPa pressure.
• Much more advanced computers than on previous
crew vehicles.

16. - Full-Scale Spacecraft Testing
- Simulates Launch Acoustic Forces & Vibration
- Validates Structural Integrity of the Spacecraft
COMPLETED COMPLETED COMPLETED COMPLETED
Vibration Testing
Lockheed Martin - Denver, Colorado

17. Water Drop Testing for Landing Loads
Langley Research Center – Langley, Virginia

18. Parachute Drop Testing
U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground – Yuma, Arizona

19. Thermal Protection System
Includes various types of material covering the Orion for thermal
protection
• Reinforced carbon–carbon (RCC)- Used where reentry temperature
exceeded 1260 °C.
• High-temperature reusable surface insulation (HRSI) tiles Made
of coated Silica ceramics. Used where reentry temperature was below
1260 °C.
• Fibrous refractory composite insulation (FRCI) tiles, used to
provide improved strength, durability, resistance to coating cracking
and weight reduction.
• Flexible Insulation Blankets (FIB), a quilted, flexible blanket-like
surface insulation. Used where reentry temperature was below 649 °C
(1,200 °F).
• Felt reusable surface insulation (FRSI). Used where temperatures
stayed below 371 °C

20. Thermal Protection System Development and Testing
Lockheed-Martin - Colorado, Johnson Space Center - Texas, Ames Research Center - California

21. Radiation Shielding
• Materials rich in hydrogen and carbon are known to
be effective shielding materials
• Usually lead coating is used over the spacecraft
• Water is also known to be an effective shielding
material
• This is because of their ability to fragment (via
fragmentation reaction) the incoming cosmic ions
into smaller fragments
• Orion uses various techniques to protect the
astronauts from space radiations

22. • Lead coating
• Aluminum coating and aluminum foil
• Uses the mass that is already on board to protect its
crew
• Maximizing the amount of material that can be
placed between the crew and the outside
environment
• Includes supplies, equipment, seats, as well as water
and food.

23. Service Module
Provides primary power and propulsion
Functions
i. Supports the crew module from launch through
separation before reentry.
ii. Provides in-space propulsion capability
iii. Provides the water and oxygen needed for a
habitable environment
iv. Generates and stores electrical power
v. Maintains the temperature of the vehicle's systems
and components
vi. Transport unpressurized cargo and scientific
payloads.

25. • Lithium hydroxide cartridges will recycle the
spacecraft's environmental system by "scrubbing" the
carbon dioxide exhaled by the astronauts and adding
fresh oxygen and nitrogen, which is then cycled back
out into the system loop
• Onboard water tank which will provide drinking water
for the crew
• A pair of LOX tanks will provide, along with small tanks
of nitrogen, the crew with breathing air.

26. • Orion will have an onboard recycling system that will
convert both waste water and urine into both
drinking and cooling water.
• The Orion service module (SM) is projected
comprising a cylindrical shape, having a diameter of
5.03 m and an overall length (including thruster) of
4.78m.
• Solar panels span 17 m

27. EFT-1 Service Module Manufacturing
Michoud Assembly Facility – New Orleans, Louisiana

28. Launch Abort System (LAS)
• Crew safety system
• Quickly separate the capsule
from rocket in case of a
launch abort emergency,
such as an impending
explosion.
• The system is typically
controlled by a combination
of automatic rocket failure
detection, and manual
control by the crew
commander.

29. Types
Solid-fueled rocket
i. Mounted above the capsule
ii. Delivers a relatively large
thrust for a brief period of
time to send the capsule a
safe distance away from
the launch vehicle
iii. The capsule's parachute
recovery system can be
used for a safe landing on
ground or water.

30. Ejection Seats
i. The crew are seated in
ejection seats as used
in military aircraft
ii. Each crewmember
returns to Earth with an
individual parachute.