Tag: HLV
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NASA report favors SD HLV for SLS, complains Agency can’t afford 2016 target
A preliminary NASA report, outlining plans for developing a Space Launch System (SLS) in response to the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, has put its weight behind a Inline Shuttle Derived (SD) Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV). However, the report to lawmakers complained it would not be able to build the vehicle based on the…
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HEFT: Space Launch System HLV design decision likely by April, 2011
A final round of potential Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV) options – which will allow the NASA leadership to choose the design of the Space Launch System (SLS) as early as April, 2011 – has been created by The Human Exploration Framework Team (HEFT), which is coming to the end of its current architecture design phase.…
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Replica engines recommended for retired orbiters – Flown SSMEs for HLV
All three orbiters are set to donate their Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) to the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV) program, following their final flights. A Program Requirements Control Board (PRCB) meeting recommended the orbiters should instead gain Replica Shuttle Main Engines (RSMEs) – previously scrapped nozzles installed via an adaptor – for when the…
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A DIRECT handover – Movement leaders feel their work is complete
The Direct movement – a group of professionals and non-professional engineers that created an architecture alternative to Constellation’s Ares vehicles – are ready to transition their movement, following the redirection of NASA’s future by lawmakers, which calls for a Space Launch System (SLS) based around a Shuttle Derived (SD) Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV), which…
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NASA’s Senate Bill passes after dramatic debate and vote in Congress
Following a marathon day of debates and the extended wait for a recorded vote, the Senate Bill (S. 3729) has been passed by lawmakers by a ratio of 3 to 1. Modifying the heavily criticised path laid out by President Obama, Congress passed the bill which will allow for the ultimate transition towards commercial access…
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ET-122 arrival marks upcoming Michoud workforce cull, hope for HLV role
Following the arrival of the last External Tank (ET-122) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) now heads into an uncertain future. Hundreds of Lockheed Martin workers now face imminent layoffs, as the facility winds down operations, with the hope of new life being breathed into the facility firmly focused on…
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ATK conduct DM-2 test – Inline SD HLV gaining NASA support
Alliant Techsystems (ATK) and NASA have tested the second fully developed “Ares” five-segment solid rocket motor, known as Development Motor-2 (DM-2), at their Utah test facility on Tuesday. The future career prospects for the Solids have increased recently, as they find a central role with the ongoing assessments into a Shuttle Derived Heavy Lift Launch…
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ATK conduct DM-2 test – Inline SD HLV gaining NASA support
Alliant Techsystems (ATK) and NASA have tested the second fully developed “Ares” five-segment solid rocket motor, known as Development Motor-2 (DM-2), at their Utah test facility on Tuesday. The future career prospects for the Solids have increased recently, as they find a central role with the ongoing assessments into a Shuttle Derived Heavy Lift Launch…
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Managers delay STS-134 ET/SRB mate ahead of tank allocation options
With STS-135 heading into mission planning for a June 28, 2011 flight – pending the required funding being passed by lawmakers – managers have opted to delay the mating of STS-134’s External Tank (ET) and Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) to December, in order to allow a potential tank swap between ET-138 and ET-122. Meanwhile, a…
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SD HLV: Early SPS demonstration mission outlined – Risk assessment findings
In tandem with the role of providing heavy lift access to the ISS, the three major Beyond Earth Orbit (BEO) missions – namely the landings on the Moon, Mars and Near Earth Objects (NEOs) – aren’t the only options available to the Shuttle Derived Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (SD HLV), as noted in the vehicle’s…