[ Music ]
>> [Background music] As 2013 wound to a close,
NASA's Exploration Systems Development division powered
through an array of tests and milestones.
Vehicle manufacturing, facility construction,
and systems testing for NASA's all new space launch system are
progressing rapidly.
Meanwhile, Orion and the ground systems development
and operation programs prepare for the upcoming launch
of Exploration Flight Test 1.
[ Music ]
The Orion stage adaptor diaphragm is a lightweight
composite structure that protects the Orion crew capsule
from hazardous gases produced by the upper stage engines.
The diaphragm was recently pressure tested by joining it
to the adaptor and sealing with a vacuum.
This pressure test simulated atmospheric conditions the
hardware may experience during flight
and is another essential milestone to ensure crew safety.
The space launch systems adaptive augmenting control
system was tested
at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in November.
To test the system, SLS avionics computer was install on one
of NASA's versatile FA-18 jets for analysis and validation.
The adapted augmenting controller is an autonomous
course correction program designed to instantly detect
and adjust to unpredicted changes in flight.
By exercising the system in an FA-18 research jet,
engineers were able to run dozens of scenarios
on each 90 minute flight.
Successful deployment of this innovative control system will
increase performance and robustness of the rocket
as it is steered along the path to deep space.
At Michoud Assembly Facility,
the first propellant tank dome was completed
on the circumferential dome welding tool.
The massive propellant tanks used
on the SLS core stage are unlike any
that have ever been made before and require new tools
and processes for construction.
The nearby vertical assembly center will house one
of the world's largest friction stir welders which will be used
to assemble the liquid hydrogen and oxygen tanks.
Last November, 90 trucks poured 900 cubic yards
of concrete foundation in preparation
for the new vertical assembly center's tower structure
and welding elements.
This amount of concrete is similar to a foundation
for major modern hotel, and will accommodate one
of the largest welding tools in the world.
[ Music ]
With the launch of Exploration Flight Test 1 less
than a year away, the Orion program is conducting more
frequent, critical testing.
In October, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida,
the avionic system was installed in the crew module and powered
up for the first time.
The space craft came to live and performed as expected
in a series of system tests.
In December, NASA's Super Guppy arrived from New Hampshire,
carrying Orion's most critical safety component:
the ablative heat shield.
The world's largest and most complex heat shield will protect
future crews as the capsule plummets
through the Earth's atmosphere, traveling more
than 20,000 miles per hour.
The heat shield will experience temperatures nearing 4,000
degrees Fahrenheit.
Orion's service module was lifted for a test fit
to the spacecraft adaptor it will use
on Exploration Flight Test 1.
With the help of an air bearing pallet,
the adaptor was positioned beneath the service module
for alignment.
A modified version of Orion's launch abort system was
completed for the spacecraft's first mission.
The launch abort system consists of 3 motors:
the main abort motor, the attitude control motor,
and the jettison motor.
Because Exploration Flight Test 1 is an un-crewed launch,
only jettison motor of the abort system will be used
to separate the structure from the crew module.
Across the country, in Sunnydale, California,
Lockheed Martin conducted secondary testing
of the fairing panel separation from Orion's service module.
These 14 foot tall protective panels will be jettisoned
after the craft reaches an altitude of 560,000 feet.
Each panel has 6 breakable joints that fire apart followed
by 6 explosive separation bolts sending them safely away
from the capsule and service module.
Lockheed Martin also successfully conducted the first
of many forward bay cover jettison tests.
After Orion completes a deep space mission and returns
to Earth, it will jettison its forward bay cover
at an altitude of 23,000 feet.
The cover protects the crew during launch, flight,
and reentry but must be jettisoned
to allow Orion's main parachute to deploy.
[ Music ]
At KSC's vehicle assembly building, engineers test fit
for ogive panels to the Orion ground test article.
These 4 panels will cover the Orion capsule during launch
and attach to the launch abort system.
The ogive panel confidence fit was one
of the many tests designed to simulate the procedures
for manufacture, assembly, and stacking.
Although NASA and the U.S. Army may seem
like unlikely collaborators,
both agencies face the same challenges of keeping their men
and women safe from chemicals and explosive projectiles.
This mutual interest led to NASA's acquisition
of 4 mine resistant ambush protected truck for use
as emergency vehicles from launch complex 39.
The 40,000 pounds MRAPs came from Red River Depot in Texas
and will be ready for use after some minor modifications.
Launch Complex 39 is also getting an upgrade
to its mobile launcher.
The 405 foot steel tower is being reconfigured
and strengthened to accommodate the weight, size,
and thrust of the SLS vehicle.
After a successful year of construction and testing
in 2013, NASA's Exploration Systems Development Division
looks forward to its biggest test yet:
the flight of EFT1 in the fall of 2014.
[ Silence ] ------------------------------d5e2122402fb--