Orbital Sciences Corp совместно с Virgin Galactic предложили проект четырехместного космического корабля схемы несущий корпус в рамках второго раунда программы разработки коммерческого пилотируемого транспорта (CCDev 2). Запуски планируется осуществлять с помощью носителя Atlas 5, бросковые испытания и транспортные операции с помощью самолета WhiteKnightTwo. Начало полетов в 2015.
http://www.spacenews.com/civil/101213-orbital-virgin-ccdev2-bid.html
Ура! Американский Клипер. :)
http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11406
см. тему :-)
Ох не зря они X-34 из музея забрали:
http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11361&highlight=x34
Тут не понятна роль Dream Chaser и Sierra Nevada corp.
Они конкуренты?
Я так понял, VG сказали, что им тоже можно использовать WK2 точно так же как Орбиталу. Получается, что Брансону все равно, кто это будет, лишь бы сделали реальный корабль, чтобы VG мог получать комиссионные с продажи билетов. А Орбитал и Съерра-Невада конкуренты друг другу.
Кстати, заметим, что у Брансона четко разграничено кто делает корабли, а кто их эксплуатирует. VG - это как Аерофлот, а SpaceShip Company делает корабли на которых VG планирует летать (и он владеет обоими фирмами). Может быть и здесь так же.
А вообще-то сообщения какие-то мутные. Надо подождать до марта.
(http://www.spacenews.com/images/LiftingBody_Orbital02.jpg)
http://www.spacenews.com/civil/101214-orbital-unveils-supplier-ccdev2.html
ЦитироватьTue, 14 December, 2010
Orbital Unveils Supplier Team for CCDev 2 Bid[/size]
By Brian Berger and Amy Svitak
WASHINGTON — Orbital Sciences Corp. said Dec. 14 that it is seeking NASA funding for a "blended lifting body" vehicle that would launch atop an Atlas 5 rocket to deliver four astronauts to the international space station.
The Dulles, Va.-based spacecraft builder disclosed the top-level details of its crew transportation concept in a press release announcing it had submitted a proposal in response to NASA's Commercial Crew Development 2 (CCDev 2) solicitation. Proposals were due Dec. 13.
According to industry sources, Orbital Sciences plans to team with Virgin Galactic of New Mexico to market commercial rides on the planned spacecraft and conduct drop tests of the orbital space vehicle using Virgin's WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft.
Virgin Galactic, however, is not mentioned in Orbital's Dec. 14 press release, which lists only the "major suppliers" that will "contribute major elements of the system."
Among the major suppliers is Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman, which is identified in the press release as "the lead airframe structures designer."
Northrop Grumman owns Mojave, Calif.-based Scaled Composites, which is building WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo for Virgin to operate.
Orbital's other CCDev 2 suppliers include:
* Thales Alenia Space, which would be responsible for the vehicle's pressurized crew compartment.
* Honeywell and Draper Laboratory, which together would be responsible for human-rated avionics.
* United Launch Alliance, which builds and operates the Atlas 5 rocket designated as the baseline launcher for the Orbital crew vehicle.
"We have submitted to NASA a well-considered commercial solution for astronaut transportation to and from the [international space station] that is safe, affordable and timely," Frank Culbertson, Orbital's senior vice president for human spaceflight systems, said in the press release. "Our team is looking forward to sharing our ideas with NASA in greater detail and discussing how they can best be applied to helping the United States continue to access the [international space station] in the safest and most cost-effective manner possible, as well as supporting commercial ventures that are seeking access to space."
Virgin, meanwhile, also is expected to announce this week a separate CCDev 2 bid led by Sierra Nevada Corp., the big winner in NASA's first round of Commercial Crew Development awards earlier this year. The Sparks, Nev.-based firm garnered $20 million in CCDev 1 funds to mature its Dream Chaser orbital spacecraft, a six-passenger lifting-body vehicle based on NASA's HL-20 concept from the early 1990s that the company has been working on for several years.
NASA started the CCDev program in 2009 with $50 million in economic recovery funds. The agency awarded the first round of contracts in February to a mix of five new and established aerospace firms that are using the money to work on technology supportive of U.S. President Barack Obama's commercial space transportation vision.
In October, NASA announced it expects to award roughly $200 million next year under CCDev 2 to multiple contractors seeking to refine designs for launchers and spacecraft that would transport astronauts to and from low Earth orbit on a commercial basis.
http://space.flatoday.net/2010/12/orbital-releases-space-plane-concept-to.html#links
ЦитироватьTuesday, December 14, 2010
Orbital releases space plane concept to fly astronauts[/size]
Orbital Sciences Corp. today confirmed it is proposing to build a space plane resembling a mini-shuttle that could fly four astronauts to the International Space Station or other destinations.
The so-called "blended lifting body" vehicle would build upon studies Orbital preformed under NASA's Orbital Space Plane program between 2000 and 2003.
The space plane is proposed to launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, but Orbital says other vehicles could be used. It would land on a runway like the shuttle.
Orbital submitted the proposal under the second rouund of NASA's Commercial Crew Development program, or CCDev. The Boeing Co. said Monday that it has proposed continued development of an Apollo-like capsule that could carry seven people.
(http://i026.radikal.ru/1012/b2/283cc4454ab2.jpg) (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YGHJ18yf3y0/TQfdcTpG4DI/AAAAAAAAA9k/1p02nwzslKw/s1600/Orbital_CCV_SS.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/15710.jpg)
ЦитироватьAmong the major suppliers is Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman, which is identified in the press release as "the lead airframe structures designer."
Ага.
Вместе они уже нечто похожее выдвигали в 2003м
(http://i.space.com/images/h_osp_launch_02.jpg)
Orbital Sciences Corporation and Northrop Grumman are teamed to address NASA needs for an Orbital Space Plane
ЦитироватьВместе они уже нечто похожее выдвигали в 2003м.
Ой и правда. Я совсем забыл про это.
В обсчем крылья есть. Журналисты напутали.
P.S. Кстати, дурацкий вопрос от чайника. Я полагаю, что аппарат монтируется на адаптере под углом, чтобы не создавал подъемной силы. Но ведь поворачивать-то нужно, хотя бы после подъема со старта. Вдруг Атлас переломится как гнилая палка? Военные не рискнули, засунули X-37 под обтекатель, хоть у них крылышки куда меньше.
ЦитироватьЦитироватьВместе они уже нечто похожее выдвигали в 2003м.
Ой и правда. Я совсем забыл про это.
В обсчем крылья есть. Журналисты напутали.
P.S. Кстати, дурацкий вопрос от чайника. Я полагаю, что аппарат монтируется на адаптере под углом, чтобы не создавал подъемной силы. Но ведь поворачивать-то нужно, хотя бы после подъема со старта. Вдруг Атлас переломится как гнилая палка? Военные не рискнули, засунули X-37 под обтекатель, хоть у них крылышки куда меньше.
Там обтекатель от глаз а не от воздуха... :wink:
http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11406
ЦитироватьP.S. Кстати, дурацкий вопрос от чайника. Я полагаю, что аппарат монтируется на адаптере под углом, чтобы не создавал подъемной силы. Но ведь поворачивать-то нужно, хотя бы после подъема со старта. Вдруг Атлас переломится как гнилая палка? Военные не рискнули, засунули X-37 под обтекатель, хоть у них крылышки куда меньше.
Вот потому и засунули, что крылышки маленькие. Этот не засунешь.
Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/15710.jpg)
Orbiter Delta Glider ? ;) :) :D
http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/release.asp?prid=756
ЦитироватьOrbital Submits Proposal for NASA's Commercial Crew Development Program[/size]
-- Company Issues Top-Level Details of Its Concept to Transport Astronauts To and From the International Space Station --
(Dulles, VA 14 December 2010) -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) today announced that it has submitted a proposal to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in response to the Commercial Crew Development-2 contract solicitation. The company also provided several top-level details of its proposal for providing safe and affordable transportation services to and from the International Space Station (ISS) and for commercial activities in Earth orbit. Orbital's concept includes the following details:
• A "blended lifting body" vehicle that will launch atop an expendable launch vehicle and return to Earth with a conventional runway landing. This design derives from studies performed by Orbital for NASA under the Orbital Space Plane program between 2000 and 2003.
• The vehicle would seat four astronauts, providing a cost-effective solution for NASA's astronaut transportation needs, as well as enabling future commercial applications.
• The proposal baselines using a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, but is flexible enough to accommodate other launch vehicle options.
Click here to view Orbital's Proposed Commercial Crew Space Vehicle: http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/ImagesMultimedia/Images/ExplorationSystems/
Orbital also announced that it will lead a team of world-class suppliers that will contribute major elements of the system. Orbital's major suppliers include:
• Thales Alenia Space, which is responsible for the vehicle's pressurized crew compartment
• Northrop Grumman, which is the lead airframe structures designer
• Honeywell and Draper Laboratory, which together are responsible for the human-rated avionics
• United Launch Alliance, which is responsible for the vehicle's baseline launch vehicle
"We have submitted to NASA a well-considered commercial solution for astronaut transportation to and from the ISS that is safe, affordable and timely," said Mr. Frank Culbertson, a former NASA astronaut and Orbital's Senior Vice President for Human Spaceflight Systems. "Our team is looking forward to sharing our ideas with NASA in greater detail and discussing how they can best be applied to helping the United States continue to access the ISS in the safest and most cost-effective manner possible, as well as supporting commercial ventures that are seeking access to space."
Orbital is already under contract with NASA to provide unmanned cargo logistics services to the ISS under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program using a commercial system consisting of the company's Taurus® II medium-class space launch vehicle, its Cygnus™ cargo logistics spacecraft and a ground-based command and control systems. Orbital is slated to carry out a demonstration flight of the combined system in 2011, followed by operational cargo delivery services beginning in early 2012.
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=23564.msg671743#msg671743
ЦитироватьЦитироватьЦитироватьVery interesting. I wonder what kind of lifting body they are planning - and if it is based on any previous work. It is HL-20-ish, or like the LM lifting body CEV concept, or something more minimal like the Russian Kliper concept?
It will be interesting to see. Recall that Orbital had a conceptual design for a lifting body craft back in the OSP days, though I don't know far along into the design process they were.
Very perceptive; the shape shown in our proposal is a "fifth-generation" one that started with X-34 (whose DNA, by the way, made it into X-37 by the way of Rockwell/Boeing who was our partner on "X-34A"), then proceeded to Kliper/HL-10/HL-20 derivatives, and culminated in the BLB shape shown in the above-mentioned OSP picture.
During the 1997-2003 time period we burned thousands of CFD hours and hundreds of physical wind tunnel hours developing a useable shape. The main challenge was to acheive reasonable landing speeds (the topic warrants a discussion of its own) at sizes compatible with a 4 to 6 person crew (it is easier with smaller vehicles like X-37 because wing area scales as the square of size but weight more like the cube) AND with a reasonable internal fuselage volume.
Particularily troublesome was the increase in base drag if you wanted the cylindrical fuselage shape to extend all the way to the back for volume and hatch locationpurposes (the current design, like BLB, has two hatches for a number of reasons, including crew emergency egress.)
With large base drag you get a low approach and landing L/D which in turn has all sorts of nasty consequences. The BLB/5th gen trick was to shape the trailing edge of the delta (not straight, like X-37) wing and the blending of the wing root with the body in order to create interference between the wing airflow and the body airflow at approach and landing conditions that DECRESED the base drag. Not impossible, but very hard - we checked it in real wind tunnel testing.
ЦитироватьЦитироватьDo you still see any use for the X-34 in whatever testing you may have planned and can you share any results that you may know about its "worthiness" after inspections?
The current interest in X-34 (including the "mysterious" move to Mojave) is all focused on reusable LV first stages; NASA Dryden wanted to know to what degree the two old airframes were still airworthy after all these years. To answer the question we had to open some inspection panels. There was no available hangar space at DFRC over the next few weeks. The guys at Mojave did. Quick trip to KMHV for the inspection. Results not in yet, may be "owned" by DFRC when they do. That's all.
The X-34 "DNA trace" leading to BLB-2 (and X-37 on the other branch) has simply a hstorical value. X-34 was not designed as an orbital reentry vehicle (but it had excellent landing characteristics!)
ЦитироватьЦитироватьCan you explicitly say the five generations?
Hmm.. I'm not sure I could - I was being a bit poetic and counting on my fingers. Let me try this stream of consciousness:
1) X-34 in 1997-1998 great landing characteristics but, as noted above, not really a reentry-from-orbit vehicle (LE radii too small)
2) Our first CRV shape, 1999 - runway landing, unlike JSC's X-38 concept, but crew rescue only - insufficient volume for a practical crew transport. Reasonable landing characteristics, but nothing to write home about. Very heavily influenced by HL-10/HL-20.
3) Our first (non-BLB) OSP, 1999-2000 (here's where we bumped against the landing speed problem) otherwise good volume, cross-range and rentry characteristics.
4) The first BLB, 2000-2003 (solved the landing speed problem via some sneaky aerodynamics)
5) The revised, vertical-tail-less BLB in 2009-2010. Addressed some ISS docking interference issues (BTW: I'm surprised at the previous statements stating that there appeared to be said interference - I thought we had checked it rather thoroughly; our recent Cygnus work has given us A LOT of experience in that area, eveh though Cygnus berths, whereas our BLB concept docks using LIDS)
ЦитироватьЦитироватьSo does the current design have two hatches, a rear one for docking/berthing, and the top one is for crew ingress/egress - is that correct? (in that case the ISS approach/departure image shows an incorrect orientation of the craft)
According to Frank C. (I was with him on a phone press interview a few minutes ago) you could theoretically dock from both locations, although we currently have a single LIDS (on top, I believe).
BTW according to Frank (I've not followed this work too closely) the docking is autonomous with human monitoring. Don't ask me for details on how it works 'cause I don't know.
Третьим будет :) . Среди участников - Honeywell, Northrop Grumman... Похоже, не шутки.
ЦитироватьТретьим будет :) . Среди участников - Honeywell, Northrop Grumman... Похоже, не шутки.
Ну Нортроп-Грамман там потому, что у Орбитала нет мощностей для изготовления сего объекта, и вместо того, чтобы поднять производство как SpaceX сделал для капсул и ракет, они норовят попросить кого-нибудь у кого уже есть площади, оборудование, и кадры. От своего, конечно, не отказываются: если оно лезет в цех в Палмдейле, то будет там собираться, если слишком длинное, то в HIF его...
SFN: Virgin Galactic aims for orbit[/size] (http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1012/16virgingalactic/)
http://science.compulenta.ru/583405/
ЦитироватьВ США разработан мини-шаттл для доставки грузов на МКС[/size]
17 декабря 2010 года, 13:00 | Текст: Андрей Величко
Возможно, этот «малыш» в скором времени станет частым гостем мировых выпусков новостей. (Здесь и ниже иллюстрации Orbital.)
Возможно, этот «малыш» в скором времени станет частым гостем мировых выпусков новостей. (Здесь и ниже иллюстрации Orbital.)
Пилотируемый космический корабль, пока ещё не имеющий названия, официально предложен НАСА. Он должен заменить уходящие в 2011 году в историю привычные «челноки».
Американская программа запуска многоразовых космических кораблей Space Shuttle близится к завершению. Последний полёт шаттла намечен на июнь будущего года. Теперь НАСА активно ищет альтернативные способы доставки людей и грузов на Международную космическую станцию.
Для этого в 2009 году ведомство запустило программу Commercial Crew and Cargo, которая должна стимулировать частные компании на разработку космических аппаратов. На инициативу откликнулась разрабатывающая спутники и ракеты-носители компания Orbital, представив свой мини-шаттл.
Аппарат имеет аэродинамическую схему «несущий корпус», а его экипаж состоит из четырёх человек. Грузоподъёмность и другие технические характеристики пока не уточняются.
Корабль способен маневрировать в космическом пространстве, отклоняясь от орбитального курса и вновь возвращаясь на него. В космос он выводится с помощью ракеты-носителя (предполагается, что это будет Atlas V, запускаемая совместно Lockheed Martin и Boeing), а посадка осуществляется тем же способом, что и у самолёта. Пристыковка к МКС происходит через шлюз в задней части аппарата.
У предложения Orbital, уже заключившей с НАСА контракт на разработку ракет-носителей, целый ряд конкурентов. К ним относятся ракета Falcon 9, с успехом выводящая на орбиту корабль Dragon (разработчик SpaceX), проект CST-100 компании Boeing, а также имеющийся в «загашнике» самого НАСА проект Orion. И если названная троица представляет собой аппараты в форме капсулы, осуществляющие посадку с помощью парашютов, то ещё один конкурент — Dream Chaser компании SpaceDev — такой же крылатый, как и разработка Orbital. При этом не будем сбрасывать со счётов и беспилотный военный космический корабль X-37B, только что приземлившийся после полугодового «секретного» полёта. Тоже, к слову, мини-шаттл.
В общем, НАСА ждёт непростой выбор, который должен быть сделан к 2015 году.
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2010/12/17/05.xml&headline=Virgin%20Galactic%20Joins%20Two%20CCDev%20Teams
ЦитироватьVirgin Galactic Joins Two CCDev Teams
[/size]
Dec 17, 2010
By Frank Morring, Jr.
Virgin Galactic plans to market orbital flights for space tourists and scientists on two spaceplanes proposed under NASA's Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) effort, in the hope it can expand its business beyond the suborbital flights it is planning on its SpaceShipTwo vehicle.
The company has signed on as a teammate with both Orbital Sciences Corp. and Sierra Nevada Corp. in the second round of competition for NASA seed money to develop commercial human spacecraft that can deliver crews to the International Space Station. The space agency is offering $200 million in this round.
"We are now very close to making the dream of suborbital space a reality for thousands of people at a cost and level of safety unimaginable even in the recent past," says Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic. "We know that many of those same people, including myself, would also love to take an orbital space trip in the future, so we are putting our weight behind new technologies that could deliver that safely whilst driving down the enormous current costs of manned orbital flight by millions of dollars."
Both of Virgin's teammates are basing their CCDev entries on winged spaceplanes that will take off vertically atop an expendable launch vehicle and return to a gliding runway landing.
Sierra Nevada, which won $20 million in the first CCDev competition to begin work on its Dream Chaser vehicle, will use the same hybrid-rocket technology that powers SpaceShipTwo, and has already built the tooling for its composite airframe.
"We are thrilled to have Virgin Galactic as part of our effort to make commercial orbital transportation a reality," says Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of Sierra Nevada Space Systems. "The knowledge gained in the development and promotion of the history-making SpaceShipTwo suborbital system will add considerably to our program."
Orbital Sciences has announced a spaceplane entry for CCDev round two that builds on earlier NASA testbeds like the HL-10.
Thales Alenia will build its pressurized crew compartment, and Northrop Grumman will develop its composite airframe to a proprietary "blended lifting body" shape developed at Orbital.
"They have experience in this area," says Frank Culbertson, Orbital's senior vice president for human spaceflight systems, of the partnership with Virgin "They have contacted a lot of people around the world who are interested in flying for various reasons, and we think that there are other possibilities for using this spacecraft commercially that may or may not involve humans. We think it has a tremendous potential for the future of the company."
Both companies' vehicles are likely to launch on the Atlas V, at least initially, provided they win sufficient support from NASA to attract private investment to complete development under the partnership approach required in the CCDev program.
Branson, who told a commercial-spaceflight conference in October that he was negotiating with two companies for a CCDev partnership and planned to pick one of them, apparently decided to hedge his bets by joining both teams.
"Today's announcement is an important step along the way to achieving our ultimate and long-term goal of leading an industry which opens up the huge potential of space to everyone, whether it be for the experience itself, for science research, for fast and efficient transportation around the globe or for delivering payloads to space safely, cleanly and cheaply," Branson says.
http://твой-космос.рф/2010/12/17/virgin-galactic-присоединяется-борьбе-за-право-вып/
:D
Aviation Week: Orbital Aims For Station With Lifting Body[/size] (http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/awst/2010/12/20/AW_12_20_2010_p32-277537.xml&headline=Orbital%20Aims%20For%20Station%20With%20Lifting%20Body&next=0)
ЦитироватьThe unnamed vehicle will be the fifth generation of a lifting body shape that traces its heritage back to NASA's HL-10/20 testbeds of the 1960s and '70s, and includes work Orbital did on the Orbital Space Plane ISS crew rescue concept early in this decade, according to Antonio L. Elias, executive vice president and general manager for advanced programs.
ЦитироватьOrbital selected a lifting body for cross range and softer landings, as well as possible benefits that may be derived from using the flight surfaces to handle atmospheric loads on ascent. The company chose the Atlas V as its baseline launcher because of its safety record and affordability, although other vehicles including Europe's Ariane V may also be used eventually.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/science/space/01private.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&hpw
ЦитироватьOfficials at Orbital Sciences — a company in Dulles, Va., that builds and launches rockets and satellites for everything from television broadcasts to scientific research — say they are excited by the possibilities of commercial crew, but they are more cautious. Orbital, founded in 1982, was a survivor from the last boom-and-bust in commercial space.
Its space plane design is a refinement of the HL-20. Following in the pattern of tapping Greek mythology for the names of its spacecraft, [color=yellow:65e19640bc]Orbital calls its plane Prometheus. Orbital says development of Prometheus would cost $3.5 billion to $4 billion, which would include the cost of upgrading the Atlas V rocket and two test flights.[/color:65e19640bc]
With enough financial support, David W. Thompson, chief executive of Orbital, is sure that his company can build and operate Prometheus. But he is less sure that his industry is at a tipping point for spaceflight to become much more common, driving down prices and opening up space to new businesses.
"I think it depends on what the demand curve really is," Mr. Thompson said. "I would say I'm highly skeptical."
Пора тему переименовывать в Orbital Prometheus. :wink: