ATK Liberty

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1207/03liberty/

ATK extends Liberty proposal to include cargo resupply[/size]
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: July 3, 2012

ATK announced Tuesday its Liberty space transportation system will comprise crew and cargo modules to haul seven astronauts and up to 5,000 pounds of supplies and science experiments to the International Space Station on the same flight.


Artist's concept of the Liberty spacecraft and cargo module at the International Space Station. Credit: ATK
 
The combined crew and cargo capability differentiates ATK from its commercial competitors, which plan to offer only limited resupply capacity on crewed missions.

"Liberty's expanded service allows us to bring a commercial capability delivering up to seven crew members, 5,000 pounds of pressurized cargo, along with external cargo in a single flight," said Kent Rominger, ATK vice president and program manager for Liberty. "This results in tremendous value since all other commercial offerings would need two flights to accomplish what Liberty does in one."

Astronauts and cargo will blast off on a Liberty rocket, which ATK is proposing for NASA's commercial crew program. NASA expects to award two companies between $300 million and $500 million in 21-month agreements beginning as soon as this month.

The space agency plans to release about half that amount of funding to a third company, which will continue development of a commercial crew transportation system at a slower pace.

ATK is currently working on the Liberty proposal with private funding, and company officials say government financing is necessary to meet a schedule calling for a first piloted mission to low Earth orbit by late 2015.

The aerospace firm has an unfunded Space Act Agreement with NASA, where the space agency shares expertise with ATK but does not pay an award.

SpaceX, Boeing Co., Sierra Nevada Corp., and Blue Origin currently have funded Space Act Agreements with NASA. The next round of awards - called the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability phase - will pick up at the conclusion of the ongoing agreements this summer. All companies with funded agreements with NASA must re-compete to continue receiving government financing.


Artist's concept of the Liberty rocket rolling to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center. Credit: ATK
 
ATK, the builder of the space shuttle's strap-on boosters, plans to combine an extended five-segment version of the shuttle solid rocket motor with an upper stage based on the cryogenic core of Europe's Ariane 5 rocket. A seven-person capsule built by ATK and Lockheed Martin Corp. would fly into orbit on top of the two-stage Liberty launcher.

A Liberty logistics module will also fly with the crew capsule, carrying up to 5,100 pounds of cargo, including up to four full-size research racks for placement into the space station's laboratories.

The crew spacecraft would be made of a lightweight composite shell developed by ATK in partnership with NASA's Langley Research Center beginning in 2007. ATK and Langley built a composite pressure vessel as an alternative to the Orion spacecraft's aluminum-lithium structure.

If it proceeds into full development, Lockheed Martin would oversee final assembly of the crew capsule at the Kennedy Space Center.

The Liberty cargo module would be based on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module carried about space shuttle flights to outfit the space station.

NASA's requirements for bidders in the commercial crew program do not specify cargo capacity as a decision point for monetary awards.[/size]

[Salo]

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2012/06/21/composite-crew-module-undergoes-vacuum-testing-at-marshall/#more-40049

Composite Crew Module Undergoes Vacuum Testing at Marshall[/size]
Posted by Doug Messier
on June 21, 2012, at 5:02 pm


The Composite Crew Module being rolled into the vacuum chamber at Marshall's Environmental Test Facility. The test will continue through the end of the summer. (Credit: NASA/MSFC/Emmett Given)

Huntsville, Ala. (NASA PR — This week, engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., moved a Composite Crew Module (CCM) into the Environmental Test Facility vacuum chamber to gauge how well a space structure fabricated with composite materials will react in a simulated space environment. Data gained during this test series will aid in the design and development of future in-space composite habitable structures.

During the vacuum test, the chamber is sealed and purged to a level a vehicle would encounter on orbit to evaluate the composite material's integrity. The crew module is filled with helium gas to allow engineers to detect any leaks that may occur as pressure increases. Vacuum testing will yield a leak rate for the entire structure, then the team works to repair small leaks that may arise to improve the hardware's performance.

The test team includes members from the Marshall Center; NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.; Goddard Space Flight Center in Md.; Kennedy Space Center in Fla.; and the Boeing Company in Huntsville. To date, the team has completed ten tests and will continue testing through the end of the summer.

The crew module was designed to test new materials and fabrication techniques that may be used in future space structures, which will be constructed of both metals and composites. The Composite Crew Module Project is led by NASA's Engineering and Safety Center at Langley.

Fabricated at Alliant Techsystems in Iuka, Miss., the CCM was constructed in two parts using a hand layup technique, which combines carbon fiber epoxy and an aluminum honeycomb core. The two parts were joined together and then bonded in a unique process developed at the Marshall Center for the crew module. The project team is a partnership between NASA and industry and includes design, manufacturing, testing, inspection, and tooling expertise.[/size]

тема "П......и к.......ы" постепенно оживает ))))

[Salo]

A Tale of Two Capsules[/size]

Posted by Guy Norris 10:51 AM on Jul 03, 2012

Although NASA's decision last decade to return to the conventional cone-shaped crew capsule for future space missions was viewed by some as a retrograde step, the current development work underway shows the next-generation vehicles are not your father's Apollo Command Module.


NASA/Eric Bordelon

Though the Lockheed Martin Orion crew exploration capsule shares the basic frustrum, or truncated cone, shape of Apollo, the similarities to its prestigious forebear are fewer the deeper beneath the skin you get. Some of this can be seen in the first space flight test vehicle which has been shipped from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to the Kennedy Space Center. Here it will undergo final assembly with the addition of external cladding, systems and thermal protection system (TPS), as well as final checkout.


NASA

The Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1) Orion is due to be launched by a Delta IV Heavy for NASA's un-manned test mission in 2014. NASA expects the flight to include two orbits reaching an altitude of more than 3,600 miles. These will culminate in a high speed return at a velocity of around 25,000 miles per hour simulating 85% of a lunar re-entry velocity. This is designed to expose the TPS to temperatures up to 4,000 degrees F. Including TPS, the flight will check out 11 of the top 16 high-risk technology items for future Mars and Moon missions.

Beyond the EFT-1 check out flight further tests envisaged include a sub-orbital flight in 2015 and a full integrated NASA Space Launch System flight test in 2017, likely involving a fly-by of the Moon.

Meanwhile, NASA is conducting key vacuum tests on the Alliant Techsystems (ATK)-built composite module that could form the basis for future crew transport to Earth orbit.


NASA/Emmett Given

Tests on the ATK-made Composite Crew Module (CCM) are designed to test how the composite structure will react in a simulated space environment. For the test the chamber is sealed and purged, and the crew module is filled with helium gas to see if any leaks occur as pressure increases. Work is being performed under the NASA Langley-led CCM project and includes engineers from Marshall as well as Goddard Space Flight Center, Kennedy Space Center and Boeing. Made at the company's site in Iuka, Mass, the capsule is made from bonded carbon fiber epoxy and aluminum honeycomb core. The same basic design has been selected by ATK for a combined Liberty bid with Astrium and Lockheed Martin for the third phase of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, known as Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap). If selected, ATK says the system could be tested in 2014 with the first crewed test mission anticipated as early as 2015.


NASA/Emmett Given[/size]

[Salo]

ATK Signs Teaming Agreement for Liberty Transportation Service

ATK AND ASTRIUM TEAM WITH NANORACKS ON LIBERTY

Jun 28, 2012

ARLINGTON, Va, June 28, 2012 - ATK (NYSE: ATK) and Astrium North America have signed a teaming agreement with NanoRacks, LLC, for NanoRacks to market opportunities for both astronaut explorers and the experiments they plan to carry into space on board the Liberty Transportation Service.

"NanoRacks is a world leader in understanding the emerging commercial market for low Earth orbit utilization," said Kent Rominger, ATK's Liberty Program Manager. "Jeff Manber and his NanoRacks team will bring the tremendous capability of the Liberty Transportation Service to this community worldwide. The prospects are very exciting."

The Liberty Transportation Service offers researchers world-wide the opportunity to fly into low Earth orbit with their research-either to the International Space Station, to other on-orbit space craft for human-tended operations or to use a Liberty mission on-orbit as their own unique research platform. The Liberty team will work with NanoRacks to develop Liberty missions that allow use of low Earth orbit by non-NASA individuals, such as astronauts from other countries, as well as the delivery of innovative solutions for NASA commercial crew and cargo missions.

This teaming agreement allows NanoRacks to market to explorers from around the globe a Liberty mission consisting of transportation into low Earth orbit, on-orbit operations and a safe return to Earth for up to seven people and their research and/or equipment.

The Liberty team selected NanoRacks because of its proven performance and unique history of innovatively managing a number of International Space Station payloads and commercial astronaut programs. NanoRacks is already working with Astrium North America to provide quality hardware and services for the U.S. National Laboratory on board the International Space Station.

NanoRacks has developed and deployed two research platforms onboard the International Space Station's U.S. National Laboratory, which can house plug-and-play payloads using CubeSat. NanoRacks has a signed customer pipeline of over 50 payloads including domestic and international educational institutions, research organizations and government organizations.

"The possibilities with Liberty are exponential," said Jeff Manber, CEO of NanoRacks. "For the first time we are offering people across the globe an opportunity to use Liberty to create their own missions of exploration and discovery. This will greatly expand the use of the ISS for research and also create novel missions using Liberty in low Earth orbit."

"We look forward to expanding our work with NanoRacks as it brings Liberty to new customers worldwide for commercial missions to ISS and other LEO missions," said John Schumacher, President of Astrium in North America. "This builds on research and human space flight-related operations we have done in Florida and Texas with the NASA team for over a decade."

Liberty is a complete commercial crew system that includes a human-rated composite spacecraft, advanced abort system, a reliable, affordable and capable commercial launch vehicle to low Earth orbit and ground and mission operations, which were all designed from inception to meet NASA's human-rating requirements. Unmanned test flights are planned for 2014 and 2015, followed by the first human flights in 2015 with a Liberty flight crew flying to the International Space Station.

ATK is the team lead, with Astrium and Lockheed Martin serving as major subcomponent providers. Additional subcontractors for Liberty include Safran, Moog Inc., Honeywell, Astrotech Space Operations (ASTC), Aerojet, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Dynamic Concepts, Inc, Hamilton Sundstrand, L-3 Cincinnati Electronics and Teledyne Brown.

The Liberty system team is located across 10 states including Alabama, California, Florida, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Texas, Utah and Virginia. The commercial program is expected to sustain thousands of jobs as well as bring approximately 600 new jobs across the country.

More information on the Liberty Transportation Service can be found at www.libertyspace.us .

ATK is an aerospace, defense, and commercial products company with operations in 22 states, Puerto Rico, and internationally, and revenues of approximately $4.8 billion. News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com .

NanoRacks LLC was formed in 2009 to provide quality hardware and services for the U.S. National Laboratory onboard the International Space Station. NanoRacks provides repeatable access to the International Space Station microgravity environment for commercial and educational research projects. NanoRacks brings together entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers who have real-life experience and share a passion for space including humanity's utilization of low-earth orbit. Visit www.nanoracks.com for more information.

Astrium North America was formed in 1973 to support U.S. and European payloads flying on NASA missions, most recently on the Space Shuttle and ISS. It has operations in Florida and Texas. Its parent Astrium, a subsidiary of EADS, is responsible to ESA for the operation of the European component of ISS. Astrium builds ATV which has completed 3 missions to ISS in the last 4 years and Ariane 5 which launches ATV to ISS. More information can be found at www.astrium-na.com .

http://www.libertyspace.us/jun-28-2012-1.html

ATK Completes Software TIM for Liberty under NASA's Commercial Crew Program

LIBERTY SYSTEM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE SAFE, RELIABLE CREW TRANSPORTATION TO THE ISS

Jun 28, 2012

ARLINGTON, Va., June 28, 2012 - ATK (NYSE: ATK) completed its Liberty software technical interface meeting (TIM), which was held to support further development of the Liberty space transportation system under the company's Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA for the Commercial Crew Development Program.

The software TIM was conducted to evaluate Liberty's software development plan with the NASA Liberty team. The plan governs the software process used by Liberty and its subcontractors throughout development, integration, test and flight.

"Understanding how your system will work together throughout the mission is critical in reducing risk and schedule delays," said Kent Rominger, ATK Vice President and Program Manager for Liberty. "Holding this TIM provides us valuable insight into expertise provided by the NASA team and ensures there are no issues we are overlooking."

The development of software is critical for understanding the entire system to support Liberty's test flights. Unmanned test flights are scheduled for 2014 and 2015, followed by the first crewed flights in 2015 with Liberty astronauts.

The TIM was held this month at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.'s Boulder campus and the Lockheed Martin Waterton facility near Denver. The team also toured both facilities, including the integration and test laboratories where Liberty's flight and ground software will be checked out prior to its test flights.

Team members involved with Liberty's software development include ATK (first stage and ground support equipment (GSE)), Lockheed Martin (spacecraft subsystem support, launch vehicle ascent control and spacecraft GSE), Ball Aerospace ((Situation Awareness Fault Evaluation (SAFE) and Subsystems)), Astrium (second stage) and L3 Communications Cincinnati Electronics (Integrated Avionics and Flight Safety Systems), and Teledyne Brown (cargo carrier).

The CCDev-2 Liberty unfunded SAA enables NASA and the Liberty team to share technical information related to the Liberty Transportation System during the preliminary design review phase of the program. ATK has completed four milestones and held three TIMs, all on internal funding. The fifth and final milestone under the agreement is schedule for July.

"This SAA with NASA's Commercial Crew Program has enabled us to further advance development as we receive valuable feedback from a team of experienced human space flight experts," said Rominger. "As a result, we are able to offer a complete commercial crew service, and provide safe, reliable, cost-effective crew transportation to low Earth orbit."

ATK announced last month it had developed Liberty into a complete commercial crew transportation system, including the Liberty composite spacecraft, abort system, launch vehicle and ground and mission operations, all designed from inception to meet NASA's human-rating requirements.

Additional subcontractors for Liberty include Safran/Snecma, Moog Inc., Honeywell, Astrotech Space Operations (ASTC), Aerojet, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Dynamic Concepts, Inc. and Hamilton Sundstrand. More information on the Liberty system can be found at www.libertyspace.us .

ATK is an aerospace, defense, and commercial products company with operations in 22 states, Puerto Rico, and internationally, and revenues of approximately $4.8 billion. News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com .

http://www.libertyspace.us/jun-28-2012-2.html

[Salo]

http://www.libertyspace.us/news.html

ATK Unveils Unique Liberty Capability[/size]



Liberty Logistics Module

LIBERTY TRANSPORTATION SERVICE TO HAVE EXTENDED CARGO CONFIGURATION

Jul 3, 2012

ARLINGTON, Va., July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ATK (NYSE: ATK), the company leading development of the Liberty commercial spacecraft, is pleased to announce an expanded crew and cargo capability. The extended cargo configuration will allow the Liberty spacecraft to take full advantage of the launch vehicle lift capacity to transport a pressurized pod (the Liberty Logistics Module or LLM) along with the composite crew module. Based on NASA's 15-foot diameter Multi-Purpose Logistic Module design, the LLM will include a common berthing mechanism and will be capable of transporting up to 5,100 pounds of pressurized cargo. With that capability, the LLM could be used to transport four full-size science racks to the International Space Station – along with a team of scientists to perform the associated science.



"Liberty's expanded service allows us to bring a commercial capability delivering up to seven crew members, 5,000 pounds of pressurized cargo, along with external cargo in a single flight," said Kent Rominger, ATK vice president and program manager for Liberty. "This results in tremendous value since all other commercial offerings would need two flights to accomplish what Liberty does in one."

While on the launch pad and during launch, the LLM will be fully protected by a lightweight shroud. Once the launch vehicle is through the earth's atmosphere, the shroud is no longer needed and will be jettisoned, maximizing payload capability.

Liberty Logistics Module

The Liberty team is developing a complete commercial space service to revolutionize access to Earth orbit. The system is built on safety, reliability and market value, all essential to the success of the emerging commercial market and NASA. Blending new composite and electronics technology with the lessons learned in 50 years of human spaceflight produces a unique capability for human space flight. Liberty is an international venture dedicated to using the best people, lean production processes and flight-proven hardware to significantly reduce the cost while dramatically increasing the safety of space access.

Liberty is a complete commercial crew system that includes a human-rated composite spacecraft, advanced abort system, a reliable, affordable and capable commercial launch vehicle to low Earth orbit and ground and mission operations, which were all designed from inception to meet NASA's human-rating requirements. Unmanned test flights are planned for 2014 and 2015, followed by the first human flights in 2015 with a Liberty flightcrew flying to the International Space Station.

The Liberty system team is located across 10 states including Alabama, California, Florida, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Texas, Utah and Virginia. The commercial program is expected to sustain thousands of jobs as well as bring approximately 600 new jobs across the country.

More information on the Liberty Transportation Service can be found at www.libertyspace.us.

ATK is an aerospace, defense, and commercial products company with operations in 22 states, Puerto Rico, and internationally. News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com.

Certain information discussed in this press release constitutes forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although ATK believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Among those factors are: the challenges in developing a new commercial launch vehicle; changes in investment environment; FAA regulatory changes; the company's competitive environment; the terms and timing of awards and contracts; and economic conditions. ATK undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For further information on factors that could impact ATK, and statements contained herein, please refer to ATK's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.[/size]

[SFN]

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2012/07/atk-us-space-flight-independence-liberty/
ATK push for US space flight independence via Liberty
ATK's intentions of conducting unmanned test flights in 2014 and 2015, followed by the first crewed flights in late 2015 with Liberty astronauts.

ДаниэльМарин усматривает сходство ЛибертиКрафта и японского трансформера ))

http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=12943&start=0
Первая картинка АТК Либерти просто повторяла Орион. Зачем Америке 2 Ориона? ))))

[Salo]

http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/numbers/354/03.shtml

...И тогда придет Liberty[/size]

И. Чёрный
«Новости космонавтики»

9 мая американская компания Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) представила уточненное описание предлагаемой пилотируемой системы Liberty, состоящей из одноименной РН (НК №4, 2011, с.35; №11, 2011, с.50) и капсульного пилотируемого корабля с системой аварийного спасения (САС) «толкающего» типа. В состав ракетно-космического комплекса входит также обслуживающая наземная инфраструктура Космического центра имени Кеннеди.

Работы по проекту ведутся совместно с NASA в рамках не обеспеченного финансированием соглашения о сотрудничестве, что отличает его от частично финансируемых из бюджета в рамках программы создания коммерческих средств доставки экипажа CCDev (Commercial Crew Development). Тем не менее разработка продвигается быстрыми темпами, а фирма имеет твердую поддержку всех сторон, заинтересованных в создании национального средства доставки астронавтов на низкую околоземную орбиту.

Ракета, входящая в систему, сможет выводить на низкую орбиту ПГ массой до 20185 кг, что позволит запускать экипажи и грузы, а также использовать носитель на коммерческих рынках. Когда проект был анонсирован, отмечалось, что Liberty способна запускать большую часть КА, предназначенных для коммерческой деятельности на низкой орбите. Но, в отличие от РН Atlas V компании United Launch Alliance (ULA), выбранной в качестве носителя кораблей Dream Chaser (компания CNS), CST-100 (Boeing) и аппарата от фирмы Blue Origin, эта возможность была потенциальной. Теперь все поменялось: ATK объявила, что сделает собственный корабль.

Первая ступень ракеты оснащается пятисекционным твердотопливным ракетным двигателем, разработанным на базе четырехсекционного стартового ускорителя системы Space Shuttle в рамках программы Constellation для РН Ares I*.

Вторая ступень носителя фактически представляет собой кислородно-водородный центральный блок EPC европейской РН Ariane 5. Она оснащена двигателем Vulcain 2 максимальной тягой 141 тс в вакууме; для эксплуатации в составе Liberty он будет иметь возможность запуска в полете.

Эту ступень планируется поставлять по договору с EADS/Astrium North America. «Astrium гордится, что является частью команды Liberty ATK, и рада предоставить проверенную ступень, оснащенную двигателем Vulcain 2, в качестве составной части этой системы запуска нового поколения, – заявил Джон Шумахер (John Schumacher), исполнительный директор североамериканского отделения компании Astrium. – Первоначально мы будем отправлять вторую ступень в Центр Кеннеди, где она будет интегрироваться с первой ступенью. Но как только бизнес-база Liberty закрепится на американском рынке, мы будем производить ступень в Соединенных Штатах».

Пилотируемый корабль системы Liberty использует результаты работ, выполненных Исследовательским центром имени Лэнгли (NASA) по системе спасения композитного модуля экипажа CCM (Composite Crew Module) при участии ATK в качестве подрядчика, а также проекта сервисного модуля, за который отвечал Исследовательский центр имени Гленна. ATK дала подробную информацию по этому аппарату еще в 2009 г., когда передала в NASA для механических испытаний конструкцию полномасштабного модуля экипажа, выполненного из композитов. По утверждению разработчиков, CCM «имеет потенциал для уменьшения общей массы будущих пилотируемых аппаратов».

Модуль, «испеченный» в автоклаве, состоит из верхней и нижней оболочек, соединенных специальными узлами. Сращивание композитов и металлоконструкций достигалось путем объединения существующих технологий и инновационных производственных процессов ATK.

Продолжение статьи читайте на страницах нашего журнала[/size]

[SFN]

Первый частник который оказался больше ПТКПН :?

[Salo]

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/asd_07_06_2012_p05-01-474045.xml

ATK Expands Liberty Cargo Capability[/size]
By Staff
Source: Aerospace Daily & Defense Report


July 06, 2012

Alliant Techsystems (ATK) is developing an extended cargo version of its two-stage Liberty spacecraft that will carry a pressurized logistics module in addition to its crew module.

Based on NASA's 15-ft.-dia. Multipurpose Logistics Module for the space shuttle, the Liberty Logistics Module (LLM) will be capable of transporting up to 5,100 lb. of pressurized cargo. The LLM could accommodate four science racks to the International Space Station, ATK says.

"Liberty's expanded service allows us to bring a commercial capability delivering up to seven crewmembers [and] 5,000 pounds of pressurized cargo, along with external cargo in a single flight," ATK Liberty Program Manager Kent Rominger said in a statement.

Meanwhile, ATK has assembled an independent assessment team of human spaceflight veterans whose first task will be to advise the company on human-rating Liberty. FAA, which licenses U.S. commercial space launches, has not yet developed firm criteria for human-rating, but in the interim, the Liberty team will draw upon guidelines developed by NASA and other space agencies.

Bryan O'Connor, former astronaut and head of NASA's safety and mission assurance organization, leads the independent assessment team, which also includes space shuttle veteran Ken Bowersox, space consultant Kevin Leclaire and Alain Souchier, who managed various propulsion efforts for Europe's Ariane 5 rocket.

Liberty is based on a combination of hardware from NASA's defunct Constellation program, including the five-segment solid-rocket booster developed for the Ares 1 rocket and a composite space capsule based on the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle. Astrium Space Transportation is providing the Liberty second stage based on the liquid-fueled cryogenic core of the Ariane 5.

The Liberty rocket was first proposed in 2011 as a contender for NASA's commercial crew program. Rominger has said the ATK and Astrium team could provide astronaut rides to and from the ISS for considerably less than the $62 million per seat that Russia currently charges for Soyuz rides. NASA rejected the initial Liberty bid in part because ATK and Astrium had no commitments by crew-vehicle developers interested in launching atop the proposed rocket.

In September 2011, ATK and Astrium said they would continue Liberty's development under an unfunded Space Act Agreement with NASA. Under the agreement's terms, the U.S. space agency provides engineering and other technical support to industry through mid-July, when a third round of commercial-crew development awards is expected to be announced.[/size]

[goran d]

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/asd_07_06_2012_p05-01-474045.xml

ATK Expands Liberty Cargo Capability[/size]
By Staff
Source: Aerospace Daily & Defense Report


July 06, 2012

Alliant Techsystems (ATK) is developing an extended cargo version of its two-stage Liberty spacecraft that will carry a pressurized logistics module in addition to its crew module.

Based on NASA's 15-ft.-dia. Multipurpose Logistics Module for the space shuttle, the Liberty Logistics Module (LLM) will be capable of transporting up to 5,100 lb. of pressurized cargo. The LLM could accommodate four science racks to the International Space Station, ATK says.

"Liberty's expanded service allows us to bring a commercial capability delivering up to seven crewmembers [and] 5,000 pounds of pressurized cargo, along with external cargo in a single flight," ATK Liberty Program Manager Kent Rominger said in a statement.

Meanwhile, ATK has assembled an independent assessment team of human spaceflight veterans whose first task will be to advise the company on human-rating Liberty. FAA, which licenses U.S. commercial space launches, has not yet developed firm criteria for human-rating, but in the interim, the Liberty team will draw upon guidelines developed by NASA and other space agencies.

Bryan O'Connor, former astronaut and head of NASA's safety and mission assurance organization, leads the independent assessment team, which also includes space shuttle veteran Ken Bowersox, space consultant Kevin Leclaire and Alain Souchier, who managed various propulsion efforts for Europe's Ariane 5 rocket.

Liberty is based on a combination of hardware from NASA's defunct Constellation program, including the five-segment solid-rocket booster developed for the Ares 1 rocket and a composite space capsule based on the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle. Astrium Space Transportation is providing the Liberty second stage based on the liquid-fueled cryogenic core of the Ariane 5.

The Liberty rocket was first proposed in 2011 as a contender for NASA's commercial crew program. Rominger has said the ATK and Astrium team could provide astronaut rides to and from the ISS for considerably less than the $62 million per seat that Russia currently charges for Soyuz rides. NASA rejected the initial Liberty bid in part because ATK and Astrium had no commitments by crew-vehicle developers interested in launching atop the proposed rocket.

In September 2011, ATK and Astrium said they would continue Liberty's development under an unfunded Space Act Agreement with NASA. Under the agreement's terms, the U.S. space agency provides engineering and other technical support to industry through mid-July, when a third round of commercial-crew development awards is expected to be announced.[/size]

Так сколько же всего космических кораблей разрабатываютса в США? CST-100, Orion, Liberty, Dragon, еще есть?

[SFN]

http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=955953#955953

[Salo]

http://www.spacenews.com/civil/120904-nasa-dropped-atk-comm-crew.html

Tue, 4 September, 2012
NASA Dropped ATK's Commercial Crew Proposal over Technical Concerns[/size]
By Dan Leone

    WASHINGTON — A design by Alliant Techsystems (ATK) was dropped from NASA's shortlist of potential space station crew taxis because the company did not present a technically sound plan for combining existing rocket and spacecraft designs into a single transportation system, according to a NASA source selection document released Sept. 4.

    "I had some significant concerns about the lack of detail in some areas of ATK's technical approach," William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, wrote in the document. "Basically, the proposal lacked enough detail to determine if a safe crew transportation system could be developed in a timely and cost effective manner out of the heritage components ATK selected for this concept."

    Gerstenmaier's comments appeared in a July 31 source selection document detailing his reasons for passing over ATK and three less-known firms to pick Boeing, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) and Sierra Nevada Space Systems for Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) awards totaling $1.1 billion.

    ATK spokesman George Torres had no immediate comment Sept. 4 on the CCiCap source selections statement.

    CiCap is the third round of the agency's Commercial Crew Program to develop and certify privately operated astronaut taxi systems to restore independent U.S. access to and from the international space station by 2017. NASA currently pays Russia for those services.

    ATK's proposed Liberty Transportation System would combine a launcher made from European and U.S. rocket stages with a composite crew module that was to be built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Denver. The rocket would use a shuttle-derived ATK-built solid-fuel core stage and the first stage of Europe's Ariane 5 rocket as an upper stage. The Liberty spacecraft would be based on a design once studied at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., to determine whether composite materials could be used in NASA's Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle instead of aluminum lithium. Orion, also to be built by Lockheed Martin, is the deep-space crew capsule NASA plans to pair with the Space Launch System.

    NASA also received CCiCap proposals from Space Operations, American Aerospace Inc., and Spacedesign Corp., but quickly rejected them as "unacceptable," according to the source selection document.

    Of the three winners NASA announced Aug. 3, Boeing and SpaceX received $460 million and $440 million, respectively, while Sierra Nevada received $212.5 million. The awards, which run through May 2014, call for Boeing and SpaceX to complete a critical design review that would clear the way for construction of their competing systems to begin. Sierra Nevada's award, worth less than half of what Boeing and SpaceX stand to receive, is meant to allow development of the company's winged DreamChaser spacecraft to continue, albeit at a slower pace than Boeing's and SpaceX's capsule-based systems.[/size]

[instml]

NASA покончило со Свободой

С прискорбием заметил, что NASA оставило без финансирования проект Liberty компании Alliant Techsystems (ATK), который собирался совместить все лучшее, чтобыло в ускорителях Шаттла и ракете Ариан-5.
"У меня были некоторые серьезные опасения по поводу отсутствия деталей в некоторых областях технического подхода ATK", - заявил заместитель руководителя НАСА по пилотируемым программам Вильям Герстенмайер. - "В принципе, это предложение было недостаточно подробно, чтобы определить, обеспечивается ли безопасность транспортной системы, может ли разработка завершиться в сроки и быть экономически эффективной."
А было все так красиво.

http://ru-cosmos.livejournal.com/935222.html

[instml]

ATK 'moving on' after Liberty commercial proposal loss
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1209/07liberty/

[pkl]

Удивляться тут нечему: многовато у них ПКК. Столько медведей в одной берлоге... вряд ли уживутся. А к "палке" изначально были претензии. Хотя ракета мне нравилась. Своей необычностью.

[Valerij]

New Rocket Booster Test Rattles Utah's ATK Facility[/size]
 Video: The rocket engine maker tested its GEM 60 engine, w... http://bit.ly/TCCWFS

http://twitter.com/spacewire/status/245217794969444352

Несколько скриншотов:

[Salo]

Valerij, а при чём здесь СТУ от Дельты IV?

[Valerij]

Valerij, а при чём здесь СТУ от Дельты IV?

Вы правы, я был невнимателен. Не спится, поэтому увидев твит, сразу подготовился к посту, а потом смотрел видео.

Приношу всем свои извинения.

[Lanista]

Valerij, вы теперь Маска не любите, вы теперь АТК любите?
Или равномерно обоих?

[Valerij]

Valerij, вы теперь Маска не любите, вы теперь АТК любите?
Или равномерно обоих?

Вы забыли еще Бигелоу и Марс Один. Только причем здесь любовь? Я, слава богу, гетеросексуален.

Просто мне хочется хороших новостей. А хорошие новости идут сейчас, как правило, "с проклятого Запада". Когда я нахожу интересную новость, мне часто хочется поделиться с вами. Вот я и пишу, и о том, что Бигелоу опять работников набирает, публикую фото Кузнечика, ссылки на статьи из The Brownsville Herald и сообщения про АТК.

 Вы против? Так и скажите.
.