Taking The Next Step ORION

NASA’s recent awarding of the contract to design and build the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle – the central element of the Constellation Program – marked a major step toward the implementation of the Nation’s Vision for Space Exploration and signaled the start of one of the most significant spacecraft development efforts in more than 30 years.

Tasked to accomplish the challenge was the Lockheed Martin Orion team – Lockheed Martin, United Space Alliance, Honeywell, Hamilton Sundstrand, Orbital Sciences Corp and Aerojet – which brings the human space flight and exploration expertise of six companies together in the development of NASA’s next generation crew transportation system.

The structure of the Orion contract contains three parts. Part one, or Schedule A, involves Design, Development, Testing and Evaluation (DDT&E) and is slated to run from 2006 to 2013. This portion of the contract deals mainly with the design and production of the first flight test module and associated deliverables. Part two, which focuses on production, and part three, which focuses on sustaining engineering, are both follow-on options to the initial Orion contract and are estimated to run from 2009 to 2019.

Specific work, based on areas of expertise, has been assigned to each of the Orion team members. Lockheed Martin will be working on Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) System Integration, Program Management, Systems Engineering, Safety and Mission Assurance, Crew Module Development and Service Module Development.

USA’s expertise will be primarily directed in three other areas: Assembly, Integration and Processing (AI&P), Flight Software and CEV Avionics Integration Laboratory (CAIL) and Integrated Product Teams and Systems Engineering Integration Teams (IPTs/SEITs) Support.

“Being a part of the Orion team is an exciting step towards implementing the next generation of space flight systems,” said Anne Martt, Vice President and Constellation Program Manager. “USA’s role redefines and promotes the unrivaled space operations skills we have as a company and have been building over the past decade of space operations.”

The Orion vehicle consists of four primary modules. The Crew Module (CM) in which the astronauts and cargo will be transported. The Service Module (SM), which houses the propulsion systems, electrical power and fluids storage. The Launch Abort System, which will sit atop the vehicle and is designed to pull the CM away in the event of an emergency, and the Spacecraft Adapter (SA), which will serve as a structural transition between the CEV and the launch vehicle.

Although the Orion’s primary structure will be manufactured at Lockheed Martin’s Michoud facility, USA will play a vital role in the final assembly, integration, test and refurbishment of the vehicle at the Kennedy Space Center’s Operations and Checkout (O&C) building. This is a significant portion of the work and involves the USA workforce in a role similar to what USA employees do today in the Solid Rocket Booster Element.

USA personnel will form the majority of the workforce in the O&C, completing the manufacturing of the CM and the SM by assembling the final components into the hardware to finish building Orion. After assembly, the CM and the SM will be stacked onto the SA prior to being sent to the Vehicle Assembly Building where it will be mated to the Ares I launch vehicle.

“USA has over 10 years of assembly, integration and processing experience under our belts from both the Space Shuttle and ISS. Our team is primed to support this part of the CEV work, as well as other related Constellation work,” said Lloyd Gregg, USA AI&P Director and Acting CEV Program Manager.

Another key area of CEV work for USA is within the Rotation Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF). Currently used to receive and perform initial checkout of Solid Rocket Motor segments when they arrive from ATK, the RPSF is designed for solid rocket propellant operations. USA personnel will assist Orbital Sciences Corporation with the final assembly and test of the Launch Abort System.

In Houston, approximately 95 percent of the Orion-related avionics test and simulation software will be developed and tested by USA. This USA work, performed under the FSW function, will involve creation of the avionics test and simulation software for the design, development and test phase of the contract. This software will be responsible for communications and tracking common utilities, and will also integrate USA’s Questus Tool set.

“We bring a wealth of flight software and avionics experience that are required for space operations,” said Ray Reed, USA FSW/CAIL Director. “We also bring innovative approaches to the design and concept of operations for Orion, while never forgetting or compromising safety.”

USA employees also will support Lockheed Martin in developing flight software in the CAIL. Similar to the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory, where USA maintains and upgrades flight software for the Shuttle and ISS, USA’s role in developing flight software and the CAIL will continue through 2013 or 2014.

The unparalled operations expertise of USA’s IPT/SEIT support group will be put to work with the Lockheed Martin team’s spacecraft designers to make sure that operations requirements are considered in this new system. The IPT/SEIT teams will assess and identify areas of operation that might contribute to high life cycle costs for the spacecraft and will recommend changes to the design, which may reduce those costs.

“The goal is to find areas in the CEV which can be altered during the design process so that the total Orion life cycle costs are minimized,” said Mark Thomas, USA IPT/SEIT Support Director.

One nontraditional role for USA will be its work with Lockheed Martin, Hamilton Sundstrand and Honeywell to establish an Exploration Development Lab (EDL). The EDL is a Lockheed-Martin-operated laboratory funded through research and development capital investment from the teaming partners and will be located in USA’s Logistic Support Facility. This EDL work is a corporate venture which augments the scope of the NASA CEV contract.

This lab will be dedicated to Constellation-level efforts and will replicate the program-designed elements, such as the Orion and Ares I. Conceptually, the EDL will provide the team the opportunity to test prototype hardware interfaces in the early stages of development to reduce potential risks and issues during real-time system integration.

Within the EDL there will be three smaller labs: the Rapid Prototyping Lab (RPL), the Requirements Verification Lab (RVL) and the Power Systems Lab (PSL).

The RPL will house software development and crew interface simulations. The PSL will test battery, solar array and power control hardware. The RVL will house full scale mock-ups to test airborne, ground, hardware, software and procedures interfaces.

USA’s main contributions to the EDL will be the facility, modeling and simulation, and our integration and verification expertise.

“USA is excited about being a part of the Lockheed Martin Orion Team,” Martt said. “Not only are our employees working hard in continuing to safely fly out the Shuttle manifest, many are engaged in the complex and monumental transition process as we work toward building the essential resources needed for the Orion Program. USA is heavily engaged in four major and concurrent space initiatives ... we’re charged and more than up to the challenge.”

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