USA Tests Orion Capsule at Texas A&M University

United Space Alliance engineers recently completed a series of tests on the Orion spacecraft that may yield safer operations for the capsule and its crew.

Conducted as part of USA’s subcontract to Lockheed Martin, a two-week long series of sea state tests occurred at the Offshore Technology Research Center located at Texas A&M University.

“These tests are as close to the real ocean environment as you get and will be used by the Lockheed Martin designers to ensure vehicle and crew safety during water recovery operations,” said Lloyd Gregg, USA Crew Exploration Vehicle Associate Program Manager.

 USA’s testing involved preparing the capsule with a variety of different conditions including flooded compartments, uprighting bags and flotation collars. The capsule was then maneuvered to the center of the pool, and a wave and wind machine went to work. The tests created sea state conditions from sea state 3 to sea state 6. A sea state includes the height, period and character of waves on the surface of a large body of water. Sea state 3 simulates about 8 foot waves, while sea state 6 simulates a maximum wave height of 20 feet.

“We have developed an analytical model of the behavior of the Orion capsule in dynamic sea conditions that are modeled after the areas of the ocean where the vehicle could land,” Gregg said. “The incorporation of the actual results from the water tank test will be used to calibrate our analytical model and produce a sophisticated modeling tool.”

The testing occurred on one-tenth scale size of the Orion spacecraft in a wave basin that is 150 feet long, 100 feet wide and 19 feet deep. With 48 individual controlled paddles in a wavemaker and 16 dynamically controlled fans, the equipment at the facility has the ability to create waves, wind and overall environmental ocean conditions.

 In preparation for these tests, USA developed a piece of software, Matlab, which creates a mathematical model of the Orion capsule and its testing conditions. The software translates all the data and environmental conditions into mathematical formulas and enables the same types of sea state tests to be run on the spacecraft without having a physical Orion capsule or wave tank.

“No commercial software existed before that could do what this simulation does, for nontraditional ocean vessels or structures,” said Matlab co-Developer Mike Madden, USA Operations Requirement and Test Senior Project Leader and Engineer. “We’ve really created an innovative tool that has many potential applications.”

The testing at Texas A&M University is one of a series of tests that are being run across the country. Engineers will use results from these tests to enhance the safety of the Orion capsule and its crew.

The Orion Water Egress Survival Trainer team recently assembled at Houston’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL) to perform additional development testing, providing an opportunity to observe flotation characteristics. Working with a one-fourth scale Orion spacecraft, the testing allowed the Constellation team to get an early look at how Orion will behave in the water as well as provide information on design elements, such as the attached flotation collar that will aid in the recovery of crew and capsule at the end of a mission.

“These tests illustrate USA’s ability to apply various academic skills to our operational experience in new ways for new programs,” Madden said. “They show that we are a company ready for the future.”

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