Orion abort modes
Encyclopedia
NASA's newest spacecraft, the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), which will replace the Space Shuttle
after 2011, will be the first spacecraft since Project Apollo
to utilize an escape system in the event of a launch abort, something the Shuttle had only for its first four orbital test flights in 1981-82. Like the Apollo Command-Service Module (CSM), the Orion CEV will utilize the Launch Abort System
(LAS), a solid-fueled tractor rocket that will be able to pull the Orion crew module away from a malfunctioning Ares I
rocket during the initial launch phase until solid-fueled first stage is jettisoned. Based on the launch escape system found on the Soviet
/Russia
n Soyuz spacecraft, the LAS, designed and manufactured by ATK
for the Orion CEV, will be larger than the Soyuz version and will have more thrust than the Atlas 109-D booster that carried astronaut John Glenn
into orbit in 1962.
The earlier Apollo system had various abort modes
depending on altitude, velocity, and other circumstances. Likewise the Orion will have similar modes of operation for its launch performance aborts. Some of these may not use the LAS itself, but would utilize the second stage of the Ares I, or even the Orion vehicle's own propulsion system (the Aerojet
AJ-10
engine) instead.
Initially designed to land on solid ground, like that of the early and current Soviet and Russian manned spacecraft (Vostok
, Voskhod
, and Soyuz), with a water landing as a backup, in August, 2007
, NASA tentatively redesigned the Orion for water landings (splashdown
s) as the primary mode of landing, with ground landings as the emergency backuphttp://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/Airbag061908.xml&headline=Orion%20Landing%20Airbag%20In%20Works&channel=space. Under the advice of the Exploration Systems Architecture Study
(ESAS) report, NASA will most likely develop abort procedures that resemble the abort procedures used on Apollo, but with some procedures carried over from the Shuttle.
booster, will depend on how far into the flight the spacecraft and crew are traveling.
" and the weight of the spacecraft to flip the vehicle over for landing, the Orion LAS has a set of steering rockets that will steer the spacecraft away from the malfunctioning Ares I, as well as prepare the spacecraft for both separation and splashdown. The tower will then be jettisoned 14 seconds later and the hypergolic fuel on the Orion CM would be automatically released at a pre-determined altitude.
rocket and either use its large AJ-10 engine or smaller control engines to maneuver from the rocket. Similar to a Space Shuttle Trans-Atlantic
(TAL) abort profile, the Orion will use the AJ-10 engine to propel the spacecraft to a desired separation point, in which then the Orion CM would land in either western Spain
or Morocco
on "due east" (i.e. lunar) flights, or in Ireland
or the United Kingdom
on ISS-bound flights. A splashdown in the eastern Atlantic Ocean
would only be a contingency.
off of the U.S. West Coast, or make a ground landing at either Edwards Air Force Base
in California or White Sands Space Harbor
in New Mexico. This is similar in profile to the Shuttle's "Abort Once Around" (AOA) profile.
The four abort modes would also be used if the Max Launch Abort System
(MLAS), a proposed alternative to the LAS, is flown in place of the LAS. The MLAS, which resembles the LAS, but without the Soyuz-like rocket tower, utilizes a strengthened boost protective cover, but with the main rockets placed inside of the BPC itself.
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
after 2011, will be the first spacecraft since Project Apollo
Project Apollo
The Apollo program was the spaceflight effort carried out by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration , that landed the first humans on Earth's Moon. Conceived during the Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Apollo began in earnest after President John F...
to utilize an escape system in the event of a launch abort, something the Shuttle had only for its first four orbital test flights in 1981-82. Like the Apollo Command-Service Module (CSM), the Orion CEV will utilize the Launch Abort System
Launch escape system
A Launch Escape System is a top-mounted rocket connected to the crew module of a crewed spacecraft and used to quickly separate the crew module from the rest of the rocket in case of emergency. Since the escape rockets are above the crew module, an LES typically uses separate nozzles which are...
(LAS), a solid-fueled tractor rocket that will be able to pull the Orion crew module away from a malfunctioning Ares I
Ares I
Ares I was the crew launch vehicle that was being developed by NASA as part of the Constellation Program. The name "Ares" refers to the Greek deity Ares, who is identified with the Roman god Mars...
rocket during the initial launch phase until solid-fueled first stage is jettisoned. Based on the launch escape system found on the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
/Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Soyuz spacecraft, the LAS, designed and manufactured by ATK
ATK
ATK may refer to:*America's Test Kitchen, a cooking show on PBS*Alliant Techsystems, a mid-level United States aerospace and defense contractor*Accessibility Toolkit, a GNOME software development toolkit*ATK motorcycles, an off-road motorcycle manufacturer...
for the Orion CEV, will be larger than the Soyuz version and will have more thrust than the Atlas 109-D booster that carried astronaut John Glenn
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
into orbit in 1962.
The earlier Apollo system had various abort modes
Apollo abort modes
During the launch of an Apollo spacecraft by the Saturn V rocket, the flight could be aborted to rescue the crew if the rocket failed catastrophically. Depending on how far into the flight the crew were, they would use different procedures or modes...
depending on altitude, velocity, and other circumstances. Likewise the Orion will have similar modes of operation for its launch performance aborts. Some of these may not use the LAS itself, but would utilize the second stage of the Ares I, or even the Orion vehicle's own propulsion system (the Aerojet
Aerojet
Aerojet is an American rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer based primarily in Rancho Cordova, California with divisions in Redmond, Washington, Orange, Gainesville and Camden, Arkansas. Aerojet is owned by GenCorp. They are the only US propulsion company that provides both solid rocket...
AJ-10
AJ-10
The AJ-10 or AJ10 is a hypergolic rocket engine. It has been used to propel the upper stages of several carrier rockets, including the Delta II and Titan III. It will also be used as the main engine of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle for NASA's Project Constellation.It was first used in the Able...
engine) instead.
Initially designed to land on solid ground, like that of the early and current Soviet and Russian manned spacecraft (Vostok
Vostok
Vostok may refer to one of the following.Spaceflight*The Soviet Vostok programme of human spaceflight.*The Vostok spacecraft used in that programme and also the basis of a reconnaissance satellite.*The Vostok rocket, used to launch the Vostok spacecraft....
, Voskhod
Voskhod
Voskhod may refer to:*Voskhod programme, the Soviet programme of human spaceflight*Voskhod spacecraft, a spacecraft used in the Voskhod programme*Voskhod rocket, a rocket that was used to launch Voskhod spacecraft...
, and Soyuz), with a water landing as a backup, in August, 2007
August 2007
August 2007 is the eighth month of that year. It began on a Wednesday and 31 days later, ended on a Friday.-International holidays:* August 1 – Emancipation Day Guyana* August 6 – National Salvadoran-American Day in the United States.* Independence Day...
, NASA tentatively redesigned the Orion for water landings (splashdown
Splashdown (spacecraft landing)
Splashdown is the method of landing a spacecraft by parachute in a body of water. It was used by American manned spacecraft prior to the Space Shuttle program. It is also possible for the Russian Soyuz spacecraft and Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft to land in water, though this is only a contingency...
s) as the primary mode of landing, with ground landings as the emergency backuphttp://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/Airbag061908.xml&headline=Orion%20Landing%20Airbag%20In%20Works&channel=space. Under the advice of the Exploration Systems Architecture Study
Exploration Systems Architecture Study
The Exploration Systems Architecture Study is the official title of a large-scale, system level study released by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in November 2005 in response to American president George W...
(ESAS) report, NASA will most likely develop abort procedures that resemble the abort procedures used on Apollo, but with some procedures carried over from the Shuttle.
Modes
The method of abort, either using the LAS or the second stage of the Ares IAres I
Ares I was the crew launch vehicle that was being developed by NASA as part of the Constellation Program. The name "Ares" refers to the Greek deity Ares, who is identified with the Roman god Mars...
booster, will depend on how far into the flight the spacecraft and crew are traveling.
Mode One
During the first 120 seconds of flight, up to the jettisoning of the solid-fueled first stage at 300,000 feet, the Orion Crew Module (CM) will separate from the rest of the rocket propelled by the LAS. Unlike the Apollo Launch Escape System, which used a pair of "canardsCanard (aeronautics)
In aeronautics, canard is an airframe configuration of fixed-wing aircraft in which the forward surface is smaller than the rearward, the former being known as the "canard", while the latter is the main wing...
" and the weight of the spacecraft to flip the vehicle over for landing, the Orion LAS has a set of steering rockets that will steer the spacecraft away from the malfunctioning Ares I, as well as prepare the spacecraft for both separation and splashdown. The tower will then be jettisoned 14 seconds later and the hypergolic fuel on the Orion CM would be automatically released at a pre-determined altitude.
Mode Two
After the LAS is jettisoned, the Orion Crew and Service Modules (CSM) will separate as a whole from the Ares IAres I
Ares I was the crew launch vehicle that was being developed by NASA as part of the Constellation Program. The name "Ares" refers to the Greek deity Ares, who is identified with the Roman god Mars...
rocket and either use its large AJ-10 engine or smaller control engines to maneuver from the rocket. Similar to a Space Shuttle Trans-Atlantic
Space Shuttle abort modes
A Space Shuttle abort was an emergency procedure due to equipment failure on NASA's Space Shuttle, most commonly during ascent. A main engine failure is a typical abort scenario. There are fewer abort options during reentry and descent...
(TAL) abort profile, the Orion will use the AJ-10 engine to propel the spacecraft to a desired separation point, in which then the Orion CM would land in either western Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
or Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
on "due east" (i.e. lunar) flights, or in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
or the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on ISS-bound flights. A splashdown in the eastern Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
would only be a contingency.
Mode Three
The Ares I would propel the Orion CSM into an initial orbit, upon which the spacecraft will immediately separate, and then perform a retrofire that will allow the Orion CM to splashdown in the Pacific OceanPacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
off of the U.S. West Coast, or make a ground landing at either Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
in California or White Sands Space Harbor
White Sands Space Harbor
White Sands Space Harbor is the primary training area used by NASA for Space Shuttle pilots flying practice approaches and landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft and T-38 Talon aircraft. Its runways, navigational aids, runway lighting, and control facilities also stand continuously ready as a...
in New Mexico. This is similar in profile to the Shuttle's "Abort Once Around" (AOA) profile.
Mode Four
If the Ares I suffers a less-than-ideal performance during the initial orbit insertion, it can be restarted 45 minutes later to place the Orion CSM into a less than ideal orbit that can be corrected with the on-board propellant reserves later in the flight. This is similar to the Shuttle's "Abort To Orbit" (ATO) profile, but depending upon the stable orbit reached, it may require NASA to end the mission with a landing at either Edwards or White Sands within a 24 hour period.The four abort modes would also be used if the Max Launch Abort System
Max Launch Abort System
The Max Launch Abort System is a proposed alternative to the Max Faget-invented "tractor" Launch Escape System currently planned for use by NASA for its Orion spacecraft in the event an Ares I malfunction during launch requires an immediate abort.A "pad abort" flight test of the MLAS was...
(MLAS), a proposed alternative to the LAS, is flown in place of the LAS. The MLAS, which resembles the LAS, but without the Soyuz-like rocket tower, utilizes a strengthened boost protective cover, but with the main rockets placed inside of the BPC itself.