CCiCap - Commercial Crew Integrated Capability

[Salo]

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/04/uscv-1-nasa-slip-iss-commercial-late-2017/

USCV-1: NASA planners slip first ISS commercial crew mission to late 2017
April 5, 2013 by Chris Bergin

The first NASA crew to ride to the International Space Station on a commercial spacecraft may have to wait until at least the end of 2017, after NASA's planning group realigned the US Crew Vehicle -1 (USCV-1) mission to a launch date of November 30, 2017. The new schedule includes the Russian Soyuz manifested as a back-up option, through to at least 2019.



Commercial Crew:

[SFN]

It is not known at this point whether the seat on the USCV will be provided to Russia in exchange for a US seat on the Soyuz.
Строить дополнительные корабли для страховки "свободных частников" и потом летать по обмену?    (Далее следует возглас Станиславкого №1)

[Salo]

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/04/05/nasa-commercial-crew-partner-boeing-completes-launch-vehicle-adapter-review/

NASA Commercial Crew Partner Boeing Completes Launch Vehicle Adapter Review
Posted by Doug Messier
on April 5, 2013, at 2:43 pm


An artist concept of Boeing's CST-100 spacecraft atop its integrated launch vehicle, United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket. (Credit: Boeing)

An artist concept of Boeing's CST-100 spacecraft atop its integrated launch vehicle, United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket. (Credit: Boeing)

HOUSTON (NASA PR) – The Boeing Company of Houston, a NASA Commercial Crew Program (CCP) partner, has successfully completed a preliminary design review (PDR) of the component that would connect the company's new crew capsule to its rocket.

Спойлер

The review is one of six performance milestones Boeing has completed for NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative, which is intended to make available commercial human spaceflight services for government and commercial customers. The company is on track to complete all 19 of its milestones during CCiCap.

Boeing is one of three U.S. companies NASA is working with during CCiCap to set the stage for a crewed orbital demonstration mission around the middle of the decade. Future development and certification initiatives eventually will lead to the availability of human spaceflight services for NASA to send its astronauts to the International Space Station.

The component that was reviewed is called the Launch Vehicle Adapter. The critical structure is being designed by United Launch Alliance (ULA) to join Boeing's Crew Space Transportation-100 (CST-100) spacecraft to ULA's Atlas V rocket, just above the rocket's second stage.

"Solid systems engineering integration is critical to the design of a safe system," said Ed Mango, NASA's CCP manager. "Boeing and all of NASA's partner companies are working to build in proper systems integration into their designs. This review with Boeing and their partner ULA was a good review of the current state of these important design interfaces."

In recent weeks, teams from NASA, Boeing and ULA met at ULA's headquarters in Denver, Colo., to assess requirements and capabilities to safely launch people into low-Earth orbit from U.S. soil once again. The PDR was a culmination of early development and preliminary analysis to demonstrate the design is ready to proceed with detailed engineering.

"The PDR was an outstanding integrated effort by the Boeing, ULA and NASA teams," said John Mulholland, vice president and program manager of Boeing Commercial Programs. "The ULA design leverages the heritage hardware of the Atlas V to integrate with the CST-100, setting the baseline for us to proceed to wind tunnel testing and the Launch Segment-level PDR in June."

In addition to the Launch Vehicle Adapter PDR, Boeing recently completed two additional CCiCap milestones, including the Engineering Release (ER) 2.0 software release and the Landing and Recovery Ground Systems and Ground Communications design review.

The ER 2.0 software release was completed Jan. 25 in Boeing's Avionics and Software Integration Facility Lab in Houston. This test laid the foundation for the software structure to control and fly the spacecraft, as well as communicate with pilots and ground systems.

The landing and recovery ground systems and ground communications design review Jan. 16 to 18 in Titusville, Fla., established the baseline plan for equipment and infrastructure needed for CST-100 spacecraft ground communications and landing and recovery operations.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its aerospace industry partners, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

[свернуть]

[Fordevind]

Сдвинули всю программу вправо.
А по мне так более рациональным решением было бы отодвинуть вправо только минишатл лет на 4-5, а по конкурирующим капсулам оставить прежние сроки.

[Ну-и-ну]

Когда речь о "коммерческом пилотируемом космосе", разум пасует. Тут нет понятия "рационально".

Рационально ли разрабатывать три с половиной корабля для полётов к МКС, если её закрывать в 2020? Ради 3-4-х лет эксплуатации плодить весь зоопарк?

[Yutani]

Маховик раскручен, отступать уже глупо.

[Ну-и-ну]

Продолжать делать не менее глупо. Цугцванг.

"Принцип равноудалённости от здравого смысла."

[Alex_II]

Ну-и-ну пишет:
Рационально ли разрабатывать три с половиной корабля для полётов к МКС, если её закрывать в 2020? Ради 3-4-х лет эксплуатации плодить весь зоопарк?

Ну, во первых не факт, что закроют в 2020, а во вторых - ну закроют. Придется кому-то найти своим кораблям другое применение. Собственные ОКС завести, например... Так что это работа на перспективу...

[Salo]

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/718299main_CCP-Status-Update-1-9-13-finalSM.pdf

[Salo]

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/06/04/commercial-crew-partners-continue-to-reach-milestones/

Commercial Crew Partners Continue to Reach Milestones
             
Posted by Doug Messier on June 4, 2013, at 5:29 am
 in News



WASHINGTON, DC (NASA PR) – NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) partners continue to meet all scheduled CCiCap milestones, bringing the nation closer to its goal of having a U.S. capability for human access to space and ending reliance on foreign vehicles. Since August 2012, 15 of the 42 planned milestones have been successfully completed.
In March, Boeing completed the Launch Vehicle Adapter (LVA) Preliminary Design Review (PDR), demonstrating the preliminary design of the LVA met mission requirements with an acceptable risk and within the cost and schedule constraints.
The LVA attaches the CST-100 spacecraft to the Atlas V launch vehicle. The successful PDR provides the basis for proceeding to the next design phase: the detailed design of the LVA. In April, Boeing completed its integrated vehicle wind tunnel test to fully understand the aerodynamic wind buffet environments over the launch vehicle and reduce potential design risks.
SpaceX completed its Pad Abort Test Plan Review in March. The eventual pad abort test will demonstrate the effectiveness of the crew Dragon spacecraft launch abort system in a pad abort scenario. The pad abort test article consists of a Dragon test capsule sitting on top of a trunk structure in the center of the pad. A successful abort test will carry the Dragon capsule away fr om the launch pad and towards the ocean. The main parachutes will deploy once the capsule is stabilized. The Review Milestone determined that the test article is capable of meeting the pad abort test requirements and schedule.
Garrett Reisman, Crew Dragon program manager for SpaceX said, "SpaceX is committed to making Dragon one of the safest spacecrafts ever flown. In partnership with NASA, we are moving steadily towards this goal and look forward to returning human spaceflight capabilities to the U.S."
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) continues to make progress readying its Engineering Test Article (ETA) for flight testing this summer. The vehicle was shipped to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in May, wh ere further assembly, integration and testing is being performed. In addition to the ETA work, Dream Chaser subsystems are undergoing testing in support of future CCiCap milestones, which include ongoing wind tunnel testing of the thermal protection system design and testing of its green propulsion system.
Jim Voss, SNC vice president of Space Exploration Systems and Dream Chaser program manager, said "we are excited to be working with NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center for our flight tests. The value of the partnership between SNC and NASA is highlighted by having the world's best flight test organization assisting with our Dream Chaser test program. This gives us confidence that the upcoming flights will be successful. Having landed in the Shuttle at Dryden I have first hand knowledge of the great work done by the DFRC team."

[Salo]

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/06/04/boeings-commercial-crew-milestones-progress/

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/05/31/commercial-crew-program-mixes-innovation-experience/

[Salo]

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/06/05/sierra-nevada-commercial-crew-milestone-progress/

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/06/06/spacexs-commercial-crew-milestone-progress/

[kost3]

или американцы еще большие чудаки чем наши, или после 20-го все решили повоевать малость. Планов нет никаких на послеМКС, а ведь не за год же новый баблоглот строится

[pkl]

Воевать? А при чём тут это зверинец?

[Salo]

http://spaceref.biz/2013/06/ula-completes-dual-engine-centaur-preliminary-design-review-for-ccicap.html

ULA Completes Dual Engine Centaur Preliminary Design Review for CCiCap

Posted by Marc Boucher
Posted June 13, 2013 7:53 AM
             

©ULA File photo.
 
 United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and initial round of development testing for the Dual Engine Centaur in support of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
Under Independent Research and Development (IRAD) funding, ULA is re-establishing the Dual Engine Centaur (DEC) configuration for performance and human space flight safety. Atlas V is capable of flying both a single and dual engine on the Centaur second stage, but most satellite missions require only a single engine due to the powerful capability of the Atlas V booster to loft the payload into orbit.
"DEC provides a performance improvement over Single Engine Centaur (SEC) that is extremely beneficial for Low Earth Orbit missions," said George Sowers, ULA's vice president of Human Launch Services. "For human spaceflight, the increased thrust of the DEC allows the trajectory to be 'flattened' to provide, a safer re-entry environment for the crew in the unlikely event of a crew abort situation."
The PDR was attended by ULA's Commercial Crew Customers, Boeing, Sierra Nevada and NASA as well as other government customers. The participants reviewed the detailed design required to implement the DEC on the current configuration of Centaur. The dual configuration has flown on Atlas more than 160 times. However, with the increased performance of the Atlas V booster, it has not been required since 2003. The current configuration of Atlas V uses a single RL10 engine.
The development testing was conducted at Innovative Engineering Solutions of Murrietta, Calif., and included liquid oxygen duct gimbal waterflow testing to validate flow characteristics, and loads testing at liquid nitrogen temperatures to determine loads and stresses, and the ability of the duct to survive the flight-like environment.
"The testing was successful and met all of the criteria," said Sowers. "The next major milestone for the DEC design is the Critical Design Review scheduled for next spring."
The Boeing Company, with its CST-100, and Sierra Nevada Corporation, with its Dream Chaser®, both plan to use the flight-proven, reliable Atlas V as the launch vehicle.
With 38 successful missions spanning a decade of operational service, the commercially developed Atlas V is uniquely qualified to provide launch services for the Crew Transportation System. Because Atlas V is already certified by NASA to fly the nation's most complex exploration missions, as well as critical Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office national security missions, ULA is able to provide a wealth of flight data, design implementation, detailed system and sub-system analysis, qualification and certification..
ULA program management, engineering, test and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo. Manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are located at Decatur, Ala., and Harlingen, Texas. Launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., and Vandenberg AFB, Calif.

 For more information on ULA, visit the ULA Web site at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321). Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch and twitter.com/ulalaunch.

[Valerij]

Boeing, SpaceX Detail Capsule Test Plans
By Guy Norris
Source: Aviation Week & Space Technology
July 01, 2013
   
As tow tests of Sierra Nevada Corp.'s Dream Chaser lifting body begin in California, the two competing capsule-based contenders for NASA's commercial crew program (CCP) are running through a fast-paced series of milestones toward the start of planned demonstration flights.

Спойлер

While the three-way contest for NASA's competitive Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCAP) initiative was already highly charged, the outcome of the upcoming tests has become even more crucial given increasing budget pressure. The program, which aims to develop U.S. human spacelaunch capability to succeed the now retired space shuttle, has been slipping as Congress continues to cut funding. The shortfall has forced NASA to revise its acquisition plan that notionally calls for a request for proposals in fiscal 2016, and first U.S.-crewed service flights to the International Space Station (ISS) in November 2017—two years later than originally planned.

To qualify, the teams must pass a rigorous, two-phase certification process which will include at least one crewed ISS mission in fiscal 2017. However, the squeeze on funding may force the agency to winnow down the contenders sooner than originally planned, which makes the upcoming milestones all the more important.

Boeing, with its CST-100, still aims to demonstrate the seven-person capsule on a three-day manned orbital test flight in 2016, says John Mulholland, vice president and program manager for Commercial Programs. At the recent Space Tech Expo in Long Beach, Calif., he said CST-100 "can be operational as soon as 2016. It is really important for NASA to maintain the 'no-later than 2017' launch date. That's the No. 1 priority and I think NASA, with good reason, wants to maintain competition through the next round. That would be healthy as long as you have the budget to allow that competition in the next round and still fly in 2017."

The company is more than a third of the way through a series of 13 key CCiCAP program performance milestones for 2013 that will lead the way to an integrated critical design review (CDR) in April 2014. In all, the company must pass a total of 19 such milestones by mid-2014. This month the company is set to conduct tests of the Aerojet Rocketdyne orbital maneuvering and attitude control thrusters, and in September will conduct a CDR of the spacecraft's primary structure. "It's the grind. This is where you get into the final engineering release and all the focus of the team is on the baseline release to support the build cycle. We are making sure we can receive flight design hardware by the end of the calendar year," Mulholland says.

Other milestones for this year include a support module propulsion system critical review in August, and two events in September covering a mission-control-center-interface demonstration and launch vehicle adapter CDR. The CST-100, like the Dream Chaser, is slated to launch initially on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V (AW&ST June 3, p. 54). Last April, Boeing completed wind-tunnel tests of a 7%-scale vehicle and adapter "to make sure we fully understood the loads and that there were no instabilities. It went really well," Mulholland says.

Boeing's plan calls for the first two launches to be on an Atlas, but the company has not ruled out other launchers, including the Falcon 9 developed by CCiCAP rival Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). "It's got to be compatible with others and we continue to have discussions with SpaceX because once the Falcon 9 has enough flights under its belt and is safe enough to fly crew, we feel we can make that business decision. We'll be going over [to SpaceX] soon to see what it will take to make sure our new vehicle is compatible with the Falcon 9. If the price point stays extremely attractive then that is the smart thing to do."
   
Boeing is also scheduled to conduct a launch site preliminary design review at Cape Canaveral, looking at the launch tower design for Space Launch Complex (SLC-41B) "to make sure ULA can go and build it," says Mulholland. In November, Boeing plans to conduct emergency detection-system standalone testing. "It is vitally important to make sure you know when to leave the rocket and that you do not have a false trigger. In December we will release the multi-string flight software," he adds. A pilot-in-the-loop demonstration is set for February 2014, with a software CDR the following month. "We will then move to the validation phase and flight test," he says

SpaceX Commercial Crew project manager Garrett Reisman says his company's plan to conduct a pad abort test in December remains on track, paving the way for a test flight to the space station with a non-NASA crew in a version of the Dragon spacecraft in 2015. "What we think we need to complete launch assurance is just over two years, so we could do a test with people on board around mid-2015. That is what we proposed under CCiCAP and it is the trajectory we are on today but," depending on funding, that may not hold," he warns.

The company delivered a detailed pad abort test plan to NASA in March, and in May completed its human certification plan review with delivery of overall certification and master verification plans. The preliminary design of the automatic-approach-and-docking system as well as the entry, descent and landing system is subject to an on-orbit and entry preliminary design review in July. Following a Dragon parachute test in August, the detailed inflight abort test review is slated for September, with the over-arching safety review covering hazard analysis, safety assessment and failure modes, due in October.

Following a flight review of the upgraded Falcon 9 standard for human missions in mid-November, SpaceX plans to conduct a pad abort test a month later. "The primary structure for the pad abort is already fabricated and almost complete. This the next really exciting milestone and the first abort test as part of commercial crew program. We are going to stick Dragon on top of a Falcon 9 and take it to the transonic regime. We will light up the launch abort system and fly away safely from the Falcon 9. This will demonstrate total thrust (as opposed to total impulse)," adds Reisman. "Then we move on to the human certification review." The qualification effort of the Dragon primary structure is due to be completed in mid-January, with the integrated CDR for the entire vehicle now set for March 2014 and an inflight abort test the following month.

Tap on the icon in the digital edition of AW&ST for a video of the Dream Chaser, and see the video and images of the flight-test vehicle at NASA Dryden alongside one of the agency's original lifting body designs on our OnSpace blog at http://www.ow.ly/mpDfQ

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http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_07_01_2013_p26-589690.xml&p=1
   
Статья о ходе программы CCP и о планах фирм, в этой программе участвующих.

[Salo]

http://youtu.be/4LVNVe2XeJs

[Salo]

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/nasa-adds-goals-for-commercial-crew-participants-389559/

NASA adds goals for commercial crew participants
   
By Zach Rosenberg Washington DC
  07:08 15 Aug 2013 

NASA is adding four milestones for commercial crew integrated capability (CCiCap), worth a total of $55 million.
Sierra Nevada Corporation will get two additional milestones to work on its Dream Chaser lifting body: $5 million for an Incremental Critical Design Review due in October and $10 million for Incremental Reaction Control System Testing, due in July 2014.
The company has recently announced completing ground-based tow tests, the final steps before airborne captive-carry tests leading up to a glide flight. The company expects to complete the glide flight before the end of 2013.
SpaceX will receive $20 million for Dragon Parachute Testing, due in November. Parachutes are used to slow the Dragon capsule during descent once in the atmosphere.
Boeing will receive $20 million for a Spacecraft Safety Review due in July 2014.
CCiCap is due to wrap up in 2014, bringing all three participants up to Critical Design Review (CDR), the final design review before building the vehicle. The contest is meant to be followed shortly by the recently-announced commercial crew transportation capability (CCtCap), which will fund one or two of the participants through construction and several flights.

[Salo]

http://www.bfm.ru/news/236284?doctype=news

Агентство хочет заняться созданием собственных космических кораблей для доставки астронавтов к МКС      
 
                               НАСА собирается с 2017 года отказаться от услуг Роскосмоса по доставке своих астронавтов на российских космических кораблях «Союз». По словам директора НАСА Чарльза Болдена, это связано с тем, что агентство намерено заключить контракты с частными фирмами для создания ракет и космических кораблей нового поколения, которые могли бы доставлять астронавтов к МКС, передает Daily Press.
Свое участие в программе по созданию космических кораблей, в частности, для полетов к орбитальному комплексу, уже подтвердили две компании SpaceX и Orbital Sciences. Предполагается, что они будут сотрудничать с НАСА по принципу частно-государственного партнерства.
Президент SpaceX Гвен Шотвелл высказала мнение, что такое партнерство позволит США не только вернуться в бизнес по созданию транспортных космических систем безопасным и экономически эффективным способом, но и дать американцам новые рабочие места. Она также призвала американское правительство больше выделять средств из бюджета на финансирование программ НАСА, которое, по ее словам, делает «чрезвычайно важную работу» за 17 млрд долларов в год. Для сравнения, ежегодно американцы тратят на пиво 100 млрд долларов, утверждает Шотвелл.

 Согласно подсчетам экспертов, в последние годы США выплачивали России за одно место на корабле «Союз» примерно по 65 млн долларов.

[Valerij]

Commercial Crew Partners Continue Progress on Milestones
Posted by Doug Messier on February 26, 2014, at 5:22 am in News
   

   
WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA's Commercial Crew integrated Capability (CCiCap) partners are relentlessly moving forward in the joint quest to re-establish U.S. human access to space. All the industry teams have been hard at work meeting their planned CCiCap milestones and maturing their crew transportation systems.

Boeing completed a number of crucial developmental and programmatic milestones in preparation for its integrated systems Critical Design Review (CDR) planned for later this year. Milestone 13, the Launch Vehicle Adapter CDR, confirmed that the launch vehicle adapter, which connects the CST-100 spacecraft to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, is suitable for production. The review also included wind tunnel tests verifying flight stability. The launch vehicle Emergency Detection System (EDS) Stand-Alone Testing, Milestone 14, was conducted to better characterize integrated system performance using actual EDS software. The EDS monitors critical launch vehicle parameters, detects critical anomalies and provides abort status to the spacecraft to initiate escape in the event of an emergency.

   
EDWARDS AFB, Calif. – An Erickson Air-Crane helicopter lifts Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser flight vehicle during a captive-carry flight test. The test was a rehearsal for future free flight tests. (Credit: NASA/Carla Thomas)

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) successfully completed milestone 10a, CDR Incremental Design Review #1. This review is the first in a series of reviews that will be conducted by the SNC team as it progresses toward its integrated system CDR. Additionally, SNC held the milestone 4a, Engineering Test Article (ETA) Flight Testing #1, review of aero-data and associated analysis obtained during the first free-flight of the ETA. Additional sensors installed on the vehicle for this flight provided the opportunity to better understand the aerodynamics and controllability of the Dream Chaser outer mold line configuration during the subsonic approach-and-landing phase through touchdown.
   

   
A Dragon spacecraft splashed down in Morro Bay during a parachute test in December 2013. (Credit: NASA)

SpaceX successfully conducted milestones 15a and 15b, Dragon Parachute Tests, to validate that its new parachute design is capable of conducting a pad abort test, currently planned for this summer. Testing included dropping a full-scale Dragon article into the Pacific Ocean from a helicopter off the coast of Morro Bay, Calif.In addition to continuing progress with CCiCap technical and programmatic milestones, all three industry partners have submitted the second set of Certification Products Contract deliverables. These deliverables include verification and validation plans and variances, alternate standards, and certification plans. The goal of this effort is to better ensure that industry's crew transportation system designs are consistent with NASA's safety and performance requirements.
   

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/02/26/commercial-crew-partners-continue-progress-milestones/