Exploration Flight Test 1

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Exploration Flight Test 1
EFT-1 launch - view from pad.jpg
Launch of EFT-1 on December 5, 2014
Mission type Uncrewed test flight
Operator NASA
COSPAR ID 2014-077A
SATCAT no. 40329
Mission duration 4 hours, 24 minutes
Orbits completed 2
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type Orion MPCV
Manufacturer Lockheed Martin
Start of mission
Launch date December 5, 2014, 12:05 (2014-12-05UTC12:05Z) UTC (07:05 EST) [1] [2]
Rocket Delta IV Heavy
Launch site Cape Canaveral SLC-37B
Contractor United Launch Alliance
End of mission
Recovered by USS Anchorage
Landing date December 5, 2014, 16:29 (2014-12-05UTC16:30Z) UTC
Landing site Pacific Ocean,
640 miles (1,030 km) SSE of San Diego
23°37′N114°28′W / 23.61°N 114.46°W / 23.61; -114.46 (EFT-1 splashdown)
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Apogee 5,800 kilometres (3,604 mi)

Exploration Flight Test-1 insignia.png

Orion Program
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Exploration Flight Test 1 or EFT-1 (previously known as Orion Flight Test 1 or OFT-1) was the first test flight of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. Without a crew, it was launched on December 5, 2014, at 12:05 UTC (7:05 am EST), by a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Orion (spacecraft) beyond-low-Earth-orbit manned spacecraft

The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle is an American-European interplanetary spacecraft intended to carry a crew of four astronauts to destinations at or beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). Currently under development by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) for launch on the Space Launch System, Orion is intended to facilitate human exploration of the Moon, asteroids and of Mars and to retrieve crew or supplies from the International Space Station if needed.

Eastern Time Zone time zone observing UTC−05:00 during standard time and UTC−04:00 during daylight saving time

The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 22 states in the eastern part of the contiguous United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama in Central America, and the Caribbean Islands.

Delta IV Heavy variant of the Delta IV space launch vehicle

The Delta IV Heavy is an expendable heavy-lift launch vehicle, the largest type of the Delta IV family and the world's second highest-capacity rocket in operation. It is manufactured by United Launch Alliance and was first launched in 2004.

Contents

The mission was a four-hour, two-orbit test of the Orion crew module featuring a high apogee on the second orbit and concluding with a high-energy reentry at around 20,000 miles per hour (32,000 km/h; 8,900 m/s). [3] This mission design corresponds to the Apollo 4 mission of 1967, which validated the Apollo flight control system and heat shield at re-entry conditions planned for the return from lunar missions.

Apsis extreme point in an objects orbit

The term apsis refers to an extreme point in the orbit of an object. It denotes either the points on the orbit, or the respective distance of the bodies. The word comes via Latin from Greek, there denoting a whole orbit, and is cognate with apse. Except for the theoretical possibility of one common circular orbit for two bodies of equal mass at diametral positions, there are two apsides for any elliptic orbit, named with the prefixes peri- and ap-/apo- added to a reference to the body being orbited. All periodic orbits are, according to Newton's Laws of motion, ellipses: either the two individual ellipses of both bodies, with the center of mass of this two-body system at the one common focus of the ellipses, or the orbital ellipses, with one body taken as fixed at one focus, and the other body orbiting this focus. All these ellipses share a straight line, the line of apsides, that contains their major axes, the foci, and the vertices, and thus also the periapsis and the apoapsis. The major axis of the orbital ellipse is the distance of the apsides, when taken as points on the orbit, or their sum, when taken as distances.

Atmospheric entry Passage of an object through the gases of an atmosphere from outer space

Atmospheric entry is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. There are two main types of atmospheric entry: uncontrolled entry, such as the entry of astronomical objects, space debris, or bolides; and controlled entry of a spacecraft capable of being navigated or following a predetermined course. Technologies and procedures allowing the controlled atmospheric entry, descent, and landing of spacecraft are collectively termed as EDL.

Apollo 4 spaceflight of the Saturn V

Apollo 4,, was the first unmanned test flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle, which was used by the U.S. Apollo program to send the first astronauts to the Moon. The space vehicle was assembled in the Vertical Assembly Building, and was the first to be launched from Launch Complex 39 at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, facilities built specially for the Saturn V.

NASA heavily promoted the mission, collaborating with Sesame Street and its characters to educate children about the flight test and the Orion spacecraft. [4]

NASA space-related agency of the United States government

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.

<i>Sesame Street</i> American childrens television program

Sesame Street is an American educational children's television series that combines live action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop and was created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett. The program is known for its images communicated through the use of Jim Henson's Muppets, and includes short films, with humor and cultural references. The series premiered on November 10, 1969, to positive reviews, some controversy, and high viewership; it has aired on the U.S.'s national public television provider PBS since its debut, with its first run moving to premium channel HBO on January 16, 2016.

Objectives

The flight was intended to test various Orion systems, including separation events, avionics, heat shielding, parachutes, and recovery operations prior to its debut launch aboard the Space Launch System, currently scheduled for some time in 2019. [5]

Avionics electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites, and spacecraft

Avionics are the electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites, and spacecraft. Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the hundreds of systems that are fitted to aircraft to perform individual functions. These can be as simple as a searchlight for a police helicopter or as complicated as the tactical system for an airborne early warning platform. The term avionics is a portmanteau of the words aviation and electronics.

A heat shield is a part of an object designed to protect the object from overheating by dissipating, reflecting or simply absorbing the heat. The term is most often used in reference to exhaust heat management and to systems for dissipation of heat due to friction.

Parachute device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere

A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong fabric, originally silk, now most commonly nylon. They are typically dome-shaped, but vary, with rectangles, inverted domes, and others found. A variety of loads are attached to parachutes, including people, food, equipment, space capsules, and bombs.

Vehicle assembly

EFT-1 Orion was built by Lockheed Martin. [6] On June 22, 2012, the final welds of the EFT-1 Orion were completed at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. [6] It was then transported to Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout Building, where the remainder of the spacecraft was completed. [7] The Delta IV rocket was put in a vertical position on October 1, 2014, and Orion was mated with the vehicle on November 11. [8] [9] [10]

Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American global aerospace, defense, security and advanced technologies company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in North Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington, DC, area. Lockheed Martin employs approximately 100,000 people worldwide as of December 2017.

Michoud Assembly Facility NASA rocket manufacturing complex in Michoud, New Orleans

The Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) is an 832-acre (337 ha) manufacturing complex owned by NASA in New Orleans East, a district within New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States. Organizationally it is part of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and is currently a multi-tenant complex to allow commercial and government contractors, as well as government agencies, to use the site.

Kennedy Space Center United States space launch site

The John F. Kennedy Space Center is one of ten National Aeronautics and Space Administration field centers. Since December 1968, Kennedy Space Center has been NASA's primary launch center of human spaceflight. Launch operations for the Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs were carried out from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 and managed by KSC. Located on the east coast of Florida, KSC is adjacent to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). The management of the two entities work very closely together, share resources, and even own facilities on each other's property.

Flight

Mission diagram EFT-1 mission diagram.jpg
Mission diagram
EFT-1 Delta IV Heavy on pad with Orion EFT-1 (KSC-2014-4686).jpg
EFT-1
Rendering of Orion capsule and Delta IV upper-stage during EFT-1 Rendering of Orion Exploration Flight Test 1.jpg
Rendering of Orion capsule and Delta IV upper-stage during EFT-1
Earth seen from the EFT-1 Orion spacecraft Earth from NASA's Orion spacecraft - signpost crop.jpg
Earth seen from the EFT-1 Orion spacecraft

The four-and-a-half-hour flight took the Orion spacecraft on two orbits of Earth. Peak altitude was approximately 5,800 kilometres (3,600 mi). The high altitude allowed the spacecraft to reach reentry speeds of up to 20,000 mph (32,000 km/h; 8,900 m/s), which exposed the heat shield to temperatures up to around 4,000 °F (2,200 °C). [3] [11]

During the flight, the crew module, a structural representation of the service module, a partial launch abort system containing only the jettison motor, and Orion-to-stage adapter were evaluated. [11] The spacecraft remained attached to the Delta IV's upper stage until re-entry began and relied on internal batteries for power rather than photovoltaic arrays, which were not contained in the structural representation. [12] Data gathered from the test flight were analyzed by the critical design review (CDR) in April 2015. [13]

TimeEvent
L-6:00:00Orion powered on, mobile service tower retracts. Fueling of Delta IV Heavy begins
0:00:00Launch window opens (7:05 a.m. EST, 12:05 UTC). EFT-1 launches.
0:01:23 Max Q
0:01:23Reach Mach 1
0:03:56Booster separation
0:05:30First stage MECO (main engine cut-off)
0:05:33First stage separation
0:05:49Second stage ignition No. 1
0:06:15Structural representation of service module fairing jettison
0:06:20Launch Abort System jettison
0:17:39SECO No. 1 (second engine cut-off), Orion begins first orbit
1:55:26Orion completes first orbit, second stage ignition No. 2
2:00:09SECO No. 2 (second engine cut-off)
2:05:00Enter first high radiation period
2:20:00Leave first high radiation period
2:40:00 Reaction control system (RCS) activation
3:05:00Reach peak altitude (5,800 kilometers/3,600 miles)
3:23:41Orion separates from service module and second stage, second stage performs disposal burn
3:57:00Orion positions for reentry
4:13:41Entry interface
4:20:22Forward bay cover jettisons, parachute deployment begins (two drogues, three mains)
4:24:46Splashdown

After splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, crews recovered the EFT-1 Orion crew vehicle and will outfit the capsule for an ascent abort test in 2017. [14]

Launch attempts

AttemptPlannedResultTurnaroundReasonDecision pointWeather go (%)Notes
14 Dec 2014, 7:05:00 amHold—Fouled RangeA boat entered the launch range.
24 Dec 2014, 7:17:00 amHold0days, 0hours, 12minutesWeatherGust wind excess speed limit. (21 knots)
34 Dec 2014, 7:55:00 amHold0days, 0hours, 38minutesWeatherGust wind excess speed limit. (21 knots)
44 Dec 2014, 8:26:00 amHold0days, 0hours, 31minutesTechnical (T-00:03:09)A fuel fill and drain valve did not close.
54 Dec 2014, 9:44:00 amScrubbed0days, 1hour, 18minutesTechnical24-hour recycle.
65 Dec 2014, 7:05:00 amSuccess0days, 21hours, 21minutes

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References

  1. ↑ Rhian, Jason (14 March 2014). "NASA's EFT-1 Mission Slips to December". SpaceFlight Insider . Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  2. ↑ Siceloff, Steven (5 December 2014). "LIFTOFF! Orion Begins New Era in Space Exploration!". Orion. NASA. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 Bergin, Chris (14 November 2011). "EFT-1 Orion Receives Hatch Door—Denver Orion Ready for Modal Testing". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  4. ↑ NASA (24 November 2014). "Sesame Street Characters 'On Board' as NASA Counts Down to Orion's Test Flight". NASA.gov. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Clark, Stephen (28 April 2017). "NASA confirms first flight of Space Launch System will slip to 2019". Spaceflight Now . Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  6. 1 2 Clark, Stephen (26 June 2012). "Space-bound Orion capsule to arrive in Florida next week". SpaceFlightNow. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  7. ↑ "NASA Unveils Orion During Ceremony". NASA. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  8. ↑ "NASA’s Orion Spacecraft, Rocket Move Closer to First Flight" NASA. Retrieved: 5 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "Orion Spacecraft Complete" NASA. Retrieved: 30 October 2014.
  10. ↑ "Orion Arrives at Launch Pad" NASA. Retrieved: 12 November 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Orion First Flight Test – NASA Facts" (PDF). NASA . Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  12. ↑ "OFT-1: NASA gearing up for Orion's 2013 debut via Delta IV Heavy". August 8, 2011. Archived from the original on March 12, 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  13. ↑ "EFT-1 September, 2014 launch date "paced" by the Delta IV-H". nasaspaceflight.com.
  14. ↑ Stephen Clark (23 November 2011). "Cracks discovered in Orion capsule's pressure shell". Spaceflightnow.com. Retrieved 23 November 2011.

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