X-38 Program Status/Overview

Abstract

The X-38 Project consists of a series of experimental vehicles designed to provide the technical "blueprint" for the International Space Station's (ISS) Crew Return Vehicle (CRV). There are three atmospheric vehicles and one space flight vehicle in the program. Each vehicle is designed as a technical stepping stone for the next vehicle, with each new vehicle being more complex and advanced than it's predecessor. The X-38 project began in 1995 at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas at the direction of the NASA administrator. From the beginning, the project has had the CRY design validation as its ultimate goal. The CRY has three basic missions that drive the design that must be proven during the course of the X-38 Project: a) Emergency return of an ill or injured crew member. b) Emergency return of an entire ISS crew due to the inability of ISS to sustain life c) Planned return of an entire ISS crew due to the inability to re-supply the ISS or return the crew. The X-38 project must provide the blueprint for a vehicle that provides the capability for human return from space for all three of these design missions.