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NASA NTRS2016

Space Launch System Spacecraft and Payload Elements: Making Progress Toward First Launch

Significant and substantial progress continues to be accomplished in the design, development, and testing of the Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful human-rated launch vehicle the United States has ever undertaken. Designed to support human missions into deep space, SLS is one of three programs being managed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Exploration Systems Development directorate. The Orion spacecraft program is developing a new crew vehicle that will support human missions beyond low Earth orbit, and the Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) program is transforming Kennedy Space Center (KSC) into next-generation spaceport capable of supporting not only SLS but also multiple commercial users. Together, these systems will support human exploration missions into the proving ground of cislunar space and ultimately to Mars. SLS will deliver a near-term heavy-lift capability for the nation with its 70 metric ton Block 1 configuration, and will then evolve to an ultimate capability of 130 metric tons. The SLS program marked a major milestone with the successful completion of the Critical Design Review in which detailed designs were reviewed and subsequently approved for proceeding with full-scale production. This marks the first time an exploration class vehicle has passed that major milestone since the Saturn V vehicle launched astronauts in the 1960s during the Apollo program. Each element of the vehicle now has flight hardware in production in support of the initial flight of the SLS - Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), an uncrewed mission to orbit the moon and return, and progress in on track to meet the initial targeted launch date in 2018. In Utah and Mississippi, booster and engine testing are verifying upgrades made to proven shuttle hardware. At Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in Louisiana, the world's largest spacecraft welding tool is producing tanks for the SLS core stage. This paper will particularly focus on work taking place at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and United Launch Alliance (ULA) in Alabama, where upper stage and adapter elements of the vehicle are being constructed and tested. Providing the Orion crew capsule/launch vehicle interface and in-space propulsion via a cryogenic upper stage, the Spacecraft/Payload Integration and Evolution (SPIE) Element serves a key role in achieving SLS goals and objectives. The SPIE element marked a major milestone in 2014 with the first flight of original SLS hardware, the Orion Stage Adapter (OSA) which was used on Exploration Flight Test-1 with a design that will be used again on EM-1. Construction is already underway on the EM-1 Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), an in-space stage derived from the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage. Manufacture of the Orion Stage Adapter and the Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter is set to begin at the Friction Stir Facility located at MSFC while structural test articles are either completed (OSA) or nearing completion (Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter). An overview is provided of the launch vehicle capabilities, with a specific focus on SPIE Element qualification/testing progress, as well as efforts to provide access to deep space regions currently not available to the science community through a secondary payload capability utilizing CubeSat-class satellites.

Schorr, Andrew A.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Space Launch System Spacecraft and Payload Elements: Making Progress Toward First Launch

Significant and substantial progress continues to be accomplished in the design, development, and testing of the Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful human-rated launch vehicle the United States has ever undertaken. Designed to support human missions into deep space, SLS is one of three programs being managed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Exploration Systems Development directorate. The Orion spacecraft program is developing a new crew vehicle that will support human missions beyond low Earth orbit, and the Ground Systems Development and Operations program is transforming Kennedy Space Center into next-generation spaceport capable of supporting not only SLS but also multiple commercial users. Together, these systems will support human exploration missions into the proving ground of cislunar space and ultimately to Mars. SLS will deliver a near-term heavy-lift capability for the nation with its 70 metric ton (t) Block 1 configuration, and will then evolve to an ultimate capability of 130 t. The SLS program marked a major milestone with the successful completion of the Critical Design Review in which detailed designs were reviewed and subsequently approved for proceeding with full-scale production. This marks the first time an exploration class vehicle has passed that major milestone since the Saturn V vehicle launched astronauts in the 1960s during the Apollo program. Each element of the vehicle now has flight hardware in production in support of the initial flight of the SLS -- Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), an un-crewed mission to orbit the moon and return. Encompassing hardware qualification, structural testing to validate hardware compliance and analytical modeling, progress in on track to meet the initial targeted launch date in 2018. In Utah and Mississippi, booster and engine testing are verifying upgrades made to proven shuttle hardware. At Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana, the world's largest spacecraft welding tool is producing tanks for the SLS core stage. This paper will particularly focus on work taking place at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and United Launch Alliance in Alabama, where upper stage and adapter elements of the vehicle are being constructed and tested. Providing the Orion crew capsule/launch vehicle interface and in-space propulsion via a cryogenic upper stage, the Spacecraft/Payload Integration and Evolution (SPIE) Element serves a key role in achieving SLS goals and objectives. The SPIE element marked a major milestone in 2014 with the first flight of original SLS hardware, the Orion Stage Adapter (OSA) which was used on Exploration Flight Test-1 with a design that will be used again on EM-1. Construction is already underway on the EM-1 Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), an in-space stage derived from the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage. Manufacture of the Orion Stage Adapter and the Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter is set to begin at the Friction Stir Facility located at MSFC while structural test articles are either completed (OSA) or nearing completion (Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter). An overview is provided of the launch vehicle capabilities, with a specific focus on SPIE Element qualification/testing progress, as well as efforts to provide access to deep space regions currently not available to the science community through a secondary payload capability utilizing CubeSat-class satellites.

Schorr, Andrew A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Guidance and dispersion studies of National Launch System ascent trajectories

The National Launch System (NLS) is a joint concept, between DoD and NASA, for building a family of new launch vehicles. Two of the many choices to be made are the trajectory shaping methods and the onboard guidance scheme. This paper presents results from some ongoing studies to address these issues. First, potential gains from new guidance concepts are listed. Next the paper gives a list of possible discriminators between different guidance schemes, lists a number of potential guidance schemes, and explains two in some detail. A reference scheme is tested to determine its performance versus the discriminators. Finally, results from some special studies using the reference guidance scheme are given, including the effects of closed-loop guidance initiation time, time of enforcement of sideslip, vehicle roll for engine out, time and location of an engine out, use of load relief control, and use of day of launch wind biasing.

Hanson, John M.↗

NASA NTRS2021

Operational Modal Analysis of the Space Launch System Mobile Launcher on the Crawler Transporter ISVV-010 Rollout

NASA is developing an expendable heavy lift launch vehicle capability, the Space Launch System, to support lunar and deep space exploration. To support this capability, an updated ground infrastructure is required including modifying an existing Mobile Launcher system. The Mobile Launcher is a very large heavy beam/truss steel structure designed to support the Space Launch System during its buildup and integration in the Vehicle Assembly Building, transportation between the Vehicle Assembly Building and launch pad 39B by the Crawler Transporter, and provides the launch platform at the launch pad. As part of the Verification and Validation of the Mobile Launcher and Crawler Transporter, two rollouts of the Mobile Launcher transported by the Crawler Transporter, Integrated System Verification and Validation (ISVV) 005 and 010, have been performed to demonstrate the Crawler Transporter’s ability to transport the Mobile Launcher. ISVV-005 occurred in September 2018 and ISVV-010 occurred in late June 2019. ISVV-005 and ISVV-010 also provided the opportunity to gather data that can be used identify the Mobile Launcher on the Crawler Transporter rollout modal characteristics and refine the estimates of the Artemis I integrated launch vehicle rollout forcing functions. While the rollout environment has historically produced relatively small launch vehicle structural loads for the Saturn/Apollo and Space Shuttle programs in comparison to launch and ascent loads, these relatively small structural loads are inputs to structural fatigue analyses. The same holds true for the Space Launch System. Because the rollout forces acting on the Mobile Launcher and the Crawler Transporter are not directly measurable, Operational Modal Analysis techniques, instead of traditional Experimental Modal Analysis techniques, provide an empirical means to identify the Mobile Launcher on the Crawler Transporter rollout modal characteristics. The ISVV-010 rollout modal characteristics provide important supplemental modal information, which along with the Mobile Launcher modal test that was performed in June 2019 immediately prior to ISVV-010 rollout, combine to reduce uncertainty in the test correlated Mobile Launcher on the Crawler Transporter finite element model. A well test correlated finite element model will play a key role in the Building Block approach the Space Launch System program has implemented as part of its certification process for the Artemis I flight and in refining the Artemis I rollout forcing functions. At the time of the ISVV-005 rollout in September 2018, the Mobile Launcher was still undergoing construction, and therefore its modal characteristics are not directly comparable to those of the Mobile Launcher during the June 2019 Mobile Launcher modal test and subsequent ISVV-010 rollout. Hence the ISVV-005 rollout modal characteristics will not be looked at in this paper. This paper will briefly describe the Mobile Launcher and Crawler Transporter physical characteristics, ISVV-010 rollout data collection, the challenges in implementing Operational Modal Analysis techniques due in part to the Crawler Transporter harmonics, and how these challenges were overcome to obtain the ISVV-010 Mobile Launcher on the Crawler Transporter rollout modal characteristics.

Apollo↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Operational Modal Analysis of the Space Launch System Mobile Launcher on the Crawler Transporter ISVV-010 Rollout

Apollo↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA's Space Launch System Begins Integration, Stacking in Preparation for Artemis I Launch

The Artemis era of human lunar exploration is nearing take-off as NASA’s new super heavy-lift launch vehicle, the Space Launch System (SLS), begins stack-ing and integration operations in mid-2020 at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. With a planned upgrade path to progressively more powerful vehicles and availability in crew and cargo configurations, SLS provides a unique and flexible launch solution to send crew, large-scale infrastructure and robotic probes to deep space. The SLS Block 1 vehicle, the initial variant to fly, is optimized for lunar missions with a proven propulsion system consisting of four liquid hydrogen (LH2)/liquid oxygen (LOX)-fed RS-25 engines and twin five-segment solid rocket boosters (SRBs). The Block 1 vehicle can also be outfitted with an industry-standard 5 m-class payload fairing (the “cargo” configuration) and will launch at least 27 metric tons (t) of mass to trans-lunar injection (TLI). SLS is the backbone of NASA’s Artemis program, which will return the agency’s human spaceflight program to the Moon for the first time since 1972. For the Artemis I mission, SLS will send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to TLI, where it will enter a distant retrograde lunar orbit and fly 38,000 nmi past the Moon – farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever traveled. The SLS Block 1 vehicle for Artemis I completed manufacturing in 2019. Several elements, including the upper stage, have been delivered to the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) program at KSC and are being prepped for integration and stack-ing. The five-segment solid rocket boosters – the largest and most powerful ever built for flight – are also complete. The booster motor segments for the Artemis I flight are scheduled to ship from prime contractor Northrop Grumman’s Utah facilities and begin stacking and integration at KSC in June 2020. The SLS core stage is the largest rocket stage NASA has ever built in terms of volume and height, and includes the avionics and the tanks that feed cryogenic propellant to the four RS-25s (formerly Space Shuttle Main Engines [SSMEs]). They have been modified with an updated controller and nozzle insulation to protect them from the hotter launch environment. The SLS core stage is currently being test-ed at NASA’s Stennis Space Center (SSC) in a series of “green run” tests to verify it meets design and performance requirements. Following the green run test series, which is scheduled to culminate with a full-duration hot-fire of the four RS-25 engines, the core stage will ship to KSC and be stacked between the sol-id rocket boosters in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Integration of the vehicle will continue with the upper stage, known as the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) and the Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter (LVSA) on the core stage. Another adapter, the Orion Stage Adapter (OSA), connects SLS to Orion and provides housing for 13 6U CubeSat payloads manifested on Artemis I. The CubeSats will be released in deep space after Orion separates from the vehicle, and the flight marks the first ride share opportunity for independent small-sats to deep space. The second major SLS variant to come online, Block 1B, replaces the single-engine ICPS with a four-engine LH2/LOX Exploration Upper Stage (EUS). This more powerful upper stage, along with other vehicle up-grades, will enable the Block 1B vehicle to launch 38-42 t to TLI, depending on crew or cargo configuration. The final evolution of the vehicle, Block 2, will onramp evolved solid rocket boosters to increase mass to TLI to 43-46 t, de-pending on crew or cargo configuration. The Block 1B/Block 2 vehicles can be outfitted with an 8.4 m-diameter payload fairing in 19.1 m or 27.4 m lengths, to provide unprecedented volume for payloads. With the initial Block 1 vehicle completely manufactured and the core stage in final testing before shipping to KSC, the SLS Program and its industry partners have made significant progress manufacturing subsequent vehicles. For the second Block 1 vehicle, the solid rocket motor segments are complete, as are the RS-25 engines with controllers. All five major components of the Artemis II core stage – the forward skirt, LOX and LH2 tanks, intertank and engine section – are manufactured and technicians are installing subsystems at NASA’s rocket factory, Michoud Assembly Facility. The RL-10 engine for the Artemis II ICPS is complete and panels have been machined for its LH2 tank. In addition, panels are machined for the vehicle’s two adapters, with welding scheduled to begin in summer 2020. Flight hard-ware is also in production for the third SLS vehicle, with several booster motor segments cast. The pace of development on the EUS has increased, with the goal to complete Critical Design Review (CDR) in December 2020. Several EUS test rings have been machined at Michoud. The EUS is designed to exe-cute a variety of missions – human spaceflight, deployment of deep-space infra-structure, or high-C3 missions to the outer solar system – with crew and cargo configurations available beginning in the mid-2020s. The near-term goal for the nation’s powerful new space exploration asset, however, is to launch the Arte-mis program, and send the first woman and the next man to the lunar surface. At the Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, the SLS program will update the community on the progress of the initial Block 1 vehicle in final green run test-ing, integration and stacking. In addition, this paper will provide an update to the community on the manufacturing status of subsequent Block 1 and Block 1B vehicles.

Steve Creech↗

NASA NTRS2019

The Implementation of Maximum Likelihood Estimation in Space Launch System Vehicle Design

The Space Launch System uses a Maximum Likelihood Estimation process in conjunction with Design of Experiments to develop statistically representative vehicles for the Block 1 configuration. These vehicles are then used to estimate maximum load conditions for simulating stressing cases in other simulations. This paper discusses the modeling process and how SLS captures manufacturing uncertainty in the launch vehicle design. It also provides an overview of the differences between Block 1 statistical representations. This paper also discusses proper grid choice as well as which uncertainties drive the vehicle design.

Stein, W. B.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Computational Fluid Dynamics Methods Used in the Development of the Space Launch System Liftoff and Transition Lineloads Databases

The objective of this paper is to document the reasoning and trade studies that supported the selection of appropriate tools for constructing aerodynamic lineload databases for the Liftoff and Transition phases of flight for launch vehicles. These decisions were made amid the maturation of an evolving workflow for generating databases on variants of the Space Launch System launch vehicle, with most being based on results from brief developmental studies performed in response to specific, unforeseen challenges that were encountered in analyzing a given configuration. This report is intended to provide a summary of the results and the decision-making processes chronologically over the design cycles of various configurations, starting with isolated free-air bodies for the Block 1 Crew, then the Block 1B Crew and Cargo configurations, and most recently the Block 1B Crew configuration in proximity to the launch tower. The results from these analyses led to the selection of the CREATE-AV Kestrel flowsolver for simulating these problems. The need to accurately capture the expected leeward-wake flow field characteristics required the use of Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (DDES) method, for which the vorticity magnitude was employed as the solution Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) function over the off-body Cartesian grid region. In addition, the Spalart-Allmaras (SA) model is used to account for the flow turbulence effects.

Ratnayake, Nalin A.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Space Launch System Mission Flexibility Assessment

The Space Launch System (SLS) is envisioned as a heavy lift vehicle that will provide the foundation for future beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) missions. While multiple assessments have been performed to determine the optimal configuration for the SLS, this effort was undertaken to evaluate the flexibility of various concepts for the range of missions that may be required of this system. These mission scenarios include single launch crew and/or cargo delivery to LEO, single launch cargo delivery missions to LEO in support of multi-launch mission campaigns, and single launch beyond LEO missions. Specifically, we assessed options for the single launch beyond LEO mission scenario using a variety of in-space stages and vehicle staging criteria. This was performed to determine the most flexible (and perhaps optimal) method of designing this particular type of mission. A specific mission opportunity to the Jovian system was further assessed to determine potential solutions that may meet currently envisioned mission objectives. This application sought to significantly reduce mission cost by allowing for a direct, faster transfer from Earth to Jupiter and to determine the order-of-magnitude mass margin that would be made available from utilization of the SLS. In general, smaller, existing stages provided comparable performance to larger, new stage developments when the mission scenario allowed for optimal LEO dropoff orbits (e.g. highly elliptical staging orbits). Initial results using this method with early SLS configurations and existing Upper Stages showed the potential of capturing Lunar flyby missions as well as providing significant mass delivery to a Jupiter transfer orbit.

Monk, Timothy↗

NASA NTRS2013

NASA's Space Launch System: Positioning Assets for Tele-Robotic Operations

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is designing and developing America's most capable launch vehicle to support high-priority human and scientific exploration beyond Earth's orbit. The Space Launch System (SLS) will initially lift 70 metric tons (t) on its first flights, slated to begin in 2017, and will be evolved after 2021 to a full 130-t capability-larger than the Saturn V Moon rocket. This superior lift and associated volume capacity will support game-changing exploration in regions that were previously unattainable, being too costly and risky to reach. On the International Space Station, astronauts are training for long-duration missions to asteroids and cis-martian regions, but have not had transportation out of Earth's orbit - until now. Simultaneously, productive rovers are sending scientists - and space fans - unprecedented information about the composition and history of Mars, the planet thought to be most like Earth. This combination of experience and information is laying the foundation for future missions, such as those outlined in NASA's "Mars Next Decade" report, that will rely on te1e-robotic operations to take exploration to the next level. Within this paradigm, NASA's Space Launch System stands ready to manifest the unique payloads that will be required for mission success. Ultimately, the ability to position assets - ranging from orbiters, to landers, to communication satellites and surface systems - is a critical step in broadening the reach of technological innovation that will benefit all Earth's people as the Space Age unfolds. This briefing will provide an overview of how the Space Launch System will support delivery of elements for tele-robotic operations at destinations such as the Moon and Mars, which will synchronize the human-machine interface to deliver hybrid on-orbit capabilities. Ultimately, telerobotic operations will open entirely new vistas and the doors of discovery. NASA's Space Launch System will be a safe, affordable, and sustainable platform for these purposes and more.

May, Todd A.↗

NASA NTRS2012

The Space Launch System -The Biggest, Most Capable Rocket Ever Built, for Entirely New Human Exploration Missions Beyond Earth's Orbit

NASA is developing the Space Launch System -- an advanced heavy-lift launch vehicle that will provide an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond Earth's orbit. The Space Launch System will provide a safe, affordable and sustainable means of reaching beyond our current limits and opening up new discoveries from the unique vantage point of space. The first developmental flight, or mission, is targeted for the end of 2017. The Space Launch System, or SLS, will be designed to carry the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, as well as important cargo, equipment and science experiments to Earth's orbit and destinations beyond. Additionally, the SLS will serve as a backup for commercial and international partner transportation services to the International Space Station. The SLS rocket will incorporate technological investments from the Space Shuttle Program and the Constellation Program in order to take advantage of proven hardware and cutting-edge tooling and manufacturing technology that will significantly reduce development and operations costs. The rocket will use a liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propulsion system, which will include the RS-25D/E from the Space Shuttle Program for the core stage and the J-2X engine for the upper stage. SLS will also use solid rocket boosters for the initial development flights, while follow-on boosters will be competed based on performance requirements and affordability considerations.

Shivers, C. Herb↗

NASA NTRS2017

Evaluating the Stability of NASA's Space Launch System with Adaptive Augmenting Control

NASA's baseline Space Launch System (SLS) flight control system (FCS) design includes an adaptive augmenting control (AAC) component that modifies the attitude control system response to provide the classical gain-scheduled control architecture with additional performance and robustness. The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) teamed with the Space Launch System (SLS) Program to perform a comprehensive assessment of the stability and robustness of the FCS with AAC. This paper provides an overview of the approach, specific analysis techniques, and outcomes that were particularly relevant for the SLS Program. Multiple analysis techniques that specifically target the nonlinear AAC were commissioned as part of this assessment, which was completed outside of the Program's standard design analysis cycle. The following analyses were included, with each technique adding its own valuable insights: Lyapunov-based stability analysis, classical stability analysis with static AAC gain variations, circle criterion-based analysis of the FCS with a time-varying element, time-domain stability margin assessment, Monte Carlo simulations with expanded dispersions, and an extensive set of stressing cases. Several of the completed analyses focused on determining whether the inclusion of AAC introduced risk to the FCS, while others quantified the benefits of the adaptive augmentation.

Tannen S Vanzwieten↗

NASA NTRS2018

Accommodations for Secondary Payloads in NASA's Space Launch System

NASA's new heavy-lift launch vehicle, the Space Launch System (SLS), is moving closer to its planned 2019 launch, with the in-space stage and spacecraft adapters complete and all other major elements of the rocket manufactured and currently being outfitted for flight. Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), the first flight of SLS and the new Orion crew vehicle, will verify and validate new systems and provide an unparalleled opportunity for 13 6U CubeSat-class payloads to be released into deep space. Payloads are being developed by NASA, industry, international and academic partners and were selected for the EM-1 flight to address strategic knowledge gaps in the agency's plans for human deep space exploration. Destinations range from the lunar surface to an asteroid to an orbit around the Earth-moon L2 libration point. Missions include studying the effects of space radiation on a living organism (yeast), landing the smallest lander to date on the moon, and searching for water in permanently shaded lunar craters. Propulsion technology demonstrations include solar sails, use of inert water to carry out lunar gravity assist maneuvers, and use of new "green" chemical propellants. SLS employs an evolutionary design approach, with an initial capability of at least 26 metric tons (t) to trans-lunar injection (TLI). The later Block 1B configuration, which will become the Agency's workhorse launch vehicle into the 2020s, will lift at least 34 t to TLI in its crew configuration and at least 37 t in the cargo configuration. In addition to greater lift capability, Block 1B will also offer larger payload volume than Block 1 for both co-manifested and secondary payloads. In Block 1B, various combinations of 6U, 12U and 27U payloads may be accommodated in the vehicle's stage adapter. Opportunities for deep space research once out of reach for small science payloads will be within reach, opening many possibilities for exciting new technology demonstrations and scientific missions. This paper will provide an overview of the capabilities and the status of the Block 1 vehicle, with particular emphasis on the secondary payload accommodations and the deployment system. Brief descriptions of the 13 6U EM-1 payloads will be included. In addition, a discussion of the payload developers' responsibilities and the Space Launch System Program's roles and responsibilities in accommodating these and future payloads will be included. Finally, the author will look ahead to SLS Block 1B and missions beyond EM-1 and the opportunities for 6U, 12U and 27U CubeSats.

Robinson, Kimberly F.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Personnel Launch System (PLS) study

NASA is currently studying a personnel launch system (PLS) approach to help satisfy the crew rotation requirements for the Space Station Freedom. Several concepts from low L/D capsules to lifting body vehicles are being examined in a series of studies as a potential augmentation to the Space Shuttle launch system. Rockwell International Corporation, under contract to NASA, analyzed a lifting body concept to determine whether the lifting body class of vehicles is appropriate for the PLS function. The results of the study are given.

Ehrlich, Carl F., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1994

A shadowgraph study of the National Launch System's 1 1/2 stage vehicle configuration and Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle configuration

A shadowgraph study of the National Launch System's (NLS's) 1 1/2 stage and heavy lift launch vehicle (HLLV) configurations is presented. Shadowgraphs are shown for the range of Mach numbers from Mach 0.6 to 5.0 at various angles-of-attack and roll angles. Since the 1 1/2 stage configuration is generally symmetric, no shadowgraphs of any roll angle are shown for this configuration. The major flow field phenomena over the NLS 1 1/2 stage and HLLV configurations are shown in the shadowgraphs. These shadowgraphs are used in the aerothermodynamic analysis of the external flow conditions the launch vehicle would encounter during the ascent stage of flight. The shadowgraphs presented in this study were obtained from configurations tested in the Marshall Space Flight Center's 14-Inch Trisonic Wind Tunnel during 1992.

Pokora, Darlene C.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Alternating Between Software Models and Real Hardware in the System Integration Lab for the Incremental Development of the Space Launch System Program Avionics

Matthew Pickard↗

NASA NTRS2019

Acoustic Emission-Based Health Monitoring of Space Launch System Structures

This report documents the technical accomplishments of the project, “Acoustic Emission- Based Health Monitoring of Space Launch System Structures,” sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Award No. NNM13AA12G). As the project title suggests, the goal of the project was to develop a structural health monitoring (SHM) system for Space Launch System (SLS) vehicles based on acoustic emission (AE) or AE-like signals. Such a system will enhance SLS reliability by identifying the damage locations and type of damage when the damage is initiated. This SHM system would also lead to reduced maintenance costs by enabling ground support equipment to inspect only SLS elements or parts that are likely to be damaged. Finally, it will facilitate lean designs that meet tolerance levels specified by barely detectable damage. By avoiding excess conservatism in this manner, this SHM system will further reduce manufacturing costs of SLS vehicles.

Adams, D. O.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Evaluation of the national launch system as a booster for the HL-20

The capability of a proposed national launch system (NLS) to boost the personnel launch system (PLS) manned vehicle has been examined. A reference NLS configuration, the NLS-2 1.5 stage vehicle, and a reference HL-20 PLS configuration were used for the study. Performance has been analyzed for several PLS insertion orbits to support the Space Station Freedom resupply mission. The reliability of the NLS launch vehicle and its contribution to crew safety requirements have been determined. The launch-processing and launch facility requirements of these combined systems were also analyzed. Previous studies of these two systems have focused on either the PLS manned element or NLS launch vehicle. This paper combines the results of prior studies in an analysis of the integrated NLS/PLS configuration. This analysis has found the proposed NLS 1.5 stage launch vehicle to be an excellent booster for the PLS. Predicted performance margins for this launch-vehicle configuration are more than adequate, and acceptable reliability and safety levels are anticipated. Integration of this NLS/PLS configuration into NASA mixed-fleet launch architectures is feasible.

Duffy, James B.↗