Tue, Sep 19, 2006
PICA-System Must Endure Extreme Heat From Returning Lunar
Missions
It's an problem guaranteed to involve a lot of hot air... and
NASA believes Boeing is best able to solve it. On Monday, the space
agency announced it has selected the Chicago-based aerospace
manufacturer to support the design and development of the heat
shield on its next-generation Orion crew exploration vehicle.
The 16-month contract has a maximum value of approximately $14
million, according to a NASA release. The shield will be designed
to protect the Orion capsule and its crew from the extreme heat
generated during reentry into earth's atmosphere, after both
earth-orbital missions as well as those returning from the
moon.
According to NASA, when returning from missions to the station
Orion will re-enter at speeds similar to those experienced by the
space shuttle -- 16,700 miles an hour. Returning from the moon,
however, Orion will reenter the atmosphere at speeds of about
25,000 miles an hour -- and experience heating about five times as
extreme as missions returning from the station.
NASA's Constellation Program is developing Orion as NASA's
primary vehicle for future human space exploration. Orion will
carry astronauts to the station by 2014, with a goal of landing
astronauts on the moon no later than 2020.
The present Phase II
contract with Boeing is a continuation of an earlier Phase I NASA
effort that evaluated phenolic impregnated carbon ablator (PICA),
as well as four other candidate materials using extensive testing
and analysis. Boeing has been selected to provide PICA, a
proprietary material manufactured by its subcontractor, Fiber
Materials Inc. of Biddeford, ME for continued testing and
evaluation.
While certainly an important contract, being selected to develop
Orion's heat shield may be seen as something of a consolation prize
for Boeing.
As Aero-News reported last
month, Lockheed Martin was selected over a
joint-venture between Boeing and Northrop Grumman to
build the Orion space vehicle.
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