Preliminary Results Show Igniter Performed As Expected
NASA and Alliant Techsystems reached another milestone Friday
with the successful test firing of a critical safety component for
the next-generation Orion crew exploration vehicle. A 36-inch-long
igniter for the abort motor of Orion's launch abort system was
fired at ATK's facility in Promontory, UT.
Orion is part of the Constellation Program of spacecraft and
systems NASA is building to carry astronauts to the International
Space Station and conduct sustained human exploration of the moon.
The abort motor, the primary motor in the launch abort system, is
designed to pull the crew capsule away from the Ares I launch
vehicle in an emergency situation while on the pad or during the
first 300,000 feet of ascent after launch.
In less than a second, the igniter generated approximately
21,000 pounds of thrust and produced combustion gas temperatures of
more than 5,800 degrees Fahrenheit. Engineers will use the test
firing to evaluate the igniter's ballistic properties and pressure
created inside its chamber. Preliminary data indicate the igniter
performed as expected.
The igniter is designed to fit inside the aft end of the abort
motor for Orion's launch abort system. In the event of an
emergency, it will be used to ignite the solid propellant inside
the abort motor casing. The motor uses a unique reverse flow
technology with four nozzles mounted on the forward end. Once
ignited, it will produce nearly a half-million pounds of thrust
within milliseconds to pull the Orion crew module safely away from
the Ares I rocket.
Friday's test was the first in a
series of three igniter open air tests scheduled for 2008. A
full-scale abort motor ground test will be conducted in September.
In December, the entire Orion launch abort system will be
demonstrated during a flight test at the US Army's White Sands
Missile Range in New Mexico.
The abort system is a key element in NASA's continuing efforts
to improve safety as the agency develops the next generation of
spacecraft to return humans to the moon. NASA's Langley Research
Center in Hampton, VA manages the launch abort system design and
development effort with partners and team members from NASA's
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL.
Langley's Launch Abort System Office performs this function as
part of the Orion Project Office located at NASA's Johnson Space
Center in Houston. Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, VA is
building the launch abort system for Lockheed Martin Corporation of
Bethesda, MD, the prime contractor for Orion.
NASA will post video of the test on the Constellation Program
Web site when it is available.
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