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Atlas V Rocket X-37B OTV Launch Cape Canaveral

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Apr 282010

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Courtesy: United Lauch Alliance http://www.ulalaunch.com

The Atlas V 501 configuration consists of a single Atlas V booster stage and the Centaur upper stage.
The Atlas V booster is 12.5 ft in diameter and 106.5 ft long. The boosters tanks are structurally stable and constructed of isogrid aluminum barrels, spun-formed aluminum domes, and intertank skirts. Atlas booster propulsion is provided by the RD-180 engine system (a single engine with two thrust chambers). The RD-180 burns RP-1 (Rocket Propellant-1 or highly purified kerosene) and liquid oxygen, and delivers 860,200 lb of thrust at sea level. The Atlas V booster is controlled by the Centaur avionics system that provides guidance, flight control, and vehicle sequencing functions during the booster and Centaur phases of flight.
The Centaur upper stage is 10 ft in diameter and 41.5 ft long. Its propellant tanks are constructed of pressure-stabilized, corrosion resistant stainless steel. Centaur is a liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen- (cryogenic-) fueled vehicle. It uses a single RL10A-4-2 engine producing 22,300 lb of thrust. The cryogenic tanks are insulated with a combination of helium-purged insulation blankets, radiation shields, and closed-cell foam insulation. The Centaur forward adapter (CFA) provides the structural mountings for vehicle electronics and the structural and electronic interfaces with the spacecraft.
The OTV mission is encapsulated within the Atlas V 5-meter-diameter short payload fairing (PLF). The 5-meter PLF is a bisector PLF with a composite structure made from sandwich panels with carbon fiber face sheets and a vented aluminum honeycomb core. The 5-meter PLF is comprised of two major components: the lower section, or base module, that encapsulates the Centaur, and the upper section, or common payload module (CPM), that encapsulates the spacecraft. The Atlas V booster, Centaur, and the 5-meter payload fairing boattail are attached by the 3.8-meter diameter Centaur interstage adapter (C-ISA). The C-ISA is a composite structure with graphite epoxy facesheets over an aluminum honeycomb core.

Space Shuttle Discovery Landing STS-131 Kennedy Space Center

Aviation, NASA, Space Shuttle, YouTube Comments Off

Apr 202010

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Courtesy: NASA

“Good news, there’s a ‘go’ forecast at KSC,” CAPCOM Rick Sturckow radioed from Mission Control. “No precipitation concern inside of 30 miles, all the shower activity’s kind of to the east of that 30-mile circle. The main concern is going to be fog. Fog is not in the forecast, but that’s what we’re having Fergie (astronaut Chris Ferguson) look at for the T-38 (weather assessment) flight.”
“So it’s going to be few (clouds) at 2,000 (feet), scattered 5,000, scattered 12,000, seven miles vis and the winds are zero-eight-zero (at) four, peak six knots,” Sturckow said. “So that’s all good news. We’ll keep an eye on the fog for the first opportunity.”

“We understand, Houston, thanks a lot,” commander Alan Poindexter replied from Discovery. “That sounds like a great forecast.”