Orion Flight Test Prelaunch Status and Overview Briefing | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Orion flight test is scheduled in two days, featuring the NASA program manager, Lockheed Martin Orion program manager, and United Launch Alliance director speaking about the mission.

Key Insights

• 🚙 Orion's flight test will provide valuable data on vehicle behavior and system interactions.
• 🏆 The heat shield is a critical component being tested, and potential modifications may be made based on test results.
• 🛫 The computers on Orion are state-of-the-art and will be used to control various systems during the flight.
• 😤 The recovery team is prepared to bring back the capsule for further analysis of data and material samples.
• 😘 The mission is part of the overall plan to explore destinations beyond low Earth orbit, including the moon and eventually Mars.
• 💦 Thousands of people have worked tirelessly to prepare for the launch, emphasizing teamwork and mission success.
• 🛰️ Orion's flight test will be a significant milestone in human space exploration, as it is the first human-rated spacecraft to go beyond low Earth orbit in 42 years.

Transcript

good afternoon and welcome to the Ryan flight test status and overview briefing we are less than two days away now from launch and we've got a great lineup here to tell you a little bit about what to expect on launch day so we're going to start here with uh the NASA program manager for Orion Mark guy and then we'll hear from the locked Martin Orion... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How are the computers on Orion programmed for the flight?

The computers on Orion are programmed for the full flight sequence, but there are contingency commands that can be sent real-time to reconfigure systems if needed.

Q: What type of data will be collected during the flight?

The flight will collect telemetry data to monitor system behavior and performance. Additionally, there are over 12,000 sensors onboard measuring various parameters like temperature, vibration, and acoustics.

Q: How quickly will the capsule be returned to Kennedy Space Center after the mission?

The recovery team will transport the capsule back to Kennedy Space Center before Christmas, where data will be offloaded and analyzed.

Q: Will there be any changes or modifications to the heat shield based on the data collected from the test flight?

The heat shield will be evaluated based on performance and material properties. There are considerations for using a different design, such as building blocks, to improve manufacturability.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The flight test will launch Orion on a Delta 4 heavy rocket to test the heat shield, separation events, avionics, and parachutes.

• The crew module is the core of Orion, and the test will examine key systems before human flights.

• The mission is a flight test to gather data on vehicle behavior and system interactions to ensure safety before crewed missions.