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WELCOME TO TODAY'S UPDATE ON NASA'S HUMAN DEEP SPACE
EXPLORATION PROCESS, AND THANKS FOR JOINING US IN FIRING ROOM
ONE IN THE LAUNCH CONTROL CENTER AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER.
WITH US TODAY ARE DAN DUNNBACHER, DEPUTY ASSOCIATE
ADMINISTRATOR FOR EXPLORATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT, MARK GEYER,
ORION PROGRAM MANAGER, TODD MAY, SPACE LAUNCH PROGRAM
ADMINISTRATOR, AND PEPPER PHILLIPS, GROUND SYSTEMS AND
OPERATIONS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER. FOR THOSE OF YOU JOINING US ON
NASA TV AND SOCIAL MEDIA, IF YOU'D LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION
DURING THE BRIEFING, USE THE HASH TAG #ASKNASA.
WITH THAT, DAN? >> THANK YOU, RACHEL, AND GOOD
AFTERNOON, EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO THIS LITTLE BRIEFING.
FIRST OF ALL, WELCOME TO CENTRAL FLORIDA FOR TOMORROW'S SPACEX
LAUNCH. A VERY KEY PART OF OUR OVERALL
INTEGRATED EXPLORATION MISSION THAT INCLUDES THE CREW AND CARGO
RESUPPLY FOR SPACE STATION AS WELL AS THE WORK WE'LL BE
TALKING ABOUT WHICH IS OUR BEYOND EARTH ORBIT EXPLORATION.
THE INTEGRATION WITH OUR BRETHREN WITH THE COMMERCIAL
CARGO AND CREW IS VERY IMPORTANT.
THEY FLY TOMORROW. WE ARE WORKING VERY DILIGENTLY
TO OUR FIRST TEST FLIGHT WHICH WILL COME UP IN SEPTEMBER OF
2014 CALLED EXPLORATION FLIGHT TEST ONE.
IN THAT FLIGHT TEST, IT'S PRIMARILY TO GET SOME GOOD TEST
DATA FOR THE ORION SPACECRAFT AND MARK WILL TALK ABOUT THAT.
BUT IT ALSO IS A VERY GOOD INTEGRATED FLIGHT TEST PLAN
WHERE FLIGHT TEST OBJECTIVES FOR THE SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM AS WELL
AS OUR GROUND SYSTEM AND OUR RECOVERY EFFORTS THAT WE WILL
ULTIMATELY NEED FOR OUR CREWED MISSIONS WITH ORION AND THE
SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM. IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT FLIGHT
TEST FOR US. IT'S A VERY KEY IMPORTANT
MILESTONE FOR THE TEAM AND FOR ALL OF OUR EFFORTS.
AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR FORWARD TO THAT.
AND YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE HARDWARE HERE AT KSC AS WE MOVE
FORWARD. IT IS A VERY KEY ELEMENT OF OUR
OVERALL PLAN TO GET HUMANS BACK BEYOND EARTH ORBIT AS QUICKLY AS
WE CAN. OUR NEXT FLIGHT TEST FOLLOWING
EXPLORATION FLIGHT TEST ONE WILL BE OUR EXPLORATION MISSION ONE
IN THE 2017 TIME FRAME. AND THE TEAM IS WORKING VERY
HARD FOR THAT. SO AGAIN, WE'RE EXCITED TO BE
HERE. WE'RE EXCITED TO WATCH THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE OVERALL NASA'S INTEGRATED PLAN FOR HUMAN
EXPLORATION FROM INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION OUT TO MOON,
ASTEROID, AND EVENTUALLY TO MARS.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO IT, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST.
MARK? >> THANK YOU, DAN.
SO AS DAN MENTIONED, SEPTEMBER, 2014, THAT'S ONLY 19 MONTHS
AWAY. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF WORK GOING ON
TO GET READY FOR THAT FLIGHT. THE PICTURE THAT WE'RE SHOWING
HERE IS ACTUALLY THE CREW MODULE WHICH IS BEING ASSEMBLED RIGHT
HERE IN -- AT KSC IN THE ONC BUILDING.
THAT'S WHERE ALL THE AVIONICS, THE CABLES, TUBING, SECONDARY
STRUCTURE, HEAT SHIELD, PARACHUTES AND EVERYTHING ELSE
AND THE SERVICE MODULE ITSELF WILL BE INSTALLED AND ASSEMBLED
HERE. WE'LL PUT THE LAUNCH SYSTEM ON
IT AND STACK IT ON A DELTA FOUR, THE LAUNCH VEHICLE WE USE.
THE ESC ONE FLIGHT WILL BE TWO ORBITS.
THE SECOND WILL BE HIGH ALTITUDE, 3,000 MILES, THE
FARTHEST WE'VE EVER TAKEN A HUMAN SPACECRAFT SINCE WE WENT
TO THE MOON WITH "APOLLO." 3,000 MILES, THINK ABOUT IT,
ABOUT 15,000 MILES WITH THE SPACE STATION ALTITUDE.
IT'S WAY UP THERE. THE REASON WE'RE DOING THAT IS
WE GET TO 84% OF THE ENTRY VELOCITY THAT WE WOULD SEE
COMING BACK FROM THE MOON. IT ALLOWS US TO STRESS THE HEAT
SHIELD THAT'S GOING TO BE CLOSE TO WHAT WE'LL SEE WHEN WE COME
BACK FROM THE REGION AROUND THE MOON.
WE'RE ALSO INSTRUMENTING THE HEAT SHIELD WITH
STATE-OF-THE-ART INSTRUMENTS THAT ALLOW US IT ACTUALLY
MEASURE NOT JUST THE HEAT BUT THE PLASMA THAT WE'RE GOING TO
LOOK AT WHICH ALLOWS US TO MAKE OUR MODELS ON EARTH MUCH BETTER
SO WE CAN MAKE HEAT SHIELDS LIGHTER, SAFE, MORE RELIABLE.
AND THIS IS WHY WE'RE DOING THIS.
WE'RE ALSO GOING TO EXERCISE SEVEN OF THE TOP TEN RISK AREAS
IN THE ORION DESIGN INCLUDING THE HEAT SHIELD.
THAT ALSO INCLUDE PARACHUTE DEPLOYMENT.
IT INCLUDES NAVIGATION AND GUIDANCE.
INCLUDES ALL THE SOFTWARE THEY'RE GOING TO EXERCISE ON THE
FLIGHT, AS WELL AS KEY AREAS, LIKE I SAID, WITH NAVIGATION AND
GUIDANCE AND THEN SEPARATION EVENTS.
WE HAVE SOME -- LAUNCH ABOARD SYSTEM WILL COME OFF.
WE HAVE LARGE BEARINGS ON THE SERVICE MODULE THAT WILL BE
DEPLOYED. SEPARATION EVENTS ARE IMPORTANT
PART OF THE FLIGHTS. WE'LL TEST THOSE IN THE
ENVIRONMENTS THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE WHEN WE ACTUALLY PUT PEOPLE
ON BOARD. THEY'RE ALL REAL IMPORTANT TO US
TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL HAVE GREAT MODELS, BUT WHEN YOU FLY
IT IN THE ENVIRONMENT IT WILL BEHAVE AS YOU EXPECT.
THAT'S WHY EFT ONE IS SO IMPORTANT FOR ORION.
SOME THINGS THAT ARE NOT AS GLAMOROUS AS, SAY, HOT HEAT
SHIELDS AND PARACHUTE DEPLOYMENT, BUT WE'RE ALSO
REINVIGORATING THE SUPPLIER BASE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES FOR
HIGH-TECH PARTS. TITANIUM PARTS, COMPOSITE PARTS,
TRIPLE-E PARTS, AVIONICS, THINGS THAT ARE -- SINCE THE SHUTTLE
HAS COME DOWN, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF BUSINESS IN THESE AREAS, AND
WE'VE REINVIGORATED THAT TEAM. RECERTIFIED FOR PEOPLE, MAKING
PARTS AND MAKING COATINGS. THAT'S A BIG PART NOT JUST OF
ORION BUT ALSO KEEPING UNITED STATES TECHNOLOGY EDGE THERE.
ANOTHER INTERESTING THING ABOUT THIS PROGRAM IS THE DATA THAT WE
GET FROM THESE FLIGHT TESTS, NOT ONLY INFORM ORION FOR EM-1 AND
THE OTHER MISSIONS WE'LL DO, BUT WE PROVIDE HUNDREDS OF DATA
PRODUCTS TO THE COMMERCIAL PROVIDERS THAT DAN TALKED ABOUT
THAT ARE GOING TO BE FLYING ISS. PARACHUTE DATA, HEAT SHIELD
DATA, AERODYNAMIC DATA BASE DATA.
THIS IS ONE OF THE SPINOFFS THAT THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES FOR THE
GUYS GOING TO LOWER EARTH ORBIT. IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT FLIGHT
FOR US. VERY EXCITING.
AND IT'S ALL HAPPENED HERE, RIGHT HERE IN FLORIDA.
TODD? >> SO IT MIGHT NOT BE
INTUITIVELY OBVIOUS WHY AN SLS GUY IS SITTING HERE FOR A FLIGHT
THAT'S GOING TO BE ON THE DELTA 4.
BUT AS IT TURNS OUT, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT THE MISSION
THAT HELPS THE SLS AS WELL AS WE'RE HELPING THE MISSION TO BE
SUCCESSFUL. AS FAR AS THE FORMER, IT TURNS
OUT THAT A LOT OF THE DATA THAT MARK'S TALKING ABOUT WHERE WE'RE
HIGHLY INSTRUMENTING THIS IS DATA THAT WE'RE GOING TO USE TO
UNDERSTAND THE STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES, THE AERO LOADING,
ENVIRONMENTAL LOADING, GUIDANCE NAVIGATION AND CONTROL,
SEPARATION LOADS, THAT WE FEED BACK INTO THE INTEGRATED STACKED
LOADS FOR OUR FIRST FLIGHT, EM-1.
IT TURNS OUT THAT WE'RE ALSO BUILDING AN ADAPTER THAT WE
DELIVER TO MARK USED KIND OF A SKUNK-WORKS THEME.
IT WAS A TWO-YEAR EFFORT. THE PICTURE YOU SEE HERE IS
ACTUALLY THAT -- WE CALL IT THE MSA.
THAT'S ACTUALLY A DESIGN LAUNCH BUILD AND USED MULTIPLE TIMES.
THAT FLIES ON THE EFT-1 FLIGHT AND WILL FLY ON EM-1 AND EM-2.
THAT'S ACTUALLY BEING BUILT IN -- AT MARSHALL SPACEFLIGHT
CENTER AS WE SPEAK. WE'RE WELDING THE FLIGHT ARTICLE
NOW TODAY. THERE'S A COUPLE CONNECTIONS
HERE BETWEEN US ON THIS MISSION. SLS IS PROCEEDING VERY WELL
RIGHT NOW. WE ARE HEADING INTO VEHICLE PDR
THIS SUMMER. WE HAVE PURCHASED MOST OF THE
TOOLING THAT GOES INTO MISHU. AND OVER THIS YEAR, THOSE --
THOSE TOOLS ARE GOING TO BE INSTALLED THERE, INCLUDING ONE
OF THE TALLEST WELDING MACHINES EVER BUILT AT OVER 160-FEET
TALL. WE ALSO ARE HEADING INTO A TIME
WHERE WE WILL TAKE THE J2X OFF THE STAND IN STENNIS AND
RECONFIGURE IT FOR THE RF-25 TESTING TO GET THOSE ENGINES
READY TO GO ON TO THE FIRST EM-1 FLIGHT.
AS WE SPEAK, WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER THE QUALIFICATION MOTOR
FOR THE BOOSTER QUALIFICATION TEST LATE THIS YEAR.
AND ALL THOSE THINGS ARE PROCEEDING ON TRACK.
AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING BACK DOWN HERE FOR AN
EVENT LIKE THIS IN DECEMBER OF 2017.
>> SO AS THE LOCAL GUY, KFC GUY, I WELCOME YOU TO KFC.
I KNOW DAN MENTIONED THAT THIS IS WHERE IT ALL COMES TOGETHER.
SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD TO DISPLAY WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON AROUND THE
CENTER. TALK ABOUT EFT-1 FIRST.
SO OUR INVOLVEMENT IN THAT MISSION IS TWOFOLD REALLY.
THE ACTIVE PART IS WHAT DAN MENTIONED IS THE LANDING AND
RECOVERY ASPECT. OUR TEAM IS GOING TO BE THE ONE
EXECUTING THAT LANDING AND RECOVERY.
OF COURSE, WE'RE DOING IT WITH THE DOD COMMUNITY.
SO IT'S OUR PARTNERSHIP TO GO OUT THERE AND RECOVER OFF THE
WEST COAST. THE TEAMS ARE EXERCISING SOME
STATIC TESTS NOW, BUT WE'RE GOING TO BE READY WITH THIS
FIRST FULL-UP ACTIVE TEST WITH A LIVE SPACECRAFT.
AND THAT, WHAT'S DIFFERENT IS WE GET TO GO OUT AND RECOVER
PARACHUTES. THE FORWARD BAY COVERS, THAT
ENTIRE RECOVERY OPERATION IS GOING TO BE END TO END DONE ON
THE WEST COAST. ONCE WE RECOVER, WE BRING IT IN
SURE AND WILL BE SERVICING THE SPACECRAFT ON THE WEST COAST.
THAT'S A CHANGE FROM WHAT WILL BE OUR BASELINE, OUR DESERVICING
O, WE'LL BE BACK HERE AT KFC AS A NOMINAL PLAN.
THE DE-SERVICING IS NOT READY TO BE DONE HERE AT KFC.
WE'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ASSETS OUT WEST.
THEN WE'RE GOING TO TRANSPORT IT BACK OVER LAND, BACK TO KFC.
WE'LL EXERCISE THAT PROCESS AND LEARN FROM IT.
ELSEWHERE, KFC, WE'RE GETTING READY FOR EM-1.
IF YOU HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO SEE THINGS GOING ON.
THE OBVIOUS ONES, THE ONES THAT ARE BIG.
YOU SEE OUT AT THE PAD. WE'RE REFURBISHED -- DOING A LOT
OF REFURBISHMENT WORK. WE'VE JUST COMPLETED SOME WORK
LIKE ON THE HYDROGEN SPHERE AND THE OXYGEN SPHERE AND THE WATER
TANK. THOSE ARE BIG ITEMS THAT YOU SEE
AT THE PAD THAT REFURBISHED. ESSENTIALLY WE'VE GOT A STRIPPED
DOWN VERSION OF THE OLD PADS, THE OLD SYSTEMS HAVE COME OUT.
WE'VE -- WE'VE ARE YOUER IS 04:27:45:FASS
-- WE'VE RESURFACED THE CONCRETE SLOPE.
WE'RE GETTING INTO THE DETAILED SYSTEMS AT THE PAD.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SYSTEM, HVAC SYSTEMS.
THOSE ARE THE ONES BEING REVAMPED TODAY.
AND THE VAB, WE'VE REMOVED THE PLATFORM, THE OLD PLATFORM SET
FOR SHUTTLE OUT OF HIGH BAY THREE.
THAT EFFORT IS -- IS FINISHING UP.
MEANWHILE, WE'RE COMPLETING OUR DESIGNS IN CONJUNCTION WITH
TODD'S TEAM TO MAKE SURE WE'VE GOT A RECONFIGUREABLE PLATFORM
SET THAT ALIGNS TO HIS OUTER MOLD LINE AND INTERFACES THAT HE
REQUIRES. ELSEWHERE, OF COURSE, THERE'S
THE BIG MOBILE LAUNCHER. THE EAST REFURB PARK SITE.
THAT'S COME ALONG WELL. WE'VE GOT OUR DESIGN NEAR
COMPLETE ON THE STRUCTURAL MODS THAT WE'LL HAVE TO DO TO THE
VEHICLE TO RECONFIGURE IT FROM THE OLD AIRES CONFIGURATION TO
WHAT WE'LL BE DOING FOR SLS AND ORION.
WE EXPECT, IN FACT, TO ADVERTISE AN AWARD CONTRACT THIS FISCAL
YEAR TO DO THE CONSTRUCTION ON THAT WORK.
AND THEN OF COURSE THERE'S A CRAWLER TRANSPORTER THAT'S RIGHT
NOW, CRAWLER TRANSPORTER TWO IS THE ONE WE'RE PLANNING ON USING
FOR FLS. OF COURSE, WE'RE SINGLE STRING,
SO THAT'S THE ONE WE'RE FOCUSING ON, WE'RE USING CRAWLER
TRANSPORTER ONE TODAY TO MOVE ASSETS WHILE CRAWLER TRANSPORTER
TWO IS GOING THROUGH ITS MAJOR MOD PERIOD.
WE DID HAVE OUR, BACK IN NOVEMBER IF YOU RECALL, WE HAD
OUR VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION TEST WITH ODD WORK WE'VE DONE ON
CRAWLER TRANSPORTER TWO. IT WAS REALLY, IT WAS REALLY
LIFE EXTENSION MODS. NOW WE'RE GOING INTO THINGS THAT
WE REQUIRE SPECIFICALLY FOR SLS AND ORION CAPABILITY WHICH IS
BASICALLY OPERATING IT FROM 12 MILLION POUNDS -- UPGRADING FROM
18 MILLION POUNDS TO 18 MILLION POUNDS.
WE HAVE ROLLER BEARING FABRICATION, PRIMARY
WEIGHT-BEARING ITEMS ON THE TRUCKS, ON THE CRAWLER
TRANSPORTER. SO THAT'S END WORK.
WE'VE GOT SOME OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT WE'VE ALREADY COMPLETED
SUCH AS MODIFYING THE BRAKES. AGAIN, WE'VE CHECKED THOSE OUT.
SO THE TEAM HERE AT KFC IS EXCITED ABOUT EFT-1'S
OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN. ONE ASPECT THAT I NEED TO POINT
OUT SINCE WE'RE SITTING IN IT IS FLIGHT FOLLOWING FOR EFT-1.
THIS ROOM IS THE ROOM WE PLAN TO USE FOR SLS AND ORION.
AND IT'S BEING MODIFIED TO SUPPORT EM-1.
WE, IN FACT, ARE GOING TO USE THESE AFFECTS YOU SEE FOR FLIGHT
FOLLOWING OF EFT-1. OUR TEAM WILL START ACTIVELY
USING THESE ASSETS AND THESE CONSOLES WHEN ORION POWERS UP.
SO WE'LL GO THROUGH POWER-UP. WE'LL GO THROUGH PROCESSING.
WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH THE LAUNCH.
WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH THE MISSION SEQUENCE AND LANDING AND
RECOVERY AND GET DATA, VALUABLE DATA WE'LL USE TO ENHANCE AND
HELP US LEARN WHEN WE BUILD THIS ROOM.
I THINK THAT COVERS KFC. >> GREAT.
OKAY. WE'LL TAKE A FEW QUESTIONS FROM
REPORTERS. AND IF YOU'LL STATE YOUR NAME
AND AFFILIATION AT THE CENTRAL MIC HERE, WE'LL GO AHEAD.
>> JASON ROUND WITH AMERICASPACE.COM.
I ACTUALLY HAVE TWO QUESTIONS. I'M NOT SURE WHO TO FIELD THEM
TO. THE FIRST GOES TO THE FACT THAT
EFT-1 WILL BE A FLIGHT TEST. YOU MENTIONED IT WILL TEST THE
HEAT SHIELD AS WELL AS PARACHUTES.
WHAT OTHER SYSTEMS THAT WE USED ON THE MANNED VERSION OF ORION
WILL BE TEST FLIGHT? >> GREAT QUESTION.
BASICALLY IT'S A RING-OUT OF THE CREW MODULE SYSTEM.
SO ALL THE ENTRY NAVIGATION AND GUIDANCE THAT WE DO, ALL THE
MAJOR AVIONICS WILL BE FLYING. THE BOXES WILL BE FLYING THROUGH
A HIGH RADIATION FIELD, AS WELL. WE'RE TESTING THAT.
JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE FOR SOFTWARE, THE SOFTWARE TAKES --
WE'RE GOING TO THROUGH ABOUT HALF OF THE TOTAL SOFTWARE WE'RE
FLYING IN MANNED FLIGHT. IT GETS YOU A SENSE ABOUT HOW
MANY FUNCTIONS WE'RE GOING TO BE CHECKING OUT.
BUT ALL THE -- ALL THE GUIDANCE THAT HAS TO DO ON ASCENT, SO
WE'RE GOING TO SEPARATE THE LAS, THE BEARINGS, THE BIG COVER WHEN
WE ENTER. THEN IT'S ALL THE PARACHUTES,
ALL THE GUIDANCE, AND THEN ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE LANDING.
SO THE ONLY THING THAT WE'RE NOT WRINGING OUT IN THIS FLIGHT IS
-- IN THE CREW MODEL IS GOING TO BE THE LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM.
THE PUMPS, PANS, SEATS, THAT KIND OF STUFF.
>> MY SECOND QUESTION I THINK IS ON THE MINDS OF A LOT OF
AMERICANS THESE DAYS. YOU KNOW, FRIDAY'S
SEQUESTRATION. AND WE'VE HEARD THAT WHILE ORION
AND SLS WILL PRETTY MUCH NOT BE TOUCHED, WE'VE HEARD THAT
ELEMENTS LIKE THE PLANETARY BUDGET AND THE COMMERCIAL SIDE
OF THE HOUSE MIGHT BE IMPACTED. WILL SEQUESTRATION HAVE ANY
IMPACT ON WHAT'S GOING ON WITH ORION OR SLS THAT YOU'RE AWARE?
>> SEQUESTRATION AS FAR AS IT AFFECTS SLS AND ORION WILL NOT
AFFECT IT IMMEDIATELY. WE ARE WORKING TO THE SCHEDULE.
SEQUESTRATION AS WE CURRENTLY UNDERSTAND IT WILL AFFECT THE
NASA BUDGET TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT A 5% HIT.
AND WE WORKED VERY HARD TO WORK THAT INTO THE PROGRAMS, PLAN FOR
IT, PREPARE FOR IT. THERE WILL BE SOME IMPACTS, AS
YOU MENTIONED, ACROSS -- ACROSS THE AGENCY.
BUT FOR SLS AND ORION, WE'RE WORKING TO HOLD SCHEDULE AT
LEAST FOR THE NEAR TERM AND MINIMIZE THOSE IMPACTS.
>> KEN KRAMER FOR "SPACEFLIGHT" MAGAZINE.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT EM-1. WHICH CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE THE
VARIOUS STAGES ARRIVE HERE? AND WHEN WOULD IT BE FULLY
STACKED? >> IT SOUNDS LIKE I LOST MY MIC.
OUR PLAN IS TO START PROCESSING IN THE 2016 TIME FRAME.
SO HARDWARE ARRIVES BEFORE THAT IN DIFFERENT INCREMENTS.
MOST OF TODD'S HARDWARE WILL BE IN THE DIRECT PATH.
AND I'LL CALL IT SHIP AND SHOOT OR SHIP AND STACK IS PROBABLY
MORE APPROPRIATE. MARK GEYER'S HARDWARE, ACTUALLY
THE FIRST ORION SPACECRAFT THAT WE'LL LAUNCH ON EM-1 WILL BE
SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE THAT. SO IT'S ROUGHLY THE 2015 TIME
FRAME IS WHEN WE'LL SEE HARDWARE KFC.
>> CAN YOU TELL US IT THE WORK THAT'S GOING TO BE DONE ON ORION
UNTIL THE END OF THIS YEAR? THANKS.
>> GREAT. ALREADY ALL THE PRIMARY
STRUCTURE IS HERE WHICH IS BASICALLY A THING THAT HOLDS
PRESSURE, THE BIG GREEN THING YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN.
NOW WE'RE OUTFITTING ALL THE SECONDARY STRUCTURE WHICH WE
HANG THE HEAT SHIELD ON AND THEN WE INSTALL THE TUBING FOR THE
PROPULSION SYSTEM. THAT'S -- THE TUBES ARE STARTING
TO SHOW UP, AND WE'RE STARTING TO WELD THOSE IN.
WE'RE ACTUALLY BUILDING THE HARNESSES IN THE ONC, AS WELL.
WHAT WE'RE DOING THIS YEAR IS DO THAT FINAL OUTFITTING.
PUTTING THE THRUSTERS ON, TUBING ON, WELDING IT, LAYING OUT THE
HARNESSES. IN THE JULY TIME FRAME, ALL THE
COMPUTERS WILL HAVE SHOWN UP, AND WE'LL DO THE FIRST POWER-ON
OF THE FLIGHT ARTICLE. SO THAT'S WHAT -- THOSE ARE THE
BIG MILESTONES HERE AT KFC. AT THE SAME TIME, WE'LL BE
FINISHING THE OUTFIT OF THE SERVICE MODULE AND BRINGING THE
BIG FAIRINGS IN. LATER THIS YEAR, EARLY NEXT YEAR
WE'LL DO THE STACKING OF THE CREW MODULE AND SERVICE MODULE
AND FINISH THE LAST. IN DENVER, THOUGH, JUST TO LET
YOU KNOW, OUR AVIONICS LABORATORY IS IN DENVER.
WE ALREADY HAVE ALL THE ENGINEERING UNITS OF THE
COMMUTERS AND POWER DISTRIBUTION UNITS AND BATTERIES AND GUIDANCE
AND THE COM SYSTEM. ALL THE ENGINEERING UNITS ARE
LAID OUT IN DENVER IN A LABORATORY.
WE'VE MADE OUR FIRST RUN OF THE SOFTWARE THAT'S GOING TO
ACTUALLY TURN THE VEHICLE ON. WE'RE STARTING TO GO THROUGH THE
FUNCTIONAL CHECKS IN DENVER NOW. SO THERE'S A TON GOING ON RIGHT
NOW. YEAH.
>> TODD HALVERSON, "FLORIDA TODAY" FOR MARK GEYER.
COULD YOU TALK ABOUT HOW EFT-1, THE DATA FROM THAT FLIGHT, IS
GOING TO INFORM THE DESIGN WORK YOU'RE DOING ON THE VEHICLE AND
WHETHER, YOU KNOW, CHANGES MIGHT BE MADE BECAUSE OF THE DATA YOU
GET BACK? >> GREAT QUESTION.
SO I MENTIONED WE HAVE A HEAT SHIELD DESIGN TODAY, AND I'LL
GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, WE HAVE A THICKNESS OF THE ABLATOR
MATERIAL, STUFF THAT BURNS OFF WHEN YOU ENTER.
THAT'S BASED ON MODELS -- OF COURSE WE STARTED WITH "APOLLO."
WE HAVE ART KIT CHAMBERS HERE AT JCS AND NAIMS CALIFORNIA WHERE
WE CAN TEST PIECES, SEE HOW MUCH THEY AVOID.
UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY PUT IT INTO A SPACECRAFT AND UNTIL YOU
ACTUALLY FLY THE PROFILE, YOU'RE GOING TO FLY, RIGHT, ALL BASED
ON MILES -- YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU'VE FLOWN THAT IN AN
ENVIRONMENT BEFORE YOU PUT ANYBODY ON BOARD.
WE HAVE A LOT OF INSTRUMENTATION, LIKE I SAID.
WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO MEASURE THE PLASMA, THE TEMPERATURE AND
OTHER PROPERTY WHICH WE'VE NEVER MEASURED BEFORE IN ONE OF THESE
FLIGHTS. SO THAT ALSO HELPS OUR GROUND
BASE MODELS. THAT'S THE KIND OF EXAMPLE OF
HOW WE MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THE BEST HEAT SHIELD.
REMEMBER, MASS IS VERY PRECIOUS ON THIS VEHICLE.
WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF HEAT SHIELD THICKNESS
THAT WE DON'T NEED. IT'S PART OF REALLY OPTIMIZING
THE DESIGN SO WE CAN DO MORE IN THE MISSION AND STILL HAVE A
SAFE SPACECRAFT. THERE'S ALL SORTS OF LOADS, AS
WELL, RIGHT? WE HAVE MODELS THAT TELL US WHAT
THE METAL IS GOING TO SEE DURING LIFTOFF.
WE HAVE MODELS, WHAT WE EXPECT THE METAL TO SEE IN ENTRY AND
WHEN IT HITS THE WATER. WE'RE GOING TO INSTRUMENT ALL
THOSE KEY PARTS OF THE STRUCTURE AND MEASURE ALL THAT DATA WHEN
WE'RE ACTUALLY PERFORMING THE FLIGHT.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER TO SAY IS THE STRUCTURE TOO STRONG, YOU KNOW,
DID WE OVERDO IT BECAUSE WE'LL NEED THAT MASS, OR ARE WE
FINDING AREAS IN THE VEHICLE WHERE WE THINK IT'S PROBABLY TOO
CLOSE TO THE MARGIN. THIS REALLY GIVES US A CHANCE TO
TWEAK I WOULD SAY, TO OPTIMIZE THE DESIGN BEFORE WE ACTUALLY
PUT ANYBODY IN IT. SO THOSE ARE TWO BIG EXAMPLES.
>> AND HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO GET THAT DATA EARLY ON IN THE
DESIGN PHASE? >> YEAH.
SO IT'S HUGE. LATER ON, THE MORE EXPENSIVE IT
GETS, RIGHT? THE LATER ON WE MAKE CHANGES AND
ESPECIALLY IF WE'RE MAKING CHANGES IN THE ROCKETS WAITING
FOR US, SAY WE FOUND SOME PROBLEM AND THEY'RE READY TO GO
AND WE'RE NOT READY AND EVERYBODY'S WAITING ON US.
THAT'S WHY EFT-1 IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO GET
HIGH-RISK AREAS TESTED SO IF WE FIND PROBLEMS WE CAN FIX THEM
WHILE THEY'RE STILL IN DEVELOPMENT.
SO IT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT.
>> AND JUST ONE LAST ONE FROM ME.
TODD, GO AHEAD. >> I WAS GOING TO ADD THAT -- I
WAS GOING TO ADD THAT FOR THE SAME REASONS MARK TAKES THAT
SAME DATA AND PUTS IT BACK INTO MS. MODELS WE HAVE INTEGRATED
STACK MODELS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT ON THE LAUNCH VEHICLE ITSELF.
AS YOU SAID, YOU CAN DO CERTAIN THINGS WITH WIND TUNNELS AND
THINGS LIKE THAT TO GET BUFFETT LOADS AND ENVIRONMENTAL LOADS
AND ARROW LOAD AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
GETTING THIS DATA BACK ACTUALLY HELPS US VALIDATE THOSE MODELS
IN A WAY THAT ADDS ROBUST NOT. AND IF WE HAVE TO TWEAK THE
MODELS, WE CAN DO THAT. >> BEFORE YOU GO, TODD, JUST SO
YOU UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM, AS THESE GUYS MAKE TRADES AND
ADJUSTMENTS AND CHANGES TO THEIR DEVELOPMENT ON THEIR PARTICULAR
VEHICLES, IT TRANSLATES TO WHAT SERVICES WE PROVIDE AND WHAT
CAPABILITIES WE PROVIDE ON THE GROUND.
SO AS THEY MATURE AND AS THEY LEARN THEIR LESSONS AND MAKE
CHANGES EARLY, THE EASIER IT IS FOR US ON THE GROUND TO BE ABLE
TO REACT AND BE READY WHEN THEY'RE READY.
>> AND JUST ONE LAST ONE FOR MARK.
COULD YOU TALK ABOUT THE POWER-UP IN JUBAI, I GUESS YOU
SAID, AND HOW BIG A DEAL THAT IS GOING TO BE GIVEN THE FACT WE
HAVEN'T HAD A POWER-ON SINCE LAST YEAR.
>> YEAH. SO -- WELL, IT'S REALLY EXCITING
AND NOT JUST TO COMPUTER NERDS. YOU THINK OF THIS HUNDREDS OF
CHANNELS THAT HAVE TO TALK TO ONE ANOTHER.
WE GET A LOT OF DATA FROM THE GUIDANCE SYSTEM THAT THE
COMPUTER HAS TO REACT TO. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO MEASURING,
WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF PARAMETERS THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY MEASURING
DURING THIS FLIGHT. SO THE POWER-ON ALLOWS US TO
TURN THE COMPUTERS ON AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE TALKING TO ONE
ANOTHER. AND THEY'RE GETTING THE DATA
THAT WE HAVE NO TIMING ISSUES. SO IT'S -- HUNDREDS OF CHANNELS,
THE UPDATE WE'LL HAVE TO MAKE SURE ARE WORKING WELL.
AND THAT -- AND THAT THE TIMING IS EXACTLY WHAT WE EXPECT.
AGAIN, WE WILL HAVE RUN ALL THAT AND THE PROCEDURES OUT IN
DENVER, BUT WHAT WE FIND IS WHEN YOU ACTUALLY STICK SOMETHING IN
A SPACECRAFT AND YOU HAVE THE ACTUAL FLIGHT CABLES, SOMETIMES
YOU'LL FIND SURPRISES. SO THAT'S WHY WE DO THE REAL
POWER ON HERE IN JULY. THAT'S A HUGE TEST FROM US.
>> WE HAVE A QUESTION FROM TWITTER FROM JIMMY LYNN WHO ASKS
-- HOW MANY ORION CAPSULES ARE PLANNED TO BE MADE?
>> YEAH, GOOD QUESTION. IF YOU LOOK -- LET'S TALK ABOUT
THROUGH THE MANNED FLIGHT WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, IN 2021.
SO TODAY WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO BE VERY AFFORDABLE, COST CONSCIOUS.
SO THE CAPSULE WE'RE GOING TO FLY ON EFT-1, WE'RE GOING TO FLY
AGAIN ON A FLIGHT THAT WE CALL ASEN ABORT TWO.
THAT'S A TEST OF THE LAUNCH ABORT SYSTEM.
TAKES THE LAUNCH ABORT SYSTEM AND PUTS IT IN ITS MOST
STRESSING ENVIRONMENT WHICH IS THE MAX DYNAMIC PRESSURE.
WE'RE GOING TO LAUNCH THAT OUT AT THE CAPE, AS WELL, ON A SMALL
BOOSTER. WE'RE GOING TO REUSE THAT FOR
THAT IMPORTANT TEST. EM-1, THE FLIGHT WE TALKED ABOUT
IN 2017, THAT WILL BE A PLATE CAPSULE.
WE'LL FLY -- FLIGHT CAPSULE. WE'LL FLY THAT, THAT'S THE NEXT
IN 2017. WE'LL REUSE THAT, AS WELL.
WHEN IT COMES BACK, WE'LL TAKE IT TO OHIO AND DO THE ABORT
QUALIFICATION. WE'LL TAKE IT UP TO ABORT LOADS
AFTER WE'VE FLOWN IT ON EM-1. AND THEN WE BUILD A CAPSULE FOR
EM-2. YOU THINK ABOUT THE GROUND TEST
CAPSULE, THERE'S FOUR AND WE'LL REUSE THOSE AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
>> WE HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION FROM TWITTER FROM STEVEN ANDERSON WHO
ASKS -- WHEN ARE WE GOING TO SEND PERSONNEL BACK TO THE MOON?
>> WELL, WHETHER DO WE GO BACK TO THE MOON IS STILL -- WHEN DO
WE GO BACK TO THE MOON IS STILL UNDER STUDY.
WE KNOW WE'RE EVENTUALLY GOING TO MARS.
AND THERE ARE MULTIPLE DESTINATIONS BETWEEN HERE AND
MARS, AND WE'RE SORTING THROUGH WHAT IS THE BEST OR -- THE BEST
WAY TO APPROACH THIS EXPLORATION, HOW CAN WE LEARN,
WHAT DO WE NEED TO LEARN ON OUR WAY TO MARS, AND HOW BEST CAN WE
LEARN IT. AND SO THE MOON IS ONE OF THOSE
DESTINATIONS POSSIBLY. ASTEROIDS ARE ANOTHER POSSIBLE
DESTINATION. EXPLORATION MISSION ONE THAT
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN 2017 AND ALSO OUR FIRST CRUDE FLIGHT ARE
CURRENTLY PLANNED TO GO TO LUNAR SPACE.
WE'RE GOING TO THE LUNAR -- THE VICINITIES OF THE MOON.
WE ARE NOT GOING TO GO ALL THE WAY AND LAND ON THE MOON BECAUSE
WE WON'T HAVE THAT CAPABILITY. BUT WE WILL BE GOING TO THE AREA
AROUND THE MOON PRIMARILY TO LEARN WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW OUR
WAY TO MARS AND ALSO TO TEST OUT OUR SYSTEMS, TO TEST OUT THE
SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM AND ORION IN THEIR ENVIRONMENTS SO WE CAN
PREPARE OURSELVES FOR THE LONGER TRIPS OUT TO MARS.
>> THIS PROBABLY FEEDS RIGHT INTO THAT FROM TWITTER, AS WELL,
FROM STONE SASBO. IT SAYS -- WHAT ARE THE CURRENT
MAIN GOALS OF DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION AND WHEN ARE WE
HOPING TO DISCOVER? >> THE CURRENT MAIN GOAL IS
RIGHT THERE IN THE WORD. IT'S EXPLORATION.
IT'S TO EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN, TO LEARN WHAT WE CAN FROM THE
UNKNOWN, AND TO BE ABLE TO GET HUMANS OUT THERE WITH THE
SPECIAL EXPERTISE AND THE SPECIAL ABILITY THAT THE HUMAN
MIND HAS TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT A GIVEN SITUATION AND FIGURE OUT
WHAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT OUR UNIVERSE, WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM
THAT EXPLORATION THAT CAN -- THAT CAN FEED BACK INTO WHAT WE
WANT TO KNOW BETTER ABOUT HOW TO LIVE AND WORK ON EARTH.
AND HOW TO MAKE OUR LIVES ALL BETTER BASED ON WHAT WE LEARN IN
THE SCIENCES AND WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THAT EXPLORATION.
WE LEARNED A VAST AMOUNT FROM THE MOON.
WE WENT TO THE -- FUNDAMENTALLY WE WENT TO THE EQUATOR OF THE
MOON. THERE'S LOTS MORE TO LEARN
THERE. OBVIOUSLY LEARNING MORE FROM
ASTEROIDS AND EVENTUALLY ALL THE LESSONS WE'RE LEARNING FROM
"CURIOSITY" AND THE MARS ROVERS AND GETTING THAT HUMAN MIND
THERE IN ADDITION TO THE ROBOTS IS WHAT WE'RE AFTER.
WE THINK WE CAN LEARN AN AWFUL LOT FROM THAT.
WHAT WE WILL LEARN, IT'S HARD TO PREDICT.
EXPLORATION NECESSARILY IS EXPLORING THE UNKNOWN.
BUT WE'RE GOING THERE TO LEARN. >> I THINK THERE'S -- DAN TALKED
IT I THINK THE EXCITING PART OF THE EXPLORATION WHICH I THINK A
LOT OF US AS KIDS, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE IN THIS BUSINESS.
I THINK THERE'S ANOTHER IMPORTANT PART ABOUT IT, TOO, AS
WELL AS -- AS FAR AS NATIONAL LEADERSHIP, AS FAR AS AMERICA
BEING A LEADER IN THE WORLD. YOU CAN SEE -- YOU CAN SEE THAT
IN OTHER COUNTRIES TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH THINGS THAT WE HAVE
ALREADY DONE -- AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE UNITED STATES
TO CONTINUE TO BE A LEADER. IT'S OKAY TO LEAD OTHER
COUNTRIES. IT'S LIKE WE'RE ADDING TO THIS
THING. BUT TO BE THE LEADER, I THINK
THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR NATIONAL PRESTIGE AND LEADERSHIP.
>> JASON RYAN FROM AMERICASPACE.COM AGAIN.
WE MENTIONED MARS. WE KNOW THAT ORION IS A LARGER
KIND OF VERSION OF AN "APOLLO" SPACECRAFT.
THERE'S BEEN SOME STUDIES THAT SHOW THIS A SPACECRAFT THAT
WOULD TAKE A CREW TO MARS WOULD HAVE TO BE THE SIZE OF PERHAPS
LARGER THAN THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
AND WE KIND OF TALKED ABOUT THE NEAR-TERM STUFF, YOU KNOW, 2014,
2017, 2021. WHEN IT COMES TO MARS, WHAT ARE
YOU GUYS LOOKING AT? WHAT TYPE OF CRAFT ARE YOU JUST,
YOU KNOW, PENCILLING IN NOW OR CONSIDERING?
CAN YOU GIVE US SOME BROAD STROKES ON THAT?
>> I CAN GIVE YOU THE BROAD STROKES.
AND WE START AT MARS AND WHAT WOULD A MARS MISSION LOOK LIKE
AND THEN WHAT DO WE NEED TO LEARN AND DEVELOP AND
CAPABILITIES DO WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO EXECUTE THAT MISSION.
AND WE WORK OUR WAY BACKWARDS. WE'VE WORKED OUR WAY BACKWARDS
TO THE FACT THAT WE KNOW WE NEED AN ORION SPACECRAFT TO GET THE
CREW UP TO SPACE AND TO BRING THEM HOME SAFELY.
WE KNOW THIS WE NEED A LARGE LAUNCH VEHICLE TO GET ALL THE
PAYLOAD UP TO ORBIT AND INTO SPACE.
AND WE KNOW THAT WE WILL HAVE TO DEVELOP OTHER HABITATS, OTHER
CAPABILITIES THAT ARE NEEDED TO EXECUTE A MARS MISSION.
NOW WHAT THOSE HABITATS, THOSE OTHER CRAFTS LOOK LIKE RIGHT
NOW, WE DON'T KNOW. WE'RE STUDYING ALL THE OPTIONS.
BUT WE'RE ALSO RUNNING EXPERIMENTS ON THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION SUCH AS THE BIGELOW BEAM EXPERIMENT WITH AN
INFLATABLE STRUCTURE THAT'S COMING UP.
HOPEFULLY A TWO-YEAR EXPERIMENT ON SPACE STATION TO HELP US
LEARN AND TO HELP US DESIGN WHAT THOSE FUTURE CRAFTS TO MARS WILL
BE. >> KEN KRAMER, "UNIVERSE TODAY"
FOR MARK GEYER. CAN YOU TALK IN DETAIL ABOUT THE
ASCENT ABOARD TEST. WHEN'S IT GOING TO BE, WHERE'S
THE ROCKET, WHEN IS IT GOING TO LAUNCH?
WILL YOU BUILD A NEW -- TALK IN SOME DETAIL ABOUT THAT, PLEASE.
>> AGAIN, ASSENTS BOARD TWO IS REALLY TO TEST THE LAUNCH BOARD
ABORT SYSTEM. YOU'RE TRYING TO LAUNCH THE
ABORT ENVIRONMENT. YOU WOULDN'T WANT IT ON A REAL
ROCKET BECAUSE YOU WOULD HAVE TO BLOW UP THE ROCKET TO GET IN THE
RIGHT ENVIRONMENT. WE'LL REUSE A PEACEKEEPER STAGE
THAT WE HAVE A DEAL WITH THE AIR FORCE THAT WE GET.
WE'LL BALLAST IT SO WE GET THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT.
WE'LL LAUNCH IT RIGHT HERE IN FLORIDA.
I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE LAUNCHPAD.
I -- 46. 46.
WE'RE REFURBING THAT. IT'S SMALLER.
IT WILL HAVE THE BOOSTER FROM THE AIR FORCE.
WE'LL HAVE A CREW MODULE AND THE LAUNCH ABORT.
YOU SAW THE ABORT MOTOR TODAY. BUT THERE'S ALSO A CONTROL
MOTOR, JETTISON MOTOR AND THE FARINGS.
BASICALLY THE BOOSTER WILL GET US FAST UP TO MAX X, THEN WE
LIGHT THE ABORT. THEN WE'LL DO THE ABORT.
WE'LL CONTROL THE ALTITUDE WITH THE ACM AND DO THE SEPARATION
AND ALL THE PARACHUTE TESTS. IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE ONE TEST
THAT WE DID A FEW YEARS AGO, IT'S BASICALLY EXERCISING THAT
SAME INTEGRATED SYSTEM BUT IN A MUCH MORE STRESSING AERODYNAMIC
ENVIRONMENT. SO IT WILL HAVE ALL THREE BIG,
SOLID ROCKET MOTORS. EFT-1, THE ONLY ACTIVE SOLID
ROCK MOTOR IS A JETTISON MOTOR. WE'RE GOING TO SIMULATE A
NOMINAL JETTISON OF THE LAST TOWER.
WE'RE NOT PUTTING AN ACTIVE ABORT MOTOR OR ACTIVE ACH
BECAUSE YOU'D BE WASTING MONEY, THROWING IT AWAY.
>> CAN YOU TALK ALSO ABOUT THE SERVICE MODULE?
ESA'S GOING TO BUILD IT FOR THE EM-1 FLIGHT.
IT'S NOT CLEAR TO ME, THOUGH, IT EM MIGHT HAVE 2 AS -- EM-2.
AT THE BRIEFING YOU TALKED ABOUT USING PIECES.
I WONDER IF YOU COULD TALK IN DETAIL AND WOULD ESA BE INVOLVED
IN FUTURE SERVICE MODELS BEYOND EM-1?
>> YEAH. THE CURRENT AGREEMENT IS FOR THE
FIRST ONE. WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM, AND
THEY'RE DOING A DESIGN. NASA WILL OWN THE INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY FOR THAT DESIGN. THE SECOND WE HAVE OPTIONS.
WE CAN TALK TO ESA ABOUT SOME FURTHER DEAL DOWNSTREAM, IF
THERE WAS OTHER THINGS THEY WANTED TO BARTER AND IF THE
GOVERNMENT FELT THAT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
WE COULD BARTER FOR ANOTHER AND GET THE SECOND ONE OR TAKE THE
DESIGN AND BUILD OUR OWN. THAT'S -- WE HAVE TIME TO GO
FIGURE THAT OUT. BUT WE GET ONE AS PART OF THE
DEAL. SO EM-1 WILL BE AN ESA-PROVIDED
SERVICE MODULE. >> I'M GOING TO FOLLOW UP ON
KEN'S QUESTION THERE AND ASK, YOU WORKED WITH ESA ON THIS ONE.
OF COURSE, THE BUDGET IS A BIG CONCERN THESE DAYS.
IS NASA LOOKING AT OTHER WAYS TO PERHAPS SHARE THE LOAD SO TO
SPEAK AND GAIN PARTNERS KIND OF LIKE WHAT YOU'VE DONE IN THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION? >> SO FOR ORION, THE SERVICE
MODULE IS THE EXTENT. WE HAVE THE DESIGN AND PIECES
FOR EVERYTHING ELSE. WOULD BE OTHER PARTS OF THE
ARCHITECTURE. I KNOW DAN AND BILL ARE THINKING
ABOUT -- >> THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION
IS, YES, WE ARE LOOKING FOR POSSIBLE PARTNERSHIPS AND TRYING
TO SORT THROUGH THE VARIOUS DESIRES OF ALL THE INTERNATIONAL
PARTNERS. WE HAVE STUDIES ONGOING IN THAT
AREA. AND WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL LEVELS
OF PARTNERSHIP. IT'S VERY CLEAR TO US THAT THE
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP AS DEMONSTRATED BY THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION IS A KEY INGREDIENT TO A LONG-TERM
SUSTAINABLE PROGRAM. AND WE ARE LOOKING FOR THOSE
OPPORTUNITIES. WE ARE WORKING WITH THE EUROPEAN
SPACE AGENCY, WITH THE JAPANESE SPACE AGENCY, WITH THE RUSSIANS.
WE'RE WORKING WITH ALL OF OUR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS FOR THOSE
OPPORTUNITIES. WE HAVE NOTHING YET THAT'S
SOLIDIFIED AS WHAT WE HAVE WITH THE ORION SERVICE MODULE.
BUT WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES.
>> OKAY. THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY TO
LEARN MORE ABOUT NASA'S HUMAN EXPLORATION PROGRAMS.
VISIT WWW.NASA.GOV/EXPLORATION, AND WE'LL CONCLUDE WITH A VIDEO
THAT SHOWS PROGRESS THAT WE'RE MAKING TOWARD EFT-1.
THEN THEY WERE FORMED -- IT WAS A BUMP, A PROCESS CALLED BUMP
FORMING. YOU MAKE THEM INTO THE SHAPE
THAT WE NEED HERE, AND WE WELD THREE OF THESE SEGMENTS TOGETHER
TO FORM THE CONE THAT YOU SEE BEHIND YOU.
\M\M >> WE JUST DELIVERED THE FIRST
CREW MODULE TO KFC. IT STARTED A LOT OF THE PARTS --
TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE CM, AND WE'VE ACTUAL PUT IT IN WHAT WE
CALL THE BIRD CAGE SO WE CAN LOCATE ALL THOSE PARTS, YOU
KNOW, WITHIN THOUSANDS OF AN INCH TO MAKE SURE THAT
EVERYTHING IS GOING TOGETHER OKAY.
>> PUTTING WIRING INSIDE, PUTTING TUBES FOR THE -- YOU
KNOW, FOR THE PROPULSION SYSTEM, PUTTING VALVES AND PUMPS AND SO
ALL OF THAT HAPPENS IN STAGES RIGHT THERE IN THE ONC BUILDING.
>> WE HAVE A CONTRACT WITH USA, SPACE LINE, TO BUILD OUR
HARNESSES. THEY'RE SET UP IN THE ONC AND SO
THEIR LITTLE SHOP DELIVERS TO THE BIG SHOP.
>> THERMAL PROTECTION IS VERY DIFFICULT AS REENTRY VEHICLES TO
TEST AND MODEL. REALLY YOU HAVE IT FLY IT TO
REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
WE'RE BUILDING CERAMIC THERMAL INSULATION TILES FOR THE BACK OF
THE CAPSULE. WE'RE BUILDING THERMAL TILES FOR
THE CAPSULE AND BUILDING MULTILAYER INSULATION FOR THAT
CAPSULE. >> I'M HEAT SHIELD DESIGN LEAD.
WE'RE BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE ORION.
>> THE HEAT SHIELD IS IN THE 20 BY 25 ROUTER.
A FIVE-ACCESS ROUTER. RIGHT NOW IT'S MACHINING THE
INTERIOR BOWL IF YOU WILL OF THE HEAT SHIELD.
COULD TAKE WEEKS OF MACHINE TIME RUNNING MULTIPLE SHIFTS.
IT'S THE BIGGEST HEAT SHIELD EVER CONSTRUCTED.
THE COMPONENT IS THE HEAT SHELLED SKELETON.
-- HEAT SHIELD SKELETON. THE BACK ITS-- THE BACKBONE OF
THE STRUCTURE ITSELF. THE OTHER UNIQUE THING IS THE
HAND DRILLING. IT'S NOT AUTOMATED BY A ROUTER.
IT HAS TO BE HAND DRILLED BY TECHNICIANS ON THE INSIDE.
>> 200-PLUS TITANIUM PARTS ALL MCHED TOGETHER.
>> WE HAVE -- MATCHED TOGETHER. WE HAVE A TOOL THAT PUTS PIECES
IN THE RIGHT SPOT. THEN WE DRILL AND LOCK THEM ALL
TOGETHER. >> MCC IS TRANSFORMING FROM
SUPPORTING SPACE SHUTTLE AND SPACE STATION TO A PLATFORM THAT
WILL SUPPORT SPACE STATION AND MPT OR ORION.
IN THE FUTURE WE NEED TO GO TO A MORE MODERN SYSTEM.
>> KFC WILL OPERATE THE VEHICLE ALL THE WAY UP UNTIL LAUNCH.
WE'LL OPERATE THE VEHICLES UNTIL SPLASH DOWN UNTIL FORCES TAKE
OVER AFTER THAT. >> THIS IS THE LAUNCH CONTROLLER
WE'LL USE FOR ORION SLS MISSION. WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE
ORION PROGRAM TO GET THE SPACECRAFT DATA SO WE CAN
PROCESS IT WITH OUR SOFTWARE IN THE FIRING ROOM.
WE WILL BE FLIGHT SELLING THAT MISSION OUT OF IR-1.
WE REFITTED THE ROOM, REDID IT, PUTTING THE SOUND DEPRESSION
CARPETING ON THE WALLS, MAKING IT A MORE COMFORTABLE PLACE TO
WORK. SO WE'RE AIMING FOR ABOUT 50
PEOPLE IN FIRE ROOM ONE, FOR AN EM-1 MISSION.
WE ARE ACTUALLY USING FIRE ROOM NOW TO TEST PAD B SUBSYSTEMS.
>> THIS IS GOING TO BE ALMOST LIKE A COMPLETE NEW PAD BECAUSE
WE WILL HAVE REFURBISHED EACH AND EVERY SYSTEM THAT IT'S
INSIDE OF. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE VEHICLE
LAUNCHED FROM THE MOBILE LAUNCHER AND NOT ONLY LAUNCH
FROM THE MOBILE LAUNCHER BUT HAVE A TOWER THAT WILL HAVE ALL
THE SERVICES ATTACHED TO THE VEHICLE.
THE TOWER IS GOING TO BE ON THE MOBILE LAUNCHER.
THE VEHICLE WILL BE ASSEMBLED AT THE VAB.
>> IT'S A RETURN TO A CONCEPT THAT WE KNEW THAT WORKED WELL
DURING THE "APOLLO" YEARS WHEN THE MOBILE LAUNCH PLATFORM HAD A
TOWER ON IT. >> WE KNEW THAT THE BAB WAS
DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE A LAUNCH TOWER ON A MOBILE LAUNCH
PLATFORM. WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE --
BAB COULD REMAIN STAFFED AND ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT VEHICLE
ARCHITECTURES. AND NOW WE HAVE A CLEAN VAB
SHELL, PER SE, ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE SO THAT WE CAN
ACCOMMODATE THE NEW HARDWARE, THE NEW VEHICLE ACCESS WITH THE
NEW PLATFORMS. AND THAT IS THE FIRST PHASE OF
WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW. >> AND ONCE THE VEHICLE IS READY
WITH ALL THE CONNECTIONS, THE ONLY THING WE'VE GOT TO DO IS
MOVE THE VEHICLE FROM THE BACK TO THE CONNECTIONS ON THE MOBILE
LAUNCHER. ONCE WE DO THOSE CONNECTION,
WE'RE READY TO LAUNCH. >> THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I HAD
TO EXPLAIN WHAT A CRAWLER WAS. IF YOU DIDN'T WORK OUT HERE AT
THE SPACE CENTER OR WEREN'T IN THE CENTRAL FLORIDA AREA, A LOT
OF PEOPLE -- SOMEHOW THE VEHICLE GOT UP TO THE PAD.
WE KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A LOAD PERSPECTIVE WITH THE NEW
VEHICLE, THE LARGER ROCKET AND THINGS ALONG THOSE LINES.
THAT GOES FROM THE CRAWLER LIFTED LOAD, THE HYDRAULICS,
ALSO THE CRAWLER AWAY. WE'LL HAVE TO NATURE THE LOAD
AND -- THE CAPABILITY FOR THE CRAWLER AT THE ROCK.
WHAT WE'VE ESSENTIALLY DONE IS KEEP THE SAME HYDRAULICS ON SUCH
AS INCREASING THE SIZE, DIAMETER OF THE HYDRAULICS.
LAST NOVEMBER WE ACTUALLY TOOK A RIDE OUT WITH THE COMPLETED
CRAWLER AFTER THE PAD AND TESTED OUT THE SYSTEM.
AND A COUPLE OF ITEMS, EVERYTHING WORKED GREAT.
THE CONTROL SYSTEM HAD BEEN UPGRADED.
THE DRIVER PAD HAD BEEN REPLACED, BRAKES HAD BEEN
REPLACED. NEARLY EVERY SUBSYSTEM HAD SOME
WORK DONE TO IT. THE TRACTION SUPPORT ELEMENTS,
EACH OF THE FOUR CORNERS HAD 22 ROLLERS, ABOUT THE SIZE OF A CAR
TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. AND WE'RE CHANGING OUT ALL OF
THOSE AND LARGE NOTICES, AS WELL.
>> WHAT I LOVE DOING IS REMINDING THE OUTSIDE WORLD
WHETHER IT'S WITHIN OUR GOVERNMENT OR ESPECIALLY THE
MEDIA HAS THAT HAS A PERCEPTION THAT WE'RE IN A LULL, THERE'SING
IN GOING ON. THE SPACE PROGRAM SHUTTING DOWN.
TO SAY, NO, THIS IS THE FAR OPPOSITE FOR US.
WE ARE UTILIZING THIS INTERPROGRAM TIME FRAME TO MAKE
ALL THE MODIFICATIONS AND ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE CHANGES THAT
WILL HELP BRING THAT AGENCY VISION INTO REALITY.
>> MANY OF US FEEL THE COUNTRY WANTS TO GO FORWARD, AND -- AND
NASA HAS A BIG FOLLOWING. EVERY TIME I TALK IT PEOPLE,
THEY'RE EXCITED GOOD NASA. >> ENABLING PEOPLE TO GO BEYOND
WHERE THEY HAVE EVER GONE BEFORE AND LOOK AND DISCOVER THINGS
THAT THEY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW EXISTED IS JUST -- IT'S JUST A
REAL HONOR. >> IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE TO BE
INVOLVED WITH THIS PROJECT, AND I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH FOR THE TEAM
THAT PUT THIS TOGETHER. >> I'M PRIVILEGED TO WORK THIS
PROGRAM. I THINK MOST PEOPLE WHO WORK IT
TODAY FEEL THE SAME WAY. >> I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY PAY ME
FOR THIS JOB. IT'S JUST WONDERFUL.
GREAT. \M\M
>> THE SYSTEM IS THE NEXT, NEWEST, BIGGEST ROCKET WE'RE
GOING TO BUILD. AND IT'S NOT JUST A REPLACEMENT
>> ONE OF THE THINGS WE RECOGNIZE FOR SLS IS WE HAVE TO
BE AFFORDABLE. SO WE HAD TO DO THINGS
DIFFERENTLY, MORE EFFICIENTLY, AND SMARTER.
>> WE'RE ALL CONSCIOUS ABOUT SAVING MONEY, DOING IT MORE
AFFORDABLY THAN WE HAVE IN THE PAST.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME WE CAN'T SACRIFICE RELIABLE OR SAFETY.
>> THE SYSTEM USES A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF HERITAGE HARDWARE,
WHICH IS THING THAT WE HAVE EVOLVED FROM THE SPACE SHUTTLE
PROGRAM. >> THE SPACE SHUTTLE HAS TWO
CANDLE-LOOKING THINGS WHICH ARE THE SOLID ROCKETS.
THOSE ARE KEPT AND THOSE ARE USED ON SLS.
>> WE'VE ADDED A SEGMENT TO THE FOUR-SEGMENT SOLID ROCKET
BOOSTERS THAT WE HAD ON THE SHUTTLE.
THAT GIVES IT MORE POWER, MORE THRUST, AND IT HELPS THE LARGER
ROCKET GET OFF THE GROUND. WHAT THOSE BOOSTER ARE FOR IS
JUST TO GET YOU GOING. THEY BURN FOR A COUPLE OF
MINUTES, THEN THEY FALL TO THE GROUND.
THEN YOUR LIQUID ENGINES, YOU'RE UP HIGH ENOUGH THAT IT CAN CARRY
YOU AS HIGH AS YOU WANT TO GO. IF YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL STAGES
ONE ENGINE THAT WAS ASSEMBLED AND NEEDS TESTING.
WE'RE TESTING ENGINES, SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS, AVIONICS
BOOSTER UNDER THE AIRES PROGRAM, AND WE'RE MOVING THAT INTO THE
>> THIS GOES FROM BETWEEN THE BOTTOM OF THE ORION CAPSULE AND
LIGHTWEIGHT. THIS SHAPE STARTED OUT AS A
SEGMENTS TOGETHER TO FORM THE CONE THAT YOU SEE BEHIND ME.
TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE CM, AND WE'VE ACTUALLY PUT IT IN WHAT WE
PUTTING TUBES FOR THE PROPULSION SYSTEM, PUTTING VALVES AND PUMPS
THEIR LITTLE SHOP DELIVERS TO THE BIG SHOPS.
SHELL OF THE CAPSULE. WE'RE BUILDING THERMAL BARRIERS
>> THE HEAT SHIELD RIGHT NOW IS IN OUR BIG 20-BY-20 ROUTER.
IT'S THE BIGGEST HEAT SHIELD EVER CONSTRUCTED.
DOING. SO IT'S NOT AUTOMATED BY A
THEN WE DRILL AND PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER.
TO A IMMEDIATE MODERN SYSTEM. >> KFC WILL OPERATE THE VEHICLE
ORION SLS FOR EM-1 MISSIONS. WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE
WE REFITTED THE ROOM. WE REDID IT PUTTING THE SOUND
SUBSYSTEMS. >> THIS IS GOING TO BE ALMOST
LAUNCHER, AND NOT ONLY LAUNCHED FROM THE MOBILE LAUNCHER BUT
THAT WE KNEW THAT WORKED VERY WELL DURING THE "APOLOOH "--
WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT VAB CAN REMAIN ADAPTABLE AND
WE'RE DOING NOW. >> AND ONCE THE VEHICLE IS READY
>> THERE WAS A TIME WHERE I HAD TO EXPLAIN WHAT A CRAWLER WAS.
THE VEHICLE GOT OUT TO THE PAD. WE KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A
WE'LL HAVE TO INCREASE THE LOAD CAPABILITY FOR THE CRAWL-AWAY
RIDE OUT WITH THE COMPLETED CRAWLER TO THE PAD AND TESTED
NEARLY EVERY SUBSYSTEM HAD SOME WORK DONE TO IT.
>> WHAT I LOVE DOING IS REMINDING THE OUT WORLD WHETHER
THE RUMOR AND SAY, NO, THIS IS THE FAR OPPOSITE FOR US.
>> MANY OF US FEEL THE COUNTRY WANTS TO GO FORWARD, AND NASA
THAT THEY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW EXISTED IS JUST -- IT'S A REAL
TODAY FEEL THE SAME WAY. >> I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY PAY ME
GREAT.