About the Crew Exploration Vehicle
NASA is making progress on developing what it calls its crew exploration vehicle. The craft replaces the shuttle and eventually will take man to the moon and Mars.
It’s a big room with a long chamber with windows and 32 cameras. It was one of the more unusual show-and-tells from researchers at NASA Ames Thursday
Jeff Brown, NASA scientist: “These cameras can capture something going through at five, six, seven, eight kilometers per second.”
They took this exposure at one forty-billionth of a second, but it captures a one and a half mock-up of NASA’s upcoming Orion spacecraft — the one that will take men to the moon and on to Mars.
In this room, at least, it’s already flying, though the missions are short, lasting 1/10th of a second.
Lead investigator Jeff Brown explains that this is all about aerodynamics.
Jeff Brown, NASA scientist: “We want to see how the capsule moves, how it responds to the forces acting on it.”
They fire the mock-ups through specialized, military surplus guns. These are the top-fuel dragsters of firearms. Smokeless powder propels high density pistons which compress hydrogen, and drive the projectiles.
At the end of the gun, this is the target, high density polypropylene plastic. But after it’s hit by a projectile moving at 19,000 or 20,000 feet per second, this is what remains.
Rick Smythe, technician: “That impacted a piece of steel tubing half an inch thick, and went through it like butter.”
The testing facility has been here since the 1940’s. Here is the X-15 rocket plane, which flew in the 1960’s. This, a capsule and escape tower from the Apollo program.
So far, NASA likes what it sees from this newest spacecraft. The mock-up may be small but it means we’re an inch and a half closer to Mars than just a few months ago.
Wayne Freedman: “How many more shots until you’re satisfied?”
Jeff Brown, NASA scientist: “A lot.”
