Posted on 02/01/2010 11:53:40 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
A NASA team looking into design concepts for future space capsules has successfully demonstrated that an all-composite structure is a feasible alternative to traditional metal capsules for carrying astronauts into space and returning them safely to Earth. The composite materials that make up the structure are basically the same as the tough, lightweight laminates used today for race cars, business jets and high-end sports equipment.
In combination with new space-age fabrication techniques, these advanced composite materials promise potential benefits over traditional metal structures. Among them is that they can easily be formed into complex shapes that may be more structurally efficient - a desirable trait for future generations of spacecraft.
A team led by the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) developed and tested the capsule - called a crew module - in a series of full scale structural tests at NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., over a several month period.
The full-scale crew module was pressurized to design limits while critical interfaces - like the landing system main parachute fitting - were pulled to simulate the combined loads a future crew module might see during launch and return to Earth. No trouble spots were detected.
After passing those and other combined tests, follow-on tests checked for damage tolerance, a question of critical importance for composite structures.
The crew module was subjected to measured impacts in multiple locations to simulate the kind of damage that might take place in the life of the structure - specifically, the equivalent of tool drops and routine handling damage.
(Excerpt) Read more at space-travel.com ...
“...basically the same as the tough, lightweight laminates used today for race cars, business jets and high-end sports equipment.”
Duh... it’s called carbon fiber.
NASA should consider work with those water pump rockets with the hand held pump. Obama’s needs NASA’s money for Haitians and other illegals plus SEIU/ACORN, etc. Americans voted for this including many NASA workers.
Interesting.
What is the use of a new space vehicle? The Zer0 Regime and his band of Fascist DemonRATs have killed NASA, just like they are killing America. They’ll let the space station crash back to Earth before it is even finished. Because with them, all money will be consumed feeding the monster they have created.
Aw come on, Obama just wants to be like Kennedy. My guess is he’s going to set up a race between the U.S. and Cuba to land the first human on Atlanta.
No Democrat is going to tell him Nigeria put humans there in the 16th century. LOL
Zer0 just wants to give his home town a chance to land on the moon. Kenya deserves it.
Remember the day when the space indusry used to be the pioneer of technological and material advances? I certainly do and it is that racing technology advances have what appears to be outpacing the space industry for some time now. The development and advances of carbon fibre technology in racing goes way back to the 80’s and being a spacebot as well has left me wondering for a long time why this has not been in the lead of space technology research.
One fella who has taken the research to the edge of space is Burt Rutan in his efforts of the Space Ship One project that won the X-Prize and is now about to start testing on the commercial flight project. Burt’s company, Scaled Composites has done most of its work on private funding so it is not a long stretch to think Obama may have backed into this one by accident rather than knowing what he is doing. But Burt’s efforts are small potatos compared to what is achievable if NASA was really about exploration today rather than another agency bent on using its technological gravitas to promote the lie of man-made climate change.
My Proposal,
Take half the budget for Social Program Spending and invest in in a crash program for lunar manufacturing via robotics and manned colonization. Take the other half of the social program spending and cut it entirely. We can actually SAVE money this way and have the High Frontier and employ smart people instead of paying navel gazing morons not to work.
>> NASA should consider work with those water pump rockets with the hand held pump. Obama’s needs NASA’s money for Haitians and other illegals plus SEIU/ACORN, etc. Americans voted for this including many NASA workers. <<
I wonder how much water and compressed air you would need to get into orbit????
At least it would be “green”...
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