Concept for More Affordable and Sustainable

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Concept for More Affordable and
Sustainable Ground Operations AIAA Space Ops
2006 June 21, 2006 Rome, Italy
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Introduction

• NASA Exploration Systems Architecture Study
  (ESAS)
• Effort from May through July 2005
• Results periodically reviewed and reported to
  Administrator
• Design Reference Missions
• Trades of families of space vehicles
• Crew Exploration vehicle shape trades
• Lunar/planetary mission mode trades
• Ground architecture and cost estimating support
• Safe, affordable, sustainable

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Scope and Terminology

• Ground Architecture Operations
• Those items where launch site organization is
  responsible
• Launch complex, payload processing at launch
  site, crew activities at launch site
• Recovery reusable element refurbishment
• Space Vehicle
• Launch Vehicle
• Spacecraft or Payload
• Launch System
• Space vehicle and launch complex (launchers,
  pads, assembly facilities, etc.)

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Understanding ESAS

• Objectives
• CEV long-term requirements and flow back to ISS
  and reduce gap between STS retirement and CEV
  Initial Operating Capability (IOC)
• Top level requirements and reference
  configurations for launch systems for future
  exploration programs
• Reference lunar architecture to support sustained
  human and robotic lunar exploration
• Key technologies to enable and enhance reference
  systems for re-prioritization
• Figures of Merit
• Ground Rules and Assumptions

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Reference Crew Launch System Architecture

• NASA has chosen new space vehicle for human space
  flight to replace Space Shuttle Orbiters

• CLV is Shuttle-Derived with Single 4-Segment RSRB
  and new Upper Stage with single air-lit SSME for
  Earth Orbit access to space

• CEV is Apollo-style Crew Module (CM) and Service
  Module (SM) , and Launch Abort System (LAS) flown
  with up to six (6) crew or as unmanned ISS cargo
  carrier

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Concept of Operations DefinitionIdentify Flight
Elements Define Ground Functions
Identify and Manage the Flow of Facility,
Equipment, and Software Interfaces
the von Braun team preached and practiced that
rocket and launch pad must be mated on the
drawing board, if they were to be compatible at
the launching. The new rocket went hand in hand
with its launching facility. Moonport A
History of Apollo Launch Facilities and
Operations, NASA SP-4204 Benson Faherty, 1978.
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Concept of Operations DefinitionCEV/CLV Overall
Flow
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Heavy Lift Vehicle (27.3) Operations
InfrastructureKSC Level A Reference
Architectural ConOps
Fight Ground Element Operations
POST-FLIGHT
PRE-FLIGHT
MLUT VAB Preps
MLUT Securing
MLUT Refurb
1
Core Stg VAB
3a
11b
11a
PAD Securing
PAD Refurb
12b
12a
5-Seg SRB RPSF Assy
LLV Integ VAB
2x5-Seg SRB RPSF
2
4
SRB Remanuf (ARF)
SRB Hgr AF Recov/Disassy
SRB Recov Hgr AF Ops
SRB Refurb (ARF)
9a
9b
EDS (VAB/LB)
3b
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Integrated Vehicle Operations
CLEAN PAD LAUNCH ----------- Mission
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Parachute I/A Refurb
Parachute Refurb
10
SV Assy VAB Integ
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S/C Payload Ops
Lunar Surface Access Module Spacecraft Operations
(SSPF)
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Common Network Operations
Launch Processing Network (NASA KSC) Eastern
Range/USAF CCAFS
Mission Control/NASA JSC Space Flight Tracking
Comm (GSFC-FAA)
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Business Practices Information
Technology Operations
Enabling Infra-structure
Space Veh Launch Site Mgmt Ctl
ISS P/L Project Mgmt Ctl
LV Project Mgmt Ctl
Public Support Services
CEV Project Mgmt Ctl
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18
19
20
ILS Management Control
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Example Ground Design Challenges
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ESAS Operability Design Characteristicsfor
Management Control During Design

• Total number of separate identified vehicle
  systems (degree of functional integration across
  technical disciplines)
• Total number of flight tanks in the architecture
• Number of safety driven functional requirements
  to maintain safe control of systems during flight
  and ground ops
• Number of maintenance actions unplanned between
  missions
• Number of maintenance actions planned between
  missions
• Total number of ground interface functions
  required
• Total number of active components
• Number of different fluids
• Total number of vehicle support systems with
  element-to-element interfaces

• Number of flight vehicle servicing interfaces
• Number of confined/closed compartments
• Number of commodities used requiring SCAPE
  operations, medical support, and specialized
  hazard and safety training
• Number of safety driven limited access control
  operations
• Number of safing operations at landing
• Number of mechanical element mating operations
• Number of separate electrical supply interfaces
• Number of intrusive data gathering devices
• Number of Criticality 1 (Crit-1) system failure
  modes

See ESAS backup file for benchmarks and metrics
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Summary Conclusions

• Structured process used to identify viable
  spaceport architectural concept for renewed human
  lunar-planetary space exploration
• Process involves
• Understanding requirements and constraints
• Deriving functional architecture
• Conveying launch vehicle/spacecraft system
  characteristics needed by operator
• Conducting spaceport performance and cost
  estimating with realism.
• ESAS demonstrated the ability to derive
  conceptual ground architecture quickly, in a
  structured fashion
• Process defined an operations concept to suitable
  detail for further ground architecture concept
  definition
• Further improvements needed in ground operations
  and infrastructure life cycle cost modelingNew
  models soundly supported by historical data and
  analysis