Brad Gardner, College Freshmen, The Golden Ratios
As many of you begin to prepare for the next step in your life, it is okay to have mixed emotions. I could not wait to start college but at the same time I was worried, nervous, and scared. For me, I was about to be the only one from my school to attend the University of Alabama. My biggest concern was being an out-of-state student and not knowing a single person before coming down. When I moved in, I found out right away how easy it was to make new friends. My biggest worry soon went from not knowing anyone to “oh my gosh how do I do my first load of laundry without turning my white clothes pink?” College is a whole new experience. In college, you are on your own and free to do what you want.
One of my favorite quotes and one of my biggest pieces of advice comes from Dr. Seuss. He once said, “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” Some of you may be like me and not know anyone. Or maybe you will attend college with a majority of your friends. Regardless of the situation, always be yourself and do not change for others. I guarantee you will find friends that share the same interests as you and like you for who you are. You’re friends are the ones that will always be there for you. Make friends with people in your classes as well. It is always nice to have someone to help you with homework and to study with.
Another tip would be to get involved. I am currently involved with the senior design hovercraft team, member of AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), and I play club water polo. Being involved is a great way to meet new people and learn new things. If you like sports, join an intramural or club team. If you want to get involved with something related to engineering, maybe join a design team. Whatever you may be interested in there is most likely a club related to it for you to join. If by chance they do not have what you are looking for you could always start one with your friends. Sometimes it is good to go do something fun instead of being bogged down with schoolwork.
Keep in mind as you go to college to stay true to who you are. Do not be intimidated by not knowing anyone. There will be hundreds of people who are just like you who may not know very many people. It is very easy to meet people. Get involved and you are guaranteed to have the time of your life doing what you love to do. You never know what you may learn. So when you go to college, always remember to “Be who you are and say what you feel.”
Discuss this blog here: http://tinyurl.com/bloginspire12
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
LiveChat Round Up 1/24/13
By Jim Gerard, INSPIRE Education Specialist, KSC, FL
Last night was a special LiveChat. Or should I say, different (they are ALL special!). We had not one, or two, but eight presenters. It was Grad night and featured some of our returned INSPIRE Grads, Abdiel, Alex, Bridget, Caitlin, Connor, Gladys, Jacky, and Morgan. This year, for the first time, we asked back some of our OLC members who had matriculated and headed to college or university. These 'fifth-year' students we have referred to as INSPIRE Grads. They have been asked to assist in peer mentoring and helping staff with our teams. We asked that they contribute also in the form of a blog (you may have read some of them already) or participate in a LiveChat. Yesterday's LiveChat enabled them to fulfill that obligation.
How many of you are going to college? Of course you are! You are high-achieving INSPIRE students! But, how many know where you are going, how you will get there, and what you will major in? The LiveChat helped provide answers by giving personal experiences of what to expect. Each one gave a synopsis of their currently brief experiences. There was even a good discussion on the pros and cons of commuting to school. While we ended the chat with many students still anxious to ask questions, we reminded all that the Grads are happy to answer all OLC members on the Discussion Board. We encourage all to take advantage of our Grads and their experience!
Next week, our presenter is Dr. Phil Metzger from Kennedy Space Center. Dr. Phil is part of our research team developing strategies for lunar bases/outposts. This chat is a MUST if you have signed up and plan to attend next weeks VSE on Lunar Bases (or watch the archive before the VSE). Plan to attend for a great night on the moon!
Discuss this blog here: http://tinyurl.com/bloginspire12
Last night was a special LiveChat. Or should I say, different (they are ALL special!). We had not one, or two, but eight presenters. It was Grad night and featured some of our returned INSPIRE Grads, Abdiel, Alex, Bridget, Caitlin, Connor, Gladys, Jacky, and Morgan. This year, for the first time, we asked back some of our OLC members who had matriculated and headed to college or university. These 'fifth-year' students we have referred to as INSPIRE Grads. They have been asked to assist in peer mentoring and helping staff with our teams. We asked that they contribute also in the form of a blog (you may have read some of them already) or participate in a LiveChat. Yesterday's LiveChat enabled them to fulfill that obligation.
How many of you are going to college? Of course you are! You are high-achieving INSPIRE students! But, how many know where you are going, how you will get there, and what you will major in? The LiveChat helped provide answers by giving personal experiences of what to expect. Each one gave a synopsis of their currently brief experiences. There was even a good discussion on the pros and cons of commuting to school. While we ended the chat with many students still anxious to ask questions, we reminded all that the Grads are happy to answer all OLC members on the Discussion Board. We encourage all to take advantage of our Grads and their experience!
Next week, our presenter is Dr. Phil Metzger from Kennedy Space Center. Dr. Phil is part of our research team developing strategies for lunar bases/outposts. This chat is a MUST if you have signed up and plan to attend next weeks VSE on Lunar Bases (or watch the archive before the VSE). Plan to attend for a great night on the moon!
Discuss this blog here: http://tinyurl.com/bloginspire12
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Never Lose Sight of Your Goals
Tyler Fink, College Freshman, The Golden Ratios
The most important piece of advice that I could give to someone with regard to their education, and even their life direction, is to always keep your goals in mind. If you are actively seeking out something, then the desired outcome is more likely to be achieved because the entirety of your focus is dedicated to this task.
Ever since I was a young child, I have been fascinated by the vastness of outer space. I would spend hours upon hours pondering the questions of the universe and I knew that one day I wanted to be able to contribute to the understanding of this awesome frontier. Once I got into high school, I needed to narrow down my choices of a major. For some, this is challenging, but I was quickly able to find something that highly interested me in the realm of space. Upon my acceptance to university, I chose to study aerospace engineering. Always having my goals in mind allowed me to tailor my collegiate activities and involvement to continue the pursuit of my dream. The next stepping stone in my journey to achieve this ultimate goal is a co-op at the Johnson Space Center beginning in May. I know that through this experience, I will gain even more knowledge and direction that will further compound what I've learned throughout my 18 years on Earth. Eventually, the information I've acquired over my lifetime will culminate into something that will assist those living today, as well as future generations, in having a firmer grasp of the functions of the universe and its mysterious beauty -- all because I never lost sight of my goals.
Friday, January 18, 2013
LiveChat Roundup 1/17/13
By Jim Gerard, NASA INSPIRE Education Specialist, KSC, FL
Unfortunately, at the last moment our invited speaker, Daniel Lockney from Langley Research Center, had to cancel due to illness. But did we cancel the LiveChat for the night? No! Mr. Gerard put together a presentation and shared with the 30 community members some highlights of NASA Milestones! Here are some pictures from some of the top milestones:
Find out what made these milestones, along with several others, by viewing the archived chat. And don't forget to take the quiz to earn points!
Next week, we will be joined by our own INSPIRE Grads to talk about their process of transitioning from high school to college. Drop by to hear their advice and get answers to your questions.
Discuss this blog here: http://tinyurl.com/bloginspire12
Unfortunately, at the last moment our invited speaker, Daniel Lockney from Langley Research Center, had to cancel due to illness. But did we cancel the LiveChat for the night? No! Mr. Gerard put together a presentation and shared with the 30 community members some highlights of NASA Milestones! Here are some pictures from some of the top milestones:
 |
| Explorer 1 - First US Satellite |
 |
| Apollo 11 on the moon |
 |
| Columbia returns |
 |
| International Space Station |
 |
| Winglets |
Next week, we will be joined by our own INSPIRE Grads to talk about their process of transitioning from high school to college. Drop by to hear their advice and get answers to your questions.
Discuss this blog here: http://tinyurl.com/bloginspire12
Monday, January 14, 2013
J-2X Progress: Current Status, The End of 2012
By William Greene, MSFC, AL
Once upon a time, not that long ago, people used to communicate by what were known as "letters." These were written documents. Yes, actual hardcopy, paper items. And they were often transcribed by hand or, sometimes, generated on what was known as a "typewriter," which was basically a manual, analog printer with no I/O port beyond direct keypad entry. These "letters" were sent to their intended recipients using a small denomination currency with an adhesive backing that is recognized for exchange by only one quasi-governmental agency.
I know that some of you may have doubts that people communicated with each other in primitive ways prior to email and text messages, but witness the cultural clues from the 1961 song illustrated above.
It was always believed that the toughest letter to receive was the dreaded "Dear John" letter (as in, "Dear John, I've fallen in love with someone else…"). However, I think t'at the hardest letter to write is the "it’s been awhile" letter. This one starts, "Well, it's been awhile since I’ve written. Sorry." This blog article is just like one of those letters. It's been awhile since I've written one of these articles and I'm sorry about that. I could give you a big long list of all the really, really serious stuff that I've been doing instead, but that's just a bunch of feeble excuses so I'll keep them to myself. Instead, I'll just get down to business and give you a status report on the J-2X development effort.
Engine #1 (E10001) Testing is Complete!
Over fourteen months and across the span of twenty-one tests, more than 2,700 seconds of engine run time was accumulated and recorded, including nearly 1,700 seconds of hot fire with an instrumented nozzle extension. With this engine we achieved stable 100% power level operation by the fourth test and full mission duration by the eighth test. While we don't have any official statistics on the issue, most folks around here believe that we accomplished those milestones faster than has ever been done on a newly developed engine. We learned how to calibrate the engine and the sensitivities that the engine has to different calibration settings, i.e., orifice sizes and valve positions. We were able to estimate performance parameters for the full-configuration of the engine at vacuum conditions and the calculations suggest strongly that all requirements are met by this design and met with substantial margin. This is significant considering that we've long considered our performance goals to be pretty aggressive. Well, our little-engine-that-could showed us that it did just fine with those goals, thank you very much.
One of the truly unique and successful aspects of the E10001 testing was the testing of a nozzle extension. This component is a key feature that allows J-2X performance to far exceed that of the J-2 engine from the Apollo Program era. While it is true that we cannot test the full-length nozzle extension without a test stand that actively simulates altitude conditions, we did test a highly instrumented "stub" version that allowed us to characterize the thermal environments to which the nozzle is exposed during engine hot fire and it demonstrated the effectiveness and durability of the emissivity coating that was used. This stub-nozzle configuration is actually the current baseline for the in-development Space Launch System vehicle upper stage.
Another key success for E10001 was the demonstration of both primary and secondary power levels with starts and shutdowns from each power level and with smooth in-run transitions back and forth between them. That smoothness was thanks, in part, to demonstrating our understanding of the control of the engine. From the very first test it was clear that we understood pretty well how to control the engine in terms of proper control orifices for the various operating conditions. What we did not entirely understand -- in other words the fine-tuning details -- we successfully learned via trial-and-error throughout the E10001 test series. All of this learning has been fed back into further anchoring our analytical tools and models so that we can move forward with J-2X development with a great deal of confidence.
Okay, so that's a brief description of just some of the good stuff. We had lots and lots of good stuff with the E10001 testing, far more than just that I've discussed here (see previous blog articles). The somewhat unfortunate part was the way in which the E10001 test series came to an end. On test A2J021, we had a disconnection between the intent for test and the detailed planning that led to the actual hardware configuration we ran for the test. That disconnection led to an ill-fated situation. Let me explain…
The J-2X gas generator has ports into which solid propellant igniters are installed. These igniters are like really high-powered Estes® rocket motors that light off when supplied with a high-energy electrical pulse. The flame from the igniter lights the fire of the hydrogen-oxygen mixture during the engine start sequence. It's essentially the kindling for the fire of mainstage operation. The igniters perform this function at a very specific time during this sequence. If you try to light the fire too early, then you may not have enough propellant available in a combustible mixture so you get a sputtering fire. If you try to light too late, then you may have too much propellant built up such that rather than getting a good fire, you get an explosion instead. But here's a key fact: You have to plug them in or they don’t work.
Have you ever stuck bread in the toaster, pushed down the plunger, gone off to make the coffee, and come back only to find that your darn toaster is broken? You curse a little because you're already late for work and this is the last darn thing you need. You would think that somebody somewhere could make a toaster that lasts more than six months or a year or whatever. For goodness sake! We put a man on the moon and yet we can't … oh, wait … um … ooops, it's not plugged in. My bad.
In a nutshell, that's what happened on test A2J021. The electronic ignition system sent the necessary pulse, but because of the uniqueness of our testing configuration as opposed to our flight configuration the wires carrying the pulse weren’t hooked up to the little solid propellant igniters in the gas generator. In the picture below you can see the external indication that something was not entirely good immediately after the test. The internal damage was more extensive to both the gas generator and the fuel turbopump turbine.
Many years ago, I met an elderly engineer who was still on the job well into his 80's because he loved his work. His entire career had been dedicated to testing. He'd actually been there, out in the desert, in the 1940's testing our very earliest rockets as part of the Hermes Project. One day, they had a mini disaster on the launch pad. He told me that the rocket basically just blew up where it sat. Boom and then a mess. And, it was his job to assemble the test report. Being a conscientious, ambitious, young engineer, he recorded the facts and offered a narrative abstract and extensive, annotated introduction that categorized the test as, well, a failure. Not long after submitting his report, one of the senior German engineers in the camp came into his office, put the test report down on the desk, and said that the tone of the report was entirely wrong. He said, "Every test report should begin with: 'This test was a success because…'" The purpose of testing is to gather data and learn. If you learn something, then your test was, by definition, a success on some level. I've tried very hard to remember this very important bit of wisdom.
So, A2J021 was a success because we learned that we had some deficiencies in our pre-test checkout procedures. It was a success because it was an extraordinary stress test on the gas generator system. No, it didn't recover and function properly, but neither did the engine come apart. While that might seem like a minor detail, when you're hundred miles from the surface of the earth, you would much rather have a situation where an abort is possible than a failure that could result in collateral vehicle damage and make safe abort impossible. We have a stout design. Good. Also, this test failure was due to a unique ground test configuration. In flight, it's not really plausible just because we would never fly in this configuration.
So, E10001 completed its test program with a bang. Kinda, sorta literally. But it was nearly the end of its design life anyway, so we didn't lose too many test opportunities, and, as I said, even with test A2J021 the way it happened we learned a great deal. Overall, the E10001 test series was an outrageous success. Rocketdyne, the J-2X contractor, ought to be darn proud and so should the outstanding assembly and test crews at the NASA Stennis Space Center and our data analysts here at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Bravo guys! Go J-2X!
Power-Pack Assembly 2 (PPA-2) Testing is Complete!
Over ten months and across the span of thirteen tests, nearly 6,200 seconds of engine run time was accumulated and recorded on the J-2X Power Pack Assembly 2. That's over 100 minutes of hot fire. Three of the tests were over 20 minutes long (plus one that clocked in at 19 minutes) and these represent the longest tests ever conducted at the NASA Stennis Space Center A-complex. But more than just length, it was the extraordinary complexity of the test profiles that truly sets the PPA-2 testing apart.
Because PPA-2 was not a full engine with the constraints imposed by the need to feed a stable main combustion chamber, and because we used electro-mechanical actuators on the engine-side valves and hydraulic actuators on the facility side valves, we could push the PPA-2 turbomachinery across broad ranges of operating conditions. These ranges represented extremes in boundary conditions and extremes in engine conditions and performance. On several occasions we intentionally searched out conditions that would result in a test cut just so that we could better understand our margins. As the saying goes: It's only when you go too far do you truly learn just how far you can go. We successfully (and safely) applied that adage several times. In short, we gathered enough information to keep the turbomachinery and rotordynamics folks blissfully buried in data for months and months to come.
On an interesting and instructive side note, the PPA-2 testing also showed us that we needed to redesign a seal internal to the hydrogen turbopump. In the oxygen turbopump, you have an actively purged seal between the turbine side and the pump side. After all, during operation you have hydrogen-rich hot gas pushing through the turbine side and liquid oxygen going through the pump side. You obviously don't want them to mix or the result could be catastrophic. That's why we have a purged seal. But for the hydrogen turbopump you don't have such an issue. During operation, at worst should the two sides mix you could get some leakage of hydrogen from the pump side into the turbine side that is already hydrogen rich. In order to maintain machine efficiency, you don't want too much leakage, but a little is not catastrophic (and can be used constructively to cool the bearings). What could be dangerous at the vehicle level, however, is if you have too much hydrogen floating around prior to liftoff. This is especially true for an upper-stage engine like J-2X that's typically sitting within an enclosed space until stage separation during the mission. You could have the engine sitting on the pad for hours chilling down and filling the cryogenic systems and you don't want gobs and gobs of hydrogen leaking through the turbopump since any leakage ends up within the closed vehicle compartment housing the engine. That's just asking for an explosion and a bad day.
To avoid this, within the J-2X hydrogen turbopump we have what is called a lift-off seal. And, as the name applies, it's a seal that actively lifts off when we're ready to run the engine. When the engine is just sitting there chilling down, not running, with liquid hydrogen filling the pump end of the hydrogen turbopump, the seal is, well, sealed. Then, when we're ready to go, it unseals and allows the turbopump to operate nominally.
During the PPA-2 test series we found that we formed a small material failure within the actuation pieces for our lift-off seal. Then, upon analysis of the test data and a reassessment of the design, we figured out what was most likely the cause and Rocketdyne proposed a redesign to mitigate the issue. Again, going back to that important piece of wisdom: This testing was a success because, in part, we learned that we needed a slight redesign of the lift-off seal. That's the whole purpose of development testing! Everything always looks great when it's just in blueprints. It's not until you hit the test stand do you truly learn what's good and what need to be reconsidered. In the end, this sort of rigor and perseverance is what gives you a final product that you feel good about putting in a vehicle carrying humans in space. And that, truly, is what it’s all about.
As with E10001, the PPA-2 test series was simply an outrageous success. Rocketdyne should be proud and so should the outstanding assembly and test crews at the NASA Stennis Space Center and the data analysts at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Bravo guys! Go J-2X!
Engine #2 (E10002) Assembly is Underway
Our next star on the horizon is J-2X development Engine 10002. It is being assembled right now, as I'm typing this article. It is slated for assembly completion in January 2013 and it will be making lots of noise and very hot steam in the test stand soon after that. While our current plans are to first test E10002 in test stand A2, we will later be moving it to test stand A1. This, then, will be the first engine then to see both test stands. The more important reason for the A1 testing, however, is because that will give us the opportunity to hook up some big hydraulic actuators and gimbal the engine, i.e., make it rock and tilt as though it were being used to steer a vehicle. Now that will be some exciting video to post to the blog! I can't wait.
Happy New Year!
So, this has been my "it's been awhile" letter. Hopefully this will bring everyone up to speed with where we stand with J-2X development. In my next article, I will share with you some of what’s been keeping me from my J-2X article writing over the last several months. And, hopefully, it won't be several months in the making. So, farewell for now and Happy New Year! On to 2013 and another great year full of J-2X successes. Go J-2X!
Discuss this blog here: http://tinyurl.com/bloginspire12
Once upon a time, not that long ago, people used to communicate by what were known as "letters." These were written documents. Yes, actual hardcopy, paper items. And they were often transcribed by hand or, sometimes, generated on what was known as a "typewriter," which was basically a manual, analog printer with no I/O port beyond direct keypad entry. These "letters" were sent to their intended recipients using a small denomination currency with an adhesive backing that is recognized for exchange by only one quasi-governmental agency.
I know that some of you may have doubts that people communicated with each other in primitive ways prior to email and text messages, but witness the cultural clues from the 1961 song illustrated above.
It was always believed that the toughest letter to receive was the dreaded "Dear John" letter (as in, "Dear John, I've fallen in love with someone else…"). However, I think t'at the hardest letter to write is the "it’s been awhile" letter. This one starts, "Well, it's been awhile since I’ve written. Sorry." This blog article is just like one of those letters. It's been awhile since I've written one of these articles and I'm sorry about that. I could give you a big long list of all the really, really serious stuff that I've been doing instead, but that's just a bunch of feeble excuses so I'll keep them to myself. Instead, I'll just get down to business and give you a status report on the J-2X development effort.
Engine #1 (E10001) Testing is Complete!
Over fourteen months and across the span of twenty-one tests, more than 2,700 seconds of engine run time was accumulated and recorded, including nearly 1,700 seconds of hot fire with an instrumented nozzle extension. With this engine we achieved stable 100% power level operation by the fourth test and full mission duration by the eighth test. While we don't have any official statistics on the issue, most folks around here believe that we accomplished those milestones faster than has ever been done on a newly developed engine. We learned how to calibrate the engine and the sensitivities that the engine has to different calibration settings, i.e., orifice sizes and valve positions. We were able to estimate performance parameters for the full-configuration of the engine at vacuum conditions and the calculations suggest strongly that all requirements are met by this design and met with substantial margin. This is significant considering that we've long considered our performance goals to be pretty aggressive. Well, our little-engine-that-could showed us that it did just fine with those goals, thank you very much.
One of the truly unique and successful aspects of the E10001 testing was the testing of a nozzle extension. This component is a key feature that allows J-2X performance to far exceed that of the J-2 engine from the Apollo Program era. While it is true that we cannot test the full-length nozzle extension without a test stand that actively simulates altitude conditions, we did test a highly instrumented "stub" version that allowed us to characterize the thermal environments to which the nozzle is exposed during engine hot fire and it demonstrated the effectiveness and durability of the emissivity coating that was used. This stub-nozzle configuration is actually the current baseline for the in-development Space Launch System vehicle upper stage.
Another key success for E10001 was the demonstration of both primary and secondary power levels with starts and shutdowns from each power level and with smooth in-run transitions back and forth between them. That smoothness was thanks, in part, to demonstrating our understanding of the control of the engine. From the very first test it was clear that we understood pretty well how to control the engine in terms of proper control orifices for the various operating conditions. What we did not entirely understand -- in other words the fine-tuning details -- we successfully learned via trial-and-error throughout the E10001 test series. All of this learning has been fed back into further anchoring our analytical tools and models so that we can move forward with J-2X development with a great deal of confidence.
Okay, so that's a brief description of just some of the good stuff. We had lots and lots of good stuff with the E10001 testing, far more than just that I've discussed here (see previous blog articles). The somewhat unfortunate part was the way in which the E10001 test series came to an end. On test A2J021, we had a disconnection between the intent for test and the detailed planning that led to the actual hardware configuration we ran for the test. That disconnection led to an ill-fated situation. Let me explain…
The J-2X gas generator has ports into which solid propellant igniters are installed. These igniters are like really high-powered Estes® rocket motors that light off when supplied with a high-energy electrical pulse. The flame from the igniter lights the fire of the hydrogen-oxygen mixture during the engine start sequence. It's essentially the kindling for the fire of mainstage operation. The igniters perform this function at a very specific time during this sequence. If you try to light the fire too early, then you may not have enough propellant available in a combustible mixture so you get a sputtering fire. If you try to light too late, then you may have too much propellant built up such that rather than getting a good fire, you get an explosion instead. But here's a key fact: You have to plug them in or they don’t work.
Have you ever stuck bread in the toaster, pushed down the plunger, gone off to make the coffee, and come back only to find that your darn toaster is broken? You curse a little because you're already late for work and this is the last darn thing you need. You would think that somebody somewhere could make a toaster that lasts more than six months or a year or whatever. For goodness sake! We put a man on the moon and yet we can't … oh, wait … um … ooops, it's not plugged in. My bad.
In a nutshell, that's what happened on test A2J021. The electronic ignition system sent the necessary pulse, but because of the uniqueness of our testing configuration as opposed to our flight configuration the wires carrying the pulse weren’t hooked up to the little solid propellant igniters in the gas generator. In the picture below you can see the external indication that something was not entirely good immediately after the test. The internal damage was more extensive to both the gas generator and the fuel turbopump turbine.
Many years ago, I met an elderly engineer who was still on the job well into his 80's because he loved his work. His entire career had been dedicated to testing. He'd actually been there, out in the desert, in the 1940's testing our very earliest rockets as part of the Hermes Project. One day, they had a mini disaster on the launch pad. He told me that the rocket basically just blew up where it sat. Boom and then a mess. And, it was his job to assemble the test report. Being a conscientious, ambitious, young engineer, he recorded the facts and offered a narrative abstract and extensive, annotated introduction that categorized the test as, well, a failure. Not long after submitting his report, one of the senior German engineers in the camp came into his office, put the test report down on the desk, and said that the tone of the report was entirely wrong. He said, "Every test report should begin with: 'This test was a success because…'" The purpose of testing is to gather data and learn. If you learn something, then your test was, by definition, a success on some level. I've tried very hard to remember this very important bit of wisdom.
So, A2J021 was a success because we learned that we had some deficiencies in our pre-test checkout procedures. It was a success because it was an extraordinary stress test on the gas generator system. No, it didn't recover and function properly, but neither did the engine come apart. While that might seem like a minor detail, when you're hundred miles from the surface of the earth, you would much rather have a situation where an abort is possible than a failure that could result in collateral vehicle damage and make safe abort impossible. We have a stout design. Good. Also, this test failure was due to a unique ground test configuration. In flight, it's not really plausible just because we would never fly in this configuration.
So, E10001 completed its test program with a bang. Kinda, sorta literally. But it was nearly the end of its design life anyway, so we didn't lose too many test opportunities, and, as I said, even with test A2J021 the way it happened we learned a great deal. Overall, the E10001 test series was an outrageous success. Rocketdyne, the J-2X contractor, ought to be darn proud and so should the outstanding assembly and test crews at the NASA Stennis Space Center and our data analysts here at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Bravo guys! Go J-2X!
Power-Pack Assembly 2 (PPA-2) Testing is Complete!
Over ten months and across the span of thirteen tests, nearly 6,200 seconds of engine run time was accumulated and recorded on the J-2X Power Pack Assembly 2. That's over 100 minutes of hot fire. Three of the tests were over 20 minutes long (plus one that clocked in at 19 minutes) and these represent the longest tests ever conducted at the NASA Stennis Space Center A-complex. But more than just length, it was the extraordinary complexity of the test profiles that truly sets the PPA-2 testing apart.
Because PPA-2 was not a full engine with the constraints imposed by the need to feed a stable main combustion chamber, and because we used electro-mechanical actuators on the engine-side valves and hydraulic actuators on the facility side valves, we could push the PPA-2 turbomachinery across broad ranges of operating conditions. These ranges represented extremes in boundary conditions and extremes in engine conditions and performance. On several occasions we intentionally searched out conditions that would result in a test cut just so that we could better understand our margins. As the saying goes: It's only when you go too far do you truly learn just how far you can go. We successfully (and safely) applied that adage several times. In short, we gathered enough information to keep the turbomachinery and rotordynamics folks blissfully buried in data for months and months to come.
On an interesting and instructive side note, the PPA-2 testing also showed us that we needed to redesign a seal internal to the hydrogen turbopump. In the oxygen turbopump, you have an actively purged seal between the turbine side and the pump side. After all, during operation you have hydrogen-rich hot gas pushing through the turbine side and liquid oxygen going through the pump side. You obviously don't want them to mix or the result could be catastrophic. That's why we have a purged seal. But for the hydrogen turbopump you don't have such an issue. During operation, at worst should the two sides mix you could get some leakage of hydrogen from the pump side into the turbine side that is already hydrogen rich. In order to maintain machine efficiency, you don't want too much leakage, but a little is not catastrophic (and can be used constructively to cool the bearings). What could be dangerous at the vehicle level, however, is if you have too much hydrogen floating around prior to liftoff. This is especially true for an upper-stage engine like J-2X that's typically sitting within an enclosed space until stage separation during the mission. You could have the engine sitting on the pad for hours chilling down and filling the cryogenic systems and you don't want gobs and gobs of hydrogen leaking through the turbopump since any leakage ends up within the closed vehicle compartment housing the engine. That's just asking for an explosion and a bad day.
To avoid this, within the J-2X hydrogen turbopump we have what is called a lift-off seal. And, as the name applies, it's a seal that actively lifts off when we're ready to run the engine. When the engine is just sitting there chilling down, not running, with liquid hydrogen filling the pump end of the hydrogen turbopump, the seal is, well, sealed. Then, when we're ready to go, it unseals and allows the turbopump to operate nominally.
During the PPA-2 test series we found that we formed a small material failure within the actuation pieces for our lift-off seal. Then, upon analysis of the test data and a reassessment of the design, we figured out what was most likely the cause and Rocketdyne proposed a redesign to mitigate the issue. Again, going back to that important piece of wisdom: This testing was a success because, in part, we learned that we needed a slight redesign of the lift-off seal. That's the whole purpose of development testing! Everything always looks great when it's just in blueprints. It's not until you hit the test stand do you truly learn what's good and what need to be reconsidered. In the end, this sort of rigor and perseverance is what gives you a final product that you feel good about putting in a vehicle carrying humans in space. And that, truly, is what it’s all about.
As with E10001, the PPA-2 test series was simply an outrageous success. Rocketdyne should be proud and so should the outstanding assembly and test crews at the NASA Stennis Space Center and the data analysts at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Bravo guys! Go J-2X!
Engine #2 (E10002) Assembly is Underway
Our next star on the horizon is J-2X development Engine 10002. It is being assembled right now, as I'm typing this article. It is slated for assembly completion in January 2013 and it will be making lots of noise and very hot steam in the test stand soon after that. While our current plans are to first test E10002 in test stand A2, we will later be moving it to test stand A1. This, then, will be the first engine then to see both test stands. The more important reason for the A1 testing, however, is because that will give us the opportunity to hook up some big hydraulic actuators and gimbal the engine, i.e., make it rock and tilt as though it were being used to steer a vehicle. Now that will be some exciting video to post to the blog! I can't wait.
Happy New Year!
So, this has been my "it's been awhile" letter. Hopefully this will bring everyone up to speed with where we stand with J-2X development. In my next article, I will share with you some of what’s been keeping me from my J-2X article writing over the last several months. And, hopefully, it won't be several months in the making. So, farewell for now and Happy New Year! On to 2013 and another great year full of J-2X successes. Go J-2X!
Discuss this blog here: http://tinyurl.com/bloginspire12
Friday, January 11, 2013
LiveChat Roundup - 1/10/13
By Jim Gerard, NASA INSPIRE Specialist, KSC, FL
Communication is crucial to the safety of spaceflight. This was the message to the 39 participants of the INSPIRE LiveChat with education specialist Michael Hare of the Johnson Space Center. Mr. Hare, a former television producer is now contracted to the Digital Learning Network, a NASA program that presents live online chats to students around the globe.
Communication through various wave bands are utilized to link the astronauts on the space station to the ground and the many control rooms around the world. Because the International Space Station is truly international, the countries involved all have their own control rooms. These and the ISS are linked together by a network of satellites called TDRS (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite). These satellites are locate in a geosynchronous orbit (they orbit high enough to take 24 hours to orbit, keeping over the same point on the earth as it rotates). A new TDRS satellite will be launched from Cape Canaveral at the end of the month.
These same systems will be used to aid in the communication with future spacecraft. The further you travel, the longer the time it takes for a radio signal to reach its target. A question asked to an astronaut on Mars could take 25 minutes before an answer is received.
Communication with robotic spacecraft is just as important, and Mr. Hare talked about the elaborate means by which we communicated with the Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) as it landed on the Martian surface. Most of the communication with these robotic craft is through the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Deep Space Network, a series of radio antennae around the globe. From earth orbit all the way out to Voyager on the edge of the Solar System, we can listen to the faints radio signals that are sent back to earth. The technology developed to provide this communication have been adapted for many commercial uses, from satellites TV to cell phones.
This reuse of technology is called a Spinoff, and that is the subject of our next LiveChat with returning speaker Daniel Lockney of the Langley Research Center in Virginia. He will share some of the latest technology transfers from the last year, and what to look forward to in 2013. We look forward to seeing you on our next LiveChat!
Discuss this blog here: http://tinyurl.com/bloginspire12
Communication is crucial to the safety of spaceflight. This was the message to the 39 participants of the INSPIRE LiveChat with education specialist Michael Hare of the Johnson Space Center. Mr. Hare, a former television producer is now contracted to the Digital Learning Network, a NASA program that presents live online chats to students around the globe.
Communication through various wave bands are utilized to link the astronauts on the space station to the ground and the many control rooms around the world. Because the International Space Station is truly international, the countries involved all have their own control rooms. These and the ISS are linked together by a network of satellites called TDRS (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite). These satellites are locate in a geosynchronous orbit (they orbit high enough to take 24 hours to orbit, keeping over the same point on the earth as it rotates). A new TDRS satellite will be launched from Cape Canaveral at the end of the month.
These same systems will be used to aid in the communication with future spacecraft. The further you travel, the longer the time it takes for a radio signal to reach its target. A question asked to an astronaut on Mars could take 25 minutes before an answer is received.
Communication with robotic spacecraft is just as important, and Mr. Hare talked about the elaborate means by which we communicated with the Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) as it landed on the Martian surface. Most of the communication with these robotic craft is through the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Deep Space Network, a series of radio antennae around the globe. From earth orbit all the way out to Voyager on the edge of the Solar System, we can listen to the faints radio signals that are sent back to earth. The technology developed to provide this communication have been adapted for many commercial uses, from satellites TV to cell phones.
This reuse of technology is called a Spinoff, and that is the subject of our next LiveChat with returning speaker Daniel Lockney of the Langley Research Center in Virginia. He will share some of the latest technology transfers from the last year, and what to look forward to in 2013. We look forward to seeing you on our next LiveChat!
Discuss this blog here: http://tinyurl.com/bloginspire12
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Getting Back to Another Routine of INSPIRE
By Ricky Tran,
The Golden Ratios
I am sure that the most of us have enjoyed winter break, and now have to settle down for school again. It's pretty sad that the fun couldn’t last forever. Well, INSPIRE is there for you if you need it. You can look forward to the awesome LiveChats and the Café talks that we have every Thursday. You can also look forward to gaining more points to reach your place on the leaderboard (Although I have a feeling that we might have competition for 1st place, as a certain person is determined to get her spot back). You can also enjoy the polls and the news that are directly a click away for you to see on the homepage.
INSPIRE is sort of like your second community, where students like you are enjoying the STEM experience. This is the usual routine that we all maybe have, but there is always something in the LiveChats, the quizzes and challenges, the activities, something to talk about on the INSPIRE Café, the discussion board, and a whole lot more. INSPIRE is really this wonderful program that acts like your own little world within a world, and that is quite the Inception concept there. Since we haven't died yet, be glad that we have another year with INSPIRE and take for granted that you are a part of the greatest programs on Earth (that's how I see it), and enjoy the moment. Since we are back at the INSPIREe program again, I have some news. This month, to kick-off the new year, we have started with NASA Technology and we have a LiveChat with Michael Hare about Communication Technology, so join on the LiveChat and hear about the newest technology that exist LIVE before your very eyes, and if this is the first chat you will be hearing, you will get to hear Jim Gerard for the first time!!!! Sweet!!!! So In fact, I should say this:
INSPIRE Students, Welcome Home from your wonderful Holidays!!! ;)
Discuss this blog here: http://tinyurl.com/bloginspire12
I am sure that the most of us have enjoyed winter break, and now have to settle down for school again. It's pretty sad that the fun couldn’t last forever. Well, INSPIRE is there for you if you need it. You can look forward to the awesome LiveChats and the Café talks that we have every Thursday. You can also look forward to gaining more points to reach your place on the leaderboard (Although I have a feeling that we might have competition for 1st place, as a certain person is determined to get her spot back). You can also enjoy the polls and the news that are directly a click away for you to see on the homepage.
INSPIRE is sort of like your second community, where students like you are enjoying the STEM experience. This is the usual routine that we all maybe have, but there is always something in the LiveChats, the quizzes and challenges, the activities, something to talk about on the INSPIRE Café, the discussion board, and a whole lot more. INSPIRE is really this wonderful program that acts like your own little world within a world, and that is quite the Inception concept there. Since we haven't died yet, be glad that we have another year with INSPIRE and take for granted that you are a part of the greatest programs on Earth (that's how I see it), and enjoy the moment. Since we are back at the INSPIREe program again, I have some news. This month, to kick-off the new year, we have started with NASA Technology and we have a LiveChat with Michael Hare about Communication Technology, so join on the LiveChat and hear about the newest technology that exist LIVE before your very eyes, and if this is the first chat you will be hearing, you will get to hear Jim Gerard for the first time!!!! Sweet!!!! So In fact, I should say this:
INSPIRE Students, Welcome Home from your wonderful Holidays!!! ;)
Discuss this blog here: http://tinyurl.com/bloginspire12
Monday, January 7, 2013
Grad Advice
By Grace Renninger, INSPIRE Grad
Hello,
I’m Grace Renninger. I’m currently attending Florida State University with an
undecided major. I’m really enjoying college so far, and I had a lot of
questions before I started. Here are some things I’m glad I did, and some
things I would do differently.
What
I’d do Differently:
1. Taken My Academic
Adviser’s Word as Stone:
My Academic adviser
recommended I take a class I’d already taken in high school. I didn’t think I
needed to, but took her advice, and ended up being very bored in a class I’d
already taken. You know what you’re capable of. Talk to your academic advisor
if you have a question about a class, but also talk to the students in the
class, and if you can, the professor. Then make your decision.
2. Bought My Books Before
Classes Started:
I ended up not needing two of
the books I bought. None of my classes started using the book until the second
week, which is plenty of time to order or buy a book. If you buy your books
before classes start, I would recommend asking what the return policy is.
3. Applied For Housing Late
My college tour guides told
me to apply for housing early, without mentioning the hefty application fees. I
waited until I’d decided on which college I wanted to go to, and ended up in a
less-desirable dorm. My dorm is far from terrible, but I wish I’d researched
colleges and applied for housing earlier.
What I’d do Again:
1. Was Outgoing
Everyone is trying to make
friends the first week. Visiting clubs and going to campus events is a great
way to meet new people. If you can’t find a club that interests you, start one!
My friend and I started a writing group with some students in her creative
writing class, and now we’re all good friends. Be persistent, and you’ll make
new friends.
2. Tried New Things
Have you ever heard a Lakota
Native American Courting Flute? I sure hadn’t, until someone asked me if I’d
like to hear a Lakota Native American Flute concert. Colleges offer a variety
of free, interesting events. Keep up on what’s happening on campus, and try new
things. You never know what you might learn!
3. Was Honest During the Roommate Agreement
My roommate and I didn’t know
each other before we came to college. We get along great, and I think this is
partly because we were very honest with each other. We told each other about
ourselves, and what we expected for cleanliness, visitors, and study hours. It
might seem awkward, but it’s better in the long run.
4.
Sat in the Front of the Room
I
had three classes with over two hundred students, and I swear I would never
have known it if I hadn’t looked behind me. Sitting in the front of the room
minimized the distraction and put me right up close to my professor, which made
it easier to pay attention.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Happy Holidays in the OLC
By Ricky Tran, The Golden Ratios
(Note: Ricky penned this on Dec. 20, but it got caught in the holidays and is just now being posted. While some parts may be dated, it offers a good assesment of the past year. JG)
As we are coming into the winter break, we can see Christmas
in the distance, and the thought of no school and sleeping in without worry for
2-3 weeks. So what is happening now? Well, apparently, the end of the world is
coming up (although evidence shows that there is no way that there would be an
end of the world) and people are spending their money to protect and prepare
themselves for the apocalypse. Also, the holiday shopping season is nearly upon
us, so prepare to expect a disease of empty wallets during the next few weeks.
As we come up to the end of 2012, we look back at the shining moments in 2012
that NASA has accomplished and will improve on for 2013. The reign of the Space
Shuttle was finally come to an end, and rests in the year 2012 in special
locations across America. I will be fond of the Space Shuttle Endeavour because
The OLC members that went to the Unconference in Florida got to stand under the
Space Shuttle, and I was there!!! We have finally also landed a rover on Mars,
and begin yet another exploration mission in the name of NASA and science. We
also regret the passing of Neil Armstrong and the people that he has inspired
throughout his lifetime, and I salute him for being a man who has been to the
Moon and back and lived to tell the tale for many years to come. We also expect
NASA commercialization with companies such as Flight Galactic and SpaceX, who
was sent the first privately owned and commercial rocket to the ISS and proved
that they have the power to do the same good job as NASA had always done.
Companies like SpaceX are paving the way for privately owned Space Programs and
begin the new path for international spaceflight and exploration for many years
to come. So when Christmas is near, you can remind yourself of the live chat
that we recently had about Santa is his arsenal of gadgets and technology that
will keep on baffling the world for millennia to come, unless the end date is
true, then I bid you all a good farewell.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
MissionSTEM: Building Our Nation's Talent Pool
By NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden
In a recent blog, I noted the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's famous speech on the nation's space effort. That speech is especially relevant today in light of NASA's current work to launch humans to destinations in deep space. These missions will involve formidable challenges, but they will drive the creation of exciting new capabilities and unprecedented technologies. One thing is clear: such an awesome undertaking will require the best talent our nation has to offer, just as it did in 1962 when President Kennedy vowed that America would lead the world in space exploration.
In 2009, more than 1.5 million U.S. citizens earned bachelor's degrees in this country, but only 4.4 percent were in engineering, and only 1.1 percent were in the physical sciences. Only 2.4 percent of our undergraduates earned degrees in computer sciences and only 1.0 percent in mathematics. When we consider the numbers of women and minorities earning degrees in these fields, the situation is even worse. According to the National Science Foundation's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 0.8 percent of all bachelor's degrees earned in 2009 were by women in engineering and only 0.2 percent of those earned were by African Americans in engineering. These numbers are simply unacceptable for a world leader in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) like the United States.
At NASA, we take seriously our responsibility to help inspire our nation's future scientists and engineers and provide them with experiences and opportunities. We also want the nation's STEM degree programs to be more welcoming, supportive, and accessible to all students. With that in mind, this week we launch MissionSTEM.nasa.gov, a Web site created by our Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, to assist colleges and universities in strengthening their STEM programs. MissionSTEM informs our grantee universities and science centers and museums of their EO compliance responsibilities, but it goes far beyond compliance. The Web site also will connect NASA with its grantees, professional STEM organizations, and other interested stakeholders, to creatively address issues such as recruitment and retention of diverse students. It will serve as a conduit for information-sharing on topics of common interest, such as promising practices to lead educational institutions that help create more inclusive learning environments and more broadly diverse student bodies.
Where will we find our future STEM talent? We will find it in every community, in every university and college, and in students of every socio-economic background. The talent is out there. It always has been. I am confident that American students have the intelligence, curiosity, and tenacity to excel in STEM fields. We, as a nation, must commit to encouraging and supporting them to pursue their dreams. Take a few minutes to look at MissionSTEM.nasa.gov and see how you can help foster the future talent for America's STEM workforce.
In a recent blog, I noted the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's famous speech on the nation's space effort. That speech is especially relevant today in light of NASA's current work to launch humans to destinations in deep space. These missions will involve formidable challenges, but they will drive the creation of exciting new capabilities and unprecedented technologies. One thing is clear: such an awesome undertaking will require the best talent our nation has to offer, just as it did in 1962 when President Kennedy vowed that America would lead the world in space exploration.
In 2009, more than 1.5 million U.S. citizens earned bachelor's degrees in this country, but only 4.4 percent were in engineering, and only 1.1 percent were in the physical sciences. Only 2.4 percent of our undergraduates earned degrees in computer sciences and only 1.0 percent in mathematics. When we consider the numbers of women and minorities earning degrees in these fields, the situation is even worse. According to the National Science Foundation's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 0.8 percent of all bachelor's degrees earned in 2009 were by women in engineering and only 0.2 percent of those earned were by African Americans in engineering. These numbers are simply unacceptable for a world leader in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) like the United States.
At NASA, we take seriously our responsibility to help inspire our nation's future scientists and engineers and provide them with experiences and opportunities. We also want the nation's STEM degree programs to be more welcoming, supportive, and accessible to all students. With that in mind, this week we launch MissionSTEM.nasa.gov, a Web site created by our Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, to assist colleges and universities in strengthening their STEM programs. MissionSTEM informs our grantee universities and science centers and museums of their EO compliance responsibilities, but it goes far beyond compliance. The Web site also will connect NASA with its grantees, professional STEM organizations, and other interested stakeholders, to creatively address issues such as recruitment and retention of diverse students. It will serve as a conduit for information-sharing on topics of common interest, such as promising practices to lead educational institutions that help create more inclusive learning environments and more broadly diverse student bodies.
Where will we find our future STEM talent? We will find it in every community, in every university and college, and in students of every socio-economic background. The talent is out there. It always has been. I am confident that American students have the intelligence, curiosity, and tenacity to excel in STEM fields. We, as a nation, must commit to encouraging and supporting them to pursue their dreams. Take a few minutes to look at MissionSTEM.nasa.gov and see how you can help foster the future talent for America's STEM workforce.
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