Artemis

NASA's next-generation Moon rocket, the Space Launch System [SLS] rocket with the Orion crew capsule, lifted off from launch complex 39B as part of the unmanned Artemis 1 mission to the Moon on November 16, 2022. [File: Joe Rimkus Jr/Reuters]

The SLS finally flew. I was beginning to wonder. Seems they have been working on this thing forever. Finally took off and sent the Orion capsule around the moon. Aljazeera has some pictures.

The Silicon Greybeard has been following the Artemis project.

I've also been wondering why the SLS project cost so much money. Finally turned up an answer. It wasn't that it cost so much, it's because Congress wanted to shovel money out the door and Boeing said 'we'll take it'.

The Artemis Program

The Artemis Program
Megaprojects

Finally some straight talk without a lot of fluff. He covers the main issues involved with getting to the moon, but promises more in a follow up video. It's been four weeks, Simon, where is it?

Not one word about how grossly expensive the SLS (Space Launch System) has proven to be, but that should be expected since it was designed and built by government employees and government defense contractors. In NASA's defense, they are working out there on the bleeding edge, trying things no one has done before and documenting them so that other people can make use of that information. As for Boeing (the prime SLS contractor), they're big and fat and happily ensconced in the government pack. I doubt they could move nimbly if their life depending on it. You get in with the pack and nothing is more important than keeping your fellow pack members happy. Sure, you show up for work and you do things, but coffee, donuts and chitchat are just as important, aren't they?

The bit about the construction of the Orion module was interesting. An aluminum-lithium alloy, stronger than titanium? I wonder if anyone else is using it for anything. Hit me Google.

The primary use for Aluminum-Lithium alloys is in aerospace, i.e. making parts for airplanes. It has been around since the 1920s although it didn't start being used in aircraft till the 1950s.

Getting to the moon is one thing. Getting down to the surface is another, especially with all the gear you are going to need to establish some kind of permanent base. SpaceX's Starship could very well get us there, but the Starship is 160 odd feet tall and the bottom 100 feet are all fuel tanks. When it lands, you've got to descend 100 feet to get to the surface. You could use a winch to move between the ship and ground. A high speed electric winch would make it quick, but it would still be a nuisance. What happens when you want to move something like a bulldozer, or a nuclear reactor? The Starship is a chunk, maybe a 100 tons sitting on the moon. You want to shove a ten ton reactor 20 feet out the door and lower it to the ground? You ever see those videos of giant cranes falling over when they try to pick up something too heavy? So we might need something like this:

Dynetic's HLS (Human Landing System) Concept

Spacecraft

Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Feb. 2, 2015. Charles Bolden delivers a “state of the agency” address. Left to right, the three spacecraft on display are the Boeing CST-100, NASA's Orion and the SpaceX Dragon. Photo: NASA/Amber Watson

Typical NASA, the didn't identify the spacecraft in their photo. I had to figure that for myself. Stack Exchange provided an answer. The Dragon and Orion have both been to space, though not with any passengers.

This diagram shows the seven pieces of Orion’s primary structure and the order in which they are welded together. Credits: NASA

I came across this photo while I was reading about the welding operation NASA was using to build the Orion. The are going to a great deal of trouble, building one complete shell structure just to check their tools and procedures. A spacecraft is a pressure vessel, and while the pressure is not that high, the spacecraft itself is rather large. I have an air compressor in my garage that holds 100 PSI, but it's only about a foot in diameter. These craft are considerable larger, and while the pressure is lower, when multiplied by the area it gets big, as in tons of force. The shell has to be able to withstand the strain, and it probably doesn't weigh any more than my air compressor.


Robotic Friction Stir Welding Automation - Courtesy of CRIQ
To my surprise, I found they are using friction stir welding, which is kind of a bizarre technique. Watching the way aluminum will gum up a file or a grindstone might give you some idea of why it works.

Update: Jack provided this snippet from a different Wikipedia article:

Friction welding (FRW) is a solid-state welding process that generates heat through mechanical friction between work pieces in relative motion to one another, with the addition of a lateral force called "upset" to plastically displace and fuse the materials. Technically, because no melt occurs, friction welding is not actually a welding process in the traditional sense, but a forging technique

Update November 2020 replaced missing video.

Orion Attitude Control Motor

NASA Tests Orion Launch Abort System (LAS) Attitude Control Motor (ACM)
This is a solid rocket motor. It weighs 1700 pound. It has one charge and one combustion chamber with eight valves and eight nozzles. Once ignited it burns until it is exhausted. It is used to control the attitude, or orientation, of the Orion spacecraft. In normal operation it is used to orient the spacecraft in preparation for re-entry. It would also be used in case of emergency during launch when the spacecraft is separated from the booster.

Update August 2015. Replaced missing video.

Orion

Orion Trial By Fire - A quick overview of the recent test flight, from before the flight.

Those tiles look like they got a little warm, but the flag is still intact. Let's hear it for heat resistant paint.  

The video prompted me to read up on the Van Allen radiation belts. They're kind of weird and reading didn't help. The explanations I found were mostly impenetrable. Or maybe I was just tired. I'll stew on it for a bit (take a nap) and we'll see if they make any more sense on the far side.

Orion Spacecraft

Orion as it will appear in space for the Exploration Flight Test-1 attached to a Delta IV second stage.

Orion Recovery Test #2

PACIFIC OCEAN. USS Anchorage picks up the Orion crew module.  This is the second at-sea test using the well deck recovery method. (U.S. Navy photo by Gary Keen)
Test #1 here.

Orion Recovery Test

PACIFIC OCEAN (Feb. 20, 2014) Navy divers secure NASA's Orion crew module inside the well deck of the USS San Diego. U.S. Navy photo by Gary Keen.

Recovering the capsule after spalshdown is the last part of any trip into space, at least any American trip. Although it is not dramatic as the launch, it provides just as many opportunities to screw up and die. Once the capsule is in the water it should be a fairly simple operation to secure it. Practice ensures that it is. As long as it doesn't sink.