Introduction to the Altair Project

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Introduction to theAltair Project

• Lauri N. Hansen,
• Project Manager

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NASAs Exploration Roadmap
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Mars Expedition Design
Human Lunar Return
Surface Systems Development
Altair Development
Early Design Activity
Ares V Development
Earth Departure Stage Development
Orion Development
Ares I Development
Commercial Crew/Cargo for ISS
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Components of Program Constellation
Earth Departure Stage
Crew Exploration Vehicle
Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle
LunarLander
Crew Launch Vehicle
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Typical Lunar Reference Mission
MOON
Vehicles are not to scale.
Ascent Stage Expended
100 km Low Lunar Orbit
Lander Performs LOI
Earth Departure Stage Expended
Service Module Expended
Low Earth Orbit
CEV
EDS, Lander
Direct Entry Land Landing
EARTH
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Lunar Lander and Ascent Stage

• 4 crew to and from the surface
• Seven days on the surface
• Lunar outpost crew rotation
• Global access capability
• Anytime return to Earth
• Capability to land 15 to 17 metric tons of
  dedicated cargo
• Airlock for surface activities
• Descent stage
• Liquid oxygen / liquid hydrogen propulsion
• Ascent stage
• Hypergolic Propellants or Liquid oxygen/methane

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Configuration Variants
Outpost Variant 45,000 kg Descent Module Ascent
Module
Sortie Variant 45,000 kg Descent Module Ascent
Module Airlock
Cargo Variant 53,600 kg Descent Module Cargo on
Upper Deck
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Initial Project Structure

• Using a Smart Buyer approach
• Develop a preliminary government design
• Coming out of initial design effort, have
  independent reviews and solicit industry input on
  initial design
• Continue to refine design requirements based on
  industry input
• Using knowledge gained from in-house design
  effort, create draft vehicle design requirements
• In FY10 have a vehicle requirements review, and
  baseline requirements
• Between 2009 2011, build hardware/test beds to
  mature confidence in path for forward design
  (lower risk of unknown surprises)
• Continue to mature design in-house until PDR
  timeframe (tentative)

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Detailed Approachfor Design Team

• Initial task was developing a preliminary
  in-house design 6-9 mth duration
• Agency wide team
• Expert designers from across the agency
• Minimalist approach add people on a
  case-by-case basis, only as needed
• Subsystems, not elements
• Approximately 20 25 people on the core team
• Co-located initially (approx 2 months)
• Working from home centers following initial
  co-location period
• Another 20-25 FTE distributed across the Agency
  (not co-located)
• Focused on Design (D in DAC)
• Developed detailed Master Equipment List (over
  2000 components)
• Developed detailed Powered Equipment List
• Produced sub-system schematics
• NASTRAN analysis using Finite Element Models
• Performed high-level consumables and resource
  utilization analysis
• Sub-system performance analysis by sub-system
  leads
• Keep process overhead to the minimum required
• Recognizing that a small, dynamic team doesnt
  need all of the process overhead that a much
  larger one does
• But. It still needs the basics

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Minimum Functionality Approach

• Minimum Functionality is a design philosophy
  that begins with a vehicle that will perform the
  mission, and no more than that
• Does not consider contingencies
• Does not have added redundancy (single string
  approach)
• Altair has taken a Minimum Functionality design
  approach
• Provides early, critical insight into the overall
  viability of the end-to-end architecture
• Provides a starting point to make informed
  cost/risk trades and consciously buy down risk
• A Minimum Functionality vehicle is NOT a design
  that would ever be contemplated as a flyable
  design!
• The Minimum Functional design approach is
  informed by
• NESC PR-06-108, Design Development Test and
  Evaluation (DDTE) Considerations for Safe and
  Reliable Human Rated Spacecraft Systems
• CEV Smart Buyer lessons learned
• Recent CEV Buyback exercises

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p711-B Lunar Lander
Lander Performance Crew Size 4 LEO Loiter
Duration 14 days Surface stay time 7 days
(sortie) 180 days
(outpost visit) Launch Shroud Diameter
8.4m Lander Design Diameter 7.5 m Launch Loads
5 g axial, 2 g lateral Crewed Lander Mass
(Launch) 45,586 kg Crewed Lander Mass (_at_TLI)
45,586 kg Crew Lander Payload to Surface 500
kg Project Managers Reserve 3009 kg Crew
Lander Deck Height 6.97 m Cargo Lander Mass
(Launch) 53,600 kg Cargo Lander Mass (_at_TLI)
Not applicable. Cargo Lander Payload to Surface
14,631 kg Project Managers Reserve 2227
kg Cargo Lander Height 6.97 m EDS Adapter Mass
860 kg (Not included in numbers above, includes
growth and Managers Reserve) Crew Lander LOI
Delta V Capability 891 m/s Cargo Lander LOI
Delta V Capability 889 m/s Crew/Cargo Plane
change and Loiter (Post CEV sep, 1 degree) 28.4
m/s PDI Delta V Capability 19.4 m/s Crew Descent
Propulsion Delta V Capability 2030 m/s Cargo
Descent Propulsion Delta V Capability 2030
m/s TCM Delta V Capability (performed by RCS) 2
m/s Descent Orbit Insertion Capability (performed
by RCS) 19.4 m/s Settling Burn Requirement
(performed by RCS) 2.7 m/s Descent and Landing
Reaction Control Capability 11 m/s Ascent
Delta V Capability 1881 m/s Ascent RCS Delta V
Capability 30 m/s
Vehicle Concept Characteristics
Ascent Module Diameter 2.35 meters Mass (at
TLI) 6,128 kg Main Engine Propellants
N2O4/MMH Useable Propellant 3007 kg Main
Engines/Type 1/Derived OME/RS18
(Pressure Fed) Main Engine Isp (100) 320
sec Main Engine Thrust (100) 5,500 lbf RCS
Propellants N2O4/MMH Useable Propellant
Integrated w/main RCS Engines/Type 16/100 lbf
each RCS Engine Isp (100) 300
sec Airlock Pressurized Volume 7.5
m3 Diameter 1.75 m Height 3.58 m Crew Size
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Altair Project
Descent Module (crewed) Mass (at TLI) 38,002
kg Main Engine Propellants LOX/ LH2 Useable
Propellant 25,035 kg Main Engines/Type 1/
RL-10 Derived (Pump Fed) Main Engine Isp (100)
448 sec Main Engine Thrust (100) 18,650
lbf RCS Propellants N2O4/MMH RCS Engines/Type
16/100 lbf each RCS Engine Isp (100) 300
sec Descent Module (cargo) Mass (at TLI) 38,970
kg Useable Propellant 26,611 kg
ENVISION parametrically sized polar lander
concept informed by the LDAC-1 Starworks activity
with selected additional redundancy and delta-v's
that are representative of realistic
trajectories, but not optimized for Thrust to
Weight.