One of the most challenging aspects of developing human space launch and exploration systems is minimizing and mitigating the many potential risk factors to ensure the safest possible design while also meeting the required cost, weight, and performance criteria. In order to accomplish this, effective risk analyses and trade studies are needed to identify key risk drivers, dependencies, and sensitivities as the design evolves. The Engineering Risk Assessment (ERA) team at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) develops advanced risk analysis approaches, models, and tools to provide such meaningful risk and reliability data throughout vehicle development. The goal of the project presented in this memorandum is to design a generic launch 7 vehicle and spacecraft architecture that can be used to develop and demonstrate these new risk analysis techniques without relying on other proprietary or sensitive vehicle designs. To accomplish this, initial spacecraft and launch vehicle (LV) designs were established using historical sizing relationships for a mission delivering four crewmembers and equipment to the International Space Station (ISS). Mass-estimating relationships (MERs) were used to size the crew capsule and launch vehicle, and a combination of optimization techniques and iterative design processes were employed to determine a possible two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) launch trajectory into a 350-kilometer orbit. Primary subsystems were also designed for the crewed capsule architecture, based on a 24-hour on-orbit mission with a 7-day contingency. Safety analysis was also performed to identify major risks to crew survivability and assess the system's overall reliability. These procedures and analyses validate that the architecture's basic design and performance are reasonable to be used for risk trade studies. While the vehicle designs presented are not intended to represent a viable architecture, they will provide a valuable initial platform for developing and demonstrating innovative risk assessment capabilities.
Conceptual Launch Vehicle and Spacecraft Design for Risk Assessment
2014
36 pages
Report
No indication
English
Space Launch Vehicles & Support Equipment , Spacecraft Trajectories & Flight Mechanics , LAUNCH VEHICLES , STRUCTURAL DESIGN , SPACECRAFT DESIGN , SPACECRAFT POWER SUPPLIES , TRAJECTORY ANALYSIS , MASS RATIOS , ORBIT CALCULATION , FAILURE , RISK ASSESSMENT , RELIABILITY ANALYSIS , INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION , AEROSPACE SAFETY , RISK , REDUNDANCY , PROPELLANTS , FUEL CELLS , THERMAL ANALYSIS , SPACECRAFT ENVIRONMENTS , LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS
SPACECRAFT AND LAUNCH-VEHICLE PERFORMANCE
NTRS | 1962
|SPACECRAFT AND LAUNCH-VEHICLE PERFORMANCE
NTRS | 1962
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