Blue Origin Aerospace (updates)

[Beittil]

This tub should totally be renamed to 'Great A'tuin'!

[Blue-Vision]

Oh yeah. She'll be plenty big enough for the job she has to do.  

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Used Ro/Ro Will Become Blue Origin's Rocket Landing Pad

 

//roll on, roll off

 

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BY MAREX 2018-10-23 20:55:00

Blue Origin, the space flight firm launched by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, will follow SpaceX's lead and recover its first-stage rocket boosters on a vessel at sea. Its future landing platform will be the 2004-built, 11,000 dwt ro/ro Stena Freighter.

 

Historically, commercial launches departing Cape Canaveral have used disposable booster rockets. Depending upon where the payload is headed in orbit, flying the booster back to land after an eastward trip over the Atlantic is not always possible - but landing it on a vessel might be. This innovative approach allows for expensive first-stage boosters to be recovered and reused, thereby reducing the cost per launch. SpaceX has successfully landed its boosters in this manner on a converted, DP-equipped deck barge, and this is key to the firm's plans to keep down cost. 

 

In order to host its own at-sea landings, Blue Origin bought the ro/ro cargo vessel Stena Freighter in August. The ship arrived at the Port of Pensacola, Florida last weekend, and she is scheduled for drydock upgrades before her delivery.

 

Early reports indicated that the Freighter (left, courtesy Stena) would be used for the pre-launch transport of rocket components, but Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith recently confirmed to GeekWire that she will become a landing pad. Blue Origin plans to launch its first New Glenn orbital-class rocket from Cape Canaveral in 2021, giving time for shipyard conversion work.

more at the link...

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/used-ro-ro-will-become-blue-origin-s-rocket-landing-pad

[DocM]

Uh-Oh....

 

Rob Meyerson was President f Blue Origin, moved down to Sr. VP Advanced Dev,  and is now Caspered....

 

 

https://www.geekwire.com/2018/veteran-aerospace-engineer-rob-meyerson-leaves-jeff-bezos-blue-origin-space-venture/

 

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Rob Meyerson, who was the president of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture until this year, says he’s left the company.

 

Since January, Meyerson has served as senior vice president, in charge of advanced development programs such as the Blue Moon lunar lander system and the New Armstrong interplanetary-class rocket. In an email, he told GeekWire that Friday was his last day at the company, which grew from 10 employees to more than 1,500 during his tenure.

Meyerson said he was "taking some time off to determine my next steps."
>

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Saw that a few days ago...did a head shake....could the pace now require a "rate" adjustment.

 

¯\_(?)_/¯

[IsItPluggedIn]

A lot of people have left my company with similar statements "taking some time off to determine my next steps.", and it was nearly always that they were let go, but with a nice payout.

 

I wonder if this has anything to do with the BE-4 issues, or that things aren't happening quick enough.

 

So many of these things I would like to be on the inside of.

[DocM]

1 hour ago, IsItPluggedIn said:

>

I wonder if this has anything to do with the BE-4 issues, or that things aren't happening quick enough.

Me too. Blue lost many months with the stuck on 70% mess.

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So many of these things I would like to be on the inside of.

 

You and me both. 

 

Another unexplained item is a roadmap Blue showed at a conference last spring. New Armstrong wasn't on it.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Something has to give soon.

 

SpaceX spent several years tweaking Falcon for her job....real time...real missions.

 

It's going to take the same efforts for the same results. Blue needs to step up their game now.

 

The doors don't open next year and a launcher magically lands on a moving ship.....even "concrete" for that matter.

 

They can develop their "lunar" goodies but without a reasonably tested launcher...it's a stand still. They have to put in the pain for gain.....at a much faster pace than shown.

 

I wanted them to keep pace with SpaceX and push "commercial"....but I feel that they have lost a few years here....we'll soon see this year.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Blue Origin site has a user guide request...name and email

https://www.blueorigin.com/new-glenn

 

or go to NSF and download the pdf

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=41146.msg1880487#msg1880487

 

I'll have to go over it later....Mars is for today.

[DocM]

From the New Glenn users guide

2 fairings: 7m, single & double (like Ariane 5)

Both stages: aluminum orthogrid, autogenous pressurization (no helium systems)

Upper stage: BE-3U, open expander cycle

 

Edited November 27, 2018 by DocM

[Blue-Vision]

Pretty simple engine design, isn't it.

[DocM]

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

 

 

 

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NASA-Supported Payloads to Get Lift from Blue Origin

 

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Before a NASA technology makes it to orbit or lands on another planet, researchers test – and retest – it in space-like conditions. These tests often take place on Earth, but some payloads take a trip to suborbital space for a few minutes of valuable microgravity testing.

Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket will venture into space with nine NASA-sponsored technology payloads onboard no earlier than Dec. 18 at 8:30 a.m. CST. The company’s live launch webcast will air on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

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The New Shepard launch will mark the third suborbital flight by Blue Origin with NASA-sponsored payloads onboard and the first full mission dedicated to bringing NASA technology payloads to space. “This flight is focused on the nine technologies from government, academia and industry,” said Campaign Manager Ryan Dibley from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. “NASA is thrilled to have established flight providers and partners supporting new technology development with wide applications.”

 

The nine payloads scheduled for the New Shepard flight are:

 

Collection of Regolith Experiment (CORE)
University of Central Florida in Orlando
Missions to asteroids pose technical challenges unlike those to larger bodies. This experiment will test a dusty asteroid regolith retrieval method. CORE will measure how well the collecting technology performs in space and analyze how dust is kicked up on contact.
 

Collisions into Dust Experiment (COLLIDE) 
University of Central Florida 
Dusty planetary surfaces complicate tasks that may be considered easy here on Earth. This experiment simulates the disturbance of dust particles in space. The data could inform architectures for future human and robotic exploration missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. COLLIDE also flew Dec. 13 on Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered winged spacecraft.
 

Electromagnetic Field Measurements 
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland 
Modified commercial off the shelf technologies will characterize the electromagnetic field inside and around New Shepard during flight. The demonstration aims to optimize the sensor suite for suborbital vehicles in order to routinely profile the electric field of Earth’s atmosphere. This data can be used to study the role of aerosols, cosmic rays and more in the atmosphere.
 

Flow Boiling in Micrograp Coolers – Embedded Thermal Management for Space Applications
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland
Flow boiling in microgap coolers is a thermal management technology with potential exploration applications, including power generation systems, 3D integrated circuits and more. Power generation systems are important for a sustained presence on the Moon or Mars and 3D integrated circuits are a key enabler for autonomous robots with artificial intelligence.
 

Microgravity Propellant Gauging Using Modal Analysis
Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin
Spacecraft, like cars, have fuel gauges. However, gauging the amount of fuel remaining is a challenge when it is floating around inside a tank in space. This technology is new technique for measuring the mass of liquid in a propellant tank. It hopes to improve low-gravity fuel mass gauging for future crewed missions to the Moon and Mars.
 

Suborbital Flight Experiment Monitor-2 (SFEM-2)
NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston
This instrument is designed to characterize the environment inside a vehicle, including acceleration, cabin temperature, pressure, carbon dioxide and acoustic measurements. Multiple suborbital flights provide testing of sensors that could be used on crewed spacecraft.
 

Validating Telemetric Imaging Hardware for Crew-Assisted and Crew-Autonomous Biological Imaging in Suborbital Applications
University of Florida in Gainesville
This experiment, which was also onboard the Dec. 13 Virgin Galactic flight, studies how microgravity affects plants. It uses a biological fluorescent imaging instrument to collect data on the biological response of a plant, or plant tissue. Initially developed for experimentation on the space shuttle and International Space Station, the experiment has broad applications for both space and biological sciences. 
 

Vibration Isolation Platform (VIP)
Controlled Dynamics Inc. in Huntington Beach, California
Spacecraft and payloads are subject to intense launch environments. This mounting interface for orbital and suborbital vehicles is designed to lessen disturbances during flight. During launch, re-entry and landing a payload is mechanically secured to the vehicle. Once in microgravity, it’s automatically released on a free-floating platform. The technology was also tested on the Dec. 13 Virgin Galactic flight.
 

Zero-Gravity Green Propellant Management Technology
Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana 
This experiment will mature technology to control nontoxic green fuels in spacecraft propellant tanks. This technology complements NASA’s Green Propellant Infusion Mission and could benefit future missions to near and deep space.

more at the link...

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/nasa_supported_payloads_to_get_lift_from_blue_origin

 

 

 

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

 

 

This is the NASA youtube channel...

 

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

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Before our technology makes it to orbit or lands on another planet, researchers test – and retest – it in space-like conditions. Tune in starting at 9am ET to see @BlueOrigin’s #NewShepard rocket venture into space with 9 @NASA_Technology payloads. More: https://go.nasa.gov/2EtRB3R

https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1075021797538578432

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Launch on Friday now...no more Tuesdays..please...

 

 

 

[DocM]

 

Blue Moon lunar lander

[Beittil]

Still wondering if Bezos will fund a mission like that just as a test run or if they will try to find a paying customer for it.

[DocM]

27 minutes ago, Beittil said:

Still wondering if Bezos will fund a mission like that just as a test run or if they will try to find a paying customer for it.

 

Blue is not involved in NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, 

 

 https://spacenews.com/nasa-selects-nine-companies-for-commercial-lunar-lander-program/

 

but once they land Blue Moon you can bet your bippy they'll be submitting bids for hauling payloads.

[Steven P. Administrators]

Blue Origin New Shepard live stream (launching in 10 mins)

 

 

Edit: seems to be on hold as of 06:52 PT for the past 4 mins

Hold is released and we're just over 8mins away from launch (07:00 PT)

 

Capsule touchdown

 

 

 

Earlier, booster touchdown and successful mission  total mission time 10m15s from launch to touchdown.

[Steven P. Administrators]

[DocM]

 

Blue Original has built a Sprung structure facility in Kent, Washington. Copycats 😸

 

 

 

[DocM]

 

[Beittil]

This is just such congressional brown nosing... Haha, along with building their engine factory in Alabama as well.