The Aero Spacelines Super Guppy aircraft taxies past Hangar One after landing at Moffett Federal Airfield. Credit: NASA/Ames Research Center/Don Richey
Teams transferred the heat guard skin for a future mission of NASAs Orion spacecraft– through the firms Super Guppy oversize cargo transportation aircraft– to Moffett Federal Airfield on Nov. 9. The heat guard skin for the Artemis IV mission, the 3rd crewed objective to the Moon, is now at Moffett Federal Airfield near NASAs Ames Research Center in Californias Silicon Valley, for the next phase of production.
Orions heat guard safeguards the spacecraft and the astronauts inside the pill from the extreme heat generated while returning to Earths environment. When the spacecraft returns to at approximately 25,000 miles per hour, the heat shield will experience extreme temperatures at about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, or about half as hot as the sun. The heat guard has an underlying titanium skeleton covered by a carbon fiber skin. More than 180 unique blocks are bonded to the heat guards skin and will slowly burn away as the spacecraft travels through Earths environment during re-entry.
The Artemis IV Orion heat guard skin is unloaded from the Aero Spacelines Super Guppy to the K Loader at Moffett Federal Airfield.Credit: NASA/Ames Research Center/Don Richey
The just recently provided heat shield skin will go through heat- and pressure-treatment at Lockheed Martins facility in Sunnyvale, California. The heat shield skin is comprised of numerous layers of carbon material that are triggered by a resin. Once treated, the resin will initially soften, then harden to consolidate the skin. The heat- and pressure-treatment will offer the skin the necessary mechanical strength homes it requires for Orions thermal security system.
Unlike other aircraft, the Super Guppy aircraft has actually a specially designed hinged nose that opens to an angle of 110 degrees so that freight can be loaded and unloaded from its tummy. The airplanes special shape also enables it to carry large or heavy hardware that would not otherwise fit on traditional aircraft. At 16.5 feet in size, the Orion heat shield and its corresponding skin is the biggest heat guard base ever developed for human spaceflight objectives.
Ames manages the arc, analysis, and development jet testing of the entry systems and spacecraft for NASAs Artemis lunar objectives. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first lady and first individual of color on the lunar surface area, conduct extensive operations on and around the Moon, and get ready for the very first human objective to Mars.
Orions heat guard safeguards the spacecraft and the astronauts inside the capsule from the intense heat generated while re-entering Earths environment. The just recently provided heat shield skin will undergo heat- and pressure-treatment at Lockheed Martins facility in Sunnyvale, California. At 16.5 feet in diameter, the Orion heat shield and its matching skin is the biggest heat shield base ever established for human spaceflight missions.