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  • Blue Origin New Shepard spacecraft: escape system test

    So named to honor Alan Shepard, the US's first astronaut.

    Blue Origin is owned by Amazon's Jeff Bezos and is one of the more interesting NewSpace companies. Their first spacecraft, New Shepard, is like Virgin's SS2, a suborbital unit, but Blue Origin is expected to go orbital down the road. A very short road.

    3 years ago they flew an odd, cone like testbed that now makes sense: it was the 2nd stage - a crew/cargo vessel made for not only joy rides but longer microgravity flights for researchers.

    This is becoming known as "Research & Education" and would open up microgravity research to not only universities and small countries but NASA is also interested. A plus for them would also be enhanced astronaut training.

    Operationally New Shepard is very much like Boeing's DC-X Delta Clipper (YouTube video) of the mid 90's, which makes sense since Bezos hired many of those who developed Delta Clipper.

    Yes, both are VTOL rockets like those in 50's TV space programs and movies. Yes, those crazy maneuvers DC-X did were intentional. The avionics they developed for that bird are way beyond impressive. How many rockets can put themselves into a dive, maneuver, then right themselves for a vertical landing? Sheesshhh....

    Of course that development was under the checkbook of Boeing, so one has to wonder what contribution they are making to Blue Origin. Might be support through their Phantom Works department.

    Here is a video of a NS test flight (YouTube video). Short flight, but you can see the similarities.

    Now there is updated info about what Blue Origin's been up to.

    Dr. S. Alan Stern gave a talk before the USRA Division of Space Life Sciences in September and some Blue Origin stuff was included. Here's a link to the video (long, but worth it)

    and here is the PDF with his slide images (Link)

    from that PDF here is the latest version of New Shepard's first stage on the production floor and below is a digital rendering of the completed article. Looks like the New Shepard they flew 3 years ago (bottom) is actually a second stage crew/cargo capsule, doesn't it?

    Impressive part isn't just the advanced avionics or the uber-clean hydrogen peroxide/liquid hydrogen power system but that the entire thing is re-usable. After the first stage lifts the New Shepard to altitude it flies back to the launch site and lands vertically like DC-X. After the mission is completed New Shepard does the same thing at a downrange landing site.

    The top photo is about a year old and Stern says it's now pretty much completed and so should be nearing test flights. Stern estimates its height at 33 feet. If you look closely it looks like a small nose cone, or just part of the capsule, is in the background to the left. Note its similarity to the piece at the top of the New Shepard in the bottom pic.

    Could also be a cone for the first stage to enhance it's fly-ability during recovery and there is an interstage (carbon composite tube) between the first stage and New Shepard to provide clearance. Using an identical profile to the cone that caps New Shepard would cut design and production costs.





    Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 16 October 2009, 23:48.
    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

  • #2




    Blue Origin Tests Design of Next-Generation Spacecraft

    Blue Origin successfully tested the design of its next-generation Space Vehicle, completing a series of wind tunnel tests to refine the aerodynamic characteristics of the spacecraft's unique biconic shape.

    The tests were carried out as part of Blue Origin's partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under the agency's Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program. Blue Origin is designing the Space Vehicle to provide safe, affordable transport of up to seven astronauts to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station.

    "Our Space Vehicle's innovative biconic shape provides greater cross-range and interior volume than traditional capsules without the weight penalty of winged spacecraft," stated Rob Meyerson, president and program manager of Blue Origin. "This is just one of the vehicle's many features that enhance the safety and affordability of human spaceflight, a goal we share with NASA."

    The wind tunnel tests validated Blue Origin's analysis of the Space Vehicle's aerodynamics during descent through the atmosphere and the ability to change its flight path, increasing the number of available landing opportunities each day and enhancing the vehicle's emergency return capability. More than 180 tests were conducted over the past several weeks at Lockheed Martin's High Speed Wind Tunnel Facility in Dallas.

    Under CCDev, Blue Origin is maturing the design of the Space Vehicle, including its aerodynamic characteristics, culminating in a System Requirements Review in May of this year. Blue Origin will conduct tests of its pusher escape system later this year, demonstrating the ability to control the flight path of a subscale crew capsule using an innovative thrust vector control system. Also under CCDev, Blue Origin is conducting tests of the thrust chamber assembly (TCA) for the BE 3 100,000-lbf liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen rocket engine, which was recently installed on the E 1 complex test stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center.

    About Blue Origin

    Blue Origin, LLC (Blue Origin) is a private company developing vehicles and technologies to enable commercial human space transportation. Founded in 2000, the company has a long-term vision of greatly increasing the number of people that fly into space through low-cost, highly reliable commercial space transportation. For more information and a list of job openings, visit http://www.blueorigin.com.
    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

    Comment


    • #3
      Pad abort test of their Space Vehicle's pusher launch abort system (with video)



      SpaceNews story

      Dr. Mordrid
      ----------------------------
      An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

      I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

      Comment


      • #4
        Blue Origin New Shepard suborbital capsule system test flight to 307,000 feet. AIUI the capsule did a Soyuz style braking burn to slow the capsule. Hearing they lost the booster, again (they lost another in 2013.)



        Dr. Mordrid
        ----------------------------
        An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

        I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

        Comment


        • #5
          Also,

          CONOPS
          Dr. Mordrid
          ----------------------------
          An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

          I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

          Comment


          • #6
            PROMOS
            Dr. Mordrid
            ----------------------------
            An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

            I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

            Comment


            • #7
              Dr. Mordrid
              ----------------------------
              An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

              I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

              Comment


              • #8
                The notoriously secretive Blue Origin did a successful flight and landing of its suborbital New Shepard and booster system at their spaceport in Texas, beating Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and XCOR's Lynx to space. Suborbital joyride and science missions aren't too far away. The New Shepard capsule hit 100.5 km, just over the Karman Line space boundary. The propulsion unit is powered by a BE-3 liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engine and will be evolved into the upper stage of Blue's reusable orbital launcher.

                The Blue Origin manned orbital launcher will be powered by a cluster of BE-4 liquid methane/liquid oxygen engines, which will also be used in ULA's upcoming Vulcan launcher - the replacement for Atlas V, Delta IV Medium and eventually Delta IV Heavy. These vehicles are from 4-7 years off.

                Cool!

                The Amazon.com entrepreneur Jeff Bezos flies his New Shepard spaceship again, and this time proclaims a complete success.


                Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 24 November 2015, 08:18.
                Dr. Mordrid
                ----------------------------
                An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

                Comment


                • #9
                  Very cool!

                  Makes you wonder what SpaceX are playing at???
                  FT.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Two very different flight regimes and vehicles.

                    Falcon 9 is vastly larger, achieves Mach 6-8 rather than Mach 2-3 and has much higher horizontal velocity (Mach 4-6 vs 0) after an orbital launch. They also have to land on pitching seas until the military folks at KSC and Vandenberg are satisfied as to their accuracy. The latter won't be a problem once the Brownsville site is on line, but it isn't.

                    With Falcon 9 Full Thrust SpaceX will also be doing landing attempts after virtually every launch due to its +30% greater performance. F9 FT also gets landing leg and grid fin (steering in air) upgrades. First flight in a few weeks.
                    Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 24 November 2015, 14:03.
                    Dr. Mordrid
                    ----------------------------
                    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      The back n forth begins,

                      @elonmusk
                      Congrats to Jeff Bezos and the BO team for achieving VTOL on their booster
                      >
                      It is, however, important to clear up the difference between "space" and "orbit", as described well by https://t.co/7PD42m37fZ
                      >
                      Getting to space needs ~Mach 3, but GTO orbit requires ~Mach 30. The energy needed is the square, i.e. 9 units for space and 900 for orbit.
                      >
                      @TobiasVdb The F9 booster can reach low orbit as a single stage if not carrying the upper stage and a heavy satellite.

                      @jeffbezos
                      The rarest of beasts - a used rocket. Controlled landing not easy, but done right, can look easy. Check out video: https://t.co/9OypFoxZk3

                      @elonmusk
                      @JeffBezos Not quite "rarest". SpaceX Gr****opper rocket did 6 suborbital flights 3 years ago & is still around. https://t.co/6j9ERKCNZl
                      >
                      But credit for 1st reusable suborbital rocket goes to X-15 https://t.co/LSb0f8FLJd
                      And Burt Rutan for commercial
                      Dr. Mordrid
                      ----------------------------
                      An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                      I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Blue Origin New Shepard launch escape system test, a last step before they fly test pilots and later customers on sub-orbital flights. Expect some astronaut trainees as well.

                        Blue Origin ✔ @blueorigin
                        Ready for lift off! New Shepard is gearing up for its ninth mission. Well be doing a high altitude escape motor test pushing the rocket to its limits. Launch is tomorrow. Details on live webcast to come.
                        8:02 AM - Jul 17, 2018
                        |
                        Blue Origin ✔ @blueorigin
                        Launch tomorrow slated for 9:00 am CT / 14:00 UTC. Live webcast begins at T-20 minutes on http://BlueOrigin.com .
                        4:00 PM - Jul 17, 2018
                        Dr. Mordrid
                        ----------------------------
                        An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

                        I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

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