Nov 20 2008
From The Space Library
NASA and ATK successfully test-fired a launch-abort motor for the Orion CEV at ATK’s facility in Promontory, Utah. The 5.50-second test was the first of its kind since the beginning of the Apollo Program and the first test ever of a motor with reverse-flow propulsion technology at such a scale. NASA had designed the launch-abort motor for use in case of an emergency on the launchpad or in the first 300,000 feet (91,440 meters) of ascent. If necessary, the motor could lift the crew module off the Ares-I rocket, using 500,000 pounds (226,796.19 kilograms) of thrust. The motor, which was more than 17 feet (5.18 meters) tall and 3 feet (0.91 meters) in diameter, featured a composite case and an exhaust turn-flow technology instead of a tower, a configuration that improved the motor’s weight and performance.
NASA, “NASA, ATK Successfully Test First Orion Launch Abort Motor,” news release 08-306, 20 November 2008, http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/nov/HQ_08-306_OrionLASmotor_Success.html (accessed 22 August 2011).
NASA marked the 10-year anniversary of the ISS, which the space agencies of Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia, and the United States had established with the 20 November 1998 launch of the Russian-built Zarya module. The Unity connector module had joined the ISS in December 1998.
Ten years later, after 29 additional construction flights, the ISS was three-quarters of the way complete, with a weight of more than 627,000 pounds (284,402.42 kilograms) and an interior volume of more than 25,000 cubic feet (707.92 cubic meters)—roughly the size of a fivebedroom house. One hundred sixty-seven people from 14 countries had visited the ISS and its 19 research facilities, which scientists had used to study astronaut health and basic science in space.
NASA, “Nations Around the World Mark 10th Anniversary of International Space Station,” news release 08-296, 17 November 2008, http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/nov/HQ_08-296_ISS_10th_Anniversary.html (accessed 22 August 2011); Marcia Dunn, “Happy Birthday: Space Station Celebrates 10 Years,” Associated Press, 20 November 2008.
NASA announced the appointment of Arthur E. Goldman as Director of NASA’s SSC. Goldman replaced Robert D. Cabana, who had accepted a position as Director of NASA’s KSC in October 2008. Goldman had begun his service with NASA in 1990 as a Project Engineer for the Space Shuttle Systems Integration Office at NASA’s MSFC, becoming Supervisor of that program in 1992. In 1994 he had transferred to the Space Shuttle Main Engine Project, working first as Manufacturing Engineer, then as Technical Assistant, and finally as Business Manager. Goldman had served as Deputy Director of NASA’s SSC since 2006. He had received many professional awards, including NASA’s Exceptional Achievement Medal and the Commendation of the Director of MSFC.
NASA, “Goldman Names Director at Stennis Space Center,” news release 08-303, 20 November 2008, http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/nov/HQ_08-303_Goldman_SSC.html (accessed 22 August 2011).
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