Tue, May 08, 2007
Agency Seeks Reliable Backup Options
NASA announced Friday it selected The Boeing Company and Textron
Systems to develop alternate heat shield materials for the Orion
crew exploration spacecraft.
The two contracts for Alternate Block 2 Thermal Protection
System (TPS) Materials and Heat Shield Systems Advanced Development
will support development and testing of three alternative heat
shield materials. The companies are challenged with developing
technologies can be used as backups for the primary material,
according to NASA.
Orion is scheduled to carry astronauts to the International
Space Station by 2015, with a goal of landing astronauts on the
moon by 2020. The Orion TPS Advanced Development Project, led by
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA was established to develop
a heat shield to protect Orion during its return from low-Earth
orbit or the moon.
In September 2006, Boeing was awarded a contract to develop the
primary heat shield material, Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator
(PICA), manufactured by its subcontractor, Fiber Materials, Inc.
based in Biddeford, ME. It will only develop the alternate material
if the primary material does not perform to Orion Project
specifications. NASA will assess and evaluate all of the Alternate
Block 2 TPS materials through initial testing and select the most
promising of the materials for further development, if needed.
The value of the Boeing contract is approximately $10 million
and calls for Boeing to perform early investigation of a
proprietary material, the Boeing Phenolic Ablator (BPA). Textron's
contract has a value of about $24 million calls for early
investigation of two proprietary material options, Avcoat, which
was also used on Apollo, and Dual Layer.
Each contract has a 16-month performance period from May 4, 2007
until August 31, 2008, according to NASA.
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