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.

FMI: www.nasa.gov