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Boeing Successfully
Completes CST-100 Spacecraft Parachute Drop Test By Jim Douglas |
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April 4, 2012 - Boeing successfully completed a
parachute drop test of the company's Crew Space
Transportation (CST)-100 spacecraft on Tuesday at the
Delmar Dry Lake Bed near Alamo, Nev. CST-100 is part of
the Boeing Commercial Crew Transportation System (CCTS),
which will provide the United States with the capability
to transport people and cargo to the International Space
Station (ISS), the Bigelow Aerospace Complex and other
destinations in low Earth orbit.
An
Erickson Sky Crane helicopter lifted the CST-100 test
article to about 11,000 feet and released it. Three main
parachutes deployed to slow the capsule's descent before
six airbags inflated, providing a smooth ground landing.
The event was the first drop test of the fully combined
vehicle landing system, including all elements.
"This successful test is a tremendous milestone that
brings Boeing one step closer to completing development
of a system that will provide safe, reliable and
affordable crewed access to space," said John
Mulholland, vice president and program manager, Boeing
Commercial Programs. |
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Boeing is
drawing on its significant knowledge, testing and experience
gained from the Apollo missions as it develops and tests the
CCTS. Leveraging re-entry and ocean landing data from the Apollo
program, the rigorous CST-100 landing tests will reduce risk and
validate the post re-entry landing and recovery capability of
this system.
As part of
the Boeing Commercial Crew team, Bigelow Aerospace played a key
role by providing the capsule test article and associated
electronics and supporting the test itself. Bigelow Aerospace is
a Boeing customer, with plans to use the CCTS for transportation
to and from Bigelow on-orbit platforms. Boeing and Bigelow
Aerospace are partnering to advance the commercial space market
by offering opportunities for integrated transportation and
on-orbit platform capabilities and services to new customers.
The team
is planning a second test later this month, following parachute
inspection and re-packing. This second drop test will include a
drogue parachute deployment sequence on top of the main
parachute deployment, demonstrating the full, nominal parachute
system performance.
Boeing has
scheduled additional tests to be performed in 2012, including a
landing air bag test series in May, a forward heat shield
jettison test in June, and an orbital maneuvering/attitude
control engine hot fire test in June all to gather additional
data on key functional elements of the spacecraft design. |