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Destination Tomorrow - DT11 - RLVs

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Subido el 28 de mayo de 2007 por EducaMadrid

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NASA Destination Tomorrow Segment describing the next generation of reusable launch vehicles (RLVs).

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The ability to travel into space is still a relatively recent event in human history. 00:00:00
To get to space, early astronauts traveled in very expensive space capsules, which were 00:00:11
only used once before being retired. 00:00:15
These systems worked well, but it was realized that a reusable system should be implemented 00:00:18
over the single-use capsule system. 00:00:23
So in the early 1980s, the world's first and only reusable launch vehicle, the Space 00:00:25
Shuttle, came into service. 00:00:30
With the Shuttle in service, spaceflight became much more accessible and less expensive, while 00:00:32
also truly expanding technological and scientific exploration. 00:00:37
But in a continued effort to make spaceflight even less expensive and much safer for astronauts, 00:00:41
NASA researchers have been looking toward the next generation of reusable space launch 00:00:47
vehicles. 00:00:51
To help develop the next generation of spacecraft, NASA researchers have been developing and 00:00:52
testing a lot of new vehicle technologies. 00:00:57
Some of these new vehicles are so revolutionary that they may soon change the way we all think 00:01:00
of space travel. 00:01:05
I spoke with Charlie Cockrell at NASA Langley Research Center to help explain the next generation 00:01:06
of space vehicles. 00:01:11
NASA's goal is to make space travel safer, more reliable, and more cost effective. 00:01:13
One of the goals of the Next Generation Launch Technology Program is to provide routine access 00:01:18
to the International Space Station, provide a safer way for a crew return from the space 00:01:23
station, and to also look at other opportunities in space and be able to do that on a routine 00:01:29
basis. 00:01:34
Charlie, how are these new spacecraft so different from the space shuttle we're used to seeing? 00:01:35
Our vision is to really move towards spacecraft that look and operate more like conventional 00:01:39
aircraft. 00:01:45
So we want to do things like have less turnaround time in between missions. 00:01:46
They're going to be more reliable to operate, less repairs that will have to take place 00:01:50
in between missions. 00:01:54
One of the chief differences between the space shuttle and the vehicles that you're going 00:01:56
to see in the future is we're looking at more advanced types of propulsion systems. 00:02:00
So they're going to look and operate much differently than the shuttle. 00:02:05
So what are some of the technologies you're using to develop these new vehicles? 00:02:08
Well, in addition to the advanced propulsion systems, we are developing a number of different 00:02:11
vehicle technologies that are going to be directly applicable to the next generation 00:02:15
shuttle launch vehicles. 00:02:19
One of NASA's major requirements is to develop new technologies and vehicles to transport 00:02:20
crews and cargo to and from the International Space Station. 00:02:26
Because the space station is relatively close to Earth and needs to be resupplied frequently, 00:02:30
the most logical choice is a reusable spacecraft. 00:02:35
One idea under consideration is an air-breathing craft rather than a rocket-propelled spacecraft. 00:02:39
To break Earth's gravitational field, a craft needs to reach about 17,500 miles per hour. 00:02:45
Currently, this is being accomplished through the use of a series of rockets. 00:02:51
These rockets not only carry large amounts of fuel, but must also carry liquid oxygen 00:02:55
to mix with the fuel for maximum thrust. 00:03:01
Although this system is effective, it is very expensive and can be dangerous. 00:03:04
The benefit of an air-breathing craft is that it would not need to carry its own oxygen. 00:03:09
It would scoop oxygen from the Earth's atmosphere into a special engine called a scramjet. 00:03:13
This system would allow the craft to reach the speed required to break the pull of the 00:03:19
gravitational field, sending it into space. 00:03:23
Because the craft is not carrying its own oxygen, the weight will be reduced by up to 50 percent. 00:03:27
This could reduce spaceflight costs by a factor of 10, bringing current payload costs from 00:03:32
about $10,000 per pound to about $1,000 per pound. 00:03:37
So is scramjet technology the only concept you're looking at? 00:03:42
No, we're actually studying a wide range of technologies that include different configuration 00:03:45
shapes, different numbers of stages in the vehicle, different types of propulsion systems. 00:03:49
Most of the longer-term applications do use scramjets, but we're also looking at something 00:03:56
that we would call combined cycle propulsion, which would actually take elements of rocket 00:04:00
propulsion, scramjets, high-speed turbojet engines, and maybe other advanced propulsion 00:04:05
cycles so that we can use the benefits of those at different points in the flight. 00:04:10
So where will this program be in the next 10, 15, 20 years? 00:04:14
I think we're going to be well on our way to developing a next-generation reusable launch 00:04:18
vehicle system. 00:04:22
Whether or not we will actually have an operational system in the next 10 to 15 years is going 00:04:23
to be dependent on what the nation's needs are and how we address that as an overall 00:04:27
strategy. 00:04:32
But we are developing technologies that can not only be included in a vehicle that would 00:04:33
be developed in, say, the next 10 to 15 years, but we're also developing a lot more advanced 00:04:37
technologies that would be good for vehicles that are going to be developed in, say, the 00:04:41
next 20 to 30 years. 00:04:45
And we're doing all of that by utilizing all of the unique capabilities that we have at 00:04:47
our NASA field centers across the country. 00:04:51
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Idioma/s:
en
Niveles educativos:
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Autor/es:
NASA LaRC Office of Education
Subido por:
EducaMadrid
Licencia:
Reconocimiento - No comercial - Sin obra derivada
Visualizaciones:
607
Fecha:
28 de mayo de 2007 - 17:05
Visibilidad:
Público
Enlace Relacionado:
NASAs center for distance learning
Duración:
04′ 54″
Relación de aspecto:
4:3 Hasta 2009 fue el estándar utilizado en la televisión PAL; muchas pantallas de ordenador y televisores usan este estándar, erróneamente llamado cuadrado, cuando en la realidad es rectangular o wide.
Resolución:
480x360 píxeles
Tamaño:
28.55 MBytes

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