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Forum: Commercial Space - Military Space
Topic: Orbital Sciences' Cygnus-Antares spacecraft

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Message to Edit: HTML is ON UBB Code is ON Smilies Legend	Originally posted by Robert Pearlman on 12-18-2010 05:58 PM Orbital Sciences update <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="+0">[b]Orbital Completes Cargo Integration Demonstration[/b]</font> <div align="justify">A team of Orbital and Thales Alenia Space (TAS) engineers and technicians recently completed a COTS program milestone when it successfully performed a Cargo Integration Demonstration in Turin, Italy, where the Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Modules (PCMs) are being built and tested. The demonstration was one of the milestones in Orbital’s Space Act Agreement with NASA and marked another significant achievement for the program. TAS technicians performed the demonstration, which was witnessed by Orbital and NASA engineers, managers, astronauts and flight controllers. The demonstration was performed using a PCM flight unit, production Ground Support Equipment (GSE) and simulated pre-packed cargo bags and cargo volume mock-ups. The process included a complete volumetric loading of a standard PCM to demonstrate access to every cargo stowage location using a variety of different sized cargo transfer bags. The demonstration milestone called for the installation of at least one cargo bag of the maximum allowable mass in the least-accessible-location in the cargo module to validate the most extreme cargo capabilities anticipated, as well as a “virtual reality” demonstration of cargo module unloading during operations on orbit, an activity that cannot be adequately simulated in the Earth-gravity environment. In addition, the assembly of an internal stowage structure was performed using tools typically found on the ISS. The demonstration was a 100% success, with all bags and simulators installed, strapped and tensioned. This demonstration gave the Orbital-NASA team confidence that the cargo accommodation system developed for ground and space operations will meet the strict operational requirements of human spaceflight. The photos below show the Cygnus PCM packed with simulated cargo in the types of bags actually used in ISS operations. <center><img src="http://www.collectspace.com/review/orbital_cygnus_load01.jpg" WIDTH="400" HEIGHT="246"> <img src="http://www.collectspace.com/review/orbital_cygnus_load02.jpg" WIDTH="400" HEIGHT="247"></center></div></BLOCKQUOTE> [i]Earlier Cygnus updates can be found on Orbital's [URL=http://www.orbital.com/CargoResupplyServices/]Cargo Resupply Services[/URL] site.[/i]
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