Location
Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel, Columbia/ Enterprise Rooms
Start Date
25-4-1991 1:00 PM
End Date
25-4-1991 4:00 PM
Description
The Assured Crew Return Vehicle (ACRV ) concept was developed, by NASA, in response to the need to provide Space Station Freedom with Assured Crew Return Capability (ACRC) . The ACRC is a broad concept for assuring crew return from space which addresses both Earth-based and space-based rescue and includes space transportation systems which are currently in the United States inventory and some of which are being developed. The architecture of the ACRC is still being developed within NASA/JSC. Sufficient progress has been made to allow the ACRV part of ACRC to move ahead. The ACRV will provide on-orbit emergency capability for the Space Station Freedom crew to safely return to Earth independent of the USA Space Shuttle.
The ACRV System includes a flight segment which encompasses those items which are launched into space, a ground segment which encompasses ground support software, facilities and equipment for prelaunch, recovery and post recovery activities, and a mission support segment which includes the required mission control facilities, training and training equipment and the necessary Search And Rescue (SAR) interfaces and unique training definition.
NASA has conducted Phase A studies of the ACRC/ACRV which identified the missions for ACRV ^ as the return of the crew from Space Station Freedom in the event of 1) illness or injury, 2) malfunction or damage to Freedom and 3) Space Shuttle stand-down. The follow-on to these studies was a Phase A Prime (A 1 ) effort , conducted by two study contractor teams, which validated the ACRV requirements and proposed doable concepts for initiating the Phase B detailed definition and preliminary design. (Planned start is October 1, 1991.)
Past space Flight experience provides a perspective and a basis for specifying future requirements.
Paper Session III-B - Assured Crew Return
Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel, Columbia/ Enterprise Rooms
The Assured Crew Return Vehicle (ACRV ) concept was developed, by NASA, in response to the need to provide Space Station Freedom with Assured Crew Return Capability (ACRC) . The ACRC is a broad concept for assuring crew return from space which addresses both Earth-based and space-based rescue and includes space transportation systems which are currently in the United States inventory and some of which are being developed. The architecture of the ACRC is still being developed within NASA/JSC. Sufficient progress has been made to allow the ACRV part of ACRC to move ahead. The ACRV will provide on-orbit emergency capability for the Space Station Freedom crew to safely return to Earth independent of the USA Space Shuttle.
The ACRV System includes a flight segment which encompasses those items which are launched into space, a ground segment which encompasses ground support software, facilities and equipment for prelaunch, recovery and post recovery activities, and a mission support segment which includes the required mission control facilities, training and training equipment and the necessary Search And Rescue (SAR) interfaces and unique training definition.
NASA has conducted Phase A studies of the ACRC/ACRV which identified the missions for ACRV ^ as the return of the crew from Space Station Freedom in the event of 1) illness or injury, 2) malfunction or damage to Freedom and 3) Space Shuttle stand-down. The follow-on to these studies was a Phase A Prime (A 1 ) effort , conducted by two study contractor teams, which validated the ACRV requirements and proposed doable concepts for initiating the Phase B detailed definition and preliminary design. (Planned start is October 1, 1991.)
Past space Flight experience provides a perspective and a basis for specifying future requirements.
Comments
Space Station
Session Chairman: John Cox, Acting Deputy Director for Operations, Space Station Freedom Program and Operations Office, NASA, Space Station, Freedom Program, Reston, VA
Session Organizer: Ann Delo, NASA, Space Station Freedom Project, Reston, VA