Modular Common Spacecraft Bus: Difference between revisions
Inital page setup, copied/pasted from my sandbox. |
m Removed 'underconstruction' template. Grammer fix. |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| ⚫ | The '''Modular Common Spacecraft Bus''' (MCSB) is a fast-development, low-cost, general purpose spacecraft platform. It's modular design is intended to reduce the cost, complexity, and lead time on missions by providing a reliable, well-characterized system that can carry a variety of payloads. According to [[NASA]], "the spacecraft is roughly one tenth the price of a conventional unmanned mission and could be used to land on the moon, orbit Earth, or rendezvous with asteroids"<ref>NASA Lunar Science Institute, [http://lunarscience.arc.nasa.gov/articles/common-spacecraft-bus-for-lunar-explorer-missions Common Spacecraft Bus for Lunar Explorer Missions], includes video.</ref> |
||
{{underconstruction}} |
|||
| ⚫ | '''Modular Common Spacecraft Bus''' (MCSB) is a fast-development, low-cost, general purpose spacecraft platform. It's modular design is intended to reduce the cost, complexity, and lead time on missions by providing a reliable, well-characterized system that can carry a variety of payloads. According to [[NASA]], "the spacecraft is roughly one tenth the price of a conventional unmanned mission and could be used to land on the moon, orbit Earth, or rendezvous with asteroids"<ref>NASA Lunar Science Institute, [http://lunarscience.arc.nasa.gov/articles/common-spacecraft-bus-for-lunar-explorer-missions Common Spacecraft Bus for Lunar Explorer Missions], includes video.</ref> |
||
The initial prototype was built by 14 researchers at [[NASA Ames Research Center]] in just 15 months with a budget of $4 million. The fast development time is due in part to the novel use of repurposed [[Diving_cylinder|SCUBA]] air tanks and a [[rocket engine]] that uses cold gas, in place of a conventional fuel/oxidizer or [[Monopropellant_rocket|monopropellant]] engine. This allowed the team to test the system as fast as every 40 minutes in their lab, rather than waiting weeks or months for a time slot at an appropriate testing facility.<ref>Wired.com Science Blog, [http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/05/video-meet-the/ Meet the Spacecraft That Could Save NASA a Fortune], posted May 7, 2008</ref> |
The initial prototype was built by 14 researchers at [[NASA Ames Research Center]] in just 15 months with a budget of $4 million. The fast development time is due in part to the novel use of repurposed [[Diving_cylinder|SCUBA]] air tanks and a [[rocket engine]] that uses cold gas, in place of a conventional fuel/oxidizer or [[Monopropellant_rocket|monopropellant]] engine. This allowed the team to test the system as fast as every 40 minutes in their lab, rather than waiting weeks or months for a time slot at an appropriate testing facility.<ref>Wired.com Science Blog, [http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/05/video-meet-the/ Meet the Spacecraft That Could Save NASA a Fortune], posted May 7, 2008</ref> |
||
Revision as of 17:29, 8 July 2009
The Modular Common Spacecraft Bus (MCSB) is a fast-development, low-cost, general purpose spacecraft platform. It's modular design is intended to reduce the cost, complexity, and lead time on missions by providing a reliable, well-characterized system that can carry a variety of payloads. According to NASA, "the spacecraft is roughly one tenth the price of a conventional unmanned mission and could be used to land on the moon, orbit Earth, or rendezvous with asteroids"[1]
The initial prototype was built by 14 researchers at NASA Ames Research Center in just 15 months with a budget of $4 million. The fast development time is due in part to the novel use of repurposed SCUBA air tanks and a rocket engine that uses cold gas, in place of a conventional fuel/oxidizer or monopropellant engine. This allowed the team to test the system as fast as every 40 minutes in their lab, rather than waiting weeks or months for a time slot at an appropriate testing facility.[2]
Missions
- After a flight demonstration to top NASA officials, the system is being included in the $80 million Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission.
- Odyssey Moon, a team participating in the Google Lunar X-prize competition, is using the MCSB in it's MoonOne (M-1) lander.[3]
References
- ^ NASA Lunar Science Institute, Common Spacecraft Bus for Lunar Explorer Missions, includes video.
- ^ Wired.com Science Blog, Meet the Spacecraft That Could Save NASA a Fortune, posted May 7, 2008
- ^ Google Lunar X-Prize, NASA Ames' Common Spacecraft Bus- Hover Test Vehicle flights, posted November 3, 2008