NASA's Spaceplane Big Heatshield Solution to Solve SpaceX Trouble...

the only operational space plane in the US Aerospace industry today is set to take flight in just a few months this highly anticipated lines sure to Captivate space enthusiasts evoking Nostalgia for NASA's Space Shuttle era over a decade ago however that's not even most a remarkable aspect of this Mission Sierra space the company behind Dreamchaser is aiming to make this space plane fully reusable its success hinges on the TPS determining not only its ability to survive re-entry intact but also its Capac for Rapid turnaround with minimal refurbishment between flights the company's developed a NextGen heat Shi that is vastly superior to predecessors outperforming the thermal protection tiles used on the space shuttle and even SpaceX Starship so what makes this heat shield so special let's get into it in today's episode of alphat tech but first we need your support our next goal is 12,000 subscribers let's hit that subscribe button and you won't miss out on any of our episodes of course we'll strive to get better in every way and thank you so much like a colossal firewall Earth's atmosphere our steadfast Guardian is also the most formidable adversary of any spacecraft trying to come home while this natural Shield valiantly protects us from the deadly downpour of cosmic radiation and meteors it mercilessly reduces any unprotected object to ashes in an instant despite its cuttingedge design spacex's Starship has struggled with re-entry experiencing damage to heat Shield tile some even coming off under the extreme heat and pressure this has raised concerns about the reliability of current tps's especially for vehicles intended to be rapidly reused however Sierra space might have figured something out Sierra space recently partnered with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory a federally funded Research Center in Tennessee under Department of energy to develop a revolutionary thermal protection system or TPS for short this advanced technology is designed to withstand the extreme heat of atmospheric re-entry while enabling high frequency reusable space missions if successful it could set a new standard for the durability and reusability of spacecraft the system builds upon NASA's previous space shuttle heat sh technology but introduces improvements TPS tiles are crafted from a proprietary composite material combining the strength of carbon fiber with high temperature resistance of Ceramics these lightweight yet durable tiles provide the necessary insulation to protect the spacecraft during entry ensuring stable aerodynamics even when subjected to temperatures exceeding 1700° C while traveling it speeds Beyond Mach 17 during the space shuttle era nassa meticulously designed the TPS system to Shield the spacecraft metal structure from the heat the system utilized various heat resistant materials including reusable surface insulation tiles NASA put these tiles into two categories high temp and low temperature insulation based on and protective Coatings high temp insulation tiles were coated with black Bor silic glass which had an amiss avidity value at greater than 08 allowing them to withstand temperatures of up to 1200° C emiss avidity measures how effectively a material emits heat as an infrared radiation with values ranging from 0 to one zero value means the material reflects all heat and emits none while a value of one means the material emits heat perfect ly like a black body this property is crucial for insulation spacecraft thermal control and heat resistant Coatings meanwhile low temperature insulation tiles feature a white surface coating that were used in areas exposed to temperatures of up to 649 de C ensuring proper thermal regulation during orbital operations despite its Ingenuity the space shuttle heat shield system had some flaws it was complex expensive and highly susceptible to damage during the first shuttle flight sts1 frequent tile shedding was observed delaying future launches and exposing critical design weaknesses with thousands of uniquely shaped tiles any damage required extensive repair or replacement a process that could take months this directly contradicted the shuttle's intended goal of Rapid turnaround and reuse ultimately limiting its operational efficiency learning from past challenges Sierra space introduced advancements in the TPS of the Dreamchaser spacecraft while inspired by the space shuttle's design these NextGen heat shields use modern advancements in Material Science and Manufacturing techniques to enhanced durability while cutting costs one key difference lies in the size of the tiles Dreamchasers tiles are approximately 10 XX 10 in significantly bigger than the shuttle 6 in x 6 in tiles reducing the number of individual tiles required and simplifying installation and improving structural Integrity furthermore these tiles are engineered to be lighter and more resilient meaning all requirements for protection against micrometeoroid and orbital debris while ensuring safe reentry descent and Runway Landings whether for crude or cargo missions Sierra space has emphasized the critical role of this breakthrough technology stating that this new TPS was created to meet the needs of a commercial space industry moving at a faster Pace than previous generations of space flight and now requires more missions over shorter periods of time the company is confident that its heat shields will enable Dreamchaser to complete at least 15 missions a significant Leap Forward in sustainable space flight Sierra space CEO Tom Vice highlighted the significance saying today marks a new era of space fight safety technology and it's going to enable travel to Leo that will eventually arri with the frequency of commercial air travel our patent pending TPS is nothing like ever before created and essential to a near future where space travel becomes routine reasonability space Vehicles is a key factor in expanding commercial space industry and to do that we need new technology to keep spacecraft and cruise safe the initial development phase of crer space's TPS has now been successfully completed the next phase involves rigorous testing at NASA's arcjet plasma facility where the tiles will be subjected to extreme temperatures simulating re-entry Engineers will also explore Advanced manufacturing techniques to cut costs of production ensuring the technology is both efficient and commercially viable we will not have to wait long to see these revolutionary heat shields in action Sierra space plans to employ their new TPS on Dreamchaser in the very near future including the second Dreamchaser vehicle named reverence is successful this could Mark a major milestone in making space flight more reliable than ever and offer a breakthrough solution for heat shield technology something Elon has previously stated is incredibly difficult to rapidly reuse while the new heat shield system is a remarkable Innovation let's not forget the highly anticipated Maiden flight of tenacity a initially set this may the space plane has undergone an intense series of tests in preparation for its debut last month Sierra space announced that its Dreamchaser spacecraft had taken another step toward its goal of resupplying the ISS specifically the vehicle had completed and surpass the critical integrated test Milestone 10B in partnership with NASA the tests were conducted at keny Space Center in Florida last month under the supervision of Sierra space in NASA this advances the vehicle's Readiness for's Plan launch in May demonstrating key capabilities including power activation air Cooling and data exchange with multiple powered payloads inside its pressurized cabin these evaluations are part of the ongoing development process to ensure that the spacecraft can handle the logistics of space missions including power management and data exchange with its payloads Pablo Gonzalez VP of cargo transportation systems at CR space said tests like these are critical demonstrations of the capabilities of Dreamchaser and confirm our ability to handle specialized payloads like vital scientific research that'll be integral to our mission of the ISS this highlights dreamchaser's flexibility and capability to meet the diverse needs of our payload customers including NASA and Commercial partners and it brings us one step closer to launch joint test 10B test demonstrated that the Sierra space can provide power within a specific voltage range and maintain the necessary environmental requirements for payloads also ensuring that all vehicle and payload data were seen in boser space's Mission controll and Louisville Colorado and in the payload support control rooms at NASA's Marshall space flight center in Huntsville Alabama the three key payloads involved in the test are candidates for flight on the DCC won the official mission of Dreamchaser they included polar a cryogenic preservation system developed by the University of Alabama and managed by NASA's Cold Storage Lab at the University of Alabama and Birmingham polar is designed to preserve scientific samples aboard the ISS and other visiting space spacecraft at temperatures ranging from - 95° c to+ 10° C also there's a power Ascent utility Locker this is a facility developed by space Tanga that holds two cuab experiments requiring power during Ascent these experiments often focus on biological research such as cell and tissue cultures then there's NASA's single stoage Locker a standard stoage system designed to carry experiments and other payloads on the Dreamchaser space plane the payloads were developed by the University of Alabama Space tangle and NASA highlighting the collaborative nature of space technology development where academic institutions private companies and government agencies work together space Tango's recent integration testing with Sierra space Dream Chaser went well and all teams were happy with the results said an Kieran director of mission management at space Tango we appreciate the step Sierra space team has taken to get both the vehicle and space Tango ready for flight it's been exciting to see this come together as we count down to a maiden flight that scheduled to increase access for payload delivery to the International Space Station previously the company also conducted a multi-hour simulation test December 5th synchronizing Sierra space's controllers and NASA's Johnson Space Center joint teams rehearse close proximity operations for the uncrewed Dreamchaser space plane as it was securely captured by the space station remote manipulator system Jerry Jason dreamchaser's flight director explained that these rehearsal covered a range of scenarios from rendevu docking and departure from the ISS to re-entry and landing at Kennedy we have different stages of simulation in order to verify procedures timelines and flight rules said Jason all the core requirements are laid out in documents and that was why we have flight control teams to monitor everything it was an intense flight slowly ever so slowly CR space's Dreamchaser spacecraft approached the ISS time seemed to stand still as Mission controllers Focus intently on their computer screens meticulously tracking incoming data tension mounted in the company's control center as the spacecraft performed a multiple plan holds cautiously edging toward the ISS and maneuvering into its approach ellipse Canada arm to the robotic arm extended struggling momentarily to grasp a feature on the Dreamchaser shooting star cargo module a command was given followed by the controlled maneuvering of the cargo spacecraft to a designated port on the orbital Outpost via the space station remote manipulator system mission accomplished a simulated mission that is with that said Dreamchasers tenacity can likely be ready for launch this may under the so-called Dreamchaser crs2 flight 1 The Vessel will fly at top a United launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle and carry about 7,800 lounds of cargo or 3500 kilograms to the orbiting laboratory on its 45-day mission data collected from the flight will help NASA consider whether to increase the payload and how long the missions should last in the future future missions May last as long as 70 days and deliver as much as 11,500 pounds of cargo that's very important because NASA's contracted with Sierra space for seven missions to the space station is part of the agency's effort to expand Commercial resupply Services to Lao Sierra space also has plans for a second version of its Dreamchaser space plan which will carry crude low earth orbit destinations and that's it for today's episode thanks for joining us and see you next time