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As a child learning about basic engineering, you probably tried and failed to join a square-shaped toy with a circular-shaped toy: you needed a third shape to act as an adapter and connect them both together. On a much larger scale, integration of NASA\u2019s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and the Orion spacecraft for the agency\u2019s Artemis campaign would not be possible without the adapters being built, tested, and refined at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. <\/p>\n
Marshall is currently home to six adapters designed to connect SLS\u2019s upper stages with the core stages and propulsion systems for future Artemis flights to the Moon.<\/p>\n
The first three Artemis flights use the SLS Block 1 rocket variant, which can send more than 27 metric tons (59,500 pounds) to the Moon in a single launch with the assistance of the interim cryogenic propulsion stage. The propulsion stage is sandwiched between two adapters: the launch vehicle stage adapter and the Orion stage adapter.<\/p>\n
The cone-shaped launch vehicle stage adapter provides structural strength and protects the rocket\u2019s flight computers and other delicate systems from acoustic, thermal, and vibration effects.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe inside of the launch vehicle stage adapter for the SLS rocket uses orthogrid machining \u2013 also known as waffle pattern machining,\u201d said Keith Higginbotham, launch vehicle stage adapter hardware manager supporting the SLS Spacecraft\/Payload Integration & Evolution Office at Marshall. \u201cThe aluminum alloy plus the grid pattern is lightweight but also very strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
The launch vehicle stage adapter for Artemis II is \u00a0at Marshall and ready for shipment to NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, while engineering teams are completing outfitting and integration work on the launch vehicle stage adapter for Artemis III. These cone-shaped adapters differ from their Artemis I counterpart, featuring additional avionics protection for crew safety.<\/p>\n
Just a few buildings over, the Orion stage adapter for Artemis II, with its unique docking target that mimics the target on the interim cryogenic propulsion stage to test Orion\u2019s handling during the piloting demonstration test, is in final outfitting prior to shipment to Kennedy for launch preparations. The five-foot-tall, ring-shaped adapter is small but mighty: in addition to having space to accommodate small secondary payloads, it contains a diaphragm that acts as a barrier to prevent gases generated during launch from entering Orion.<\/p>\n
The Artemis III Orion stage adapter\u2019s major structure is complete and its avionics unit and diaphragm will be installed later this year. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Beginning with Artemis IV, a new configuration of SLS, the SLS Block 1B, will use the new, more powerful exploration upper stage to enable more ambitious missions to deep space. The new stage requires new adapters.<\/p>\n
The cone-shaped payload adapter \u2013 containing two aluminum rings and eight composite panels made from a graphite epoxy material \u2013 will be housed inside the universal stage adapter atop the rocket\u2019s exploration upper stage.<\/p>\n
The payload adapter test article is being twisted, shaken, and placed under extreme pressure to check its structural strength as part of testing at Marshall. Engineers are making minor changes to the design of the flight article, such as the removal of certain vent holes, based on the latest analyses.<\/p>\n
The sixth adapter at Marshall is a development test article of the universal stage adapter, which will be the largest composite structure from human spaceflight missions ever flown at 27.5 feet in diameter and 32 feet long. It is currently undergoing modal and structural testing to ensure it is light, strong, and ready to connect SLS Block 1B\u2019s exploration upper stage to Orion.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery pound of structure is equal to a pound of payload,\u201d says Tom Krivanek, universal stage adapter sub-element project manager at NASA\u2019s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Glenn manages the adapter for the agency. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s so valuable that the universal stage adapter be as light as possible. The universal stage adapter separates after the translunar insertion, so NASA will need to demonstrate the ability to separate cleanly in orbit in very cold conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
With its multipurpose testing equipment, innovative manufacturing processes, and large-scale integration facilities, Marshall facilities and capabilities enable teams to process composite hardware elements for multiple Artemis missions in parallel, providing for cost and schedule savings.<\/p>\n
Lessons learned from testing and manufacturing hardware for the first three SLS flights in the Block 1 configuration have aided in designing and integrating the SLS Block 1B configuration.<\/p>\n
Brent Gaddes<\/p>\n
Lead for the Orion stage adapter in the Spacecraft\/Payload Integration and Evolution Office<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Both adapters for the SLS Block 1 are manufactured using friction stir welding in Marshall\u2019s Materials and Processes Laboratory, a process that very reliably produces materials that are typically free of flaws. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Pioneering techniques such as determinant assembly and digital tooling ensure an efficient and uniform manufacturing process and save NASA and its partners money and time when building Block 1B\u2019s payload adapter. Structured light scanning maps each panel and ring individually to create a digital model informing technicians where holes should be drilled.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce the holes are put in with a hand drill located by structured light, it\u2019s simply a matter of holding the pieces together and dropping fasteners in place,\u201d Gaddes said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of like an erector set.\u201d<\/p>\n
From erector sets to the Moon and beyond \u2013 the principles of engineering are the same no matter what you are building.<\/p>\n
NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA\u2019s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.<\/em><\/p>\n