Atlas V 501 Prep And Launch With X-37B OTV

http://airboyd.tv

Courtesy: United Lauch Alliance http://www.ulalaunch.com

The Atlas V 501 configuration consists of a single Atlas V booster stage and the Centaur upper stage.

The Atlas V booster is 12.5 ft in diameter and 106.5 ft long. The boosters tanks are structurally stable and constructed of isogrid aluminum barrels, spun-formed aluminum domes, and intertank skirts. Atlas booster propulsion is provided by the RD-180 engine system (a single engine with two thrust chambers). The RD-180 burns RP-1 (Rocket Propellant-1 or highly purified kerosene) and liquid oxygen, and delivers 860,200 lb of thrust at sea level. The Atlas V booster is controlled by the Centaur avionics system that provides guidance, flight control, and vehicle sequencing functions during the booster and Centaur phases of flight.

The Centaur upper stage is 10 ft in diameter and 41.5 ft long. Its propellant tanks are constructed of pressure-stabilized, corrosion resistant stainless steel. Centaur is a liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen- (cryogenic-) fueled vehicle. It uses a single RL10A-4-2 engine producing 22,300 lb of thrust. The cryogenic tanks are insulated with a combination of helium-purged insulation blankets, radiation shields, and closed-cell foam insulation. The Centaur forward adapter (CFA) provides the structural mountings for vehicle electronics and the structural and electronic interfaces with the spacecraft.

The OTV mission is encapsulated within the Atlas V 5-meter-diameter short payload fairing (PLF). The 5-meter PLF is a bisector PLF with a composite structure made from sandwich panels with carbon fiber face sheets and a vented aluminum honeycomb core. The 5-meter PLF is comprised of two major components: the lower section, or base module, that encapsulates the Centaur, and the upper section, or common payload module (CPM), that encapsulates the spacecraft. The Atlas V booster, Centaur, and the 5-meter payload fairing boattail are attached by the 3.8-meter diameter Centaur interstage adapter (C-ISA). The C-ISA is a composite structure with graphite epoxy facesheets over an aluminum honeycomb core.

Category:

Science & Technology

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[Yurielkafa]

made in China?

[snaiperis]

its kinda funny because atlas V is using Russian RD-180 engines

[jedilarsen]

looks like project aries ==

[viper20212]

The video itself is great, but the music is awful: in reminds me of a teenager in his garage with a guitar, and does not typify the coordination, sophistication, and technical exellence of the X-37 program and launch.