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Domain: northgrum.com

Stories and comments across the archive that link to northgrum.com.

Stories · 2

  1. ISS Microgravity Research

    Science · Space · · posted by michael · from the use-a-knife-in-the-bottle dept. · 5 comments
    Grey-Ghost writes "A while back NASA contracted the Microgravity Research Development and Operations Center (MRDOC) Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF). This facility is designed to perform about five micro-gravity combustion and/or fluid experiments per year once it goes up (scheduled for sometime in 2004). The project is mostly being developed by the coordinated efforts of Northrop Grumman and Analex but the facility is scheduled to outlast the completion of the currently scheduled fluids and combustion experiments. As someone working on the project, I haven't seen much coverage, but the experiments and technology that could come out of these experiments include molecular biology and/or nanotech construction (LMM), better fuel economy both in space and on Earth (MDCA), and answers to why your Katsup suddenly comes out after copious shaking (fluid shearing)."

  2. NASA Eyes Shuttle Replacements

    Science · Space · · posted by chrisd · from the big-rubber-bands-are-not-under-consideration dept. · 314 comments
    jonerik writes "According to this article at Space.com, NASA yesterday released a status report on the first year of NASA's Space Launch Initiative; the search for a space shuttle replacement, currently planned to begin operating ten years from now. The competing contractors - Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and a team consisting of Northrop Grumman and Orbital Sciences Corp. - have their work cut out for them. NASA is looking for both a ten-fold improvement in per-pound launch costs (from $10,000 per pound to $1,000) and massive improvements in crew survivability." In related news, Rubyflame writes: "Aviation Now has a story about four new kerosene-fueled rocket engines being developed by Aerojet, Pratt & Whitney, Rocketdyne, and TRW. These are engines that will produce a million pounds of thrust, intended to outdo Russian designs in reliability and launch cost, and one of them may power a new reusable launch vehicle. Kerosene has the advantage that it's denser than hydrogen, so the fuel tanks can be smaller."