Data acquisition system gets jettison motor test

The Launch Abort System jettison motor for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle has been tested - a Pacific Instruments Series 6000 Signal Conditioning and Data Acquisition System acquired test data.

Aerojet performed the first static firing in April at their test facility near Sacramento, California.

This was the first full-scale test for the Constellation Program's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV).

The Launch Abort System is designed to pull the Orion CEV and its crew off to safety in the event of an Aries launch vehicle failure during lift off (which requires an abort).

Following a successful launch, the Launch Abort System will be used to separate the Orion CEV from the Aries in flight.

The jettison motor, which has four nozzles and weighs less than 500 pounds, was fired for less than two seconds during this static ground test to meet program criteria.

Tests now move to NASA's White Sands Test Facility, where full-scale pad abort tests will be performed by the end of this year.

Both Aerojet and NASA White Sands Test Facility use Pacific's Series 6000 integrated transducer signal conditioning and data acquisition, as do many other facilities that perform rocket motor testing.

With the 6000, a single system can acquire time-aligned static and dynamic test data, eliminating the additional setup and processing time required when two systems are used.

Sample rates are programmable for individual channels from 1S/s up to 250,000S/s, covering the range of performance required for rocket motor testing.

Further, the 6000 has integrated, high-performance transducer signal conditioning for virtually every type of transducer in use at these facilities.

NASA has partnered with Lockheed Martin, Orbital Sciences and Aerojet to supply the Orion's jettison motor.

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