Quote: What tech upgrades does the Orion ship have compared with those used in the Apollo missions? Robert Frost, Instructor and Flight Controller at NASA Robert has 810+ answers and 249 endorsements in NASA. STRUCTURE Orion is built largely from an aluminum/lithium alloy, lighter than the aluminum available at the time of Apollo. Since the thermal protection system and other exterior hardware is removable from the pressure vessel, the pressure vessel is easily reusable. NASA hopes to reuse the pressure vessels for up to 10 missions. CONSTRUCTION Orion takes advantage of a technique that did not exist until 1991. Friction stir welding does not require melting of the material and results in less porosity and other defects than conventional welding. POWER Whereas the 1960s technology Apollo vehicle was confined to using fuel cells and batteries to provide its power, Orion will use space-rated gallium arsenide solar arrays and batteries. Each of the two solar arrays can produce 6000 watts. The electrical system uses 120 VDC circuitry (like ISS), allowing smaller and thus less massive wires. And, of course, battery technology has come a long way in 45 years. The 120 V lithium ion batteries each provide 30 amp-hours. COMMAND INTERFACE Glass cockpit. Apollo was completely controlled by mechanical switches and telemetry indicated by mechanical representation. As the Space Shuttle program evolved, NASA converted the Shuttle cockpits from such a mechanical interface to a glass cockpit. While there are still some mechanical switches for critical items (about 60 in Orion), most interfaces are digitally created. This not only greatly reduces the amount of assembly and the mass of wiring and switches, it allows for easy upgrades. An interface could even be changed on the ground and uplinked to the vehicle, mid-mission, if required. It also allows the information that is most needed at any time to be brought front and center. COMPUTERS The advanced Vehicle Management Computer (VMC) uses high density flash memory and an ethernet network to communicate with equipment throughout the vehicle. The databus is 1000 times faster than that originally installed on the ISS. COMMUNICATIONS Phased array antennae and the TDRSS (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System) in combination with ground sites provides near-constant high data rate communication allowing realtime video, audio, and data stream to the mission control center. NAVIGATION Orion (when close to Earth) can utilize GPS, a technology that didn't exist during the Apollo program. Like the ISS, Orion will use CCD star trackers that take digital pictures of the surrounding space and compare them to a vast atlas of star maps to determine precise orientation of the vehicle. And using more advanced equipment than ISS, these star trackers can work at high vehicle rates. The advanced docking system allows for automated docking using TRIDAR (3-dimensional laser ranging) and cameras with 16 times the resolution used by those on the Space Shuttle. PROPULSION Attitude control is provided by 12 advanced catalytic thrusters. THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEM (TPS) Orion benefits from thirty years of work on the Space Shuttle tile system. Almost 1000 silica glass fiber tiles are applied to the exterior surface of Orion. Orion features the largest ablative heat-shield ever built. It is 5 m (16.5 ft) across and weighs about 1000 lbs (450 kg). While the AVCOAT outer layer is not dissimilar to that used on Apollo (and applied in the same achingly manual way (see below comparison picture - Apollo on the left, Orion on the right)), under that ablative AVCOAT is an advanced carbon-fiber skin and titanium skeleton. SEATING Also derived from Shuttle experience, are the advanced seats, lightweight and designed to absorb more impact and protect the crew during landing. PARACHUTES The parachute system involves a series of parachutes that gently decelerate the vehicle from terminal velocity down to about 25 fps (7.5 m/s). The main parachutes each weigh 300 lb (136 kg) and when disreefed are 116 ft (35 m) in diameter. While Apollo depended on barometric sensors to determine the appropriate points in time to activate the various chutes, Orion has a more redundant and precise system that uses barometric sensors, GPS, and IMUs in conjunction with a gravity model. RADIATION SHIELDING In addition to materials more adept at deflecting or absorbing radiation before it reaches the crew, the increased volume of the Orion allows shaping shielding around the crew using creative placement of the onboard equipment and supplies. RECYCLING Future Orion missions will include a recycling system that will convert crew urine and sweat into clean water for drinking and cooling systems. This technology is based on lessons learned from similar equipment developed for the ISS. http://www.quora.com/What-tech-upgr...-in-the-Apollo-missions/answer/Robert-Frost-1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_(spacecraft)
