Image: European Service Module component of the Orion spacecraft

Image: European Service Module component of the Orion spacecraft
Credit: OHB

Even the most complex of systems comes down to properly configured wires and cables, such as those pictured here on the Propulsion Qualification Model of the Orion service module.

ESA's contribution to NASA's Orion spacecraft is the European Service Module, designed to provide the spacecraft's propulsion, , water and . The model, designed by Airbus Defence and Space, was assembled by OHB Sweden.

Made from steel and containing propellant and helium tanks, among various electronics and command systems, the Propulsion Qualification Model allows engineers to determine how well systems are working together.

The model was built in January in Stockholm, Sweden and has since been shipped to the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico (USA), where it will undergo more extensive testing by NASA, ESA and main contractor Airbus DS. 

Citation: Image: European Service Module component of the Orion spacecraft (2017, February 22) retrieved 29 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2017-02-image-european-module-component-orion.html
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