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AE 590 Seminar: From The Earth To The Moon – NASA’s Orion Spacecraft

Event Type
Seminar/Symposium
Sponsor
Department of Aerospace Engineering
Date
Nov 1, 2021   4:00 - 5:00 pm  
Speaker
Doug Litteken, Structural Engineer at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Contact
Courtney McLearin
E-Mail
cmcleari@illinois.edu
Views
75
Originating Calendar
Aerospace Engineering Seminars

Abstract:
NASA’s Orion spacecraft is built to take humans farther than they’ve ever gone before. Orion will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel, and provide safe re‐entry from deep space return velocities. Orion will launch on NASA’s new heavy‐lift rocket, the Space Launch System as part of the Artemis Program to explore the moon and Mars. Mr. Litteken, a NASA structural engineer and Orion sub‐system manager will share news of the program and showcase his work on building Orion.


Biography:
Mr. Douglas Litteken is a structural engineer at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, TX. He is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the agency for softgoods structures and the Sub‐System Manager (SSM) for the Orion Multi‐Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) crew cabin primary structure. His interests include inflatable habitats, softgoods structures, parachutes, flexible electronics, and structural health monitoring. As an SME, his experience includes the design, analysis and testing of softgoods structures including lunar surface habitats, airlocks, and deep space transit vehicles. As an Orion sub‐system lead, he manages the in‐line contractor support team, stress analysis, testing, and structural verification for the Orion primary structure. His efforts towards NASA’s deep space exploration goals will enable a permanent presence on the Moon and one day land humans on Mars.

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