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Erik Gross
Erik Gross
Chief Engineer, Launch Abort System: Abort Motor, Space Systems
Chief Engineer, Launch Abort System: Abort Motor, Space Systems
Erik Gross is the Chief Engineer on the Abort Motor for the Orion crew
capsule launch abort system as part of the NASA Artemis mission. The
abort motor function is to pull the capsule and astronauts to safety in the
event of a launch vehicle malfunction.
Erik has over 20 years of experience in the propulsion and space
industry. He started his career in engineering at Thiokol Corporation
analyzing the loads and vibrations of the space shuttle reusable solid
rocket motors. Erik has held a variety of positions with increasing
responsibility and leadership in engineering, business development,
operations and program management.
A native of Florida, Erik holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso and a
master’s degree in business administration from Utah State University. Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing
innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike, and logistics and modernization to
customers worldwide. Please visit news.northropgrumman.com and follow us on Twitter, @NGCNews, for more information.
Solid Rocket Boosters Made HERE in Utah will Take the Artemis Mission to the Moon!
Solid Rocket Boosters Made HERE in Utah will Take the Artemis Mission to the Moon!
NASA hope to launch Artemis-1, the first in a series of missions that will return humans to the moon, in 2021. The solid booster rockets that will carry Artemis-1 out of the atmosphere were manufactured and tested at the Northrop Grumman facility in Promontory, Utah as part of the SLS (Space Launch System) super heavy rocket.
"Propellant ingredients are the same as shuttle and were modified slightly to meet the performance requirements for the longer rocket motor and new vehicle," Northrop Grumman’s Kay Anderson told AmericaSpace. Each motor segment weighs 300,000 lbs. and provide 75% of the total thrust required to get SLS and Artemis to space. The motor segments are so heavy that they required specialized re-enforced train cars to transport them on a 10 day journey to the Kennedy Space Center for assembly.
“The arrival of the booster segments at Kennedy is just the beginning of the SLS rocket’s journey to the pad and onward to send the Orion spacecraft to the Moon,“ said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “Artemis I will pave the way toward landing the first woman and the next man on the surface of the Moon in 2024 and expanding human exploration to Mars.”
Image Credit: NASA
The SLS for Artemis-1 will be powered off the launch pad by the four RS-25 engines of the core stage and a pair of five-segment Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs). Image Credit: NASA
SLS has been under development since 2011 and all the pieces are starting to come together. The core stage is the tallest and most powerful rocket stage in the world, towering at 212 feet tall and 26.7 feet across. It is designed to be flexible and evolve with the needs of deep space launches, a variety of crew and cargo, and varying mission needs.
Northrop Grumman has already completed all ten segments of the boosters for Artemis-2 and are currently working on 6 of the segments for Artemis-3. They plan to have all 10 segments for Artemis-3 completed by October of 2020. Northrop Grumman is already planning for Artemis missions 4-9.
Watch the test-fire of the QM-2 Orbital ATK-built NASA SLS booster.
This rocket test-fire lasts 2 full minutes, the entire time the boosters will fire when Artemis-1 launches for real.
Quest Acadameny Intro Rocket Motors Mars 2020 Mission.mp4Erik Gross works to design the systems that abort a mission should something go wrong. In this video, he explains solid fuel rockets, how they work and how they are made right here in Utah.
Northrop Grumman is an advance aerospace engineering company that is always pioneering and defining what is possible. We design, develop, build and support some of the world’s most advanced products, from cutting-edge aircraft and next-generation spacecraft to unrivaled cyber security systems and all-seeing radars. Whether it’s making a 200 ton airplane invisible, predicting cyber attacks before they happen or solving the mysteries of the universe, wherever the boundaries of possible are being pushed, Northrop Grumman is there.
Northrop Grumman builds systems (a fancy way of saying rockets and vehicles) for lots of different uses. They are a leader in space technology, building things like rockets, and propulsion systems for satellite and telescopes. They also build missiles that defend and protect America from anyone who would want to do us harm.
Northrop Grumman also makes systems for the Navy like sonars and electronic weapons, and they provide logistic (location) services to combat vehicles on the battlefield.
If you are interested in learning more about STEM and engineering, Erick Gross was kind enough to provide an additional resources for you to explore.
EngineeringFunPacket_r21.pdf
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