Mission Support & Training

Raytheon is responsible for operating, maintaining and providing sustaining engineering for a variety of NASA training programs, including two critical human space flight training facilities located at NASA’s Johnson Space Center: the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) and the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility (SVMF), which provide training for the Space Shuttle and International Space Station Programs. 

Neutral Buoyancy Lab
The NBL facility contains a 202-foot long and 102-foot wide and 40-foot deep-water tank that can simultaneously support two separate test sessions using full-size Shuttle and Space Station underwater mockups. The facility has 2 DEMAG bridge cranes (20,000 lb lifting capacity each) and 4 Morse Jib Cranes (3,200 lb lifting capacity each) poolside. The bridge cranes are used to reconfigure mockups and robotic arms in the pool. The Jib cranes are used to lower and raise EVA-suited astronauts/tools into and out of the pool. The NBL facility is used for extra vehicular activity (EVA) training and testing and performing critical lifting/rigging.

The facility has in its inventory more than 1,000 separate mockups, representing various Space Shuttle Program and International Space Station Program flight hardware. Raytheon is responsible for maintaining the configuration of the mockups as well as conducting preventive and repair maintenance.

Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility
The SVMF contains a full-scale Space Station mockup, three Space Shuttle trainers, Russian mockups, two air-bearing facilities, a partial gravity simulator, and various part-task mockups and trainers.  The SVMF provides capabilities used for space flight training, mission support, mission development, vehicle sustaining engineering, developmental engineering analysis and public affairs. Training includes intra vehicular activity (IVA) training and testing, emergency escape and rescue, and crane operations and critical lift hazards.

Robotics Systems Modeling and Simulation
Raytheon provides highfidelity, hardware-in-the-loop and human-in-the-loop robotics modeling and simulation including:

• Six-degree of Freedom robotic arm motion kinematics – up to 7 joints
• TRICK integration with core Simulator models (electrical, thermal, EOM) and systems (RWS, Visual and handcontrollers
• Moving object management (grappling and berthing) and contact dynamics
• Simulation of complex mechanisms and motor controllers
• Simulation of close proximity operations that install large objects demanding careful coordination between robotic arm operators and controllers
• Visual system development, integrated with cameras and video distribution
• End-to-end mission training distributed across multiple facilities

Systems Management, Operations, and Sustaining Engineering
Raytheon currently performs major logistical, technical and operations services 24/7 in support of dynamically changing operational environments in three of the most critical and hazardous training facilities at NASA, JSC.

• Maintain and operate over 30 individual training systems and 12 life support systems
• Manage 50 major training configuration changes per month
• Manage connectivity with 5 external facilities
• Maintain concurrency with or in advance of real-world configurations
• Design, Manufacture, Integrate, and Sustain life-size mockups

Range Technical Services
Raytheon operates and maintains technical space flight tracking and control facilities and provides operations support services to the 45th Space Wing and range user activities (USAF, Army, Navy, NASA and commercial aerospace companies). This support includes:

Base/Site Operations at multiple locations including Cape Canaveral, Patrick AFB, Jonathan Dickinson Missile Tracking Annex, Antigua Air Station, Ascension Island and Argentina, Newfoundland

• Communications Systems Design and Operations Services
• Facilities Management Services
• Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Services
• Test & Evaluation Services
• Range Support Management and Control Plan