Napoleon Engineering plays role in historic space launch
Resource from: Olean Times Likes:226
Dec 25,2015
OLEAN — Napoleon Engineering Services of Olean helped to make space-flight history this week with SpaceX.
Bearings manufactured at the Johnson Street facility have been in space before. But this time, an unmanned Falcon 9 rocket launched Monday night sent satellites into orbit and safely landed the main rocket booster back on Earth at Cape Canaveral, Fla. — an unprecedented success that could allow it to be used again to save millions of dollars and thousands of man hours.
It was a step toward greater endeavors, said Chris Napoleon, the company’s president and chief engineer. The SpaceX launch and re-entry featured 20 Napoleon Engineering bearings — two apiece on the Falcon 9’s main engine and nine peripheral rockets — used in the fuel-injection process.
“It all relates back to right here in our community,” Napoleon said. “Even though it’s news from around the world and SpaceX is all the way out in Hawthorne, Calif., it affects us right here in Olean and Franklinville, Bradford, Smethport and Allegany.”
Napoleon entered business for himself in 1997 from his garage on Bishop Street. Now the contract with SpaceX represents “15 to 20 percent” of the local company’s annual sales revenue, he said.
“That’s what makes the United States so awesome,” the 1990 University of Pittsburgh graduate added. “Every person, theoretically, has the ability to do this.”
The engineering system encompassing SpaceX and a global network of companies “redeemed itself” after a failed launch exploded in June, Napoleon said. His company’s parts were not to blame, he added.
“We’ve been waiting for a long time for this next go at it, for everyone to prove themselves. I can tell you, since then every single part on that Falcon 9 rocket has been scrutinized,” he said. “The controls, the oversight by SpaceX and each individual company, including us, has been ratcheted up exponentially to make sure that we have successful launches.”
The latest mission’s first success was deploying the satellites.
“That was first and foremost — serving its purpose,” Napoleon said, citing the importance of maintaining “access to space” in the interest of national security, Web connectivity and other technological perks of daily life.
Each SpaceX launch is also progress toward regaining a manned space program, albeit a commercial one, in the United States, he said. Since the retirement of NASA’s space shuttle in 2011, American astronauts have been taken into space with the Russian space program.
The ultimate goal for SpaceX, CEO Elon Musk has said, is a manned mission to Mars and even potential colonization. For now, Napoleon Engineering remains a part of that dream.
In the meantime, NASA has tapped SpaceX to ferry four American astronauts to the International Space Station in the near future. Napoleon Engineering Services is now manufacturing parts for testing and the mission.
“SpaceX came to us because we can produce a high-quality bearing of unique materials in a short time and at a reasonable price,” Napoleon said. “It’s a product that looks simple but can bite you at every step of the manufacturing process. We’re talking about millionths of an inch controlling certain characteristics.”
Pictures of the four astronauts — Robert Behnken, Eric Boe, Sunita Williams and Douglas Hurley — hang in the NES shop with inspirational messages such as, “Your task is my life.”
“If we make a mistake, there’s somebody else that can fill our spot,” Napoleon said. “I bet you the company whose product failed isn’t still in the game. As much fun as it is to be a part of this awesome opportunity, we have to keep our feet on the ground and our heads screwed on straight.”
(Olean Times)
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1.The news above mentioned with detailed source are from internet.We are trying our best to assure they are accurate ,timely and safe so as to let bearing users and sellers read more related info.However, it doesn't mean we agree with any point of view referred in above contents and we are not responsible for the authenticity. If you want to publish the news,please note the source and you will be legally responsible for the news published.
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