Science NASA Unveils New Rocket For Historic Test Flight - Page 2

**Donger** · 10-20-2009, 12:40 PM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/200910...orictestflight

For the first time in nearly 30 years, a brand new NASA rocket has rolled out to a seaside launching pad in Florida to prepare for a launch test debut.

The rocket is Ares I-X — a suborbital prototype for the Ares I rocket NASA plans to use to launch its shuttle successor, the Orion spacecraft. Currently the world's tallest booster in service, the Ares I-X rolled out to the launch pad early Tuesday and is slated to blast off Oct. 27 at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) on a short demonstration flight.

"The Ares I-X is going to fly straight up and straight out," said NASA commentator George Diller as the 327-foot (100-meter) tall rocket began moving toward Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "During that time we'll be testing the stage separation to determine how well the first stage separation motors perform, as well as the performance of the booster itself, namely the parachutes and other apparatus that will deploy."

The $445 million rocket's rollout comes on the eve of a final report from an independent committee appointed by the White House to review NASA's plans for future human spaceflight.

During a series of summer meetings, the committee found that NASA does not have the budget to fund its vision of replacing the shuttle fleet by 2015 and returning astronauts to the moon by 2020. Led by former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine, the committee is due to release a report Thursday that details several options for President Barack Obama's consideration, some of which do not include the Ares I rocket at all.

Historic, spectacular rollout

The committee's upcoming report aside, the rollout of Ares I-X provided a spectacular sight, one which NASA broadcast live on NASA TV in its entirety. Reporters and photographers, along with NASA personnel, could be seen watching the giant rocket slowly make the 4.2-mile (6.7-km) launch pad trek.

Not since the April 1981 test flight of NASA's space shuttle Columbia has NASA test launched a new rocket designed to carry astronauts into space. Like Columbia and its external tank, the towering Ares I-X rocket is painted in all white and gleamed in the glare of blazing xenon spotlights as it emerged from the 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building. But unlike that first shuttle flight, Ares I-X will be unmanned.

"Ares I-X is rolling!" Diller said as NASA's massive Apollo-era crawler-transporter vehicle began hauling the new rocket to Pad 39B at 1:39 a.m. EDT (0539 GMT).

The trip took about seven hours and started over an hour late due to slight delays in preparation work, but the process appeared to go smoothly in the end.

"This has been a little bit slow-going, but primarily because this is the first time we've ever done this," Diller said.

The skyscraping Ares I-X rocket stands 143 feet (44 meters) taller than NASA's space shuttles. It is the tallest rocket to emerge from the Vehicle Assembly Building since the massive 363-foot (110-meter) Saturn V rocket used to launch Apollo astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Saturn V holds the record for the tallest, most powerful rocket in history, but Ares I-X is the tallest to fly today. For comparison, NASA's space shuttles stand about 184 feet (56 meters) tall in launch position.

The space shuttle Atlantis is currently perched atop its own launch pad, Pad 39A for a planned Nov. 16 liftoff. Not since 1975, when a Saturn IB rocket launched an Apollo capsule to meet a Soyuz spacecraft from the Soviet Union, has a non-shuttle rocket sat atop a NASA launch pad.

"It's neat to see where we're going next [and] what the next step will be," said Atlantis commander Charlie Hobaugh, who arrived at the Kennedy Space Center Monday for prelaunch training. "And that when we stop flying the shuttle at some future point, it's not the end. It's actually the beginning."

The Ares I-X rocket weighs 1.8 million pounds (816,466 kg), and NASA engineers expected its tip to sway up to 1 foot (0.3 meters) during the rollout. Altogether, the Ares I-X rocket, its Mobile Launch Platform and the crawler-transporter itself weigh about 16 million pounds (7.2 million kg).

Major launch test ahead

The Ares I-X test rocket has three chances to launch next week, one a day each between Oct. 27 and Oct. 29. NASA initially planned to only have two days to try and fly Ares I-X, but on Monday the agency pushed the launch target for the space shuttle Atlantis to Nov. 16 — a four-day delay — in order to allow the third opportunity.

NASA's Ares I rocket is a two-stage launcher made up of a giant five-segment solid rocket booster first stage (similar to the four-segment versions used on the space shuttle) and a liquid-fueled second stage. Completing the rocket is the Orion crew capsule and a launch abort system tower at the top. The rocket is tall and slender, and is thicker at the top than on the bottom.

The Ares I-X is not a full Ares I rocket. Its first stage is a four-segment solid rocket booster — repurposed from the shuttle fleet's inventory — capped with a dummy fifth segment. The thicker second stage, Orion crew capsule and launch abort system are also all mock-ups built to simulate the size and mass of the real thing.

During next week's launch test, the flight is expected to last just over two minutes and reach an altitude of about 28 miles (45 km) as the Ares I-X rocket launches eastward over the Atlantic Ocean. First stage separation will come about two minutes, 33 seconds into the flight, with the first stage parachuting down to the ocean to be recovered. The dummy second stage and Orion mockups will crash into the ocean and not be recovered, mission managers have said.

The Ares I-X flight is the first of three planned test flights for the Ares I rocket. The next launch, dubbed Ares I-Y, is slated to launch in 2014 and include a real second stage.

The third mission, called Orion I, is planned to launch an actual Orion spacecraft into orbit, but on an unmanned test flight, Diller said.

**Easy 6** · 10-26-2009, 10:44 PM

Its great & all, a next-gen chemically propelled workhorse...IMO we have better stuff on a smaller scale.

redsurfer11 · 10-27-2009, 04:20 AM

I'll step outside to watch it this morning.

**007** · 10-27-2009, 04:49 AM

Link to the video coverage

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Pioli Zombie · 10-27-2009, 06:21 AM

You're gonna put your eye out with that thing.
Posted via Mobile Device

**Donger** · 10-27-2009, 07:22 AM

Heh. Nasa: "Yeah, we've got this piece of string at the top of the rocket that's stuck. We're gonna yank on it until it breaks."

Silock · 10-27-2009, 07:23 AM

1 minute til launch.

**Donger** · 10-27-2009, 07:26 AM

Yahoo!

Silock · 10-27-2009, 07:27 AM

Or not... 8:44 CST now.

**Donger** · 10-27-2009, 07:36 AM

Range fouled. Cargo ship. 90 minutes delay. Damn, I'm going to miss it.

**morphius** · 10-27-2009, 07:38 AM

Quote:

The skyscraping Ares I-X rocket stands 143 feet (44 meters) taller than NASA's space shuttles. It is the tallest rocket to emerge from the Vehicle Assembly Building since the massive 363-foot (110-meter) Saturn V rocket used to launch Apollo astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Saturn V holds the record for the tallest, most powerful rocket in history, but Ares I-X is the tallest to fly today. For comparison, NASA's space shuttles stand about 184 feet (56 meters) tall in launch position.

This part is hurting my head. So the 143 feet tall Ares is much taller than the 184 feet tall space shuttle... No wonder we keep crashing into planets...

**Donger** · 10-27-2009, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by morphius

This part is hurting my head. So the 143 feet tall Ares is much taller than the 184 feet tall space shuttle... No wonder we keep crashing into planets...

Alton deFlat · 10-27-2009, 07:45 AM

Launch is now set for 8:49 CDT.

**Donger** · 10-27-2009, 07:48 AM

Cut-off.

Alton deFlat · 10-27-2009, 07:52 AM

On hold again because of the weather.

Groves · 10-27-2009, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by morphius

This part is hurting my head. So the 143 feet tall Ares is much taller than the 184 feet tall space shuttle... No wonder we keep crashing into planets...

Comprehension Fail.

Penz, can we get a graphic to help this guy?

10-20-2009, 12:40 PM
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $6789900 VARSITY	NASA Unveils New Rocket For Historic Test Flight http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/200910...orictestflight For the first time in nearly 30 years, a brand new NASA rocket has rolled out to a seaside launching pad in Florida to prepare for a launch test debut. The rocket is Ares I-X — a suborbital prototype for the Ares I rocket NASA plans to use to launch its shuttle successor, the Orion spacecraft. Currently the world's tallest booster in service, the Ares I-X rolled out to the launch pad early Tuesday and is slated to blast off Oct. 27 at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) on a short demonstration flight. "The Ares I-X is going to fly straight up and straight out," said NASA commentator George Diller as the 327-foot (100-meter) tall rocket began moving toward Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "During that time we'll be testing the stage separation to determine how well the first stage separation motors perform, as well as the performance of the booster itself, namely the parachutes and other apparatus that will deploy." The $445 million rocket's rollout comes on the eve of a final report from an independent committee appointed by the White House to review NASA's plans for future human spaceflight. During a series of summer meetings, the committee found that NASA does not have the budget to fund its vision of replacing the shuttle fleet by 2015 and returning astronauts to the moon by 2020. Led by former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine, the committee is due to release a report Thursday that details several options for President Barack Obama's consideration, some of which do not include the Ares I rocket at all. Historic, spectacular rollout The committee's upcoming report aside, the rollout of Ares I-X provided a spectacular sight, one which NASA broadcast live on NASA TV in its entirety. Reporters and photographers, along with NASA personnel, could be seen watching the giant rocket slowly make the 4.2-mile (6.7-km) launch pad trek. Not since the April 1981 test flight of NASA's space shuttle Columbia has NASA test launched a new rocket designed to carry astronauts into space. Like Columbia and its external tank, the towering Ares I-X rocket is painted in all white and gleamed in the glare of blazing xenon spotlights as it emerged from the 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building. But unlike that first shuttle flight, Ares I-X will be unmanned. "Ares I-X is rolling!" Diller said as NASA's massive Apollo-era crawler-transporter vehicle began hauling the new rocket to Pad 39B at 1:39 a.m. EDT (0539 GMT). The trip took about seven hours and started over an hour late due to slight delays in preparation work, but the process appeared to go smoothly in the end. "This has been a little bit slow-going, but primarily because this is the first time we've ever done this," Diller said. The skyscraping Ares I-X rocket stands 143 feet (44 meters) taller than NASA's space shuttles. It is the tallest rocket to emerge from the Vehicle Assembly Building since the massive 363-foot (110-meter) Saturn V rocket used to launch Apollo astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s. The Saturn V holds the record for the tallest, most powerful rocket in history, but Ares I-X is the tallest to fly today. For comparison, NASA's space shuttles stand about 184 feet (56 meters) tall in launch position. The space shuttle Atlantis is currently perched atop its own launch pad, Pad 39A for a planned Nov. 16 liftoff. Not since 1975, when a Saturn IB rocket launched an Apollo capsule to meet a Soyuz spacecraft from the Soviet Union, has a non-shuttle rocket sat atop a NASA launch pad. "It's neat to see where we're going next [and] what the next step will be," said Atlantis commander Charlie Hobaugh, who arrived at the Kennedy Space Center Monday for prelaunch training. "And that when we stop flying the shuttle at some future point, it's not the end. It's actually the beginning." The Ares I-X rocket weighs 1.8 million pounds (816,466 kg), and NASA engineers expected its tip to sway up to 1 foot (0.3 meters) during the rollout. Altogether, the Ares I-X rocket, its Mobile Launch Platform and the crawler-transporter itself weigh about 16 million pounds (7.2 million kg). Major launch test ahead The Ares I-X test rocket has three chances to launch next week, one a day each between Oct. 27 and Oct. 29. NASA initially planned to only have two days to try and fly Ares I-X, but on Monday the agency pushed the launch target for the space shuttle Atlantis to Nov. 16 — a four-day delay — in order to allow the third opportunity. NASA's Ares I rocket is a two-stage launcher made up of a giant five-segment solid rocket booster first stage (similar to the four-segment versions used on the space shuttle) and a liquid-fueled second stage. Completing the rocket is the Orion crew capsule and a launch abort system tower at the top. The rocket is tall and slender, and is thicker at the top than on the bottom. The Ares I-X is not a full Ares I rocket. Its first stage is a four-segment solid rocket booster — repurposed from the shuttle fleet's inventory — capped with a dummy fifth segment. The thicker second stage, Orion crew capsule and launch abort system are also all mock-ups built to simulate the size and mass of the real thing. During next week's launch test, the flight is expected to last just over two minutes and reach an altitude of about 28 miles (45 km) as the Ares I-X rocket launches eastward over the Atlantic Ocean. First stage separation will come about two minutes, 33 seconds into the flight, with the first stage parachuting down to the ocean to be recovered. The dummy second stage and Orion mockups will crash into the ocean and not be recovered, mission managers have said. The Ares I-X flight is the first of three planned test flights for the Ares I rocket. The next launch, dubbed Ares I-Y, is slated to launch in 2014 and include a real second stage. The third mission, called Orion I, is planned to launch an actual Orion spacecraft into orbit, but on an unmanned test flight, Diller said.
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10-26-2009, 10:44 PM	#16
Easy 6 pie is never free Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: the drivers seat Casino cash: $-272225	Its great & all, a next-gen chemically propelled workhorse...IMO we have better stuff on a smaller scale.
Posts: 98,598

10-27-2009, 04:20 AM	#17
redsurfer11 Veteran Join Date: Oct 2000 Casino cash: $10004900	I'll step outside to watch it this morning.
Posts: 2,581

10-27-2009, 04:49 AM	#18
007 Shaken. Not stirred. Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: London Casino cash: $12100126 VARSITY	Link to the video coverage http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html __________________ My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done. Such as, drinking Dom Perignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs.
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10-27-2009, 06:21 AM	#19
Pioli Zombie Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: olathe,kansas Casino cash: $10004900	You're gonna put your eye out with that thing. Posted via Mobile Device
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10-27-2009, 07:22 AM	#20
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $6789900 VARSITY	Heh. Nasa: "Yeah, we've got this piece of string at the top of the rocket that's stuck. We're gonna yank on it until it breaks." __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
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10-27-2009, 07:23 AM	#21
Silock MVP Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $10020882	1 minute til launch.
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10-27-2009, 07:26 AM	#22
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $6789900 VARSITY	Yahoo! __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
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10-27-2009, 07:27 AM	#23
Silock MVP Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $10020882	Or not... 8:44 CST now.
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10-27-2009, 07:36 AM	#24
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $6789900 VARSITY	Range fouled. Cargo ship. 90 minutes delay. Damn, I'm going to miss it. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
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10-27-2009, 07:45 AM	#27
Alton deFlat The Sicilian Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Joplin, Missouri Casino cash: $10004900	Launch is now set for 8:49 CDT.
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10-27-2009, 07:48 AM	#28
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $6789900 VARSITY	Cut-off. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
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10-27-2009, 07:52 AM	#29
Alton deFlat The Sicilian Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Joplin, Missouri Casino cash: $10004900	On hold again because of the weather.
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