Tag: Ares I
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ATK breathe life into Liberty via unfunded NASA Space Act Agreement
The company made famous in the space flight industry for their giant Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) have put their hat into the ring for potentially carrying NASA astronauts to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) via their Liberty launch vehicle. Looking very much like the cancelled Ares I – Liberty will use a five segment booster with…
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Both Crawler Transporters grounded – Crawlerway testing for HLV capability
The two veteran Crawler Transporters (CT) are currently grounded, as evaluations continue into a what is believed to have been a lightning strike on CT-2 – which was being prepared for tasks associated with the Ares I Mobile Launcher (ML). Test results are also being evaluated into how the Crawlerway is expected to perform under…
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Unemployed Ares I Mobile Launcher set for Crawler trip in August
The massive Ares I Mobile Launcher (ML), which recently completed its construction phase, is set for a ride on the Crawler Transporter (CT-1) in August, marking its first move since rising into the sky next door to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The ML will be moved to the east refurbish site, to allow for…
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Unemployed Ares I Mobile Launcher set for Crawler trip in August
The massive Ares I Mobile Launcher (ML), which recently completed its construction phase, is set for a ride on the Crawler Transporter (CT-1) in August, marking its first move since rising into the sky next door to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The ML will be moved to the east refurbish site, to allow for…
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Ares team pressing forward with plans for Ares I-X Prime flight, for now
Despite apparently failing to be short listed for President Obama’s upcoming decision on the forward path for NASA’s Human Space Flight program, the Ares I teams are pushing forward with new plans to follow up the Ares I-X test flight with a 2012 to 2013 flight of Ares I-X Prime – a replacement test launch…
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Ares/Orion slipping up to 18 months – Shuttle extension gains upper hand
NASA’s Constellation Program (CxP) will conduct a “Content and Schedule” summit meeting in the next few months, after it was evaluated their current schedules are “broken”. The meeting will aim to protect against a slip that is estimated to be as serious as 18 months, or outright cancellation for Ares I. Meanwhile, the push for…
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JDTV on track for February drop – MLAS ready for test
The Jumbo Drop Test Vehicle is in final preparations for a February 26 drop, as part of the Ares I First Stage parachute tests. Meanwhile, the little-known Max Launch Abort System (MLAS) will conduct its first test in March. JDTV: The first test of the giant parachutes that will be tasked with easing Ares I’s…
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Fleet processing involves holiday work – Giant crane dominates KSC skyline
Processing will continue on two orbiters through the Christmas holidays, with work required on both Discovery and Endeavour. Meanwhile, a huge crane has been built up to support the final construction of the 600ft Ares I lightning protection towers at Pad 39B. The bulk of the workforce at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) belong to…
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Ares I Thrust Oscillation meetings conclude with encouraging data, changes
A series of Ares I Thrust Oscillation (TO) meetings have concluded with the decision to recommend baselining Ares I’s Tuned Mass Absorber (TMA) on the aft of the vehicle as a passive – as opposed to active – system, as the latest analysis – which has included human tests – reduce TO as a potential…
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STS-126 to debut SRB modification to gather Ares I Thrust Oscillation data
STS-126 will see the flight debut of two new sets of instrumentation, aimed at gathering more detailed data on RSRM (Reusable Solid Rocket Motor) behaviour during the first stage of launch. The resulting data will benefit the efforts to understand and mitigate Thrust Oscillation on Ares I. The main objective is to record pressure variations…