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Promontory UT (SPX) Oct 03, 2006 NASA's next-generation crew launch vehicle may be years away from flying its first astronauts to space, but Alliant Techsystems is already completing tests and building hardware to ensure that Ares I will fly on schedule. ATK -- the prime contractor for the first stage of the Ares I crew launch vehicle, along with NASA, the US Army, and the United Space Alliance -- recently completed testing of a newly designed pilot parachute. The parachute was dropped from an altitude of 10,000 feet to ensure that it deploys correctly and provides adequate air braking capability. The parachute has an 11.5 foot diameter and is the first in a three-stage parachute system designed to ensure that the new five-segment solid rocket boosters splashdown safely in the ocean after separating from the Ares I. Just like the four-segment boosters for Space Shuttle, the new boosters will be recovered and reused on future missions. ATK and NASA have scheduled six additional pilot parachute tests. Along with the parachute testing, ATK has modified hardware for Ares I. Since the new five-segment booster will generate more thrust than the current space shuttle Reusable Solid Rocket Boosters, ATK is making minor modifications to the propellant grain and some of the nozzle components. In addition, ATK is manufacturing full-scale engineering pilot hardware. These Process Simulation Articles are used to confirm that the design will be production-ready. ATK is also modifying tooling to accommodate changes to the production design. "These milestones are instrumental steps towards carrying out America's vision for space exploration," said Mike Kahn, vice president, ATK Space Launch Systems. "Our hardware development efforts and successful tests will help keep the Ares I program on track for its first crew launch early next decade." Ares I will replace the space shuttle for International Space Station missions, return humans to the moon, and ultimately allow the first steps to be taken on Mars. Its initial early development test flight is scheduled for April 2009 with a crew launch expected no later then 2014. In 2005, NASA selected ATK as the prime contractor to design, develop, test, and evaluate the first stage of its Ares I launch vehicle. ATK has subcontracted the parachute work to the United Space Alliance, which also manages a similar effort for the SRB's used on today's space shuttle program. Related Links ATK Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com
From Shuttle To Orion At Stennis
Stennis MS (SPX) Oct 03, 2006NASA is marking a historic moment in the life of the nation's largest rocket engine test complex. The Stennis Space Center conducted the final space shuttle main engine test on its A-1 Test Stand on Friday, Sept. 29. Although this ends the stand's work on the Space Shuttle Program, it will soon be used for the rocket that will carry America's next generation human spacecraft, Orion.
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