credit ATK/NASA / Caption: DM-1 is readied for its August test firing
Alliant Techsystems released on 20 July this image of the first five segment demonstration motor for NASA's Ares I crew launch vehicle first stage. Called Demonstration Motor One or DM-1 it is set for ignition on 25 August
The test had been set for 2 April and then 13 August. Between now and the new date of 25 August ATK will install the instrumentation for the test
Oscillation, due to forces acting within the organ pipe-like solid rocket motor (SRM), has been big news for quite some time and the latest on that is the difficulties in designing an avionics box that can withstand the expected vibration
When I spoke to Ares project office engineers last year at the AIAA Space conference they did say that the Ares I first stage avionics (housed in the equipment section forward of the SRM forward segment) was "hot," which they explained meant it was still at a very early stage of development
Speaking to some Italian solid rocket motor experts last year they informed Hyperbola that while ground tests for SRMs are useful the data is not without its problems because of interactions between the ground and the motor
The only way, according to the Italians, to obtain accurate good data about motor performance is to fly them. Italy is leading the European Space Agency's work on developing the Vega rocket that has solid fuel motors for its first and second stages. Its maiden flight is late 2010
Go through to the extended portion of this blog post to see the ATK press release
click on the above image to see a larger version in the same window browser
Ares I First Stage will be Tested August 25 at ATK's Facility
Promontory, Utah, July 20, 2009 - NASA and Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) marked a major milestone on the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon, signifying the next steps in space travel to the moon and beyond, as they unveiled the first completed Ares I first stage five-segment solid rocket booster.
The unveiling commenced as the movable structure that houses the booster was rolled off to reveal the Ares I first stage motor. The completed rocket was installed horizontally in a test stand that was modified from the space shuttle's four-segment configuration to fit the new five-segment Ares I booster. Instrumentation will be installed over the next month in preparation for the first major ground test of the NASA Constellation program August 25.
"As we reflect back 40 years to when man first stepped on the moon, we also look forward to continuing America's heritage of space exploration," said Mike Kahn, executive vice president, ATK Space Systems. "The booster we've unveiled today brings us a step closer to continuing that legacy."
The Ares I first stage has been under development since 2005. Based on the design of the space shuttle's four-segment booster, the first stage differs from its predecessor in a few ways. These include the addition of a fifth segment, changes to the propellant grain, a larger nozzle opening and upgraded insulation and liner.
The propellant and cases remain the same as those used for more than three decades on the Space Shuttle Program. In fact, the cases used in this Ares I first stage ground test have collectively flown on 48 previous shuttle missions, including STS-1, the very first flight.
"Because we are using shuttle boosters in the design of the Ares I first stage, we are able to leverage decades of ground tests and shuttle flight processes," said Kahn. "Our streamlined processes, quality and infrastructure, combined with the knowledge and lessons learned that have been transferred to the Ares I first stage program, go a long way to ensure mission success for the human spaceflight program."
NASA's Ares I launch vehicle will launch the Orion crew exploration vehicle for missions to the International Space Station and the Moon. ATK is the prime contractor for the first stage five segment solid rocket booster. The upcoming test will provide data to better understand how Ares I will perform.
ATK is a premier aerospace and defense company with more than 18,000 employees in 22 states, Puerto Rico and internationally, and revenues in excess of $4.7 billion. News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com.
on July 21, 2009 6:50 PM | Reply
The Ares I saga is like that scene from Monte Python and Holy Grail, where the guy in the cart is going around the town saying bring out your dead. So John Clease brings out an elderly relative to dump in the cart who keeps saying, "I'm not dead yet!". Well the solution was to simply club the old guy over the head and toss him in.
The question is how long will we have to listen to Ares I backers constaintly saying, "It's not dead yet!" before someone finally pulls the plug and puts the program out of it's misery. Ares I is unsafe, see the multiple concerns about black zones (it wasn't supposed to have any), vibration problems so serious they could shake the crew to death, launch pad drift, which could cause the rocket to drift into it's launch pad and explode, fraticide zones, underperformance so severe the Orion's service module needs to perform the final burn to circulize the orbit, the constant redesign of Orion itself to remove safety features and crew so the Ares I can actually fly to the ISS, cost overruns and other issues too numerous to list. Ares I is simply the worst manned launcher of the options studied in the 2005 ESAS that could have chosen (EELV, true shuttle derived architectures like the LV-25, etc.)
It is simply time for somebody to put an end to this nonsense and tell NASA managers that you guys screwed up and the taxpayer shouldn't be held liable for building your chosen rocket just to salvage your ego's. It's time to select an alternative that actually works!
on July 21, 2009 7:56 PM | Reply
Well, it's the second 5 segment test they've done overall. Hard to believe it took 7 years to do nothing new.
on July 22, 2009 2:17 AM | Reply
--
the NASA page about the SRB-5 has been updated:
the new data about the SRB-5 say that its peak thrust should be a +7% (but I believe it's a +9%) and the Isp a +24% vs. a standard SRB
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on July 23, 2009 6:06 PM | Reply
An Ares flight test is scheduled to occur just three months from now. No other system is positioned as well to close the gap. The Ares archictecture incorporates recommendations from the Columbia Accident Investigation Board and is twice as safe as any other launch vehicle.
on July 24, 2009 4:37 AM | Reply
Gaetano. Couldn't find it. So the Isp is 295sec @ S.L and 334sec in a vacuum right?
on July 24, 2009 4:38 AM | Reply
Gaetano. Couldn't find it. So the Isp is 295sec @ S.L and 334sec in a vacuum right? Miracles!
on August 18, 2009 6:29 AM | Reply
"Well, it's the second 5 segment test they've done overall. Hard to believe it took 7 years to do nothing new."
It did not take 7 years to develop this rocket. It has been 4 years! Bush announced this vision for space exploration in 2005! That's pretty damn good to build the world's next largest solid rocket motor in just 4 years! All the while continuing to refurbish and re-use the space shuttle each flight? Are you kidding me?
Rocket's don't scale. Period. When you change the size and shape of ANY rocket you have to re-examine every single system of that rocket. That's a fact. Try building a rocket yourself. Or at least do some research before you go spewing nonsense on the web.