NASA and industry engineers lit up the Utah sky Thursday with the initial full-scale, full-duration test firing of the first stage motor for the Ares I rocket. The Ares I is a crew launch vehicle in development for NASA’s Constellation Program.

ATK Space Systems conducted the successful stationary firing of the five-segment solid development motor 1, or DM-1. ATK Space Systems, a division of Alliant Techsystems of Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the Ares I first stage. Engineers will use the measurements gathered from the test to evaluate thrust, roll control, acoustics and motor vibrations. This data will provide valuable information as NASA develops the Ares I and Ares V vehicles. Another ground test is planned for summer 2010.

“With this test, we have taken lessons learned from many years of experience in solid rocket motor development and have built on that foundation,” said Alex Priskos, first stage manager for Ares Projects at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. “Our team collected data from 650 sensors today to evaluate the motor’s performance. This test and those that follow are essential to understanding as many aspects of our motor as possible, including strengths and weaknesses, and ultimately delivering the safest and most reliable motor possible.”

This was the second attempt to conduct the two-minute rocket test at ATK’s test stand in Promontory, Utah. The first test on Aug. 27 was canceled with 20 seconds left in the countdown because of a problem with a component of the ground controller unit, which sends power to the system that moves the nozzle during the test. Through a detailed investigation, the engineering team pinpointed the problem and replaced the faulty part.

The first stage motor will generate up to 3.6 million pounds of thrust, or lifting power, at launch. Although similar to the solid rocket boosters that help power the space shuttle to orbit, the Ares development motor includes several upgrades and technology improvements implemented by NASA and ATK engineers.

Motor upgrades from a shuttle booster include the addition of a fifth segment, a larger nozzle throat, and upgraded insulation and liner. The forward motor segment also has been improved for performance by adding another fin, or slot in the propellant. This change in the geometry of the propellant provides additional surface area for burning the solid fuel, which results in greater thrust.

The DM-1 nozzle throat is three inches wider in diameter than the nozzle used for the shuttle. The bigger nozzle throat allows the motor to handle the additional thrust from the five-segment booster. It also meets NASA’s structural requirements to stay within the pressure capacity of the existing steel cases — the large, barrel-shaped cylinders that house the fuel — ensuring safety and reliability. Upgrades also were made to the insulation and liner that protect the first stage’s steel cases.

The motor cases are flight proven hardware used on shuttle launches for more than three decades. The cases used in this ground test have collectively flown on 48 previous missions, including STS-1, the first shuttle flight.

Marshall manages the Ares Projects and is responsible for design and development of the Ares I rocket and Ares V heavy cargo launch vehicle. NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston manages the Constellation Program, which includes the Ares I, Ares V, Orion crew module and Altair lunar lander. The program also includes multiple project teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the United States.

PRESS RELEASE
Space Frontier Foundation
Date Released: Wednesday, August 19, 2009

In the wake of the Augustine Commission’s declaration that the troubled Ares rocket program is unaffordable under any realistic budget projections, the Space Frontier Foundation renewed its call to immediately cancel the costly dead-end project and replace it with multiple commercial vehicles. “Three years ago we published Unaffordable and Unsustainable, declaring that government must henceforth ‘buy all crew and cargo services with a destination of low Earth orbit [from] commercial providers using privately-owned and operated spaceships’,” said Foundation co-Founder Bob Werb.

“For over a decade, we’ve said that continuing to try and develop new government rockets costs too much and delays human exploration beyond Earth orbit,” added co-Founder Rick Tumlinson. “Pouring more money into Ares now is the equivalent of giving a taxpayer-funded I.V. to a corpse. Instead, let’s use those funds to give birth to a new and vibrant space transport industry that might actually make money
and open the space frontier to everyone.”

“Derivatives of proven commercial launch systems, and new ones under development, could meet any reasonable need for heavy lift,” said Foundation co-Founder, James Muncy. “The barrier is psychological: NASA will have to stop pretending it can design cost-effective launch vehicles and instead focus on exploration systems that fit on the launch vehicles taxpayers can really afford.”

Werb concluded: “The choice is clear. We can continue funding an overpriced, government space limousine, or we can kick-start a whole new industry that will reduce government’s costs and create new jobs. The tools of private sector innovation and competition offer our best and only chance to have affordable and sustainable human space exploration.”

NASA and Alliant Techsystems Inc. [ATK] will conduct the first full-scale, full-duration test of the new first-stage solid rocket motor for the Ares I rocket at 1 p.m. MDT, on Tuesday, Aug. 25. The test will take place at the ATK test facility in Promontory, Utah.

The static firing of the five-segment solid motor, designated Development Motor -1, will last two minutes. The goal is to obtain valuable thrust, roll-control, acoustics and vibration data as engineers continue to design Ares I.

To attend the test, journalists must register with ATK. For information and to request credentials, contact ATK’s Trina Patterson at 801-699-0943. The registration deadline for U.S. reporters is Aug. 20. The deadline for foreign journalists is Aug. 13.

Interviews with project managers may be arranged in advance. News media bringing live broadcast trucks must request parking prior to the event.

The first-stage solid rocket motor is managed and tested by the Ares Projects Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. ATK Space Systems is the prime contractor for the Ares I first stage. The Ares I rocket is designed to launch the Orion spacecraft and the next generation of NASA astronauts.

NASA and ATK unveiled the completed Ares I first stage five-segment solid rocket booster yesterday in Promontory, Utah. The completed solid rocket booster is now 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.

NASA’s Ares I launch vehicle will launch the future explorers in the Orion spacecraft to the International Space Station, the moon and beyond. The upcoming test will provide valuable thrust, roll-control, acoustics and vibration data as engineers continue to design the Ares I rocket.

“Generating 3.6 million pounds of maximum thrust at liftoff, Ares I first stage provides the backbone of NASA’s next-generation rocket,” said Alex Priskos, first stage manager for the Ares Projects Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. “The planned two-minute test will be an awesome display of smoke and fire, a live testament reflecting the dedication, hard work and achievement of the people on this project. The entire Ares team is looking forward to the first development motor firing next month.”

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 Mike Kahn, executive vice president, ATK Space Systems. “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.”

ATK is the prime contractor for the first stage five-segment solid rocket booster.

FACT: NASA’s Ares I rocket will go from 0 mph to 1,000 mph in 50 seconds.

The Ares I first stage five-segment solid rocket motor is 154 feet in length, and generates a maximum of 3.6 million lbs of thrust, which is 24 percent more power than one twin Shuttle solid rocket booster.

(Above) Marshall engineers hoist the fully assembled Ares I upper stage hydrogen dome test article off the world’s largest robotic friction stir welder.

Using a metal joining technique called friction stir welding, the Ares Projects team at the Marshall Center has completed welding the first liquid hydrogen tank dome being developed to define manufacturing processes for the upper stage of the Ares I — the rocket that will launch explorers to the moon, Mars and beyond in coming decades. The innovative welding process produces high-strength welds that are uniformly joined together — a vital requirement for next-generation launch vehicles and hardware designed for long-term space travel.

The completed dome is the first development hardware assembled for the Ares I upper stage.

“Our team is working to implement new techniques and processes that will make the Ares vehicle one of the safest, most technologically advanced spacecraft ever flown,” said Danny Davis, manager for the Ares I Upper Stage Element Office. “The completion of this first demonstration dome represents a milestone in our continuing development of the Ares I upper stage.”

The hydrogen dome assembly took place at the Marshall Center’s Weld Development Facility, home to two new full-scale welding tools. The robotic weld tool and the vertical weld tool are the largest, most sophisticated and versatile tools of their kind.

Previously, friction stir welding has been limited to use on straight linear welds, such as the longitudinal seam welds joining barrel panels on the space shuttle external tank. The new vertical tool will continue to provide this capability, but can accommodate much larger Ares V-sized hardware. With the new robotic weld tool, engineers will be able to perform friction stir welds on more complex shapes and angles, including tanks and other structures with complex curvature. On the Ares I upper stage, all the major structural welds, including welds on the difficult angles required for bulkhead assembly and the rocket’s large metallic structures, will be performed using friction stir welding.

Also, given the ability of these new tools to more adeptly weld lightweight materials, they’re helping NASA engineers reduce the weight of spacecraft. This savings, in turn, lowers launch costs.

“Every aspect of the manufacturing process required to build the Ares is new, including the welding tools, the welding fixtures needed to hold our components and subassemblies, and the welding processes itself,” said Tim Vaughn, chief of the Marshall Center’s Metals Engineering Branch.

With the completion of the hydrogen dome, engineers now will begin manufacturing the common bulkhead, used to join the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks. This step in the manufacturing development process is expected to take one year and will be followed by barrel, or side panel, assembly.

“We have gone back to the von Braun model for hardware development. NASA owns the design and development process; the contractor owns the production manufacturing process,” said Vaughn. “We are writing the playbook on how to manufacture the upper stage as we go. This information is being documented and will be transferred to The Boeing Company, the prime contractor for the Ares I upper stage, for final production. The things we have learned while building this hydrogen dome represent the first chapter in that book.”

Using NASA’s design for the Ares I upper stage, Boeing will be responsible for production of the stage. Under a contract awarded in August 2007, Boeing will manufacture a ground test article, three flight test units and six production flight units to support Ares I flights through 2016. Final assembly of the upper stage will take place at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, using friction stir welders similar to those at Marshall.

NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston manages NASA’s Constellation Program, which includes development of the Ares I rocket. The Marshall Center manages the Ares Projects for the agency.

Ares I-X is the first new launch vehicle to be stacked in in NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building in over 30 years. When stacking in finished the Ares I-X test rocket will tower over the launch pad at height of 327 feet.

(Above) The Ares I-X aft assembly nears the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It is being moved to the VAB for stacking to complete the Ares I-X test vehicle. The aft assembly will be the first segment to be stacked on the mobile launch platform in the VAB.

(Above) The Ares I-X aft assembly moves toward the door of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

(Above) In the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC, the Ares I-X aft booster segment with the aft skirt is lifted from its stand. The stack will be hoisted into the upper regions of the VAB and lowered onto the mobile launch platform in High Bay 1. This is the start of the buildup of the Ares I-X launch vehicle for the flight test targeted for no earlier than Aug. 30.

(Above) In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X aft booster segment with the aft skirt is lifted across the VAB transfer aisle.

(Above) In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Ares I-X aft booster segment with the aft skirt is lowered toward the mobile launch platform in High Bay 1.

(Above) Segments of the Ares I-X first stage are fitted with a crane to lift it to the fifth segment simulator for mating, completing Super Stack 1. The super stack comprises the forward skirt, forward skirt extension, interstages 1 and 2 and the fifth segment simulator.

(Above) In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the segments of the Ares I-X first stage are fitted with a crane to lift it to the fifth segment simulator for mating, completing Super Stack 1.

(Above) In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, segments of the Ares I-X first stage are lifted from the stand. The segments are being moved for stacking and mating to the fifth segment simulator, completing Super Stack 1.

(Above) Segments of the Ares I-X first stage are moved across the bay. They will be stacked and mated to the fifth segment simulator, completing Super Stack 1.

(Above) Segments of the Ares I-X first stage move past other stacks toward the fifth simulator segment stack at right. The two stacks will be mated, completing Super Stack 1.

(Above) Segments of the Ares I-X first stage are lowered toward the fifth simulator segment for mating, to complete Super Stack 1. The super stack comprises the forward skirt, forward skirt extension, interstages 1 and 2 and the fifth segment simulator.

(Above) In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, segments of the Ares I-X first stage are mated to the fifth simulator segment, completing Super Stack 1. The super stack comprises the forward skirt, forward skirt extension, interstages 1 and 2 and the fifth segment simulator.

Alliant Techsystems (ATK) was selected by The Boeing Company to manufacture the upper stage ullage motors for the new Ares I launch vehicle. The Ares I is NASA’s two-stage rocket that will launch astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft on missions to the International Space Station, the moon, Mars and out into the solar system.

The ullage motor, almost four feet in length, is similar to the Space Shuttle booster separation motor which ATK also manufacturers. Eight ullage motors will be arranged in four pairs on the Ares I upper stage, which also houses the reaction control system.

The motors provide acceleration of the upper stage during stage separation from Ares I first stage. This acceleration process not only settles the liquid fuel and oxidizer in the upper stage tanks which provides continuous liquid flow to the J2X main engines, but also assists in the separation of the two stages. Each motor burns for approximately four seconds and provides a combined thrust of 40,000 pounds.

“We are pleased Boeing selected ATK to provide this critical piece of hardware for the upper stage,” said Mike Rudolphi, ATK vice president of Site Operations and Integration. “We look forward to working with the team and sharing our expertise in motor design and testing to produce safe and reliable motors for the Ares Program.”

Under the contract, ATK will provide motors for Design, Development, Test and Evaluation phase, and the initial flights.

ATK Space System’s Huntsville Operations will manage the program, with engineering support from other ATK businesses and manufacturing locations.

The base is being made lighter than space shuttle mobile launcher platforms so the crawler-transporter can pick up the added load of the 345-foot tower and taller rocket. When the structural portion of the new launcher is complete, umbilical lines, access arms, communications equipment and command/control equipment will be installed.