1- Back to the Moon and Beyond - September 12, 2009

- Back to the Moon and Beyond -
NASA Ares I First Stage Motor Gets First Test Firing
Post date: Saturday, September 12, 2009
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NASA is already at work developing hardware and systems for the Ares I rocket that will send future astronauts into orbit. Built on cutting-edge launch technologies, evolved powerful Apollo and space shuttle propulsion elements, and decades of NASA spaceflight experience, Ares I is the essential core of a safe, reliable, cost-effective space transportation system -- one that will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars and out into the solar system.
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Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket configuration topped by the Orion crew vehicle and its launch abort system. In addition to the vehicle's primary mission -- carrying crews of four to six astronauts to Earth orbit -- Ares I may also use its 25-ton payload capacity to deliver resources and supplies to the International Space Station, or to "park" payloads in orbit for retrieval by other spacecraft bound for the moon or other destinations.
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During launch, the first-stage booster powers the vehicle toward low Earth orbit. In mid-flight, the reusable booster separates and the upper stage's J-2X engine ignites, putting the vehicle into a circular orbit.
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Crew transportation to the International Space Station is planned to begin no later than 2014. The first lunar excursion is scheduled for the 2020 timeframe.
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Ares I First Stage
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The Ares I first stage is a single, five-segment reusable solid rocket booster derived from the Space Shuttle Program's reusable solid rocket motor, which burns a specially formulated and shaped solid propellant.
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A newly designed forward adapter will mate the vehicle's first stage to the upper stage, and will be equipped with booster separation motors to disconnect the stages during ascent.
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Ares I Upper Stage / Upper Stage Engine
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The J-2X is an evolved variation of two historic predecessors: the powerful J-2 engine that propelled the Apollo-era Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets, and the J-2S, a simplified version of the J-2 developed and tested in the early 1970s but never flown.
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On July 20, 2009, NASA and ATK unveiled the completed Ares I first stage five-segment solid rocket booster in Promontory, Utah. The completed solid rocket booster 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. The first major ground test of the NASA Constellation program was originally set for August 27th but was postponed until September 10th... which turned out to be a HUGE success. Watch the video below...

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Above info/photo from the NASA.gov website
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Ares Development Motor 1 Test

September 10th...

About this video: NASA and industry partners lit up the Utah sky on September 10, 2009, with the initial full scale, full-duration test firing of the first motor for the Ares I rocket. 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.
Above video posted on YouTube by NASAtelevision.
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AubreyJ.........