HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Sept. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA has taken a major
step toward building the nation's next generation launch vehicle with
Wednesday's successful completion of the Ares I rocket preliminary design
review.
Starting in 2015, the Ares I rocket will launch the Orion crew exploration
vehicle, its crew of four to six astronauts, and small cargo payloads to the
International Space Station. The rocket also will be used for missions to
explore the moon and beyond in the coming decades.
The preliminary design review is the first such milestone in more than 35
years for a U.S. rocket that will carry astronauts into space. The review was
conducted at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. It
examined the current design for the Ares I launch vehicle to assess that the
planned technical approach will meet NASA's requirements for the fully
integrated vehicle. That ensures all components of the vehicle and supporting
systems are designed to work together.
"This is a critical step for development of the Ares I rocket," said Rick
Gilbrech, associate administrator of the Exploration Systems Mission
Directorate in Washington. "Completing the preliminary design review of the
integrated vehicle demonstrates our engineering design and development are on
sound footing, and the Ares I design work is taking us another step closer to
building America's next mode of space transportation."
The preliminary design review included more than 1,100 reviewers from seven
NASA field centers and multiple industry partners. The review is the final
step of this design process. Teams representing each major part of the Ares I
rocket -- the upper stage engine, first stage and upper stage -- all have
conducted similar reviews during the past year.
The preliminary design review is one of a series of reviews that occurs before
actual flight hardware can be built. As the review process progresses, more
detailed parts of the vehicle design are assessed to ensure the overall system
can meet all NASA requirements for safe and reliable flight. This process also
identifies technical and management challenges and addresses ways to reduce
potential risks as the project goes forward.
"Risk assessment is a very important part of the process," said Steve Cook,
manager of the Ares I rocket at Marshall. "It allows us to identify issues
that might impact the Ares I rocket. For example, we identified thrust
oscillation -- vibration in the first stage -- as a risk. In response to this
issue, we formed an engineering team. The team conducted detailed analyses and
reviewed previous test data, and then recommended options to correct the
problem."
"We intend to hold a limited follow-up review next summer to fully incorporate
the thrust oscillation recommendations into the stacked vehicle design," Cook
added. "Identifying risks that can impact the project and resolving them is a
necessary and vital part of the development process."
With the completion of this review, each element of the Ares I rocket will
move to the detailed design phase. A critical design review will mark the
completion of the detailed design phase and allows for a more thorough review
of each system element to ensure the vehicle design can achieve requirements
of the Ares program.
This week, the J-2X engine will be the first Ares I element to kick off the
critical design review process. The engine will power the Ares I upper stage
to orbit after separation from the first stage.
"We're excited about getting into full system engine tests with the new J-2X
engine," Cook said. "This will be one of the safest, most affordable and
highest performing rocket engines ever built, and testing is critical as we
begin preparation for future flights."
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 rocket, the Ares V vehicle, the Orion crew capsule and the
Altair lunar lander. NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for
ground and launch operations. The program also includes multiple project
element teams at NASA centers and contract organizations around the U.S.
For more information about the Ares rockets, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ares
For more information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/constellation
SOURCE NASA
Stephanie Schierholz or Grey Hautaluoma of NASA Headquarters, Washington,
+1-202-358-4997 or +1-202-358-0668, stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov or
grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov, or June Malone of NASA'sMarshall Space Flight
Center, Huntsville, Ala., +1-256-544-0034, june.e.malone@nasa.gov
