Ares I-X Updates

[sunshine135]

Nonsense. I think that this is a boon for NASA. It is another shining moment in the history of the American Space Program. I was not much of a Constellation fan when I first heard of the program, but somehow, watching this vehicle perform the way it did gave me great pride in the engineers and technicians that our country has. If a two ship methodology seemed overpriced and too ambitious to me at first, I have to say that my thoughts have changed now. NASA has gained a Constellation fan. Just my two cents.

Peace,

 

[Yoda]

I'm sorry, eventhough todays test went reasonably well ( and was neat to watch) I don't see a future for this giant flying tampon.

 

[Brad]

I'm sorry, eventhough todays test went reasonably well ( and was neat to watch) I don't see a future for this giant flying tampon.

I quess your going to have to get use to the "tampon" fly then. Because that is all your going to see in the next five to ten years.

 

[Andy44]

The way that thing jumped off the pad I can't wait to see a 5-segment job do it. Would sure be a rush to ride it, as long as the first stage separates better than that.

On an unrelated note, lots of trash talk in here. Even mods getting into it. For some reason everyone seems to find it offensive if you don't cheer on their new favorite government program. Fear that negative talk might catch on, perhaps.

Relax, folks. What gets said in this forum isn't going to have much impact on decisions made in Congress.

And, uh, BTW, go Phillies!

 

[Moonwalker]

Nonsense. I think that this is a boon for NASA. It is another shining moment in the history of the American Space Program. I was not much of a Constellation fan when I first heard of the program, but somehow, watching this vehicle perform the way it did gave me great pride in the engineers and technicians that our country has. If a two ship methodology seemed overpriced and too ambitious to me at first, I have to say that my thoughts have changed now. NASA has gained a Constellation fan. Just my two cents.

NASA has gained much more Constellation fans one could have imagined before that launch. You can see this on Youtube and another forums for example. NASA has done once again what it always did in its history: inspire people and show that the obvious impossible can be turned into the possible. And I think that this test was a great gain for a chance to get a final GO from congress i.e. Obama and so shut off the criticism and speculation booster finally. But I can smell that it got more quite today alerady

Well, I always was a Constellation fan but that launch today somehow did impress me much more than I expected. The most amazing thing to me was that there wasn't any vibration visible from the onboard camera. Nothing. No periodic bend of the vehicle, no shake, just nothing. This together with the fact that the vehicle didn't exceed 3g, it seems possible that a ride on top of such a configuration might be much smoohter than expected. I can't wait to see the data of that flight...

I've seen many Shuttle launches live on TV. I've seen all Apollo launches, on video of course. But that launch today was the most impressive one for now I have to admit. Of course, beside collecting data to improve modeling and knowledge, the flight also was a show for politicians. And I'm glad NASA did it. It was the correct decisions. Nothing would make me more happy than to see the criticism disappear in old forum archieves in the future

 

[tblaxland]

I can't wait to see the data of that flight...

Me neither, but I'm an engineer and I just love juicy data, wherever it comes from. But what I would really like to see is the data on resonant burning with a real live 5th segment...

 

[Ark]

I'm a pretty serious Ares critic, especially since the I-X is just a Shuttle SRB wrapped in a model rocket. But, still, seeing that 300ft behemoth lift off was an amazing sight. I can only imagine how spectacular the finished product would be, let alone the V.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Triboelectrification T-Shirt! www.zazzle.com/triboelectrification_tshirt-235080115582183647

:rofl:

 

[movieman]

Not doing something because it's expensive or "too" expensive or that the money could have beend spend on "something lese" is the wrong attitue in space flight.

They've basically taken a shuttle SRB, stuck a dummy upper stage, a guidance computer (from Atlas, wasn't it?), a roll control system (from an ICBM, I believe?) and some sensors on it and lit it up.

I honestly don't understand how anyone could possibly spend $450,000,000 doing that.

Oh, and spaceflight will always be expensive so long as people believe that 'being too expensive is the wrong attitude in spaceflight'.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

I've been reluctant to chime in on the costs involved with this particular project... My mom and mom-in-law are both die-hard liberals and will continue to gripe about money wasted for space exploration, but as a former (and sort-of current) government employee, I believe that the powers that be can take ALL of NASA's budget and put it into any particular social program, and figure out how to accomplish absolutely nothing with it.

NASA at least lit up the sky with the worlds largest lawn dart.

 

[Ghostrider]

as a former (and sort-of current) government employee, I believe that the powers that be can take ALL of NASA's budget and put it into any particular social program, and figure out how to accomplish absolutely nothing with it.

You're not alone: the Powers That Be could take ALL of the Universe's resources and waste them while producing absolutely nothing. That's why they're called the "Powers That Be" and not the "Powers That Do".

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

NASA assessing dented booster from Ares 1-X launch:

www.spaceflightnow.com/ares1x/091029dent

 

[Andy44]

I'm a pretty serious Ares critic, especially since the I-X is just a Shuttle SRB wrapped in a model rocket. But, still, seeing that 300ft behemoth lift off was an amazing sight. I can only imagine how spectacular the finished product would be, let alone the V.

+1

You'll hear me gripe about the program, but I'll never turn my nose up at a chance to watch a new rocket's first launch!

 

[Spicer]

Does anyone else see that there may have been some significant problems w/ Ares 1x? First the rotating USS, then the parachute problems, next the severely dented SRM. NASA calls it a success, but it looks like some things didn't happen as planned.

 

[Unstung]

It's a success because the launch simply worked and was not a catastrohpic failure. Those problems do not seem too significant, and could be worked out. Ever see some of the early rocketry failures? Those things couldn't even fly straight. I'm glad Ares reached its primary goal, though, but still not too confident with the 2020 date.

 

[Donamy]

I guess things got alittle dented on Columbia's maiden flight too.

 

[Moonwalker]

Well, let's remember Apollo 6 if we're talking about "failed" unmanned test flights

Failures are not uncommon. I don't see Arex I-X as a bad success at all. The vehicle performed as expected during ascent. The first two mintues of the flight shouldn't be a problem at all, less than ever if the rocket will have its own proper software and a workind upper stage in future. One of the most important steps I guess is looking at the separation sequence. It didn't work well obviously but since there was no working second stage and an insufficient separation sequence of the SRB, it actually didn't surprise me. But the flight is quite a sucess still.

One could agree that riding on top of an SRB that way in future is somehow crazy. But on the other hand, I wonder what riding on the Shuttle stack can be called then, because it is not less crazy at all. I'd call riding on the Shuttle stack the most crasiest thing astronauts have ever done for now (beside flying the Apollo Lunar Module). Not to mention STS-1, which was a manned first test flight. Unthinkable with all of that scaredy-pants outhere these days.

 

[SiberianTiger]

http://www.floridatoday.com/content/blogs/space/2009/10/live-at-ksc-ares-i-x-parachutes-fail.shtml

NASA's Ares I-X rocket sustained significant damage Wednesday when it first-stage parachute recovery system failed to operate as intended and the vehicle slammed into the Atlantic Ocean about 120 miles due east of Kennedy Space Center.

"Only one parachute deployed properly. One parachute failed and wrapped around the third partially deployed parachute," according to an e-mail status report obtained by Florida Today.

Photos sent back by the recovery crew also show what appears to be a large crack in the casing of the first stage. The fracture is located on the side of one of the uppermost segment of the Ares I-X first stage, an area known as the Forward Segment.

Additionally, the crew sent back photos that show a fractured actuator bracket on the side of the rocket.

 

[cljohnston]

I'm a pretty serious Ares critic, especially since the I-X is just a Shuttle SRB wrapped in a model rocket. But, still, seeing that 300ft behemoth lift off was an amazing sight. I can only imagine how spectacular the finished product would be, let alone the V.

Yeah, I've always been a Shuttle fan, mostly out of amazement that the thing can actually get off the pad at all without cartwheeling. That and the fact that it can slide home nice and smooth at the exact spot and time you want it to.

I was debating whether to even watch this launch, because how interesting can launching a big Magic Marker be?

Well, something I hadn't anticipated was how the lack of distraction from the six-second run-up of a set of SSMEs really accentuates the BANG! when they light off that candle!
I was watching the HD clip in VLC Player, and I just kept replaying that moment of ignition over and over! :thumbup:

 

[T.Neo]

"Only one parachute deployed properly. One parachute failed and wrapped around the third partially deployed parachute,"

Is that even a launcher-specific problem? It might be a random event, or it could relate to the dummy 5th segment. Or it could be due to the larger 'chute size.

Perhaps this was an accident waiting to happen for 20+ years with the STS boosters, but just never did..

Nevertheless, that picture of divers beside the SRB casing is awesome...