Ares I-X Updates; The Beginning of a New Era.

[Kyle]

Alright, We are a year away from Launch of the first flight of the Ares I-X.
What this thread will be about for this year, starting now with the building of the 5th segment of the Ares I-X's SRB, with the Dummy construction, with any other news aswell.

Then After the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis, and the LON-400 standown, Modifications to the LC-39B, Such as the Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia Lightning rods. The RSS is staying on LC-39B. Heres what the Pad should look like.

 

[Kyle]

Then, Starting Next Year, Delivery of the Mockup Tank and the 5th Segment, Stacking of the SRBs, Pad Modifaction completing, Rollout to the Pad, and then Finally.. Launch.

 

[Kyle]

Btw, can some one post this as a Sticky?

 

[Master of Blades]

Hey... I think the RSS looks a bit.. small compared to the rocket... It's still in shuttle size... Will it not be used?

 

[DaveS]

Hey... I think the RSS looks a bit.. small compared to the rocket... It's still in shuttle size... Will it not be used?

No. The RSS is specific to the orbiter. It was built to provide a capability to to load/unload payloads at the pad.

 

[Woo482]

well why do they need to keep the RSS on ?

 

[GregBurch]

If it didn't make me so angry, I'd feel sorry for the people who are working on this program ... it looks so silly.

 

[Kyle]

If it didn't make me so angry, I'd feel sorry for the people who are working on this program ... it looks so silly.

Well, thats not what people whom I met that work for NASA Say, and Im not talking about the Admins either, I'm talking about the Pad Crews and Contractors and what not.

 

[GregBurch]

Well, thats not what people whom I met that work for NASA Say, and Im not talking about the Admins either, I'm talking about the Pad Crews and Contractors and what not.

My experience is that people are generally very unwilling to see the basic problems with the things they spend big parts of their lives doing.

At this point, if you carefully collected two groups of people who were very knowledgeable about space technology and space policy, with the first group being NASA insiders and the second group being people not affiliated with NASA, you'd find a huge difference in opinion about Constellation. Huge.

 

[teago]

If it didn't make me so angry, I'd feel sorry for the people who are working on this program ... it looks so silly.

What is so "silly" about it? The fact that it doesn't have wings, doesn't look like anything in 2001 or Star Wars? The Ares I is designed to do one thing, launch 5 people to the ISS with minimal payload or 3-4 people to the moon. While I agree the details of the Ares I are not worked out in full (especially regarding the pogo action during launch), it is a simple craft, and when it is flying it will be cheap to launch as a standalone vehicle. An Ares V will still be able to launch a large payload into Earth orbit, thus still allowing us to construct large space stations in the future. The capsule design is also much preferable over a winged design such as the space shuttle, especially when that winged ship is mounted to the side of the launch vehicle--can the shuttle do a ballistic re-entry should a majority of spacecraft systems fail?

I do, however, see the advantage in going for a direct SDLV approach, something I would much rather see. But my criticisms of the Constellation program go beyond a simple observation of its apparent "silliness".

 

[Spicer]

From what I understood, the RSS is staying there only during the Aries 1x pad test. I thought it would be removed at a later time.

The configuration during those tests are temporary solutions which will be completed by the time project constellation is in full swing! I might be wrong though.

 

[Arrowstar]

From what I understood, the RSS is staying there only during the Aries 1x pad test. I thought it would be removed at a later time.

The configuration during those tests are temporary solutions which will be completed by the time project constellation is in full swing! I might be wrong though.

I certainly hope so, since I can't see how anyone will get up to the crew capsule with a tower that short...

 

[Kyle]

From what I understood, the RSS is staying there only during the Aries 1x pad test. I thought it would be removed at a later time.

The configuration during those tests are temporary solutions which will be completed by the time project constellation is in full swing! I might be wrong though.

Yep, your right.

 

[Ghostrider]

I certainly hope so, since I can't see how anyone will get up to the crew capsule with a tower that short...

They will CLIMB, by Jove! Those youngsters today! In my times, we would have to march 20 kilometers carrying our life-support backpacks (which were made of stone), uphill both ways in knee-deep snow only to crawl into a capsule and then PEDAL to orbit.

 

[DaveS]

This is the planned final appearance of Launch Complex 39B once all the Ares 1 modifications are done: http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/183233main_Pad-39B%20Ares%20I-Orion_05.jpg

 

[Chupacabra]

I'd be pretty disappointed if the Direct SDLV does not get the pick. Doing an about face from Ares I is not nearly as drastic a change as Dr. Griffin says. I laugh at it taking a decade to rebuild the shuttle stack without the shuttle. We've been doing this several times a year already. Why risk the many employees who have already committed their lives toward space progress.

 

[Zatnikitelman]

Wasn't the Direct society or whoever supposed to present the plan to Congress sometime soon?

 

[santy86]

I was always of the opinion that Ares I is a good concept for a rocket intended to send Personnel in space, even compared to DIRECT. Though when NASA announced it was going to develop a 5-segment SRB, i started to dislike the idea because of costs. The developent of another SRB would bring additional costs and higher risks only to obtain a more powerful solution, not even required to reach ISS. If the intention is to send cargo in space I would rather continue development of Shuttle-C (stopped in 1993).
The shuttle-C is not very known around but can lift up 70 Tons without problems to LEO. With improvements it could reach 90-100 tons. Note that shuttle-C could bring in space a EDS or any kind of cargo and its most expensive parts (SSME) would be recovered and reused. the costs of development is reduced only to the Shuttle-C orbiting craft. SRB and ET would not need any change.

 

[Kyle]

Guys, no Arguing about weather or not the Ares I or V will work, Support and or updates of the Ares I-X Flight, Such as Cheering and questions and Updates.

 

[GregBurch]

Guys, no Arguing about weather or not the Ares I or V will work, Support and or updates of the Ares I-X Flight, Such as Cheering and questions and Updates.

OK -- my long-time opposition to Constellation is fairly well-known around here. I shall resist the temptation to use this thread as one more opportunity to throw cold water onto the cheerleaders.