Jan. 30, 2009

Grey Hautaluoma/Ashley Edwards
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0668/1756
grey.hautaluoma-1{at}nasa.gov
ashley.edwards-1{at}nasa.gov

Daniel Kanigan
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-6849
daniel.n.kanigan{at}nasa.gov

Trina Patterson
ATK, Promontory, Utah
801-699-0943
trina.patterson{at}atk.com

RELEASE: 09-022

TEST IN DEVELOPMENT OF NASA'S NEW CREW ROCKET IS SUCCESSFUL

PROMONTORY, Utah --The development of NASA's next-generation crew
launch vehicle, the Ares I rocket, took another step forward Thursday
as Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, successfully tested a critical piece.
ATK conducted a full-scale separation test of the forward skirt
extension for the Ares I-X flight test at its facility in Promontory,
Utah.

The Ares I-X test launch is scheduled to lift off from NASA's Kennedy
Space Center in Florida during 2009. The rocket will climb about 25
miles in altitude during a two-minute powered flight. The launch will
culminate with a test of the separation of the first stage from the
rocket and deployment of the accompanying parachute system that will
return the first stage to Earth for data and hardware recovery.

Yesterday's test simulated the separation event that will take place
following the first stage flight of Ares I-X. During the Ares I-X
flight, the booster will separate at the frustum, a cone-shaped piece
that attaches the first stage to the larger diameter upper stage.

"The Ares I-X team is pleased with the completion of this key test
that will provide important data leading up to the launch of the Ares
I-X flight," said Steve Davis, deputy mission manager for the Ares
I-X test flight at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville,
Ala.

At an altitude of about 15,000 feet, the nose cone will be
jettisoned,
deploying the pilot parachute. The pilot chute will, in turn, deploy
the drogue parachute, which will re-orient the booster vertically and
slow it to acceptable conditions for main parachute deployment. At
about 4,000 feet, the separation at the base of the forward skirt
extension occurs, pulling out the three main chutes packed inside.

Test objectives included demonstrating that the linear shaped charge
used to separate the forward skirt extension severed cleanly and
measuring the shock created by that charge. NASA will use the data
analyze the system and prepare for the Ares I-X flight test and the
development of the Ares I crew launch vehicle.

The forward skirt extension is built to withstand the loads of the
first stage and support the weight of the upper stage. The component
is built as one solid piece of aluminum forged into a 6-foot-long by
12-foot-diameter cylinder with a unique internal support structure
that houses three newly-designed main parachutes. Its
state-of-the-art design will withstand the force imparted at main
chute deployment.

"This was an important milestone for the program, as it validates key
parameters to support the upcoming Ares I-X flight test," said Mike
Kahn, executive vice president of ATK Space Systems. "The program is
one step closer to the flight test of Ares I-X."

To view pictures of the separation test, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/multimedia/fses_test.html

For more information about NASA's next-generation spacecraft, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ares

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