Jan. 22, 2009

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

Keith Henry
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
757-344-7211
h.k.henry{at}nasa.gov

RELEASE: 09-014

NASA A STEP CLOSER TO FIRST FLIGHT TEST OF NEXT CREW LAUNCH VEHICLE

CORRECTION: A correction was made to a sentence in the seventh
paragraph. The corrected sentence reads: The conical module has the
same basic shape as the Apollo module but, at approximately five
meters in diameter, is significantly larger.

HAMPTON, Va. -- NASA is a step closer to the first flight test of the
rocket that will send humans on their way to the moon as part of the
agency's Constellation Program. Rocket hardware critical for the
test, known as Ares I-X, was completed this week at NASA's Langley
Research Center in Hampton, Va. The flight of Ares I-X will be an
important step toward verifying analysis tools and techniques needed
to develop Ares I, NASA's next crew launch vehicle.

The Langley-designed and built hardware is engineered to represent
the
Orion crew module and a launch abort system that increases crew
safety. In late January, the rocket elements will be shipped from
Langley to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This hardware and
other elements from around the country will be integrated into the
Ares I-X rocket, the first in a series of unpiloted test vehicles.

The test launch is scheduled to lift off from Kennedy during the
summer of 2009. It will climb about 25 miles in altitude during a
two-minute powered flight, continuously measuring vehicle
aerodynamics, controls and performance of the rocket's first stage.
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.

"This launch will tell us what we got right and what we got wrong in
the design and analysis phase," said Jonathan Cruz, deputy project
manager at Langley for the Ares I-X crew module and launch abort
system. "We have a lot of confidence, but we need those two minutes
of flight data before NASA can continue to the next phase of rocket
development."

The simulated crew module and launch abort system will complete the
nose of the rocket. About 150 sensors on the hardware will measure
aerodynamic pressure and temperature at the nose of the rocket and
contribute to measurements of vehicle acceleration and angle of
attack. The data will help NASA understand whether the design is safe
and stable in flight, a question that must be answered before
astronauts begin traveling into orbit and beyond.

To ensure the rocket's flight characteristics are understood fully,
extreme care was taken to fabricate the simulated crew module and
launch abort tower precisely. To compare flight results with
preflight predictions confidently, these full-scale hardware
components needed to be accurate reflections of the shape and
physical properties of the models used in computer analyses and wind
tunnel tests.

The simulated crew module is a full-scale representation of the
vehicle that will ferry astronauts to the International Space Station
by 2015, to the moon in the 2020s and, ultimately, to points beyond.
The conical module has the same basic shape as the Apollo module but,
at approximately five meters in diameter, is significantly larger.
The launch abort system simulator is 46 feet in length. It will fit
over the crew module and tower above it, forming the nose of the
rocket.

Researchers and managers at Langley worked to overcome multiple
challenges as the Orion crew module and launch abort system
simulators took shape. One team performed fabrication and assembly
work in conjunction with an off-site contractor, and another team
installed the sensors once the crew module and launch abort tower
were completed.

"We are a highly matrixed team -- a lot of people from various
organizations -- that had to work together successfully on a tight
schedule," explained Kevin Brown, project manager at Langley for the
Ares I-X crew module and launch abort system project.

To view a video clip and still photos of construction of the crew
module and launch abort system, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/ares/flighttests/aresIx/aresIX_progress.html

Video file of the simulated Ares I-X crew module and launch abort
system will air on NASA Television. For schedule and downlink
information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the Ares I-X test flight and the
Constellation Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

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