NASA Bulks Up Ares V Moon Rocket | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-04.22.24

Airborne-Unlimited-04.16.24

Airborne-FlightTraining-04.17.24 Airborne-AffordableFlyers-04.18.24

Airborne-Unlimited-04.19.24

Join Us At 0900ET, Friday, 4/10, for the LIVE Morning Brief.
Watch It LIVE at
www.airborne-live.net

Fri, Jun 27, 2008

NASA Bulks Up Ares V Moon Rocket

Now 20-Feet Taller, Additional Main Engine

Following a nine-month design review of the rocket that will one day return US astronauts to the moon -- and, eventually, transport them to Mars -- on Wednesday NASA unveiled a bulked-up version of its proposed Ares V rocket.

The Associated Press reports the amped-up Ares is 20 feet longer than the previous version, now standing close to 38-stories tall. The rocket's first stage now sports six main engines instead of five, and the twin solid-rocket boosters attached to the stage will also be made larger, to hold more fuel.

All the changes are intended to allow Ares to carry heavier payloads, especially as the space agency looks to the Red Planet. In the new configuration, NASA says the upgraded Ares V will be able to haul over 156,600 pounds of cargo.

"We've looked at over 1,700 different Ares concepts," Ares program manager Steve Cook said. Major work on the Ares V will begin after the current space shuttle fleet is retired in 2010, he added.

Though comparable in size and scope with the mammoth Saturn V rocket that carried astronauts to the moon in the late 1960s and early 1970s (Ares V is now about 15 feet taller), there's one fundamental difference with the Ares V: it will not carry people into orbit, just their supplies and the lunar lander. The four-man crew will ride into orbit in the Orion space capsule atop the smaller Ares I rocket, and will then rendezvous with the departure stage containing equipment launched onboard the larger rocket.

The two-step design allows more equipment to be sent to the moon or Mars.

Constellation program manager Jeff Hanley told reporters Wednesday NASA remains on track for a manned lunar mission by 2020. "This extensive review proves we are ready for the next phase: taking these concepts and moving forward," he said.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.26.24): DETRESFA (Distress Phrase)

DETRESFA (Distress Phrase) The code word used to designate an emergency phase wherein there is reasonable certainty that an aircraft and its occupants are threatened by grave and i>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.26.24)

Aero Linx: The International Association of Missionary Aviation (IAMA) The International Association of Missionary Aviation (IAMA) is comprised of Mission organizations, flight sch>[...]

Airborne 04.22.24: Rotor X Worsens, Airport Fees 4 FNB?, USMC Drone Pilot

Also: EP Systems' Battery, Boeing SAF, Repeat TBM 960 Order, Japan Coast Guard H225 Buy Despite nearly 100 complaints totaling millions of dollars of potential fraud, combined with>[...]

Airborne 04.24.24: INTEGRAL E, Elixir USA, M700 RVSM

Also: Viasat-uAvionix, UL94 Fuel Investigation, AF Materiel Command, NTSB Safety Alert Norges Luftsportforbund chose Aura Aero's little 2-seater in electric trim for their next gli>[...]

Airborne-NextGen 04.23.24: UAVOS UVH 170, magni650 Engine, World eVTOL Directory

Also: Moya Delivery Drone, USMC Drone Pilot, Inversion RAY Reentry Vehicle, RapidFlight UAVOS has recently achieved a significant milestone in public safety and emergency services >[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2024 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC