Lowers First Stage Mockup Softly To Arizona Desert
NASA and industry engineers successfully completed the second
drop test of a drogue parachute for the Ares I rocket. The test
took place February 28 at the US Army's Yuma Proving Ground near
Yuma, AZ.
The Ares I, the first launch vehicle in NASA's Constellation
Program, will send explorers to the International Space Station,
the moon and beyond in coming decades. The drogue parachute is a
vital element of the rocket's deceleration system; it is designed
to slow the rapid descent of the spent first-stage motor that will
be jettisoned by the Ares I during its climb to space. The
parachute will permit recovery of the reusable first-stage motor
for use on future Ares I flights. The first-stage solid rocket
motor will power the Ares I rocket for the first two minutes of
launch.
This was the seventh in an ongoing series of flight tests
supporting development of the Ares I parachute recovery system,
which includes a pilot chute, drogue and three main parachutes.
Researchers dropped the 68-foot-diameter drogue parachute and its
50,000-pound load, which simulates the rocket's spent first-stage
motor, from a US Air Force C-17 aircraft flying at an altitude of
25,000 feet. The parachute and all test hardware functioned
properly and landed safely.
The parachutes being developed for the Ares I recovery system
are similar to those used for the four-segment space shuttle
boosters, but they have been redesigned to accommodate new
requirements of the Ares I first stage. The Ares I will have a
five-segment solid rocket booster that will move faster and fall
from a higher altitude than the shuttle boosters.
Engineers from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, AL manage the team that conducted the test. ATK Launch
Systems near Promontory, UT is the prime contractor for the first
stage booster. ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of
Houston, is responsible for design, development and testing of the
parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in
Florida.
"The test went flawlessly and met all of our expectations," said
Mike Kahn, executive vice president of ATK Space Systems. "We have
a great team of individuals and subcontractors who helped ensure
success of this important test, bringing us closer to full
development of the new Ares I first stage."
NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston manages the Constellation
Program, which includes the Ares I rocket, the Ares V heavy-lift
launch vehicle, the Orion crew spacecraft and the Altair lunar
lander. Marshall manages the Ares Projects. The US Army's Yuma
Proving Ground provides the test range, support facilities and
equipment to NASA for parachute testing.
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