Wed, Oct 03, 2007
Successfully Returns 17,500-Lb Payload To Earth
The pieces of Orion continue to come together. Last month, NASA
and industry engineers successfully completed the first drop test
of the main parachute that will help recover the first stage of the
Ares I crew launch vehicle.
Ares I will carry NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle to
space.
The test -- conducted on September 25 at the US Army's Yuma
Proving Ground near Yuma, AX -- is part of an ongoing series of
tests to support the design and development of the Ares I parachute
recovery system, which is derived from the system NASA uses to
recover the space shuttle's solid rocket boosters after launch.
Tests for the pilot, drogue and three main parachutes will
continue through 2010. The next test is scheduled for November of
this year.
The main parachute was dropped from a US Air Force C-17 aircraft
with a 40,600-pound load at an altitude of 17,500 feet. The
parachute and all test hardware functioned properly, and landed
safely on the Yuma Proving Ground test range.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL manages
the Ares Project and leads the design and development of the solid
rocket booster recovery system. ATK Launch Systems near Brigham
City, UT is the prime contractor for the first stage booster.
ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is
designing, developing and testing the parachutes at its facilities
at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Johnson Space
Center in Houston hosts the Constellation Program and Orion Project
Office and provides test instrumentation and support personnel.
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