KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL - NASA's Ares I-X prototype rocket was damaged when two of its three recovery parachutes failed and it landed in the Atlantic Ocean much harder than expected, but that appears to be the only anomaly of the six-minute flight designed to simulate the first stage portion of ascent of the Ares I crew launch vehicle in development as a replacement for the space shuttle.
ARES I-X TEST FLIGHT MISSION ARCHIVE IMAGES: ARES I-X PHOTO GALLERY READ: ARES I-X PRESS KIT READ: ARES I-X: THE FUTURE BEGINS READ: ARES I-X TECHNICAL DRAWING READ: ARES I-X FLYER READ: ARES I-X FACT SHEET FREE VIDEOS: WATCH VIDEO: VIDEO OF ARES I-X ASCENT, SEPARATION, DESCENT AND LANDING TAKEN BY A HIGH-ALTITUDE AIRCRAFT WATCH VIDEO: A RECOVERY SHIP BRINGS ARES I-X BOOSTER INTO PORT AFTER LAUNCH ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIBERS: DOWNLOAD VIDEO: VIDEO OF ARES I-X ASCENT, SEPARATION, DESCENT AND LANDING TAKEN BY A HIGH-ALTITUDE AIRCRAFT (1.2 MPBS, 640X480 RES.) DOWNLOAD VIDEO: A RECOVERY SHIP BRINGS ARES I-X BOOSTER INTO PORT AFTER LAUNCH (1.2 MPBS, 640X480 RES.) After the first stage solid rocket booster separated from the simulated upper stage and descended back to Earth, the recovery system deployed the three 150-foot diameter parachutes at the correct time. However, video shows that the lines on one parachute failed almost immediately upon deployment. A second parachute appears to have partially failed when the seam between two gores ripped open when the chute transitioned to the fully deployed configuration just before landing. The Ares I parachutes are designed with a two-stage deployment sequence to minimize loads. They are partially opened at first and then, when the vehicle slows down sufficiently, blossom out to fully open. In effect, the solid rocket booster landed under one and a half parachutes instead of three. "That caused the booster to hit the water at a higher speed than expected," Ares I-X Mission Manager Bob Ess told reporters today. The higher velocity at which the rocket hit the water also caused it to "slap down" hard sideways on the water. The resulting force of impact caused a large dent in the lower section of the rocket and also caused the joint between the fourth segment and fifth segment simulator to separate. Additionally, the recovery crew spotted a large crack in the forward section of the booster and a nozzle actuator appeared to have broken. In spite of the hard landing, mission managers have been ecstatic about the overall performance of the Ares I-X rocket during its brief flight. "No one is worried about this," Ess said. "The fact that we had these little problems with the parachutes, one didn't work and one partially, does not at all in anyway detract from this test." The fact that it didn't work is not a problem. You've heard me say it over and over again. We want to find these things that are not quite working," he said. Overall, Ares I-X seems to have performed as expected or even better. One major concern has been the issue of thrust oscillation. Solid rocket motors tend to pulse as they burn their propellant. If the frequency of the pulsing synchronizes with the rocket's natural oscillation frequency, a magnifying effect can occur to cause extreme, high-speed vibrations to course through the vehicle. The worry is that the vibrations could impair an astronaut crew's ability to read instruments, make them sick or, in the extreme case, disable them or instruments in the Orion spacecraft. While those are unlikely worst-case scenarios, the Ares project has been bedeviled by criticism over the issue. However, data from two special sensors on Ares I-X indicate that the actual vibrations will be eight to ten times less than feared. "It's only a preliminary look, but so far the oscillations look very small," Ess said. "There was very little there. At this point there is nothing that indicates that thrust oscillation was even a factor." Additionally, measurements of the vibration during a September static test firing of the first 5-segment solid rocket motor test were eight to ten times less than feared. According to representative with booster manufacturer ATK, the level of vibrations that NASA may not even need to add any extra hardware to the vehicle to mitigate its effects, which has been a major worry for the designers of the mass-contstrained Orion spacecraft. "A year ago, it was kind of doom-and-gloom for thrust oscillation," Ess said. "We instrumented shuttle flights. We've done ground tests, and now we've done this test, and we're just not seeing these numbers in thrust oscillation." In short, Bob Ess summed up the flying characteristics of the "tall and skinny" Ares I-X with two words: "rock steady." Data from the Ares I-X test flight will be used to validate and update NASA's computers models that are being used in the design process for Ares I. The models are valid for other launch vehicles as well, so, even if Ares I is cancelled, the Ares I-X test flight will have yielded valuable information that will be of use for other future rocket design endeavours. (The Spacearium / SpaceflightNews.net)  Above: Ares I-X first stage floating in the Atlantic after launch. Credit: NASA  Above: Broken nozzle actuator. Credit: NASA  Above: Ares I-X first stage casing. Credit: NASA  Above: Ares I-X first stage casing. Credit: NASA  Above: Split casing joint on the Ares I-X first stage. Credit: NASA
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