[Waspie_Dwarf]

MID, on 29 October 2009 - 11:49 PM, said:

A real beauty, this thing!

From an engineering point of view I have no doubt you are right, but aesthetically speaking I have to disagree. I think the Ares I is an ugly piece of kit. It looks top heavy and whenever I see it I feel it should be launched from a giant milk bottle on 5^th November (or the 4^th July if you are MIDs side of the pond).

Now the Ares V, that is a beautiful beast.

This post has been edited by Waspie_Dwarf: 30 October 2009 - 12:51 AM
Reason for edit:: typo

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Ares I-X Flight Test Images

Launch a Success!

With more than 23 times the power output of the Hoover Dam, the Constellation Program's Ares I-X test rocket zooms off Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The rocket produces 2.96 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and reaches a speed of 100 mph in eight seconds. Liftoff of the 6-minute flight test was at 11:30 a.m. EDT.

Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews, Canon
October 28, 2009



Ares I-X Launches!

The stars and stripes on the American flag reflect NASA's commitment to teamwork as the Constellation Program's Ares I-X test rocket roars off Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The rocket produces 2.96 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and reaches a speed of 100 mph in eight seconds. Liftoff of the 6-minute flight test was at 11:30 a.m. EDT.

The parts used to make the Ares I-X booster flew on 30 different shuttle missions ranging from STS-29 in 1989 to STS-106 in 2000. The data returned from more than 700 sensors throughout the rocket will be used to refine the design of future launch vehicles and bring NASA one step closer to reaching its exploration goals.

Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
October 28, 2009



Liftoff!

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Press Site countdown clock, so long a familiar a backdrop for space shuttle launches, counts off the seconds since liftoff from Launch Complex 39B of a new vehicle, the Constellation Program's Ares I-X test rocket.

The rocket produces 2.96 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and reaches a speed of 100 mph in eight seconds.

Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
October 28, 2009



Ares I-X Roars Off the Pad

With more than 12 times the thrust produced by a Boeing 747 jet aircraft, the Constellation Program's Ares I-X test rocket roars off Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

At left is space shuttle Atlantis, poised on Launch Pad 39A for liftoff in November.

Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews, Canon
October 28, 2009



Racing to Space

About the length of eight school buses stacked end to end, the Constellation Program's 327-foot-tall Ares I-X test rocket races off Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This was the first launch from Kennedy's pads of a vehicle other than the space shuttle since the Apollo Program's Saturn rockets were retired. The parts used to make the Ares I-X booster flew on 30 different shuttle missions ranging from STS-29 in 1989 to STS-106 in 2000. The data returned from more than 700 sensors throughout the rocket will be used to refine the design of future launch vehicles and bring NASA one step closer to reaching its exploration goals.

Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews, Canon
October 28, 2009



Ares I-X Goes Supersonic

A bow shock forms around the Constellation Program's 327-foot-tall Ares I-X test rocket traveling at supersonic speed.

The parts used to make the Ares I-X booster flew on 30 different shuttle missions ranging from STS-29 in 1989 to STS-106 in 2000.

Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews, Canon
October 28, 2009



A Beautiful Sight!

With more than 12 times the thrust produced by a Boeing 747 jet aircraft, the Constellation Program's Ares I-X test rocket roars off Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The rocket produces 2.96 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and goes supersonic in 39 seconds.

Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
October 28, 2009


Source: NASA - Ares I-X Flight Test - Gallery

[ROGER]

From : http://spaceflightno...s1x/091029dent/

NASA assessing parachutes and dented Ares 1-X booster
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD

One of the three 150-foot-wide parachutes designed to gently lower NASA's Ares 1-X first stage booster to the Atlantic Ocean after a dramatic six-minute test flight Wednesday deflated after deployment, officials said Thursday, resulting in a harder splashdown than expected.
 dent.jpg (86.81K)
Number of downloads: 4
Photographs taken by the recovery crew show the four-segment shuttle booster floating upright in the Atlantic Ocean shortly after splashdown. An initial inspection, sources said, revealed the sort of paint blistering that is typically found on shuttle boosters, along with an area of apparent buckling in the lower segment.
A NASA spokeswoman said late Thursday the test rocket's drogue parachute, used to slow and stabilize the vehicle before the main parachutes are released, deployed normally. All three main chutes then released and began inflating as planned in a two-step procedure. Two of the mains apparently inflated fully, but the third collapsed.

A source said the deflated parachute contacted one of the others as it whipped about in the wind, causing a partial deflation. That could not be immediately confirmed, although a splashdown in that condition might explain the buckling seen in the lower segment of the rocket's case.
Shuttle boosters, which are lowered to the ocean by two 130-foot-wide parachutes, can be damaged depending on the impact angle and sea state, engineers say. But it's not yet known what caused the problem with the Ares 1-X booster.
In a surprise, the upper stage went into a slow, flat spin instead of continuing upward on a nose-forward trajectory as expected. A moment after separation, another set of small rockets fired as planned to put the first stage into a similar spin to prevent a nose-down re-entry that might interfere with parachute deployment.

The two stages appeared to come close to each other as they tumbled, but that could have been an illusion due to the viewing angle of a long-range tracking camera.

The behavior of the first stage appeared normal during powered flight and after separation. A drogue parachute, used to slow and stabilize the rocket before main parachute deployment, could be seen in video from the rocket, but the on-board views cut off before the main chutes could be seen.

Recovery crews expect to finish towing the big rocket back to a processing facility at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station early Friday. Engineers will be standing by to remove an on-board data recorder that is expected to provide a wealth of information about the rocket's performance.

[DONTEATUS]

Waspie_Dwarf, on 29 October 2009 - 06:55 PM, said:

From an engineering point of view I have no doubt you are right, but aesthetically speaking I have to disagree. I think the Ares I is an ugly piece of kit. It looks top heavy and whenever I see it I feel it should be launched from a giant milk bottle on 5^th November (or the 4^th July if you are MIDs side of the pond).

Now the Ares V, that is a beautiful beast.

Im with you on that one Waspie ! I say put some 1950`s Big-Fins on Her and lots of highly polished stainless steel trim ,and a few port holes. Maybe a art-deco enblem or two.

Attached File(s)

•  Aries 500.jpg (41.49K)
  Number of downloads: 6

This post has been edited by DONTEATUS: 30 October 2009 - 03:07 PM

[Waspie_Dwarf]

DONTEATUS, on 30 October 2009 - 02:13 PM, said:

I say put some 1950`s Big-Fins on Her and lots of highly polished stainless steel trim ,and a few port holes. Maybe a art-deco enblem or two.

I didn't think it could be made any uglier, but you have proved me wrong.

[MID]

Waspie_Dwarf, on 29 October 2009 - 07:55 PM, said:

From an engineering point of view I have no doubt you are right, but aesthetically speaking I have to disagree. I think the Ares I is an ugly piece of kit. It looks top heavy and whenever I see it I feel it should be launched from a giant milk bottle on 5^th November (or the 4^th July if you are MIDs side of the pond).

Now the Ares V, that is a beautiful beast.

I know what you mean Waspie.
From an engineering standpoint, I was actually quite pleased to see her designed like that. It does have that top heavy look, but to be honest, I always preferred rockets like that (tapering down from a larger payload end to a narrower booster end). I've even designed a couple like that (model rockets)that out-performed their bretheren that tapered up to larger segments below narrower segments.

If Ares was the same diameter all the way down, she'd have alot more drag in several areas. If she used "strap-ons" (like ARES V's SRMs...and there's little real choice in the matter there), that's a big drag producer. I find her delightfully economical in design.

...just light the candle and watch her scream!


For that matter the Shuttle launch configuration I recall naming a big blob of drag when it was finally fleshed out. SRMs on the sides, a huge ET, and the Shuttle itself...it's one hell of a complex aeronautical problem, and of course the guys and gals did a superb job with her...

But we need a thrust to weight ratio of 1.51 (+/-), and Ares needs ~1.44, an improvement of 5% to attain similar, if not a little better ascent performance. Of course, we're not comparing apples-to-apples with these two vehicles, but still, Ares is a bit more efficient...so far!

But lord knows, ARES V will certainly be a gorgeous behemoth!

[DONTEATUS]

But what about the Kool graphics on it? Wouldnt it Look Great?

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Aerial View of Ares I-X Flight Test

02 November 2009

An aerial video crew observed the October 28, 2009 Ares I-X test flight from a Cessna Skymaster aircraft positioned approx. 10 nautical miles away from the vehicle at an altitude of 12,000 feet. The videographer used a gyro-stabilized high-definition camera system mounted to the outside of the aircraft to capture this spectacular footage which provides extremely valuable engineering data, and imagery of the recovery sequence in rarely-seen detail. Ares I-X is the first flight test of the Constellation Program and provides NASA an early opportunity to gather critical data during vehicle ascent and during booster deceleration and recovery.

Source: NASA Channel - YouTube

[MID]

Outstanding data there! What an awesome video!

This post has been edited by MID: 04 November 2009 - 02:01 AM

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Ares I-X Launch Iso from Cessna with Voice Over

04 November 2009

An aerial video crew observed the October 28, 2009 Ares I-X test flight from a Cessna Skymaster aircraft positioned approx. 10 nautical miles away from the vehicle at an altitude of 12,000 feet. The videographer used a gyro-stabilized high-definition camera system mounted to the outside of the aircraft to capture this spectacular footage which provides extremely valuable engineering data, and imagery of the recovery sequence in rarely-seen detail.

Ares I-X is the first flight test of the Constellation Program and provides NASA an early opportunity to gather critical data during vehicle ascent and during booster deceleration and recovery.

Source: NASA Channel - YouTube

[MID]

Waspie_Dwarf, on 04 November 2009 - 06:45 PM, said:

Ares I-X Launch Iso from Cessna with Voice Over

04 November 2009

An aerial video crew observed the October 28, 2009 Ares I-X test flight from a Cessna Skymaster aircraft positioned approx. 10 nautical miles away from the vehicle at an altitude of 12,000 feet. The videographer used a gyro-stabilized high-definition camera system mounted to the outside of the aircraft to capture this spectacular footage which provides extremely valuable engineering data, and imagery of the recovery sequence in rarely-seen detail.

Ares I-X is the first flight test of the Constellation Program and provides NASA an early opportunity to gather critical data during vehicle ascent and during booster deceleration and recovery.

Source: NASA Channel - YouTube

I'm not sure I've ever seen such a detailed video.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This picture's worth a million!


I heard some early talk about the yaw of the upper stage at booster sep being anomalous, but I expected that at 25 miles altitude at that velocity, especially sans 2nd stage guidance and propulsion(it's not exactly a stable aerodynamic design...most rockets actually aren't really, really stable things inherently). The intriguing thing is the fail of the main chute at reefing position. It seems like about half that chute's shroud lines gave way very quickly.

I'm suspecting some load bearing increases pending in the chutes...unless there was a manufacturing fault that caused this failure.
Eyeballing it looks like drougue descent on this really heavy booster is on the order of about 450 FPS (~305 MPH). Main chute to reefing appears to take ~ 3.4 seconds and slow the booster to ~ 150 FPS (~100 MPH), which is around a 3 g load on the lines and chute. That's alot of force.

...don't quote me on that. I'm just eye-balling it. I haven't sat there and scaled this thing to really take a look at it in detail. I'll leave that to the folks who are probably doing that at this very moment, with a lot more high powered goodies than I have at my disposal!

It's mighty interesting...to me anyway. Not being a fan of crushing a segment of re-usable SRM, I'll be looking forward to seeing an analysis of this failure.

But my goodness, what a film, and what a flight!




...I wonder if they had SRM cameras that might have captured the main deployment from inside the booster???

This post has been edited by MID: 05 November 2009 - 12:54 AM

[Waspie_Dwarf]

MID, on 05 November 2009 - 12:54 AM, said:

I heard some early talk about the yaw of the upper stage at booster sep being anomalous,

It was (I believe) the project manager that said this. He later retracted it, saying he mis-spoke and that the booster stage sep was within predicted parameters (I'm paraphrasing, I can't remember exactly how he phrased it, but I'll try and find out when I get home from work).

This post has been edited by Waspie_Dwarf: 05 November 2009 - 10:46 PM
Reason for edit:: typo.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Waspie_Dwarf, on 05 November 2009 - 08:00 AM, said:

I can't remember exactly how he phrased it, but I'll try and find out when I get home from work.

It was Bob Ess, the Ares 1-X manager. This is what he said:

Quote

The tumbling seen as the two stages separated was actually not unexpected and Ess said he misspoke at the press briefing on the day of the test flight as the separation being "interesting" (and his team immediately let him hear about it!). "We've actually done thousands of animations showing this type of behavior on the upper stage, and the models predicted this is what we would see. It was the manager who didn't say it right," Ess joked.

Source: Universe Today

[MID]

Waspie_Dwarf, on 05 November 2009 - 05:50 PM, said:

It was Bob Ess, the Ares 1-X manager. This is what he said:
Source: Universe Today

That's what I heard! Thanks Waspie.
I remember hearing some comment to that effect while I was reading some notes or something and not looking at the screen. I said to myself, "What? You'd expect that tumbling without guidance..."

[Waspie_Dwarf]

MID, on 05 November 2009 - 12:54 AM, said:

I'm not sure I've ever seen such a detailed video.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This picture's worth a million!

I agree totally. The footage NASA provides has got better and better as the technology to take such images has improved. This footage, however, left me gob smacked. The detail of the 'chute deployment, partial failure, and splash down was incredible.
It is only a few years ago that such footage would not have been released to the public because the only way to obtain it would be with spy planes and classified technology.

I can only hope that Cessna is in the air again when Atlantis launches in 10 days time.