NASA has deemed the test flight of the Ares I-X rocket in October a victory, in spite of the still-unexplained failure of 2 parachutes.
"It was successful in so many ways, to be honest with you," Marshall Smith, Ares engineering manager told reporters Thursday Bob Ess, project manager for Ares I-X, said the test launch successfully demonstrated new computer guidance, navigation and control systems.
"The algorithms were perfect and performed flawlessly; a key result for validating our [computer] models," said Bob Ess.
Marshall Smith said the 6 minute test flight showed that NASA "can push forward with the design of Ares I."
One problem occurred after the rocket's two stages separated at an altitude of 45 km and the first stage parachutes malfunctioned.
Only one of the three main parachutes on the rocket's first stage deployed accurately. One parachute failed to blow up and the other didn't deploy completely, causing the booster to splash down hard into the Atlantic Ocean, leaving a dent in its side.
Marshall Smith said one parachute may have inflated too quickly, putting too much strain on the lines, causing them to break. The broken lines can have then damaged the second parachute, causing its partial failure.
The empty second stage, as intended, broke apart and was not recovered.
Three cable connectors also failed, these cable connectors are used to separate on the rocket's forward skirt dome, but this was considered a possibility prior to the launch and didn't result in any problems.
NASA reported that the first 4 and half minutes of data from the flight recorder had been recovered, but the left over 80 seconds was "still in work."
Thursday's report on the Ares I-X launch was the foremost of three scheduled from NASA. The next two are slated for late January and late February.
The Ares I-X is the first version of a series of rockets put to carry the U.S. space agency's next-generation Orion spacecraft later than the space shuttle fleet is retired in 2010. There are only six scheduled flights left for the shuttles.
The Orion-Ares combination is not owed to launch with astronauts on board until 2017 at the earliest. That poses a crisis for the U.S. contribution to the International Space Station, which is planned to be decommissioned in 2015.
NASA has invested $445 million US in the test, although the White House is still weighing whether it needs to continue with the project or scrap it in favour of other rockets and destinations.
NASA is considering more test flights for the Ares, maybe in 2012 or 2013.
"It was successful in so many ways, to be honest with you," Marshall Smith, Ares engineering manager told reporters Thursday Bob Ess, project manager for Ares I-X, said the test launch successfully demonstrated new computer guidance, navigation and control systems.
"The algorithms were perfect and performed flawlessly; a key result for validating our [computer] models," said Bob Ess.
Marshall Smith said the 6 minute test flight showed that NASA "can push forward with the design of Ares I."
One problem occurred after the rocket's two stages separated at an altitude of 45 km and the first stage parachutes malfunctioned.
Only one of the three main parachutes on the rocket's first stage deployed accurately. One parachute failed to blow up and the other didn't deploy completely, causing the booster to splash down hard into the Atlantic Ocean, leaving a dent in its side.
Marshall Smith said one parachute may have inflated too quickly, putting too much strain on the lines, causing them to break. The broken lines can have then damaged the second parachute, causing its partial failure.
The empty second stage, as intended, broke apart and was not recovered.
Three cable connectors also failed, these cable connectors are used to separate on the rocket's forward skirt dome, but this was considered a possibility prior to the launch and didn't result in any problems.
NASA reported that the first 4 and half minutes of data from the flight recorder had been recovered, but the left over 80 seconds was "still in work."
Thursday's report on the Ares I-X launch was the foremost of three scheduled from NASA. The next two are slated for late January and late February.
The Ares I-X is the first version of a series of rockets put to carry the U.S. space agency's next-generation Orion spacecraft later than the space shuttle fleet is retired in 2010. There are only six scheduled flights left for the shuttles.
The Orion-Ares combination is not owed to launch with astronauts on board until 2017 at the earliest. That poses a crisis for the U.S. contribution to the International Space Station, which is planned to be decommissioned in 2015.
NASA has invested $445 million US in the test, although the White House is still weighing whether it needs to continue with the project or scrap it in favour of other rockets and destinations.
NASA is considering more test flights for the Ares, maybe in 2012 or 2013.
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