Ares 1 X Launch

[bishop51807]

I think back and say after 30 years we had to cut the space program to fix what this @#$% hole Bush started with is 12B dollar a month war!!

[airdriver]

Until we decide what, if anything, we'll be using to get into space, I think we should keep the Shuttle fleet flying. Two or three missions a year to the space station on the shuttle is better than hitching a ride with the Russians.

[Lazybum450]

The launch pad was redered inoperable after this launch, but NASA had planned this, they are replacing the pad with a newer one able to accomidate the Ares 1 and Ares 5, that is, if Obama's cancelation proposal isn't approved

[ShuttleFilms]

I am writing a book on this called "The Constigency (sp) Report"

[bubblinbrownsugar616]

Sigh......a shame they won't be able to use it.

[JEDIMASTERZAK]

the worlds largest dildo has been accomplished

[Andrewmcmelonse]

It seems like a little bit of a step back but im very impressed, I heard that the SRB had some damage and it severly damaged the launch complex

[mejw1]

apparently the stopping the constellation program ,  NOW WHAT???

[KittyRokher]

You heard wrong. They're not.

[basvg1]

They are. Now NASA has to use commercial spacecraft.

[ShuttleFilms]

DIRECT?

[whiskeyboy99]

i was there on the first launch of ares 1 at kennedy space centre it was once in a life time i wish not but it was

[shineco1]

i know that nasa has put their work into this but man does that rocket look like it wont fly straight

[myparanormaljourney]

Its great, simple, and gives the astronauts a fighting chance if somthing goes wrong instead of sliding down a flag pole at mach 2!! Its a good direction!

[hateisjustaword]

450 mill...........down the drain.

[MrAmerica1995]

450 mill devoted to science and exploration, you mean.

[arsenal553]

Yes, he is just another punk teenager who doesn't know the value of knowledge.

[furgee]

I love rockes and space and all that but i am not impressed at all with this.

[r32adt3db]

More money well spent, no doubt. Noooooooo doubt.

[DeepDeepSpace]

This launch vehicle is a lot simpler than the STS.

When it's operation they'll probably be able to launch two or three a month if they wanted to.

[snake172]

more then that about 5 id think, they say they will require considerably less time to service after each launch.

[RealityIsTheNow]

Ya, don't think anything went wrong here. The upper stage is meant to seperate in a controlled manner at a higher altitude, since this is just a 4 segment SRB. Ares 1 is supposed to fly with a more powerful and longer burning 5 segment first stage motor. The staging is pretty unimportant, as the second stage is just a dummy the falls like a rock. Also, staging isn't done with explosive bolts.

[danschaoticmind]

It is done with LSC (Linear shaped charges) However, the term has been in use since the 50s and is essentially just a slang term for Linear shaped charges.

The problem wasn't so much a failure to fire, but rather a timing issue it turns out. The SRB tumble program began while the sequence was completing. Causing the tumble of the upper stage.

Good thing it happened during testing though. That should allow the problem to be fixed in the future.

[captainofiron]

Also consider that the real Ares 1 will have a five segment motor which will put the vehicle at a much higher altitude which will help it not to tumble due to atmospheric issues, which is what I think the problem is here.

[danschaoticmind]

I've been considering that. However, the clincher, I believe, is listening to the mission audio (Also available on the nasa tv channels. It is the last option) I stupidly did not make a recording of that. So I cannot use that as leverage of my point.

If, though, the cause is not one of the LSC's then that leaves a few options still One, and the most major one, would be system timing. I noticed the instant it seperated, the tumble program initiated on the SRB.

I guess we will have to wait n see

[captainofiron]

I really am not concerned about anything in this flight, the main concern was vibration in the SRB due to resonance, buckling since its just a single stack, and the thrust vectoring avionics and the new avionics developed as well as flight characteristics such as roll. Staging and a clean firing of ullage thrusters would have taken care of the second stage.

It is though pretty unnerving to see the second stage simulator along with the mock-up of the crew module tumble out of control

[danschaoticmind]

Ya know, I am going to have to agree with you there. All these new items being used in conjunction with a single stage SRB and then making sure everything gets done up right.

I know it sounds wrong (I am a big fanboy of NASA afterall) but I sincerely hope that they will have everything taken care of by the next launch of any ares vehicle.

I for one am impressed with the power contained in just that SRB and what it can do.

Guess it goes a long way with a capsule instead of the shuttle.

[sheezalsnaps]

looks like we are back to square one what a waste

[BurfTheMagicDragon]

I'm curious to know where you got the detail that at least two explosive bolts didn't fire, especially since there aren't any explosive bolts used for staging. The separation is done with an LSC.

[danschaoticmind]

Oh. I just refer to them as explosive bolts. I understand that the Linear shaped charges are used as the separation. I call them Explosive bolts because, to me at least, they certainly seem to function in much the same manner from what I have seen at the least (I am not a mechanical engineer and have not examined the two close enough to precisely tell the difference.)

However, the fact that just as they were seperating, and then the tumble, Usually, the force of separation would not cause that

[danschaoticmind]

Now I could be wrong, however, I've not seen a staging (Even unpowered) to date that had caused a tumble without it being in MAX Q or without the aid of a connecting item. Thats all.

I also take this from an employee who mentioned in an email post mission that "One of the explosive bolts did not fire, if you were wondering about the tumble too much"

[danschaoticmind]

It is kind of funny.

This launch was a success but at least 2 of the explosive bolts did not blow causing the upper stage to bend back towards the upper stage before aerodynamic forces finally pulled the two apart.

Still. it was something else to see this launch even if I had to stay up till 1230am to see it

[c17253]

Poor Shuttles. I dont agree for a single moment that the STS was a time stall or error prone. In fact it was the perfect follow on from Apollo. The STS instigated my passion for rocketry just as im sure it did for many many others. In my humble opinion you dont need a new rocket yet and certainly should not be wasting $400m+ on 1 test flight of what is essentially a big model sky rocket. If you guys hate the shuttle so much, send them downunder and we'll look after them at Woomera.

[scorekeepn]

Too bad Obama will scuttle this project in favor of social programs for the lazy and drug-addicted.

[AtomikNY]

Awesome! Go NASA!

[TonyN737]

I watched this live with my 3 y/o daughter and told her ''TeeTee, that's the rocket you'll be flying in when you become the first woman on Mars.''

[DeepDeepSpace]

All they did was take one of the shuttles solid rocket boosters and put a dummy payload on top.

The dummy payload will eventually be replaced with a second stage rocket and the orion space craft.

[Erre5Turbo]

spettacolare *_*

[EpoBot]

This was great. ares really flies, it seems stable and the camera didn't look like it was vibrating too much.

[arodaman]

Great, we are finally back on track. We wasted 30 years with the stupid error prone, time stalling, space shuttle program. NASA is back to doing what it does best, launching real rockets to do real exploration.