Orion Ascent Abort Test animation

NASA animation of the planned Abort Test for the Orion Escape system. It will use a stage from a Peacekeeper missile to get it up into the air. It is reminiscent of the Apollo Little Joe-II, but for some reason NASA has specifically chosen not to call this Little Joe-III as was originally expected. Interestingly, the launcher shown in the animation shares a lot of the look of the Little Joe-II pad base, including the yellow paint. But the real thing will use a pad that looks totally different.
It is supposed to be launched at While Sands Missile Range, the launch date keeps changing.
The one interesting new thing over how Apollos Escape rocket worked, are the guidance nose thrusters that fire in a manner to change the course of the escape rocket when it fires, and to assist with the flip-around (note the canard clamshells to do the flip-around aerodynamically much like the ones for Apollo).

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• NASA
• Orion
• Ares
• Abort
• Escape
• LES
• Little
• Joe
• Test
• booster
• ATB
• rocket

[ti994apc]

@basvg1 The solid rocket fuel has been a hot debate since Shuttle and Challenger tragic needless loss of life. Some people say that the why Warner Von Braun left NASA because he was against putting humans on a solid rocket fuel system. Falcon9 (a liquid fueled rocket) which hopefully is the next Astronaut transport, is the safest man rated rocket ever created.

[ti994apc]

@basvg1 articles(dot)orlandosentinel(d­ot)com/2009-07-18/news/new_1_n­asa-constellation-program-rock­et-ares-i .True, every rocket can explode. But liquid fuel burns up in a fireball and solid fuel sprays every direction for miles. With liquid fuel, 200 yards is probably enough escape distance. Also see Titan IV explosion.

[ti994apc]

@basvg1 Look up the Delta II explosion w w w(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=­KApLcKQ3Pu0&feature=related . Solid rocket fuel rains debris for miles! An Airforce study actually showed that you cannot make an escape system get far enough away. Liquid fuel does not have this issue. In an attempt to make an escape system for Ares1, it had to be massive, and Ares1 needed to be a heavy lift rocket just for the escape system.

[Enatbyte]

@ti994apc The debris may shoot farther than the escape systems range but not in the same direction. The system blasts you upward while the debris goes mainly sideways and down. The engineers aren't idiots. They wouldn't bother designing a system that they know wouldn't work.

[Enatbyte]

@ti994apc That's why the escape system moves you away from the blast.

[basvg1]

@ti994apc

That's right. But, they're using it with the Space Shuttle for almost 30 years now, and they never had any problems with it. Except for the Challenger, but that was happening so fast that they did not have the time to turn of the engines, if they had the ability.

[ti994apc]

@basvg1 Your right, every rocket can explode. However, there is a big difference between a liquid fuel explosion and a solid rocket fuel explosion. Liquid fuel vaporizes, Solid Rocket fuel becomes essentially "a giant set of cluster bombs" that sprays out vast distances in every direction. If you have an animally the ability to turn off an engine a great feature. Solid rocket fuel can NOT be turned off. Liquid fueled rockets like Falcon9 can turn off engines in mid flight.

[basvg1]

@ti994apc

Every rocket can explode. And, show me that study. If you can show it me, I will believe you.

[ti994apc]

@basvg1 The USAF did a study on this and they concluded that there was no chance of survival. Even know the escape system can carry it a mile or two away. It will not be nearly enough. Solid chucks of debris will travel much further than the escape system. Liquid fueled rockets do not have this problem. Watch the Delta II or Titan IV explosion on youtube and watch how far the debris go.

[basvg1]

@ti994apc

Don't be so silly. The parachute only opens when it's some miles away from the explosion.