NASA successfully tested one of the main
separation systems of the Ares I-X rocket at the Alliant
Techsystems (ATK) facility in Promontory, Utah. The test
demonstrated that the forward skirt extension, which houses
the main parachutes will be able to separate from the first
stage booster as it falls back to Earth after launch.
During the flight test, the first stage booster will
separate for the frustum, which is a cone-shaped piece of
the rocket that connects the 12-foot-diameter first stage
booster to the 18-foot-diameter upper stage. After the
frustum separation, at an altitude of about 15,000 feet, the
nose cone of the booster will be jettisoned and the pilot
parachute will be deployed. The pilot chute will in turn
deploy the drogue parachute, which will re-orient the
booster to vertical and will slow it down enough that the
main parachutes will be about to open. At about 4,000 feet
the forward skirt extension separates from the rest of the
first stage and pulls out the three main chutes packed
inside. The booster splashes down and is recovered and
reused.
During the test at ATK, a
linear-shaped charge was used to separate the forward skirt
extension and create a clean severance. Engineers also
measured the shock created by the charge and will use that
data to analyze the system and prepare for the Ares I-X
flight test as well as the development of the Ares I rocket.
