HUNTSVILLE,
Ala. -- NASA has taken a major step toward building the
nation's next generation launch vehicle with Wednesday's
successful completion of the Ares I rocket preliminary
design review.
Starting in 2015, the Ares I rocket
will launch the Orion crew exploration vehicle, its crew of
four to six astronauts, and small cargo payloads to the
International Space Station. The rocket also will be used
for missions to explore the moon and beyond in the coming
decades.
The preliminary design review is the first
such milestone in more than 35 years for a U.S. rocket that
will carry astronauts into space. The review was conducted
at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
It examined the current design for the Ares I launch vehicle
to assess that the planned technical approach will meet
NASA's requirements for the fully integrated vehicle. That
ensures all components of the vehicle and supporting systems
are designed to work together.
"This is a critical
step for development of the Ares I rocket," said Rick
Gilbrech, associate administrator of the Exploration Systems
Mission Directorate in Washington. "Completing the
preliminary design review of the integrated vehicle
demonstrates our engineering design and development are on
sound footing, and the Ares I design work is taking us
another step closer to building America's next mode of space
transportation."
The preliminary design review
included more than 1,100 reviewers from seven NASA field
centers and multiple industry partners. The review is the
final step of this design process. Teams representing each
major part of the Ares I rocket -- the upper stage engine,
first stage and upper stage -- all have conducted similar
reviews during the past year.
The preliminary design
review is one of a series of reviews that occurs before
actual flight hardware can be built. As the review process
progresses, more detailed parts of the vehicle design are
assessed to ensure the overall system can meet all NASA
requirements for safe and reliable flight. This process also
identifies technical and management challenges and addresses
ways to reduce potential risks as the project goes forward.
"Risk assessment is a very important part of the
process," said Steve Cook, manager of the Ares I rocket at
Marshall. "It allows us to identify issues that might impact
the Ares I rocket. For example, we identified thrust
oscillation - vibration in the first stage - as a risk. In
response to this issue, we formed an engineering team. The
team conducted detailed analyses and reviewed previous test
data, and then recommended options to correct the problem."
"We intend to hold a limited follow-up review next
summer to fully incorporate the thrust oscillation
recommendations into the stacked vehicle design," Cook
added. "Identifying risks that can impact the project and
resolving them is a necessary and vital part of the
development process."
With the completion of this
review, each element of the Ares I rocket will move to the
detailed design phase. A critical design review will mark
the completion of the detailed design phase and allows for a
more thorough review of each system element to ensure the
vehicle design can achieve requirements of the Ares program.
This week, the J-2X engine will be the first Ares I
element to kick off the critical design review process. The
engine will power the Ares I upper stage to orbit after
separation from the first stage.
"We're excited
about getting into full system engine tests with the new
J-2X engine," Cook said. "This will be one of the safest,
most affordable and highest performing rocket engines ever
built, and testing is critical as we begin preparation for
future flights."
Marshall manages the Ares projects
and is responsible for design and development of the Ares I
rocket and Ares V heavy cargo launch vehicle. NASA's Johnson
Space Center in Houston manages the Constellation Program,
which includes the Ares I rocket, the Ares V vehicle, the
Orion crew capsule and the Altair lunar lander. NASA's
Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for ground
and launch operations. The program also includes multiple
project element teams at NASA centers and contract
organizations around the U.S.
