About time this mission had its own thread. (I so completely expect to get ToSeeked now ).

Anyway, just a minor heads up: The target launch date for Ares I-X is now october 27th rather than the october 30th date given earlier.

Read more here:

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009...unch_Date.html

Oh, and Man With Naughty Binary Nickname: farm away!

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That would be for the CLV.

Paper model
http://www.axmpaperspacescalemodels.com/Ares1X.html

More
http://gizmodo.com/5302650/progress-...lation-program

Well, that used to be called the CLV. Some years ago, that is. It's been called "Ares I" for years now, and this particular configuration is called "Ares I-X".

I assume the X refers to "Experimental" like in the X-planes, because it is a test craft, not a "final" Ares I yet.

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Can't wait.

It's not strictly new hardware since it's just a shuttle booster with some fancy ornaments on top but I hope it goes well.

NASA needs some good PR to get everyone behind Ares and stop the in-fighting for the government money that's quickly becoming embarrassing.

I am looking forward to this, although not having it on Halloween takes away a great excuse to dress up as an astronaut.

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I want to go back to the moon.
I don't care which rocket you use, whichever one you pick, I'll like it, I swear.
"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek

I remember hearing that there is a growing group of people who are against the development of the Ares program (Ares I and Ares V), because they believe we can already do what we need to do with existing vehicles, and that setting up new ones would be a waste of money.

Have there been any threads specifically devoted to this discussion? I'd like to read through what's probably already been said rather than sparking the debate all over again in this thread.

Quite a few. The Augustine thread is the current one for that debate now as far as I can tell.

__________________
I want to go back to the moon.
I don't care which rocket you use, whichever one you pick, I'll like it, I swear.
"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek

Thanks.
Personally I find it's a pretty cool couple of vehicles. And if I can find a news channel that is covering it on the 27th or 28th, I'll watch this launch.

It boils down to either lobbying to keep the shuttle gravvy train onboard NASA's budget or funneling additional taxpayers billions into the pockets of private contractors with launch vehicles already developed.

As soon as Ares gets past the FUD that's been thrown to desestabilise it things will get better.

Anyways, three weeks until they lit the candle!

Not that you need an excuse

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Carl Sagan may have seen a pale blue dot, but I see a sapphire.- Doug Phillips, Discovering Alabama.

Clear skies Maksutov.

Rollout to 39B is set for the 19th, fwiw (assuming all goes well - pad is 'ready' to accept the vehicle (!)

The X is not necessarily for 'experimental', iirr. The next iteration of vehicle (should it occur) is to be Ares I-Y, I think. It sounds like it won't get to the 'Y' part, though (cross my fingers!!!)

This video may be of interest -
Ares Quarterly Report #13 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUXpo...layer_embedded

I am gonna post this from 'copy' of another Forum, fwiw.
***********************************************
STATUS REPORT: ARES-I-X-093009

ARES I-X STATUS REPORT

Launch Vehicle: Ares I-X
Launch Date: Oct. 27
Launch Pad: 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla.


Upcoming key milestones:
- Oct. 9 – Launch Readiness Review at Kennedy
- Oct. 15 – Launch Pad 39B modifications media event at 10 a.m. EDT
- Oct. 19 – Rollout to Launch Pad 39B targeted for 12:01 a.m. EDT
- Oct. 21 – Satellite live shot campaign at Launch Pad 39B from 6-9
a.m. EDT
- Oct. 23 – L-4 Flight Test Readiness Review followed by a news
conference on NASA TV
- Oct. 24 – L-3 Launch Status briefing on NASA TV at 10 a.m. EDT
- Oct. 25 – L-2 Launch Status Briefing on NASA TV at 10 a.m. EDT
- Oct. 26 – Prelaunch News Conference on NASA TV at 1 p.m. EDT
- Oct. 27 (target) – Ares I-X flight test launch at 8 a.m. EDT

Ares I-X Flight Hardware
Last week's milestones include:
- Launch Team countdown simulation from the firing room
- Full-up Development Flight Instrumentation system testing
- Flight control actuator testing

This week's milestones include:
- Powered up testing continues
- Launch Vehicle Readiness Test
-- Tests the rocket’s systems to assure responds correctly to both
pre-launch aborts and in-flight failures
- Super Stack 5 closeouts

Upcoming milestones:
- Launch pad readiness review

Ares I-X Ground Support Equipment
- At Launch Pad 39B, modifications are ongoing
- Vehicle Stabilization System final checkouts
- Environmental Control System (ECS) validation testing
- Fixed Service and Rotating Service Structures walk downs

The Ares I-X flight test will provide NASA an early opportunity to
check and prove hardware, analysis and modeling methods, and
facilities and ground operations needed to develop NASA's next crew
launch vehicle.

For more information about the Ares I-X flight test, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ares
***************************************

Hope that helps
Alex

Sorry, messed up this post while quoting. I wrote something along the lines of "in NASA/NACA, X=experimental, Y=prototype".

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Re: the X and the Y are as such (prototype, etc...). I was totally thinking of something else when I quickly type that part out. I was digging up the schedule of events to place here and had my mind elsewhere...

I have been pondering what the PAO will be saying for the "Liftoff Statement" that is common nowadays at launches...like how they will say "we have liftoff of XYZ rocket which is a step forward, blah-blah-blah talk" (miss the good ol' basic days myself). Any guesses on what the PAO will be saying at liftoff? I realize that the tone mostly depends on the Commissions findings and any (possible) new POR-issues, but its going to be very, very carefully spun no matter what, I bet. Will be interesting at the least - and most likely controversial

Alex

I guess the standard "Further paving the way for the US' return to the moon and beyond" thing.

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From the web
http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/eps/eps_da...ND-004-001.pdf

No, but it would be fun to watch the launch in my flightsuit from Space Academy. 8 AM falls during my study hall, but it would look funny if I wore the suit to school on a day that wasn't Halloween.

(Actually, that's only my study hall every other day. Man, if I have gym that day, I'm gonna run into the main office and scream in the secretary's face.)

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I want to go back to the moon.
I don't care which rocket you use, whichever one you pick, I'll like it, I swear.
"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek

Could you please summarize the importance of this 32 page PDF which isn't exactly welcoming the reader? I've had a 13 hour working day and don't feel like anything more than bitesize atm.

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The document is a postponement of a work order for disassembling the Ares I-X specific support structures from the pad. It's being postponed from next week till the end of month approximately.
only need to look at the first 3 pages to see that. the rest is just drawings of the parts that are to be removed from the pad.

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Signature? Why?

And what's the meaning/implication/importance of that postponement? Given the previously stated launch date was october 30th, next week seem a strange date to remove the structure anyway.

ps were some posts removed from this thread?

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Postponements don't really mean anything except that it shows that the Ares I-X is a bit behind the original schedule from back when they made the original contract.
it's quite common for changes of dates in any kind of contract.

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Signature? Why?

Right. So not really worth the unwarned 6MB download...

But apparently Ares IY and Ares I need different support structures than Ares IX?

Or are these structures used for some static pad tests or something?

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8 PM is just BEFORE I leave for Study Hall, so I'll only get to watch the follow-up, I guess.

Since I do not use profanity, I will express my anger with random gibberish:

Razzle frazzle biltong booga booga lightbulbs applesauce eeka sheeka!

__________________
I want to go back to the moon.
I don't care which rocket you use, whichever one you pick, I'll like it, I swear.
"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek

Check out mugaliens thread about the DIRECT program proposal.
DIRECT proposal discussion.
Seems to make a lot of sense to me but I'd say Constellation is way too far along for them to consider anything else at this stage.

If nothing else, there are nice drawings for anyone who might have an interest in real space models. If you want something more bite-sized:

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/391356main_o...ly_summary.pdf
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/ind...opic=15284.540
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2009/...-lunar-summit/
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?board=5.0
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/ind...opic=18277.150
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/ind...?topic=17546.0
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/...s+false+claims

The schedule was bumped to allow a stand-by Shuttle to occupy the launch pad during the Hubble repair mission.

The I-X is truly an experimental configuration in that a solid rocket motor this large has never been used as THE first stage for any launch. The nozzle and rocket motor are indeed shuttle heritage; with an additional dummy segment and dummy upperstage/payload.

The Ares I motor has already been demonstrated on the ground, so a successful launch on or near the 27th is good evidence that the 1st stage concept is on solid ground.

Since the I-X does not have upper stages, all of the 'second stage' and 'payload' support is for instrumentation, not fueling, crew air conditioning, ect. I would assume the tear-down is the removal of instrumental support rather than a complete rebuild.

One of the reasons the Ares concept was chosen is that in the draft concept it did not require a complete rebuild of shuttle assembly and launch structures. Likewise, the Shuttle was built to fall as much as possible within the Saturn V footprint.

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jwj

It's a big universe out there...is it really unwinding, really burning out?

Seriously man, just how difficult is it to

-type a short introduction what on earth a link is about
-post links that are actually on topic, in this case the oct 27th launch of Ares IX.

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LOVELY pun.

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I asked ~same question elsewhere (re: the VSS and Launch structure(s) and am copying answer here for you, Nicolas (full-accuracy not confirmed by me yet, fwiw, but source is 'trusted')

" Ares 1-Y was supposed to launch off of the new ML, so the VSS wouldn't have been used anyway. Ares 1-X is using the left hand SRB mount of the current shuttle MLP. the new ML will move the vehicle to the centerline of the pad (about 6 meters east or so) and ,I think, a couple of meters south depending on how the exhaust and the flame deflector are going to line up."

Does this help with the 'why' of tearing down parts of the Launch Complex? (hopefully it does). And, fwiw, I had made some 'snarky' comments within the post I deleted earlier, and had some bits about 'unrelated-to-point links'/other irritating things and such. I had multiple windows/Forums open at same time, and did not mean to post it before I re-read it and probably 'lightened' it some...too much going at once and watching/listening to 'Augustine videos' at same time leads to confusion/errors a times (sorry if it confused ya)

I too caught the "on solid ground" bit. Freud would be proud, 'eh?

Alex

Clear, clear, and yes.

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