USA And ATK Support NASA In Major Milestone
For the
first time in more than a quarter-century, a new space vehicle will
begin stacking on a mobile launch platform (MLP) at Kennedy Space
Center, thanks to the hard work and dedication of an experienced
team of employees from NASA and contractors United Space Alliance
(USA) and Alliant Techsystems.
The Ares I-X aft skirt, which was mated to a solid fuel segment
in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at KSC, rolled over
to the 528-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building today, where it will
be lifted and placed on the MLP in High Bay 3. On that platform,
workers will secure the aft booster and continue adding segments of
the first stage rocket, the upper stage simulators, the crew module
mockup and the launch abort system simulator, taking the vehicle to
a height of 327 feet.
Once
complete, the Ares I-X rocket will roll to Launch Pad 39B for the
first test flight of the vehicle later this year. This vehicle is
part of NASA's Constellation Program, which aims to send humans
back to the Moon and beyond.
"We are excited to be a part of the NASA team working toward
this important Ares milestone," said Mark Nappi, Vice President of
Launch and Recovery Systems for United Space Alliance. USA, NASA's
prime human spaceflight operations contractor, has been tasked by
NASA with planning and processing for the test flight. "Processing
for the Ares I-X test flight in parallel with Space Shuttle
operations has been a true challenge involving people and hardware
from across the country. Working two human spaceflight programs in
parallel is new territory for NASA and for its contractor partners,
and we're very proud of what we've accomplished," Nappi added.
The Ares I-X test flight is aimed primarily at testing the
performance of the first stage rocket.
"As we reach this critical processing milestone, we reflect on
the tremendous amount of work this team has completed over the last
three years," said Robert Herman, Florida site director for ATK,
NASA's prime contractor for the Ares I first stage rocket. "We are
honored to play a critical role in the future of America's human
space flight program, and the Ares I-X flight test is the proof of
concept that Ares I will build on."
File Photo
USA is teamed with ATK on the design, production and processing
of the Ares I First Stage. Assembly and integration work on the
Ares I-X aft skirt, forward assembly and fifth motor segment
simulator, the deceleration parachutes, the thrust Vector control
subsystem hardware and the avionics and pyrotechnics was performed
at KSC. The four solid motor segments were delivered by ATK from
its Utah facility.
"It has taken a great team effort to get us to this point, and
we are all looking forward to working together as we move to the
next phase of the Ares I program," Nappi said.
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