Fri, Jun 27, 2008
Now 20-Feet Taller, Additional Main Engine
Following a nine-month design review of the rocket that will one
day return US astronauts to the moon -- and, eventually, transport
them to Mars -- on Wednesday NASA unveiled a bulked-up version of
its proposed Ares V rocket.
The Associated Press reports the amped-up Ares is 20 feet longer
than the previous version, now standing close to 38-stories tall.
The rocket's first stage now sports six main engines instead of
five, and the twin solid-rocket boosters attached to the stage will
also be made larger, to hold more fuel.
All the changes are intended to allow Ares to carry heavier
payloads, especially as the space agency looks to the Red Planet.
In the new configuration, NASA says the upgraded Ares V will be
able to haul over 156,600 pounds of cargo.
"We've looked at over 1,700 different Ares concepts," Ares
program manager Steve Cook said. Major work on the Ares V will
begin after the current space shuttle fleet is retired in 2010, he
added.
Though comparable in size and scope with the mammoth Saturn V
rocket that carried astronauts to the moon in the late 1960s and
early 1970s (Ares V is now about 15 feet taller), there's one
fundamental difference with the Ares V: it will not carry people
into orbit, just their supplies and the lunar lander. The four-man
crew will ride into orbit in the Orion space capsule atop the
smaller Ares I rocket, and will then rendezvous with the departure
stage containing equipment launched onboard the larger rocket.
The two-step design allows more equipment to be sent to the moon
or Mars.
Constellation program manager Jeff Hanley told reporters
Wednesday NASA remains on track for a manned lunar mission by 2020.
"This extensive review proves we are ready for the next phase:
taking these concepts and moving forward," he said.
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