Successful Rocket Test Bodes Well For NASA Shuttle, Constellation Programs | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-10.07.24

Airborne-NextGen-10.08.24

Airborne-Unlimited-10.09.24

Airborne-FlightTraining-10.10.24

Airborne-Unlimited-10.11.24

Sat, Nov 03, 2007

Successful Rocket Test Bodes Well For NASA Shuttle, Constellation Programs

Two-Minute Test Accomplishes All Objectives

NASA's Space Shuttle Program successfully fired a four-segment reusable solid rocket motor Thursday, November 1 at a Utah test facility. The two-minute test provided important information for continued launches of the shuttle and for development of the Ares I rocket, a key component of NASA's Constellation Program that will launch the Orion crew vehicle on missions to the moon.

The static firing of the full-scale motor was performed at 1300 MDT at ATK Launch Systems Group, a Promontory, UT-based unit of Alliant Techsystems Inc., where the shuttle's solid rocket motors are manufactured. Preliminary indications are that all test objectives for shuttle and Ares I were met.

The test evaluation motor, or TEM-13, burned for approximately 123 seconds, the same time each reusable solid rocket motor burns during a space shuttle launch. The Reusable Solid Rocket Booster Project Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages these tests to qualify any proposed changes to the rocket motor and to determine whether new materials perform as well as those now in use.

"Full-scale static testing such as this is a key element of the 'test before you fly' standard and ensures continued quality and performance,"
said Jody Singer, deputy manager of the Shuttle Propulsion Office at Marshall.

One test objective was to demonstrate the thrust vector control system operation using only one of two hydraulic power units. The vector control, part of the flight control system, directs the thrust of the two solid rocket booster nozzles to control shuttle attitude and trajectory during liftoff and ascent. During a shuttle launch, both hydraulic power units run and provide backup power to thrust vector control actuators. The test with only one hydraulic power unit will validate the system's redundancy capability and operating performance data.

Another test objective was to measure the external sound or acoustics created when the motor ignites. More than 25 microphones were located near the motor to record the data from the firing. This information will be used to predict the motor's acoustic effects and aid in the final design of the launch structure for Ares I.

After final test data are analyzed, NASA will publish results for each objective in a report available later this year.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/shuttle, www.nasa.gov/constellation

Advertisement

More News

Airborne 10.11.24: Starship 5!, Boom 5!, NBAA HERO Activation

Also: Flightoberfest Postponed, Navy Honors Carter, SkyAlyne Awards CAE, Spirit Wardrobe War SpaceX’s Starship may launch on its Flight 5 test flight as early as October 13, >[...]

Airborne Affordable Flyers 10.03.24: RV15 Update!, Zenith Homecoming, Trio STCs

Also: World Ultralight Fly-In, Pipistrel Velis, EAA Touts Larsen, Aero-TV: Keeping the Helicycle Legacy Alive Flight testing of the new Van’s Aircraft RV-15 engineering proto>[...]

Airborne 10.07.24: Heli-Rescuers Threatened, Buried WWII Bomb, Dynon Upgrades

Also: Textron's 180 About NBAA, NetJets Prevails In Suit, Cebu Pacific A321neo, Mackay Trophy After seeing a Facebook post about a family stranded on a mountain, Jordan Seidhom and>[...]

Airborne-Flight Training 10.10.24: Training Regs, Piper Spar AD, ATC Students

Also: SkyAlyne Awards CAE, Atlas Air And Spartan, All Clear 4 United, New F-35 Training Facilities The FAA has published a rule that’s been long awaited by pilots, instructor>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (10.11.24)

Aero Linx: European Hang Gliding and Paragliding Union (EHPU) The general aim of the EHPU is to promote and protect hang gliding and paragliding in Europe. In order to achieve this>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2024 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC