This morning, NASA engineers celebrated the launch of the Ares I-X test rocket
from Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center
in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The first flight test for NASA's
Constellation program lasted only six minutes, but marked "a huge step forward
for NASA's exploration goals," exclaimed Doug Cooke, association administrator
for the space agency's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.
Wednesday's 11:30 AM (EDT) launch came a day after bad weather forced NASA
to scrub a Tuesday morning liftoff. As the 327-ft. tall Ares I-X rocket blasted
off into the Florida
sky, observers such as CR4's own Anonymous Hero
captured images of the event. According to the NASA website, the Ares I-X test
vehicle produced 2.6 million pounds of thrust to propel the rocket to nearly 3
g's and Mach 4.76 – just shy of hypersonic speed.
After the separation of its first-stage, the Ares I-X rocket capped its
easterly flight at a suborbital altitude of 150,000 feet. Parachutes were
deployed so that NASA can recover both the booster and a shuttle-reusable solid
rocket motor. The first stage of Ares-IX also included a simulated component
with active avionics. Also aboard Ares were an upper stage simulator and a
Orion crew module / launch abort system simulator.
According to NASA, the purposes of the Ares test flight were
to demonstrate and collect data regarding roll and vehicle control; staging and
separation; vehicle integration, assembly, and launch operations; aerodynamic,
thermal, and vehicle loads, and first-stage reentry dynamics for recovery.
More Images
Thanks to Joby
Minor, a photographer who currently works for NASA in Huntsville,
Alabama, CR4 has permission to bring you the
above images from the Ares I-X rocket in Cape
Canaveral, Florida.
(All photos courtesy of Joby Minor – copyright 2009).
Would you like to see more images of the Ares I-X? Then click here to visit the complete album on CR4_News, our Facebook page.
Note: You don't have to belong to Facebook to view these extraordinary
photographs. But if you are a member, we invite you to become a fan of CR4_News there. Just click the "Become
a Fan" link. It's that simple.
Additional Reading:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/ares/flighttests/aresIx/index.html
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/271630main_aresIx_flyer_090408.pdf
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/396682main_Ares_I-X-pk.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constellation_program
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