Ares I Strikes Back

[radarredux]

The Ares I team is not going to lie down and let COTS take over. Here are a few things I've come across recently:

(1) A 5-segment booster was successfully test fired yesterday. That should give them lots of data to address many of the concerns such as vibrations.
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=29146

(2) The Ares I-x is stacked, and I recently read in AW&ST that it might be cheaper to launch it than to de-stack it. Good data on the Ares I 5 segment static test and a good Ares I-x 4 segment test flight will probably give them lots of momentum.
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegal ... _1446.html

(3) In the latest AW&ST trade magazine was a full-page ad promoting Ares over any potential competitors. (If anyone is interested, I'll scan it in and post the ad)

 

[tanstaafl76]

Might as well light the candle at this point and see if the thing works. We may not use the design right now, but you never what could happen down the road.

Or based on the successful test vehicle NASA could auction the design off to the private sector and make some money on the deal.

 

[docm]

Too expensive for what it does, and doesn't, do.

Nice try though

 

[radarredux]

Too expensive for what it does, and doesn't, do.

I'm certainly no fan of Ares I, but I am reminded of Mark Twain's quote: "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated"

 

[radarredux]

Here is a YouTube link for the Ares I test:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsPnkJ5vLfc

And (as posted from another thread) the vibrations appear much less than feared according to a Florida Today article:

First Ares test sends only good vibrations

 

[CalliArcale]

I must say, totally aside from whether or not Ares is the right direction for our space program, that test firing looked AWESOME!!!!! Thank you very much for sharing it!

 

[bpg131313]

We all know the Space Shuttle's days are numbered. It is presently the only thing we have to get us into space (yes, I'm aware that there is more than one of them). If we're going to retire the Shuttle fleet, we have two choices. We can either rely on others to provide access to space, or we have to embrace the program that is up and coming now, meaning, ARES.

There are people out there that don't like it. I'm not even sure I really like it yet. There are people out there that love it. Either way, I can not wish them failure. Any attempt at getting us off this planet and into space with the goal of the Moon and Mars, is one that should be applauded regardless of who's doing the work, or where in the world it's happening at. Here's a quote from the arrival of the Japanese cargo carrier to the ISS: "'It's a real example of international cooperation with a Japanese vehicle captured by a Canadian arm with American and European astronauts and a safety guy from Canada and under the command of a Russian commander,' station flight engineer Frank De Winne, a Belgian, just said from aboard the complex." That's the spirit of exploration.

We may be paying too much money for it. We may be limited by what it can do. We may find ourselves looking for improvements right after the first flights. But regardless of all that, we'll have it. It'll be what pushes the private sector to do their own thing, to put forward their own designs. Competition is always a good thing, provided it's non-destructive. I'm counting on private industry to get to the Moon and Mars. I think that'll be the only way non-rich people will ever get off this planet. Perhaps it'll be Virgin Galactic that steps up their game and heads to the Moon first. Perhaps it'll be SpaceX. Perhaps it'll be a company that doesn't even officially exist yet. Perhaps it'll be the folks at NASA, or some other official government program from around the world. But now that the Constellation program has been going for five years, I'm certainly not going to wish ill upon them. I will raise my glass and wish them all the best. The spirit of exploration, and furthering of science are what really matter here.