Ares IY
| Mission dates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Mission: | Ares IY | ||
| Spacecraft: | Orion | ||
| Command module: | CM simulator | ||
| Service module: | SM simulator | ||
| Launcher: | Ares I | ||
| Begin: | Mission discontinued | ||
| Starting place: | Kennedy Space Center LC-39B | ||
| Landing: | |||
| Flight duration: | 8 min were planned | ||
| Earth orbits: | Suborbital | ||
| ◄ Before / After ► | |||
|
|||
Ares IY was the name for the second planned test flight of the Ares I missile . The main aim of the flight would have been to check the airworthiness of the complete first stage of the Ares I and to abort the flight from a great height. The mission was scheduled for 2013/2014 and was canceled along with the Constellation program on February 1, 2010.
Structure of the missile
The first stage would have consisted of a solid rocket booster derived from the space shuttle with five active segments. These would have been brought to the Kennedy Space Center by train and set up there on a mobile launch platform.
The second stage would have consisted of an airworthy tank with a J-2X engine dummy. A weight simulator would have been used for the service module. The crew capsule would only have been equipped with the flight computers. The rescue missile attached to it would have been functional.
Flight history
After the countdown, the first stage of the missile would have fired and the missile launched. After 123 seconds, the first stage would have been cut off at a height of about 43 km and it would have fallen back towards the Atlantic. A little later parachutes should have unfolded and provided a gentle waterfall. The rocket would have been recovered after a few hours. After the disconnection, the second stage would have flown for a few seconds until the on-board computer gave the commands to ignite the J-2X engine. Since this is inactive, however, the computer would have assumed a defect and activated the rescue rocket to detach the cabin from the rocket stage. While the second stage would have plunged uncontrollably into the Atlantic, the capsule was supposed to be slowed down by parachutes and finally hit the Atlantic, where it was supposed to be recovered.
Individual evidence
- ^ Statement by Charlie Bolden, NASA administrator. (PDF) NASA, February 1, 2010, p. 4 , accessed on February 1, 2010 (English).
See also
Web links and sources
- NASA: Ares Launch Vehicles (English)
- YouTube: Ares 1-Y R1 visualization of the flight process (English)
- NASA: Ares IX Flight Test Vehicle (PDF file; 0.4 MB; English)