THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARES I-X FLIGHT TEST

摘要

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Constellation Program has identified a series of tests (Figure 1) to provide insight into the design and development of the Ares I crew launch vehicle and the Orion crew exploration vehicle. Ares I-X was created as the first suborbital development flight test to help meet Constellation objectives. The Ares I-X flight vehicle is an early operational model of Ares I, with specific emphasis on vehicle ascent and ground operations. The FTV will be a test model based on the Ares I design. Select design features will be incorporated in the FTV design to emulate the shape and operation of Ares I to meet the flight test objectives. The operations infrastructure and processes will be customized for Ares I-X, while still providing data to inform the developers of the launch processing system for Ares/Orion. The FTV comprises multiple elements and components that will be developed at different locations. The components will be delivered to the launch/assembly site, Kennedy Space Center (KSC), for assembly of the elements and components into an integrated, flight-ready, launch vehicle. The inflight part of the test includes a trajectory to match the Ares maximum dynamic pressure during flight and perform a stage separation representative of the Ares. The in-flight test also includes recovery of the First Stage. This paper will discuss the challenges in developing a new launch vehicle in a very short timeframe. The duration from formal Authority to Proceed to launch is 32 months with launch scheduled for April 2009. The discussion will include changes to organizational structure, system engineering approaches, and early lessons learned for a fast tracked and highly visible project.