House Lawmakers Rule Out Safety as a Reason To Replace Ares 1

摘要

House lawmakers expressed confidence in the safety of NASA's planned Ares 1 rocket and questioned whether alternative launchers and spacecraft could provide the same level of assurance sooner than the systems the agency is developing to replace the space shuttle.rnDuring a Dec. 2 hearing, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), chairwoman of the House Science and Technology space and aeronautics subcommittee, said the predicted safety of alternatives to NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and its Ares 1 launcher offers no compelling reason for NASA to change course. Orion and Ares 1, in development for the past five years, would replace the space shuttle as part of NASA's Moon-focused Constellation program.