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Exploration

A Disposable First Stage for the Ares I ?

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
December 5, 2006

NASA To Evaluate Non-recoverable First Stage for Ares I Launch Vehicle, SpaceRef

“Some of the people working on the design of NASA’s new Ares I launch vehicle want to delete the requirement to recover and reuse the rocket’s first stage. The reason: the weight of hardware required to make recovery possible – and practical. One of the main attributes of the current Ares I design is the use of a Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) – one that has a common heritage with proven hardware from the Space Shuttle program. This commonality and reliability is regularly touted as one of the Ares I’s current advantages over other possible launch systems.”


Reader note: In your article, NASA To Evaluate Non-recoverable First Stage for Ares I Launch Vehicle”, you forgot to mention a that recovery was one of the primary reasons that the SRM/SRB in the Ares I was “suppose” to be safer. Section 6.8.9 “Additional RSRB Safety Considerations” of the ESAS lists all the “reasons”. This was one of the primary pillars that the use of the SRB for CLV was based on. If the SRB is not recovered, then the whole debate for its use in the CLV should be revisited. Side note. The company that made the casings is out of business and the capability/infrastucture to make single billet casing is loss and would need to be redone.

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.