Doubts About Ares 1 Continue to Mount

NASA Blog: Dual-Plane Isolators Emerge as Most Promising Thrust Oscillation Fix
“Engineers and rocket scientists love data. So no surprise the NASA thrust oscillation mitigation team has been gathering reams of data to best understand how to design an integrated vehicle that avoids thrust oscillation. This week at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. NASA and industry engineers reviewed the latest progress to qualify and validate our understanding of thrust oscillation problems and solutions.”
Article says Air Force doubts Orion can escape an Ares I disaster, Orlando Sentinel
“According to Florida Today, the finding was detailed in a May 20 memo from Brig. Gen. Edward Bolton, commander of the 45th Space Wing headquartered at Patrick Air Force Base, to NASA’s Constellation Program Manager Jeff Hanley. “Recent Air Force studies have called into question the survivability of the crew module in the fratricide environment from a destructing first-stage solid rocket booster,” the paper quoted the memo as saying. However, the article also has Hanley pooh-poohing the Air Force’s concerns, saying that “supercomputer analyses” will prove that the Ares I rocket is a fine vehicle and Orion’s launch abort system will be able to save the crew in the event disaster strikes.”
Keith’s note: word has it that the meeting at Ames did not go well for Steve Cook and that it ended early as a result. Seems that Steve was not interested in any opinions that wandered away from the official party line.
Steve Cook Wants to Be The Next Deputy Center Director at Marshall, earlier post
Ares PDR Was Not As Smooth As NASA Says It Was, earlier post