Liftoff! The Ares I-X Flight Test Begins “Rising into the Florida sky, the 327-foot rocket thunders away from the launch pad, marking the first time a new vehicle has launched from the complex since the first space shuttle launch in 1981.” NASA Blog: Explaining The 4 Hour Launch Window for Ares 1-X “One question that comes up a lot is why Ares I-X has a four-hour launch window. After all, […]

Keith’s note: According to NASA: “Launch Director Ed Mango informally polled his team to ensure the vehicle and its system are all still “go.” The range is not available after noon today due to reasons such as airspace and warning areas, planes operating on flight plans, and other issues. Today’s launch window ends at noon.”. The Ares 1-X rocket itself is all green and good to go. Winds have started […]

NASA Gives ‘Go’ for the Ares I-X Test Rocket Launch on Oct. 27 “NASA has completed a review of the Ares I-X development rocket’s readiness for its flight test and selected Tuesday, Oct. 27, as the official launch date. Liftoff is scheduled for 8 a.m. EDT from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.” NASA has two days to launch Ares I-X before rocket range is lost, Huntsville Times “NASA has […]

Rock-a-bye Rocket (NASA, Ares I-X, 9/2/09) “During the testing, vibrations were mechanically introduced into the rocket by four hydraulic shakers simulating the same kind of vibrations expected during flight so the effects could be monitored. A sway of the vehicle was then manually introduced (with a little help from Mission Manager, Bob Ess and Deputy Mission Manager Steve Davis) to create a lateral, back and forth motion so the team […]

Ares I-X Is On Its Launch Pad “For the first time in more than a quarter century, a new vehicle is sitting at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ares I-X flight test vehicle arrived at the pad atop of a giant crawler-transporter at approximately 7:45 a.m. EDT Tuesday. The crawler-transporter left Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building at 1:39 a.m., traveling less than 1 mph during […]

“In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a time lapse camera documented the buildup of the Ares I-X flight test rocket. The first video was on Nov. 3, 2008 and the final video was on Aug. 30, 2009.” NASA Reschedules Rollout Of Ares I-X “NASA has rescheduled to Tuesday, Oct. 20, the rollout of the Ares I-X rocket to Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy […]

NASA Invites Media to View Historic Ares 1-X Move “Reporters are invited to cover the historic Ares I-X rocket move to Launch Pad 39B on Oct. 19 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The first flight test of NASA’s Constellation Program, Ares I-X is targeted to launch on Oct. 27. First motion for Ares I-X out of Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad is targeted for 12:01 […]