NASA's new Ares rocket passed the initial design review for safety, technical, and budget requirements.
By: Captain Maverick
Published: Sep 11, 2008
Updated: Sep 7, 2010
NASA announced that the Ares I rocket passed a milestone in that a panel of engineers signed off on the preliminary design. The two-stage booster is set to be the shuttle replacement. NASA hopes to launch manned tests of the system in 2014, the year in which the space shuttle fleet will be retired.
This is a pretty big day for NASA. It was in 1973 when engineers gave preliminary approval of the shuttle rocket in its design review.
{slot15}Next summer the team will hold a separate review to review plans to add shock absorbers to the Ares I in order to dampen the vibrations during the launch. Then a final review of the full rocket system will take place in March of 2011.
The first unmanned test of the Ares rocket known as the Ares I-X launch, is scheduled for June of 2009. This is a delay from April of 2009.
NASA hopes to have the Orion begin to make operational flights no later than by 2015. It is slated to ferry six astronauts to the ISS (International Space Station). NASA further hopes to make the next moon shots by 2020 with four-astronaut teams. The Ares V, a heavy lift rocket is designed to carry cargo and the lunar lander on the moon missions.
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