Ares I-X rocket ready to launch

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at 12:00 am under World News

NASA’s new Ares rocket started its slow journey to the launch pad in Florida on Tuesday. The Ares I-X rocket left the vehicle assembly building early on Tuesday morning standing on a slow-moving crawler-transporter headed for Launch Pad 39-b at the Kennedy Space Center.

Moving at a top speed of 0.8 miles per hour, the re-scheduled deployment will take approximately seven hours to cover the 4.2 miles to the pad. The rollout of Ares I-X was set originally for Monday, however during testing on October 14, engineers detected a nitrogen gas leak in an accumulator located in the aft skirt of the rocket. The accumulator, which absorbs hydraulic pressure spikes as the system operates, was replaced and successfully retested. NASA management is assessing what effect, if any, this delayed rollout will have on the targeted launch date. The 327-foot rocket is scheduled to lift off on October 27 for its first suborbital test flight.

NASA officials will use this flight to gauge flight characteristics, examine hardware and observe ground operations associated with the launch. The Ares will carry no payload during this first flight.

If the U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration gives the green light to the Ares programme, the rocket is expected to replace the Space Shuttle payload system and could begin carrying astronauts and equipment to the International Space Station within five years, with plans to act as the delivery system for any manned lunar attempts or further space exploration.