NASA Tests Load Limits for Ares I Rocket Main Parachute

NASA and industry engineers conducted a design limit load test of the Ares I rocket's main parachute Oct. 8 at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground near Yuma, Ariz. The Ares I is the first rocket in NASA's Constellation Program which will launch explorers on journeys to the International Space Station, the moon and beyond.Engineers from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.,

NASA's Ares I-X Ready to Launch

The Ares I-X flight test is scheduled to blast off in late October, accomplishing a huge milestone in NASA’s space exploration plans. This flight test, an essential first stepping stone in the Constellation program and the first flight test of Ares I, represents a successful collaboration between NASA centers all around the country. NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, is playing a

Ullage Motor Testing at the Marshall Center

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., completed the first round of development testing on Oct. 8 for a key motor for the Ares I ocket. The ullage settling motor is a small, solid rocket motor that will provide the forward motion needed to push fuel to the bottom of the fuel tanks during the launch to orbit of the Ares I rocket.

NASA's Marshall Center Completes Successful Ullage Motor Development Test for Ares I Rocket

With a loud roar and a bright flash, engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., successfully completed the first round of development testing for the ullage settling motor -- a critical element of the Ares I rocket. The Ares I is the first rocket under development for NASA's Constellation Program, a program tasked with the development of vehicles necessary to carry

Masten Space Systems Qualifies for Level One Prize in Lunar Lander Challenge

Masten Space Systems successfully qualified for the remaining prize for Level One in the Centennial Challenges - Lunar Lander Challenge.The team flew their “Xombie” vehicle on two consecutive flights of over 90 seconds duration in an elapsed time of one hour and forty minutes at their test facility at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. The Masten team made a previous attempt for the

Impact from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's Line of Sight

Scientist and engineers are adjusting LRO's orbit to have it fly its closest approach to the Cabeus target site just 90 seconds after the Centaur impacts the lunar surface.Artist Concept of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter with Apollo mission imagery in the background. Credit: NASA The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, better known as LRO, was a sister payload to LCROSS during launch and now the

A New Look at an Old Neighbor Moon

We have yet to uncover the full wealth of scientific information the moon holds. It at the cornerstone of understanding the birth and evolution of Earth and other planets, therefore we need to explore it. The moon looks very unchanging and calm in the night sky and is rarely thought of as an active planetary body. What most people don't know, is the moon receives LCROSS-sized impacts about once a