Ares I-X test launch

Malt_Vinegar · 28 Oct 2009 at 15:41

seaviewuk said:
Separation went very wrong!

you reckon?

Westyfield2 · 28 Oct 2009 at 15:41

Want to see video of it landing in the water!

Did the guy doing his little happy dance realise that it's being streamed live across the internet?

Fegruson · 28 Oct 2009 at 15:42

Lol, what a ritual!

gurusan · 28 Oct 2009 at 15:42

I hope that tie was not pricey :/

Cosimo · 28 Oct 2009 at 15:43

The parachute stage 1 splashdown is confirmed.

seaviewuk · 28 Oct 2009 at 15:43

Malt_Vinegar said:
you reckon?

Seemed to be unusual contact between the two stages, as if it broke apart too quickly.

BloodyL · 28 Oct 2009 at 15:45

I thought the separation went a bit wrong too, maybe I'm used to the orbiter/SRB/main fuel cell separation routine.

seaviewuk · 28 Oct 2009 at 15:50

BloodyL · 28 Oct 2009 at 15:51

Just watched the replay and the sep actually looks ok, the second stage folded around and above the first stage without contact.

Berserker · 28 Oct 2009 at 15:53

gurusan said:
I hope that tie was not pricey :/

It's a tradition that has happened for many years - though you still get the odd Director that doesn't know about it and gets surprised.

Didn't see the video much beyond liftoff myself as I was doing other things, but not to worry - it's all recorded.

Think the separation was pyrotechnic bolts and springs. Very, very rare for those to fail, but not impossible.

Edit - Video posted already. That's remarkably quick. When NASA do that it usually takes them hours.

seaviewuk · 28 Oct 2009 at 15:57

BloodyL said:
Just watched the replay and the sep actually looks ok, the second stage folded around and above the first stage without contact.

Actually on replay it didn't look as bad as I thought it was.

Good job I didn't have my finger on the 'destruct' button. I would have blown it to smithereens!!

Berserker · 28 Oct 2009 at 15:57

Just seen the separation. Gives the impression one of the pyro/spring combinations was late or failed, but that might just be perspective tricks. No doubt it'll be discussed in the press conference.

Cosimo · 28 Oct 2009 at 16:02

Congratulations to all those involved in the project.

Dano · 28 Oct 2009 at 16:09

Awesome stuff, loved the thump as it ignited

Hawk Tuah · 28 Oct 2009 at 16:17

"Testing concepts for the future of new rocket design."

Isn't this just one of the shuttles old boosters?

RSR · 28 Oct 2009 at 16:49

This may be a little bit off topic.

How far are we away from using other forms of propulsion for example Ion drives / RAM Drives etc... ?

Malt_Vinegar · 28 Oct 2009 at 16:51

andyd said:
This may be a little bit off topic.

How far are we away from using other forms of propulsion for example Ion drives / RAM Drives etc... ?

If you think about what the government lets us see of the latest technology, then it might already be in use

Azagoth · 28 Oct 2009 at 16:52

andyd said:
This may be a little bit off topic.

How far are we away from using other forms of propulsion for example Ion drives / RAM Drives etc... ?

We're already using Ion Propulsion drives on satellites.

Darg · 28 Oct 2009 at 16:58

Aw, missed the launch. Just watched the youtube video though. Looked like it went well. Any more news on the results of the test?

GreatWaves · 28 Oct 2009 at 19:15

I have to say that was worth the wait. Pretty cool to see the real thing come to life after so long of just seeing the artists' conceptions (and the cg sim).

I tuned back into the broadcast in the middle of the press conf. So I guess one of the results was that the 2nd stage pitched end over end sooner and more than expected (as we all saw) - not that it should matter for an "active" 2nd stage in future. And I guess they were more or less educated guessing that the data will show that Ares is certified to not be prone to the Tribo thing.