Ares I DM-2 Motor Test - Aug 31, 2010

[edkyle99]

Press Release describing tomorrow's DM-2 test.

 Ares 5 Segment SRB Firing

Alliant Techsystems (NYSE:ATK) and NASA will test the second fully developed Ares five-segment solid rocket motor, known as Development Motor-2 (DM-2). The five-segment rocket motor is an upgraded version of the Shuttle's 4-segment booster, and has also been identified as a key element of NASA's future Heavy Lift Launch vehicle.

Horizontal ground test firing of Ares

What: DM-2

Date: Tuesday August 31, 2010

Time: 9:05 a.m. MDT ATK Aerospace Systems facility in

Where: Promontory, Utah

Test Objectives/Background:

-- A total of 53 design objectives will be measured through more than 760 instruments.

-- DM-2 is a "cold motor" test. The motor will be cooled to 40 degrees F to measure solid rocket motor performance at low temperature, as well as to verify design requirements of new materials in the motor joints. These new materials will allow for the elimination of joint heaters that were necessary in the original 4-segment motor design. This will save significant weight, further reduce system complexity and simplify launch operations
, while simultaneously delivering increased operating margins at lower ambient temperatures.

-- Other objectives include data gathering on vital motor upgrades such as the new insulation and motor case liner and the redesigned nozzle which increase the robustness of the design.

-- When fired, the motor will produce a maximum thrust 3.6 million pounds, or 22 million horsepower.

-- The cases have all previously flown on the space shuttle, collectively launching on 57 missions.

-- A public viewing area is available along State Road 83 North approximately 20 miles west of Corinne, Utah.

CONTACT: Trina Patterson, +1-801-699-0943, [email protected], or George Torres, +1-801-699-2637, [email protected]

ATK Note to Editor: Media passes are required; contact Trina Patterson at (801) 699-0943 or [email protected]. -- Foreign media requests must be submitted by 4 p.m. MDT on August 16 -- All other media requests must be submitted by 4 p.m. MDT on August 27 -- Remote still cameras will need to be approved in advance and set up a day before the test -- Reporters will need to be on site by 6:00 a.m. the day of the test to be escorted to the viewing site. -- The media will be located in a viewing site optimal for photos and video. -- A press conference will be held 45 minutes following the test -- One-on-one interviews at the motor will be available after the firing -- Broadcast: Live equipment needs to be scheduled in advance to arrange for parking -- Satellite coordinates for downlink -- 9 MHz Ku band -- Satellite: Galaxy 28 (89 degrees west) -- Transponder: 17K Slot "D" -- Uplink: 14353.500 (H) -- Downlink: 12053.500 (V) -- Data: 8.448

Date: Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Location: Promontory, UT, US

 - Ed Kyle

[Jim]

IIRC, the work done on the 5-seg can carry over to the 4-seg, altho with the SLS some of the work will no longer be needed, like nozzles able to steer.

SLS, like STS, will need TVC on the solids.  What it won't need is independent roll control, like Ares I.

 - Ed Kyle

According to previous work by the DIRECT team.. they have Sufficient TVC just gimballing SSMEs.. TVC is NOT required on the solids.

No big throat solid has ever used a fixed nozzle, to my knowledge.  Consider Titan III, Titan 34D, Titan IVA, Titan IVB, STS, Ariane 5, H-II, H-IIA, H-IIB, and GSLV Mk3, for starters. 

 - Ed Kyle

Titan III, Titan 34D, Titan IVA were fixed nozzles.  TVC was by fluid injection.

[edkyle99]

IIRC, the work done on the 5-seg can carry over to the 4-seg, altho with the SLS some of the work will no longer be needed, like nozzles able to steer.

SLS, like STS, will need TVC on the solids.  What it won't need is independent roll control, like Ares I.

 - Ed Kyle

According to previous work by the DIRECT team.. they have Sufficient TVC just gimballing SSMEs.. TVC is NOT required on the solids.

No big throat solid has ever used a fixed nozzle, to my knowledge.  Consider Titan III, Titan 34D, Titan IVA, Titan IVB, STS, Ariane 5, H-II, H-IIA, H-IIB, and GSLV Mk3, for starters. 

 - Ed Kyle

Titan III, Titan 34D, Titan IVA were fixed nozzles.  TVC was by fluid injection.

Roger that.  Fixed nozzles on those.  But they did provide steering via. the fluid injection method.  I should have said "non-steering" rather than "fixed nozzles".

I can't imaging how an LV with two SRBs, be they four or five segments, could have control authority without those boosters steering.  Even with four SSMEs, the solids would still provide more than 80% of the liftoff thrust.

 - Ed Kyle

[Chris Bergin]

Will start a new thread in about three hours. Will have an article, including some latest info on SD HLV to beef things up - especially after even ATK note "has also been identified as a key element of NASA's future Heavy Lift Launch vehicle" in their materials now.

[madscientist197]

I can't imaging how an LV with two SRBs, be they four or five segments, could have control authority without those boosters steering.  Even with four SSMEs, the solids would still provide more than 80% of the liftoff thrust.

Why? It's not like the vehicle needs to be able to do a backflip in a few seconds or anything. The minimum steering requirements would be set by wind and other asymmetric loading conditions (e.g. SRB tail-off). For general steering you only need to be able to slightly perturb pitch, yaw and roll etc. as you can trade off control authority versus time to manuever. There's generally little requirement for a vehicle to be able to steer fast. I doubt many vehicles use their full steering control authority...

[robertross]

Will start a new thread in about three hours. Will have an article, including some latest info on SD HLV to beef things up - especially after even ATK note "has also been identified as a key element of NASA's future Heavy Lift Launch vehicle" in their materials now.

Cool.

I wonder if that is just a sales pitch, or a 'negotiated'* settlement to move things forward in the HLV arena based on the latest happenings. Time will tell.

*speculation

[Jim]

(e.g. SRB tail-off).

That is the reason for the need

[MikeMi.]

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=22617.msg632941;boardseen#new

[Generic Username]

DM-2 crapped all over my house.

At first I was like: http://up-ship.com/blog/?p=6964

But then I was all: http://up-ship.com/blog/?p=6970

[PahTo]

Wow--thanks for sharing, Generic Username.  With all the warnings given during a shuttle launch (exhuast is acidic, etc etc), I wonder about the pH of the dirt...

Well, if your lawn furniture dissolves, it's only "so bad".  Now if your mailbox dissolves...
;-)

[Generic Username]

I wonder about the pH of the dirt...

Whatever it is, it's damned sticky. It was a perfectly dry day... no dew on the ground, not a cloud in the sky, yet it sticks like mud. About four hours later, with the sun shining and the wind blowing pretty hard... there's not the slightest evidence of the stuff blowing away. I expect rain will eventually take care of it, though.

Well, if your lawn furniture dissolves, it's only "so bad".  Now if your mailbox dissolves...

Then I'm *definitely* putting the stuff on eBay.

[Lars_J]

Yikes! Hopefully that's just plain dirt and not the toxic stuff.

[PahTo]

Thanks for the info, Jim.  Could this be handled by single-axis TVC (what I call reduced TVC hardware), or are we talking the same/similar package that currently flies on STS?

(e.g. SRB tail-off).

That is the reason for the need

[robertross]

Then I'm *definitely* putting the stuff on eBay.

I think you should!

(to help pay for those clean-up costs!) 

sorry to hear about your 'mess'.

[Generic Username]

Yikes! Hopefully that's just plain dirt and not the toxic stuff.

A neighbor has complained that where the specks of dirt were on some of her garden plants, the leaves have been bleached white.

So I'm sure it's *fine.*

[Lars_J]

Yikes! Hopefully that's just plain dirt and not the toxic stuff.

A neighbor has complained that where the specks of dirt were on some of her garden plants, the leaves have been bleached white.

So I'm sure it's *fine.*

Umm 

[robertross]

Yikes! Hopefully that's just plain dirt and not the toxic stuff.

A neighbor has complained that where the specks of dirt were on some of her garden plants, the leaves have been bleached white.

So I'm sure it's *fine.*

*cough cough*  *wheez wheez*

I'd be taking a vacation at this point...in fact, a day 'prior' to launch.

Part of the EPA issues with solids.

Political reality never equalled common sense. They do need to replace these solids with all-liquid boosters....

...some day.

[Generic Username]

They do need to replace these solids with all-liquid boosters....

Indeed so. But for a first stage booster, you kinda need the propellant to be dense-ish, to help reduce the size of the vehicle, so hydrogen is right out. And kerosene, methane, propane and the like are known producers of the evil, evil carbon dioxide, so those are out. So, clearly we are left with a booster fueled with hydrazine and fluorine.

It'll be *fine,* don't worry.

[Generic Username]

*cough cough*  *wheez wheez*

Actually, directly related to *that* point, was this earlier ATK escapade:

http://up-ship.com/blog/?p=2514

[robertross]

They do need to replace these solids with all-liquid boosters....

Indeed so. But for a first stage booster, you kinda need the propellant to be dense-ish, to help reduce the size of the vehicle, so hydrogen is right out. And kerosene, methane, propane and the like are known producers of the evil, evil carbon dioxide, so those are out. So, clearly we are left with a booster fueled with hydrazine and fluorine.

It'll be *fine,* don't worry.

Not the thread for it, but I would say that hydrocarbons are not out. They are still the best bet when weighing the pros & cons (technically, not politically...for now).