Alliant Techsystems ATK Test Fires Rocket Motor

Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) successfully test fired NASA's reusable solid motor, designed to carry humans to space. The four part rocket is called Ares I. It will one day be used to launch Orion I, the successor to the Space Shuttle. The test was conducted in Promontory, Utah.

Telemetry was impressive, with 32 objectives being measured by 200 channels of instrumentation. The rocket, or Reusable Solid Rocket Motor, reached 2.6 million pounds of thrust, which equals the thrust generated by twelve, large commercial airliners at full power. The rocket made its burn for about two minutes, which is about the length of time that the Space Shuttle solid rocket boosters fire during an actual launch.

One goal of this test was to examine the sound generated by the rocket as it burns. The sound might have effects on other parts of the launch vehicle. Over 25 microphones were placed at strategic spots near the motor to measure and record sound waves. The results of the sound tests will assist engineers in designing a suitable structure to launch Ares I safely.

This is one small step towards NASA's overall goal, the Constellation Program, which will develop Ares I, which will launch humans into space, and Aries V, which will not be manned. The vehicles will bear no resemblance to the Space Shuttle, but hearken back to the earlier days of the space program, using the more simple, but modernized, rocket design. The program will continue to support the International Space Station, and perhaps make missions to the moon or Mars possible.

"We are continuing our testing efforts for the Shuttle program as well as aiding in the development of the Ares launch vehicles," said Ron Dittemore, president, ATK Launch Systems. "This is a good example of how NASA is leveraging its expertise and workforce to prepare for future space flight programs."

An important goal of the test was to examine how the rocket performs using one and only one Hydraulic Power Unit to operate the thrust vector control. In other words, to simulate the failure of one element to test the backup systems. Usually, the rocket uses two HPUs, creating reserve power for the TVC actuators.

Americans are familiar with the O-ring problems that caused the first Shuttle disaster. This test was was also designed to examine how weather affects the rocket, and how the age of the rocket affects its safety. Current rockets used on the Shuttle have a life of five years. The four segment rocket tested this week is more than six years old and was subjected to environmental conditions in the State of Florida for a substantial time period. Engineers for Alliant Techsystems and NASA will have more data to examine on how weather affects the components of the rocket, making the final product more safe.

ATK Conducts Test Firing of the Space Shuttle's Reusable Solid Rocket Motor, ATK Media Center