Ares I -X Development Flight Test (Logo Sticker)
Washington DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, c2008. Presumed First Edition, First printing this. Single sticker sheet, printed on both sides, peal line is about at the diameter line. The format is a circle with a 4 inch diameter. Sticker seam at the back is at the mid-point. Rare surviving copy. One side is a version of the ARES logo (originally designed by Star Trek artist Michael Okuda), with 10 stars and a rocket ascending, but no image of Earth in the background. The other side has the following text: NASA's Ares I-X Flight Test Vehicle NASA's first flight test of the full rocket for the agency's next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle systems is launching in 2009. The flight test, called Ares I-X, will bring NASA one step closer to its exploration goals--to return to the moon for more ambitious exploration of the lunar surface ad to travel to Mars and destinations beyond." Then two links to on-line resources. Ares I-X was the first-stage prototype and design concept demonstrator of Ares I, a launch system for human spaceflight developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Ares I-X was successfully launched on October 28, 2009. The Ares I-X vehicle used in the test flight was similar in shape, mass, and size to the planned configuration of later Ares I vehicles, but had largely dissimilar internal hardware consisting of only one powered stage. By flying the vehicle through first-stage separation, the test flight also verified the performance and dynamics of the Ares I solid rocket booster in a "single stick" arrangement, which is different from the solid rocket booster's then-current “double-booster” configuration alongside the external tank on the space shuttle. Ares I was the crew launch vehicle that was being developed by NASA as part of the Constellation program. The name "Ares" refers to the Greek deity Ares, who is identified with the Roman god Mars. Ares I was originally known as the "Crew Launch Vehicle" (CLV). NASA planned to use Ares I to launch Orion, the spacecraft intended for NASA human spaceflight missions after the Space Shuttle was retired in 2011. Ares I was to complement the larger, uncrewed Ares V, which was the cargo launch vehicle for Constellation. NASA selected the Ares designs for their anticipated overall safety, reliability and cost-effectiveness. However, the Constellation program, including Ares I, was canceled by U.S. president Barack Obama in October 2010 with the passage of his 2010 NASA authorization bill. In September 2011, NASA detailed the Space Launch System as its new vehicle for human exploration beyond Earth's orbit. Unlike the Space Shuttle, where both crew and cargo were launched simultaneously on the same rocket, the plans for Project Constellation outlined having two separate launch vehicles, the Ares I and the Ares V, for crew and cargo, respectively. Having two separate launch vehicles allows for more specialized designs for the crew and heavy cargo launch rockets. The Ares I rocket was specifically being designed to launch the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. Orion was intended as a crew capsule, similar in design to the Apollo program capsule, to transport astronauts to the International Space Station, the Moon, and eventually Mars. Ares I might have also delivered some (limited) resources to orbit, including supplies for the International Space Station or subsequent delivery to the planned lunar base. NASA selected Alliant Techsystems, the builder of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters, as the prime contractor for the Ares I first stage. NASA announced that Rocketdyne would be the main subcontractor for the J-2X rocket engine on July 16, 2007. NASA selected Boeing to provide and install the avionics for the Ares I rocket on December 12, 2007. On August 28, 2007, NASA awarded the Ares I Upper Stage manufacturing contract to Boeing. The upper stage of Ares I was to have been built at Michoud Aerospace Factory, which was used for the Space Shuttle's External Tank and the Saturn V's S-IC first stage. The Ares V (formerly known as the Cargo Launch Vehicle or CaLV) was the planned cargo launch component of the canceled NASA Constellation program, which was to have replaced the Space Shuttle after its retirement in 2011. Ares V was also planned to carry supplies for a human presence on Mars. The Ares V was to launch the Earth Departure Stage and Altair lunar lander for NASA's return to the Moon, which was planned for 2019. It would also have served as the principal launcher for missions beyond the Earth-Moon system, including the program's ultimate goal, a crewed mission to Mars. The uncrewed Ares V would complement the smaller and human-rated Ares I rocket for the launching of the 4–6 person Orion spacecraft. Both rockets, deemed safer than the then-current Space Shuttle, would have employed technologies developed for the Apollo program, the Shuttle program, and the Delta IV EELV program. Condition: Very good.
Keywords: NASA, Crew Launch Vehicle, Cargo Launch Vehicle, Constellation Program, Logo, Sticker, CLV, CaLV, Astronauts, Rocket, Marshall Space Flight Center
[Book #88971]
Price: $75.00