Launch of the Ares I-X
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture ... of_the_ares_ix.html
On Wednesday, October 28th, NASA launched its Ares I-X prototype vehicle, the first
launch from Kennedy's pads of a vehicle other than the space shuttle since the Apollo
Program's Saturn rockets were retired. NASA's Constellation Program's 327-foot-tall
rocket produced 2.96 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and reached a speed of 100
mph in eight seconds. The two-minute sub-orbital test flight encountered a few
problems along the way, as the launch pad was slightly damaged, a planned stage
separation did not go quite according to plan, and a possible parachute failure led to
a hard splashdown for its first stage. The Constellation program is under pressure as
a recent committee report depicted it as overly expensive. The Obama administration is
set to make a decision in the next several months about the near-term direction of
U.S. Space Policy. (28 photos total)