Ares I-X Modal Testing Complete; Flight Test Prep Continues
September 1, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS
NASA issued an Ares I-X flight test status report on Aug. 31, reporting that the rocket's modal testing is complete.
Other flight test preparation activities cited by NASA for the week of Aug. 24 were:
- A series of sensors strategically located throughout the Ares I-X stack will measure the amount and direction of movement, as electro-mechanical shakers impose random loads to determine the rocket segment's first several bending modes.
- Completion of flight instrumentation development testing.
Achievements set for the week of Aug. 31 include:
- Launch team simulation from the firing room.
- First vehicle power-up.
Installation of the rocket's vehicle stabilization system is upcoming, said NASA.
The agency also reported that modifications at launch pad 39B continue. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for Oct. 31 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
More information about the Ares I-X flight test and NASA's new spacecraft, Ares and Orion, may be found on the NASA Constellation web page.
Source: NASA.