GO ARES I-X!! NASA photo
The NASA Constellation program is a manned spaceflight project continuing that tradition as the Shuttle program comes to an end. The program includes two boosters, the ARES 1 and the ARES V. The ARES I will be used to get the astronauts into orbit, the ARES V is the heavy lifter to get all the equipment for assembly in orbit for the manned missions to the moon and beyond. That is space shuttle ATLANTIS in the background.
ARES-V ARES-I Nasa Photo
Here is a picture to give you the idea.
The ARES-IX booster is the first major asset to be flight tested, launch scheduled for Tuesday October 27. That was the date for the Saturn V first flight in 1961. Maybe there is something symbolic in this choice, but there is more, the White House could conceivably curtail or even cancel the whole project, depending on Obama’s expert Augustine commitee report, delivered last week. See the Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee releases its Final Report NASA press release. This report is a serious effort 18 months in preparation by a star-studded team. Ominously, the executive summary starts with these words…
The U.S. human spaceflight program appears to be on an unsustainable trajectory. It is perpetuating the perilous practice of pursuing goals that do not match allocated resources. Space operations are among the most demanding and unforgiving pursuits ever undertaken by humans. It really is rocket science. Space operations become all the more difficult when means do not match aspirations. Such is the case today.
The committee have invited comments on the Nasa website, just follow the links to FaceBook and Twitter and the rest set out on that page. If the faux rocket scientists of Wall Street can be bailed out, why not the true scientists. Please have your say.