March 2, 2009

Ashley Edwards/Grey Hautaluoma Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1756/0668 ashley edwards-1@nasa gov, grey hautaluoma-1@nasa gov

June Malone Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala 256-544-0034 june e malone@nasa gov

RELEASE: 09-045

NASA SUCCESSFULLY TESTS PARACHUTE FOR ARES ROCKET

HUNTSVILLE, Ala -- NASA and industry engineers successfully completed the second drop test of a drogue parachute for the Ares I rocket The test took place Feb 28 at the U S Army's Yuma Proving Ground near Yuma, Ariz

The Ares I, the first launch vehicle in NASA's Constellation Program, will send explorers to the International Space Station, the moon and beyond in coming decades The drogue parachute is a vital element of the rocket's deceleration system; it is designed to slow the rapid descent of the spent first-stage motor that will be jettisoned by the Ares I during its climb to space The parachute will permit recovery of the reusable first-stage motor for use on future Ares I flights The first-stage solid rocket motor will power the Ares I rocket for the first two minutes of launch

This was the seventh in an ongoing series of flight tests supporting development of the Ares I parachute recovery system, which includes a pilot chute, drogue and three main parachutes Researchers dropped the 68-foot-diameter drogue parachute and its 50,000-pound load, which simulates the rocket's spent first-stage motor, from a U S Air Force C-17 aircraft flying at an altitude of 25,000 feet The parachute and all test hardware functioned properly and landed safely

The parachutes being developed for the Ares I recovery system are similar to those used for the four-segment space shuttle boosters, but they have been redesigned to accommodate new requirements of the Ares I first stage The Ares I will have a five-segment solid rocket booster that will move faster and fall from a higher altitude than the shuttle boosters

Engineers from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala , manage the team that conducted the test ATK Launch Systems near Promontory, Utah, is the prime contractor for the first stage booster ATK's subcontractor, United Space Alliance of Houston, is responsible for design, development and testing of the parachutes at its facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida

NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston manages the Constellation Program, which includes the Ares I rocket, the Ares V heavy-lift launch vehicle, the Orion crew spacecraft and the Altair lunar lander Marshall manages the Ares Projects The U S Army's Yuma Proving Ground provides the test range, support facilities and equipment to NASA for parachute testing

When video from the test becomes available, it will air on NASA Television's Video File For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit:

http://www nasa gov/ntv

For information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit:

http://www nasa gov/constellation

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