Where and What: The world's largest five-segment solid rocket motor, Development Motor-2 was tested for the first time in Promontory, Utah. This rocket produced 3.6 million pounds of thrust and 22 million horsepower, but a major part of the test confirmed the ability of its redesigned joints, modified after the 1986 Challenger accident, to withstand cold space conditions. It was successfully cooled to negative 40 degrees Farenheit to simulate these colder temperatures.
When and Who: Aug. 31, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration and Alliant Techsystems test fired the five-segment motor that represents the first stage of the Ares rocket family development.
The Future: NASA and ATK plan to use DM-2 as part of the heavy-lift rocket segment of the Constellation program projected for 2015. The program consists of the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles, Orion space exploration vehicle and Altair lunar lander. The program aims to revisit the Moon and eventually land the first astronauts on Mars.
-compiled by Lani Hossain
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