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Alliant Techsystems (ATK) conducted a successful test firing of NASA's reusable solid rocket motor in the Utah desert today. About 1,200 children got a first-hand look.
The children lined up in the viewing area at Promontory. Student George Steenkolk said, "With the shuttle going out of commission, it's going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
Most of the children were from northern Utah, and some were from Idaho. While they waited with bated breath for the big moment, the media got an up-close look at the rocket.
It's nine to 10 stories high, 12 feet in diameter, and generated the equivalent of 15 million horsepower throughout the duration of the test, which lasted approximately two minutes. It emits a 5,600-degree Fahrenheit thrust.
Doug White, ATK's vice president of test and research, said, "It's so hot, most of this sand will turn to glass."
White explained what engineers were looking for. "The first and most important thing is to make sure it works as well now as when we made it seven years ago," he said.
It's not only the world's largest solid rocket motor, it's the oldest. NASA used some of the parts on the first shuttle mission back in April 1981.
Can the re-used rocket power the new Ares spacecraft? ATK engineers will wait to see what the data shows. A total of 55 test objectives collected through 385 instrument channels were conducted as part of this test.
When the test was complete, the students were impressed. Erin Martin said, "It was a lot more than I thought it would be. It was a lot louder. There was a lot of smoke."
George Steenkolk says he liked "feeling the rumble. (It was) so bright you couldn't even look directly at it. (It was) really cool."
Cool and educational, said science teacher Julie Fahlsing. "It gets them excited. Then when they come to class, the more excited they are to learn, especially when you can apply something in real life," she said.
The rocket may soon be applied to the future of space exploration. The space shuttle is scheduled to retire in 2010. Ares I could begin space travel as soon as 2014.
"This test will aid in the development of Ares I and help provide a smooth transition as the shuttle program comes to an end and efforts on Ares I development ramp up even more," said Mike Kahn, executive vice president and general manager of ATK Launch Systems.
One test objective designed specifically for the Ares I program was the collection of acoustic measurements close to the motor. During the last two static fires of a shuttle solid rocket motor at ATK, acoustic measurements were taken using microphones. For today's test, microphones were placed strategically in areas either to validate previous data or to fill in the blanks where information had not been collected.
The data collected from this test will help NASA determine the requirements needed for the development of the launch pad for Ares I.
E-mail: gkennedy@ksl.com