.jpg) Artist's impression of an Ares V during SRB separation |
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| Function | Cargo Launch Vehicle (unmanned) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | TBD (stage I) TBD (stage II) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Height | 116 m (380 ft) or 109 m (360 ft) |
| Diameter | 10 m (33 ft) or 8.4 m (28 ft) |
| Stages | 2 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | 188,000 kg (410,000 lb) or 148,300 kg (327,000 lb) |
| Payload to TLI |
71,100 kg (157,000 lb) or 60,600 kg (134,000 lb) |
| Launch history | |
| Status | In Development |
| Launch sites | Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A |
| Total launches | 0 |
| Maiden flight | Scheduled for 2018 |
| Boosters (Stage 0) - 5- or 5.5-segment Shuttle-derived SRB | |
| No boosters | 2 |
| Engines | 1 solid |
| Thrust | TBC |
| Burn time | TBC |
| Fuel | APCP (solid) |
| First stage | |
| Engines | 5 or 6 RS-68B[1] or 5 SSME |
| Thrust | TBC |
| Burn time | TBC |
| Fuel | LH2/LOX |
| Second stage - Earth Departure Stage | |
| Engines | 1 or 2 J-2X |
| Thrust | |
| Burn time | |
| Fuel | LH2/LOX |
The Ares V (formerly known as the Cargo Launch Vehicle or CaLV) is the cargo launch component of the upcoming Constellation program, which will replace the Space Shuttle after its retirement in 2010. Initially, the Ares V will launch the Earth Departure Stage and Altair lunar lander when NASA returns to the Moon, which is currently planned for 2019, but will also serve as the principal launcher for missions beyond the Earth-Moon system, including the program's ultimate goal, a manned mission to Mars after 2030.[2] The unmanned Ares V will complement the smaller, and human-rated Ares I rocket for the launching of the 4-6 person Orion spacecraft. Both rockets, deemed safer than the current Space Shuttle, will utilize technologies developed for Project Apollo, the Shuttle, and the Delta IV EELV program.[3]
The Ares V will be able to carry over 150 tonnes (414,000 lb) to Low Earth orbit (LEO), and 60 tonnes (157,000 lb) to the Moon.[1] Upon completion the Ares V will be the most powerful rocket ever built, lifting more into orbit than even the American Saturn V, the failed Soviet N-1 for the cancelled Soviet Moonshot, and the successful Soviet/Russian Energia booster developed for the Buran Shuttle.[4] The Ares V and the smaller Ares I are named after Ares, the Greek god of war, which is the equivalent to the Roman god Mars.
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Contents
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Design
The Ares V is being designed as a heavy-launch vehicle to send large hardware and materials to the Moon or send supplies beyond Earth orbit to sustain human presence there.[1] The Ares V is a three-stage rocket: the first and second stages, which burn together, utilize both solid and liquid propulsion with the upper stage providing the necessary propulsion to send the hardware and staples beyond low-Earth orbit and onto a trajectory to the Moon.
Ares V is currently under heavy preliminary design review after the results of the 2009 Augustine Commission.[5] What is consistant in the design is that, like the Space Shuttle, will utilize a pair of solid-fueled first stage rocket boosters that will burn simultaneously with the liquid-fueled second (core) stage. The solid rocket booster on Ares V will be an improved version of the current Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster, but with five or five and a half segments instead of the current four segments.[6][7][1] The liquid-fueled second stage is derived from the Space Shuttle External Tank, and will use either five or six RS-68B engines attached to the bottom of a new 10 m tank, or five SSMEs attached to the bottom of a stretched version of the Space Shuttle's 8.4 m tank.[8] In either configuration, it will be fueled by liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2).
The upper stage, derived from the S-IVB upper stage used on the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets, is known as the Earth Departure Stage (EDS). Powered by the Apollo-derived J-2X rocket engine, which will also be used on the liquid-fueled upper stage of the Ares I booster, the EDS will be used to steer the Altair lunar lander into its initial low-Earth "parking" orbit for later retrieval by the Orion spacecraft, and then will propel both the Altair and Orion to the Moon.[1] The EDS can also be used to haul large payloads into low-Earth orbit, along with placing large unmanned spacecraft onto trajectories beyond the Earth-Moon system.
The payload capacity of the Ares V system, with configurations ranging up to 188 tonnes, is far greater than that of other heavy-lift launch vehicles in use or under development worldwide, and is substantially larger than the retired American Saturn V, Soviet N-1, and Soviet/Russian Energia rockets. Besides its lunar role,[1] it can also support a manned Orion expedition to a Near-Earth asteroid, and could boost an 8 to 16-meter successor of the Hubble Space Telescope to the Sun-Earth L2 point.
Ares V's role in Constellation
Ares V will be the cargo launch component of the Constellation program. Unlike the Saturn V and Space Shuttle, where the crew and cargo were launched together on the same rocket, Project Constellation is planned to use two separate launch vehicles, the Ares I and the Ares V, for crew and cargo respectively. This allows the two launch vehicles to be optimized for their respective missions. Constellation therefore combines the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous used by Apollo with the Earth Orbit Rendezvous mode proposed by Dr. Wernher von Braun during the early years (along with the "Direct Ascent" proposal) during the early planning stage of Apollo.
Development of the rocket and its Earth departure stage will be led by the Marshall Space Flight Center. The Ames Research Center is responsible for the Ares V integrated health management system supports in developing its payload shroud. Glenn Research Center leads the development of the lunar lander ascent stage as well as Ares V power system, thrust vector control system and payload shroud. Langley Research Center has a lead role on Ares V aerodynamics.[9]
Further roles
Although the Ares V is a medium to long term project, NASA is planning to deploy its lift capability in a range of projects,[10] along the lines of the now defunct Apollo Applications Program.
One proposal is to build an 8 to 16-meter Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope[11] to be placed in the Sun/Earth L2 point. It would be a significant increase in dimension and performance over the Hubble Space Telescope and the Ares V vehicle will be able to carry this to its destination in a single shot.
Future Ares V missions could also serve as a cost-effective, mass transport of construction materials for future spacecraft and missions,[12] delivering raw materials for example to a Moon dock positioned as a counterweight[13] to a Moon elevator.[14]
Early concepts
In the 1997 book The Case for Mars, Robert Zubrin discussed a possible future heavy launch vehicle named Ares.[15] In the book the rocket would have consisted of the Space Shuttle's External Tank powered by four SSME and a second stage powered by an RL-10 engine. One notable difference in the Zubrin et al. design is the mounting location of the SSMEs, which were side-mounted on a small flyback craft. This design was meant to allow the Ares to fly using existing Space Shuttle infrastructure.
See also
- Ares I
- Ares IV
- Comparison of heavy lift launch systems
- Shuttle-Derived Launch Vehicle
- Direct Launch Vehicle
References
- ^ a b c d e f Overview: Ares V Cargo Launch Vehicle, NASA. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
- ^ Handlin, Daniel (2006-10-11). "NASA sets Orion 13 for Moon Return". NASA SpaceFlight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2006/10/nasa-sets-orion-13-for-moon-return/. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
- ^ "NASA - Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle". NASA. 29 April 2009. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/ares/aresl/index.html. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
- ^ Creech, Steve and Phil Sumrall. "Ares V: Refining a New Heavy Lift Capability". NASA.
- ^ "Bolden Directs MSFC Special Team to evaluate HLV alternatives"
- ^ "Study reveals a six RS-68 and 5.5 segment booster for Ares V". NASAspaceflight.com. 2008-06-15. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2008/06/study-reveals-a-six-rs-68-and-55-segment-booster-for-ares-v/.
- ^ "NASA Needs A Bigger Ares V". Aviation Week & Space Technology, February 27, 2008.
- ^ "Return to SSME – Ares V undergoes evaluation into potential switch". NASAspaceflight.com. 2008-06-15. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2008/12/ssme-ares-v-undergoes-evaluation-potential-switch/.
- ^ NASA Assigns Field Center Roles for Ares 5, Lunar Lander, SPACE.com
- ^ "Thinking Big About Space Telescopes". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/ares/space_telescopes.html.
- ^ "Where Will Astronomy Be In 35 Years?". Astronomy Magazine, August 2008
- ^ Please refer to Vision for Space Exploration#Outline.
- ^ Please refer to Space elevator#Counterweight.
- ^ Please refer to Space elevator#Extraterrestrial elevators.
- ^ Zubrin, Robert & Wagner, Richard. 1997. The Case for Mars. Page 61ss
External links
- NASA Ares V Cargo Launch Vehicle page
- Can we power future Mars missions?
- Inside the Ares Projects - a six-part online video series about the Ares Projects from The Futures Channel
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