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PROMONTORY -
After a lot of anticipation, the crowd cheered as the Ares-I rocket was successfully tested here. The ground shook and the hillside lit up as the rocket was fired. A huge cloud of smoke filled the sky above the community. About 2,000 people gathered here to watch the test. "It's humbling to consider the kind of power we unleashed," said Charlie Precourt, a vice-president of ATK.
Last month's test was abruptly scrubbed with only 20 seconds to go on the countdown clock. Thousands had gathered in anticipation, only to leave disappointed and ATK executives scrambling to find out what went wrong.
The problem was traced to a circuit board built in 1977. Essentially, ATK officials said, the circuit board thought there was a problem with the thrust vector control system. The safety system scrubbed the test, when there really wasn't a problem.
"This is the first time we've had a shut down due to this module," said NASA's Pat Lampton. "When you go in and look at these parts, they look brand new. But they have degraded over time."
ATK said it is looking at upgrading some of its systems because of the problem. This re-test of the Ares I rocket was delayed for two weeks so authorities could make sure that the problem wasn't tied to the existing space shuttle. The circuit board is only used in testing and would not have been a factor in an actual shuttle launch.
The test comes at a time when the space program is being reviewed under President Barack Obama's administration. During his term, President George W. Bush had sought to have man return to the moon or beyond by 2020. The Ares I rocket was meant to get astronauts there.
But a panel of experts is putting scrutiny on the space program and the future of the Ares program is up in the air. A recent report put out by the panel suggested a number of options for Ares' future, including abandoning the Ares I in favor of the Ares V.
ATK officials did not let the potential for bad news affect them, or Thursday's test.
"In the midst of all the discussions about Ares I and Ares V, this kind of demonstrates the fact that the motor, leveraging all the history it's designed, developed, five years before the first flight in 2015," said Mike Kahn, a vice-president of ATK.
After the test, ATK executives shook hands and cheered, as did a large crowd around them. The company has a $2 billion contract with NASA for the design and testing of the Ares I rocket. Each test costs approximately $75 million. The next rocket will be cast in the coming weeks, said Precourt.
At the scene of the test, the sand barriers that had been set up had been melted to glass. Amazingly, a rattlesnake was buried under the stand and slithered away, apparently unharmed.
For those that came to watch the test, they left impressed.
"It was just amazing!" screamed Joan Hellstrom. "Absolutely amazing!"
Check out these hot photo galleries from FOX 13!
Last month's test was abruptly scrubbed with only 20 seconds to go on the countdown clock. Thousands had gathered in anticipation, only to leave disappointed and ATK executives scrambling to find out what went wrong.
The problem was traced to a circuit board built in 1977. Essentially, ATK officials said, the circuit board thought there was a problem with the thrust vector control system. The safety system scrubbed the test, when there really wasn't a problem.
"This is the first time we've had a shut down due to this module," said NASA's Pat Lampton. "When you go in and look at these parts, they look brand new. But they have degraded over time."
ATK said it is looking at upgrading some of its systems because of the problem. This re-test of the Ares I rocket was delayed for two weeks so authorities could make sure that the problem wasn't tied to the existing space shuttle. The circuit board is only used in testing and would not have been a factor in an actual shuttle launch.
The test comes at a time when the space program is being reviewed under President Barack Obama's administration. During his term, President George W. Bush had sought to have man return to the moon or beyond by 2020. The Ares I rocket was meant to get astronauts there.
But a panel of experts is putting scrutiny on the space program and the future of the Ares program is up in the air. A recent report put out by the panel suggested a number of options for Ares' future, including abandoning the Ares I in favor of the Ares V.
ATK officials did not let the potential for bad news affect them, or Thursday's test.
"In the midst of all the discussions about Ares I and Ares V, this kind of demonstrates the fact that the motor, leveraging all the history it's designed, developed, five years before the first flight in 2015," said Mike Kahn, a vice-president of ATK.
After the test, ATK executives shook hands and cheered, as did a large crowd around them. The company has a $2 billion contract with NASA for the design and testing of the Ares I rocket. Each test costs approximately $75 million. The next rocket will be cast in the coming weeks, said Precourt.
At the scene of the test, the sand barriers that had been set up had been melted to glass. Amazingly, a rattlesnake was buried under the stand and slithered away, apparently unharmed.
For those that came to watch the test, they left impressed.
"It was just amazing!" screamed Joan Hellstrom. "Absolutely amazing!"
Check out these hot photo galleries from FOX 13!
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