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This is the Constellation

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Quarterly Report for June 2009.

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Constellation is America's

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new space program which

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will take crews to the

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International Space

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Station, return humans to

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the Moon and even extend

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human presence beyond.

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NASA centers around the

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country are working

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together to design, test

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and manufacture hardware

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for this new era in human

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space exploration.

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The Constellation program

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has reached a major

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turning point as it

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prepares to conduct its

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first test flights.

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The rocket that will launch the

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crew into orbit is called

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Ares I.

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The vehicle is composed of a

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five- segment solid rocket

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booster for a lower stageà and a

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liquid fuel rocket for an upper

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stage.

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The first test article of

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the Ares I is called

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Ares I-X.

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This major developmental

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test flight of <i>full-scale</i>

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hardware brings together

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the talents of several

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NASA centers.

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Sections of Ares 1-X were

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manufactured at the Glenn

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Research Center in Cleveland,

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Ohio and the Langley Research

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Center in Hampton, Virginia.

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At the Kennedy Space

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Center in Florida, rocket

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parts arrive by rail

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and by air.

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In Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly

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Building, workers carefully

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stack the giant components as

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the test vehicle takes shape.

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The Ares 1-X test flight

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is a sub-orbital flight

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and will have no crew.

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It will ignite a

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four-segment solid rocket

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booster with a mockup

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sitting in for what would

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normally be a fifth solid

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rocket segment.

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The upper stage and crew

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vehicle are also mockups,

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carefully weighted to

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simulate a fully- fueled,

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manned Ares I mission.

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Loaded with 700 sensors,

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the Ares 1-X test flight

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will validate computer

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modeling methods.

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Engineers will get

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valuable data on liftoff,

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stage separation,

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aero-acoustic loads,

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thrust oscillation and

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other flight dynamics.

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In preparation for Ares I-X,

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NASA transferred Launch Pad 39B

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from the Space Shuttle Program

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to the Constellation Program.

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Pad B originally was built for

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the Saturn V rockets that

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launched the Apollo capsules to

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the moon.

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It was later adapted to

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support Skylab and space

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shuttle operations.

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Now the Kennedy ground

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operations team will finish

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modifying pad B for the

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Ares I-X launch, ushering in

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a new generation of

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spaceflight hardware.

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Surrounding that launch

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pad is a highly

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sophisticated Lightning

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Protection System.

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Each of three new

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lightning towers reach 500

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feet into the air, with an

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additional 100-foot

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fiberglass mast atop.

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This improved lightning

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protection system allows

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for the taller height of

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the Ares I rocket compared

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to the space

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shuttle.

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The Crew Exploration Vehicle for

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Constellation is called Orion.

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Orion borrows its shape and

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aerodynamic performance

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from Apollo.

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However, the new spacecraft is

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greater in size than Apollo,

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featuring updated computers,

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life support, electronics, heat

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protection and other systems.

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At the NASA Michoud

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Assembly Facility in New

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Orleans, Louisiana,

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construction has begun on

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the Orion crew module

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Ground Test Article, with

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Lockheed Martin's first

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friction stir weld process

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on Orion hardware.

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When completed, the full-sized,

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flight-like

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module will be tested in a

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variety of ground based

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simulations, designed to

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recreate the Orion flight

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environment.

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The structure will

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then undergo mechanical

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assembly, integration and

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testing in New Orleans and

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Denver, Colorado.

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The Orion spacecraft will

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have to endure extreme

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temperatures; traveling

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from the Earth, to Low

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Earth Orbit, to the Moon

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and back again.

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The blistering return

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through Earth's atmosphere

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can produce temperatures

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roughly five-thousand

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degrees Fahrenheit.

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NASA studied several

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materials for Orion's

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Thermal Protection System,

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or heat shield, which will

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protect the craft during

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that reentry process.

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That research led to the

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choice of a material called

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Avcoat which has

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a proven history with the

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Apollo and Space Shuttle

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programs.

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After reentering Earth's

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atmosphere, Orion will splash

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down in the water, where the

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spacecraft and its crew will be

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recovered.

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to rehearse this scenario.

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a full size replica of

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the Orion spacecraft has been

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tested for its performance in

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open water

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near the Kennedy Space Center

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in Florida,

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A collaborative effort between

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NASA and the Department of

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Defense, the test is called the

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Post-landing Orion Recovery

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Tests, or PORT.

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PORT not only reveals to

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engineers how the spacecraft

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will behave under these

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conditions, but also gives

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recovery teams their first

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experience working with Orion.

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In addition, NASA will have a

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better understanding of the

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motions astronauts will

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experience within the craft.

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Other water based tests

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took place in Maryland,

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where a smaller Orion

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mockup was placed in more

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controlled water

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conditions for further

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gathering of data.

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is the Launch Abort

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System, designed to pull the

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crew to safety in the event of

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an emergency on the launch pad,

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or in the early stage of the

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climb to orbit.

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Preparations are in full

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swing for the first test

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of the multi-faceted

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Launch Abort System.

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Called Pad Abort 1, the

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test will include the

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firing of the Abort Motor,

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which pulls the Orion

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spacecraft from danger, an

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Attitude Control Motor

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which provides directional

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control, and a Jettison

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Motor that separates the

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system from the crew

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module.

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Components of the Launch

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Abort System have already

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been tested individually,

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but the full flight test

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will help gather

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information about how the

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newly-developed system

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works together in a real

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flight situation.

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The Abort Motor, Jettison Motor

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and other important components

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for Pad Abort 1

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have already arrived at

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the White Sands

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Missile Range near Las Cruces,

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New Mexico

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where NASA has

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completed work on a 92-acre

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launch complex.

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Included in the

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construction is a Gantry

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Steel structure which

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serves as a combined

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launch pad and simulated

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launch vehicle.

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The Gantry stands one

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hundred and thirty feet

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tall and will be used in

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future test flights for

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the Constellation

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program.

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Other tests this quarter

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include a parachute test

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for the Ares I first stage.

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Managed by the

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Marshall Space Flight Center

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in Huntsville, Alabamaà

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and taking place at

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the U.S. Army's Yuma

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Proving Grounds in Yuma,

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Arizona,

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the test featured the

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largest rocket parachutes

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ever manufactured.

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The three main parachutes

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measure one-hundred-fifty

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feet in diameter and weigh

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two-thousand pounds each.

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They are designed to

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slow the descent of

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the huge Ares I solid rocket

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motor and provide

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a soft landing

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in the ocean,

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allowing crews to recover

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and recycle the stage

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for a later launch.

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Constellation is engaging

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the talents of engineers,

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scientists, and

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manufacturers across the

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country, with every NASA

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center involved with its

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development.

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From wind tunnel testing,

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to computer modeling,

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to parachute testing,

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to rocket firings,

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to manufacturing

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Constellation is trailblazing

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relationships between NASA

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centers and

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commercial industry.

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The hardware is moving

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from the factory floor to

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the launch pad