Ares Connect

Some things in life just have to be done right. There is no other way. Space shuttles are one of them. A second is the rocket that takes the space shuttle out of the Earth’s atmosphere and into Orbit. Both of these things entertain little scope for error; a single incorrectly produce part or incorrectly designed component will most likely lead to the death of the precious human cargo which it carries. Not a nice thought at all.

It is good to hear, then, that NASA are putting a lot of effort into making sure the Ares rocket is ‘done right. They have just finished the preliminary test of the design: 1,100 specialists have poured over the designs to try and pick up every flaw, every miscalculation and every error before the parts are manufactured, and certainly before anything tries to get airborne.

But this exhaustive testing of the Ares design is really just the start. The Constellation project (of which the Ares rocket is an integral part) is due to launch in 2015. The testing is due to continue right up until the day of launch. This will give the team the best chance of discovering any fatal flaws in the design or manufacture of the Ares components

Ares is in the news a lot recently. In the spring of 2008 it was the introduction of Ares Vista , a new version of the Ares filesharing program that was created to solve the problems users of windows vista were having.

Now, Ares is in the news as the new rocket that NASA is testing that will be replacing the shuttle for the trip back to the moon and beyond to Mars.A space rocket is essentially a large bomb, and those in the shuttle attached to it must pray constantly that the designers have got their bomb design just right. This is the situation faced by the brave astronauts that will be flying in the Orbit shuttle attached to the Ares rocket. This combination forms part of the Constellation program, and launch is hoped to be in 2015 (last month it was 2013, but there have been some issues).Getting the design right is one of NASA’s main priorities and it takes a huge amount of time. Ares initial designs have undergone – and passed – initial testing by the 1,100 strong team of specialists at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Far from being the final word on the safety of the Ares rocket, these initial runs are just the starting point for what is an almost endless series of iterative changes.The nature of the Ares rocket means that it is largely untested before it shoots off into the cold, dark space carrying its precious cargo. These tests are lengthy, tiresome and very, very expensive. The lives that depend on it, though, will be hoping and praying that no stone is left unturned.