AbstractWhen NASA's Ares V cargo launch vehicle (Fig. 1) begins flying late next decade, its capabilities will significantly exceed the 1960s-era Saturn V. It will send more crew and cargo to more places on the lunar surface than Apollo and provide ongoing support to a permanent lunar outpost that will open the Moon to greater exploration, science and adventure than ever before. Moreover, it will restore the United States’ heavy-lift capability, which can support human and robotic exploration for decades to come. Ares V remains in a pre-design analysis cycle stage pending a planned Authority to Proceed (ATP) in late 2010. Ares V benefits from the decision to draw from heritage hardware and its commonality with the Ares I crew launch vehicle, which completed its preliminary design review (PDR) in September 2008. Most of the work on Ares V to date has been focused on refining the vehicle design through a variety of internal studies. This paper will provide background information on the Ares V evolution, emphasizing the vehicle configuration as it exists today.


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    Title :

    Update on the Ares V to support heavy lift for U.S. space exploration policy


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Acta Astronautica ; 66 , 7-8 ; 1133-1145


    Publication date :

    2009-10-05


    Size :

    13 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English


    Keywords :