www.nasa.gov

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Ares ProjectJoel Best / EO10November 6, 2006

Ares I System Requirements Review (SRR)Operational Concepts Overview

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Lunar Sortie Crew DRM

Ascent Stage Expended

ED

S, L

SA

M

CE

V

Earth Departure Stage Expended

LSAM Performs LOI100 km Low Lunar Orbit

Vehicles are not to scale.

Low Earth Orbit

Service Module Expended

MOONMOON

EARTHEARTH

Direct Entry or Skip Landing

Ascent Stage Expended

ED

S, L

SA

M

CE

V

Earth Departure Stage Expended

LSAM Performs LOI100 km Low Lunar Orbit

Vehicles are not to scale.

Low Earth Orbit

Service Module Expended

MOONMOON

EARTHEARTH

Direct Entry or Skip Landing

MSFC Ares I Ops Con Flow

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Step OneLand to Land

Large machines called crawlers move the vehicle to the launch pad.The crawlers “are 131 feet long and 113 feet wide, with a flat upper deck measuring 90 feet square—about the size of a baseball diamond—that serves as the carrying surface. They move on four double-tracked tread belts, similar to those on a military tank. Each contains 57 "shoes" weighing more than a ton apiece.” The crawler’s surface is kept level at all times by using 16 jacking, equalizing, and leveling hydraulic cylinders.

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Step TwoLand to Air

Once in place, the vehicle is ready for launch. Upon liftoff, the vehicle is lifted out of the earth’s atmosphere and into earth’s orbit.

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Step ThreeAir to Space (earth’s orbit)

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Step FourSpace (earth’s orbit) to Space (lunar orbit)

Ascent Stage Expended

ED

S, L

SA

M

CE

V

Earth Departure Stage Expended

LSAM Performs LOI100 km Low Lunar Orbit

Vehicles are not to scale.

Low Earth Orbit

Service Module Expended

MOONMOON

EARTHEARTH

Direct Entry or Skip Landing

Ascent Stage Expended

ED

S, L

SA

M

CE

V

Earth Departure Stage Expended

LSAM Performs LOI100 km Low Lunar Orbit

Vehicles are not to scale.

Low Earth Orbit

Service Module Expended

MOONMOON

EARTHEARTH

Direct Entry or Skip Landing

Once in earth’s orbit, the Ares I and Ares V will rendezvous and will perform a translunar injection burn which will push the vehicle into moon’s orbit.

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Step FiveSpace (lunar orbit) to Land (lunar surface)

Once in moon’s orbit, the crew will travel to the moon’s surface using the lunar lander vehicle.

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Step SixLand (lunar surface) to Space (lunar orbit)

The lunar lander will then propel the crew back to the moon’s orbit to dock with the crew capsule.

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Step SevenSpace to Air

The Orion capsule will return to earth’s orbit and land back on earth.

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Step EightAir to Land/Water (recovery)