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Aerial video provides view of Ares 1-X parachute trouble
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Posted: November 2, 2009


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NASA released spectacular footage Monday from an aircraft stationed near the landing site of the Ares 1-X first stage booster, showing remarkable views of liftoff, the botched parachute deployment and splashdown.

 



Credit: NASA
 
Spaceflight Now Plus subscribers can watch the entire six-minute clip, plus dozens of videos of the processing and dramatic launch of the Ares 1-X rocket last Wednesday.

The aerial video was taken by a gyro-stabilized high-definition camera mounted on the outside of a Cessna Skymaster airplane circling near the projected point of splashdown.

The Skymaster was about 10 nautical miles from the vehicle and flying at approximately 12,000 feet, according to NASA.

The video captures the bulk of the flight, from a few moments after the Ares 1-X test rocket blasted off through splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean nearly 150 miles east of Cape Canaveral.

The imagery clearly shows the launcher's staging event and tracks the spent booster as it tumbles back into the lower atmosphere, trailing smoke from its motor nozzle.

Engineers will be particularly interested in analyzing the parachute deployment sequence. The video shows the first stage's pilot and drogue stabilizing chutes unfurl as designed, but two of the rocket's three main parachutes succumb to some sort of failure as they deploy.


The first stage descends under main parachutes. Credit: NASA
 
All three chutes initially release as designed, but one breaks free and begins trailing the rocket like a streamer. Officials say suspension lines may have snapped and caused the failure.


The first main parachute fails. Credit: NASA
 
Moments later, as the parachutes transition to their fully deployed state, another chute partially deflates for unknown reasons.

If you are a Spaceflight Now Plus subscriber, you can watch the unbelievable footage here.


The second main parachute encounters problems. Credit: NASA
 
The 150-foot-wide chutes are slightly larger and made of a different material than the parachutes on the space shuttle's solid rocket boosters.

The Freedom Star recovery ship was nearby to retrieve the Ares 1-X first stage. Divers discovered buckling along the booster casing and a partially opened joint between segments of the rocket. The damage was caused when the vehicle crashed into the ocean and slapped down into the water instead of landing vertically.


Under one-and-a-half parachutes, the Ares 1-X first stage splashes into the Atlantic Ocean. Credit: NASA
 
Engineers have removed high speed video cameras and the data recorder from the rocket since its arrival back at Cape Canaveral. The on-board imagery could provide further insight into the parachute anomaly.

Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: SPECTACULAR AERIAL FOOTAGE OF ARES 1-X LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: FRIDAY'S UPDATE WITH ARES 1-X MISSION MANAGER PLAY
VIDEO: THE FIRST STAGE ROCKET IS TOWED INTO PORT PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: ARES 1-X LAUNCHES ON FLIGHT TEST PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ONBOARD VIDEO CAMERA 1 PLAY
VIDEO: ONBOARD VIDEO CAMERA 2 PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED OVERVIEW OF ARES 1-X FLIGHT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: INSIGHTS INTO THE PARACHUTE SYSTEM PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAYS: PAD PERIMETER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAYS: BEACH TRACKER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAYS: PRESS SITE CAMERA 1 PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAYS: PRESS SITE CAMERA 2 PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAYS: PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAYS: POWERFUL UCS-23 TRACKER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAYS: FROM ATLAS 5'S COMPLEX 41 PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAYS: CAMERA IN FRONT OF PAD 39B PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAYS: FROM PAD 39A WITH ATLANTIS PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAYS: VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: LAUNCH REPLAYS: VIP SITE AT BANANA CREEK PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: NARRATED REVIEW OF LAUNCH CAMPAIGN PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF THE FIRST COUNT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: WORKERS STRUGGLE TO REMOVE PROBE COVER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: INTERVIEW WITH ATK BOSS PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: MONDAY'S PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: SUNDAY'S COUNTDOWN STATUS AND WEATHER BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: NASA LEADERS CLEAR ARES 1-X FOR FLIGHT PLAY
VIDEO: ANIMATION OF THE ARES 1-X TEST FLIGHT PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: DAZZLING AERIAL VIEWS OF ARES 1-X PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ARES 1-X BATHED IN LIGHT AT NIGHT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: SUNSET AT PAD 39B LAST THURSDAY PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ROTATING SERVICE STRUCTURE MOVED PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE OF GANTRY MOVING AWAY FOR TEST PLAY

VIDEO: ROLLOUT IN FAST-FORWARD PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TIME-LAPSE OF PAD ARRIVAL PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: PAD'S STABILIZATION ARMS GRAB THE ROCKET PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ARES 1-X ARRIVES AT LAUNCH PAD 39B PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ROLLOUT FROM ASSEMBLY BUILDING PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE INSIDE ARES 1-X? PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: A LITTLE PUSHING AND SHOVING IN THE VAB PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ARES 1-X ROCKET ASSEMBLY IN FAST-FORWARD PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: FULLY ASSEMBLED ARES 1-X POWERED UP PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: TOPPING ARES 1-X WITH MOCK ORION CAPSULE PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ADDING SUPER STACK TO THE ARES 1-X ROCKET PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ASSEMBLING THE UPPER STAGE SIMULATOR PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: FORWARD SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER SEGMENT PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: WORKERS ADD NEXT SECTION OF THE ROCKET PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: FIRST SEGMENT PLACED ON MOBILE LAUNCHER PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: PREPS FOR STACKING THE ARES 1-X ROCKET PLAY | HI-DEF

VIDEO: TWO LAUNCH CONTROL CENTERS WILL BE USED PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: FAMED CONTROL ROOM HANDED TO ARES ROCKETS PLAY
VIDEO: VEHICLE STABILIZATION ARMS INSTALLED PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: ASTRONAUT WALKWAY REMOVED FROM PAD 39B PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: BEANIE CAP REMOVED FROM LAUNCH PAD 39B PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: PAD 39B'S OLD LIGHTNING MAST REMOVED PLAY | HI-DEF
VIDEO: PAD 39B'S NEW LIGHTNING TOWERS COMPLETED PLAY | HI-DEF
MORE: ARES 1-X VIDEO COVERAGE
HDTV: HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO COVERAGE
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