NASA TV has released a remarkable video of the Oct. 28 Ares I-X test flight.
This video was shot using a special gyro-stabilized, high-definition camera system mounted on a Cessna Skymaster “chase plane.” This aircraft was cruising at 12,000 feet altitude and was about 10 miles from the launch pad at liftoff.
The six-minute film catches up with the Ares I-X a few moments after it has left the pad and follows the flight in amazing detail, right through the splashdown of the spent solid-rocket booster stage into the Atlantic Ocean. It includes a close look at the parachute malfunction that caused the booster to smack into the water much harder than expected, resulting in heavy damage.
November 6th, 2009
Chase plane video shows entire Ares I-X test flight Cleveland Live
October 1st, 2008
Presidential candidates promising NASA the moon and Mars Cleveland Live
With the fortunes of Cleveland’s NASA Glenn Research Center now heavily tied to President Bush’s plan to send astronauts to the moon and Mars, the upcoming election has the center’s employees and supporters watching for hints of the direction either candidate might take the nation’s space program. So far, both Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama have staked out positions that sound hopeful for the once-faltering Glenn center, and for the overall American space effort. In unusual detail for a presidential campaign, each candidate has pledged support for the moon- Mars exploration goal. Obama and McCain have promised, in principle, to provide the billions it will take to build new spacecraft, establish a permanent moon base, and propel astronauts to the rusty, intriguing surface of Mars.