Constellation debate deleting Ares tests to beat 2015

The Constellation Acceleration Study Team are evaluating 160 “brainstorming ideas” in an attempt to reduce the current gap between shuttle and Ares/Orion by up to 18 months. However, such a process would come at a cost, with widescale deletions to Ares I testing and a major deferral to the development of the Lunar Orion. In response to budgetary pressures and the effort to move up the first flights of Ares/Orion, Constellation planners are considering changes to the Ares I test schedule, including the deletion of certain upper stage tests.

Five upper stage tests and their related hardware are currently being considered for deletion. These “development test articles” are designed primarily to validate design assumptions during development and increase the likelihood of a smooth flight qualification program later on.The advantages to eliminating some of the tests are to reduce costly paperwork, keep CDR (Critical Design Review) on pace for 2010, and keep specifications on track to gain margin.

However, it would mean items such as the Main Propulsion Test Article (MPTA) - a key Ares test item - would miss a large amount of its original test schedule, adding strain to the Ares I-Y test flight, which would lack pre-flight testing as a result.

As the budget for FY08 and FY09 is coming in at lower than requested levels, planners are trying to defer non critical costs to after the retirement of the shuttle. This would be two-fold, with Constellation concentrating on the ISS version of Orion, deferring work on the Lunar Orion to a later date.

The goal is to relieve stress on the critical software development cycles and the availability of high bays and other MAF (Michoud Assembly Facility) facilities. The plan is in direct competition with the assessment in extending the shuttle program past 2010 - which is currently at the White paper stage with NASA HQ - should NASA managers decide to add flights to a manifest that is already naturally filling 2010 due to the delay to STS-125. The conflict would relate to additional production of External Tanks.

Extending the shuttle program has widescale support, but importantly lacks willingness from high level managers at NASA HQ and MSFC (Marshall Space Flight Center) who are tied to an Ares I program that is struggling to keep to budget and schedule due to technical issues - as listed in the official NASA documentation.

So, to counter the shuttle option of extending its manifest to reduce the five-six year gap, Constellation have set about creating their own options to move the schedule to the left.