William Atkins
Tuesday, 12 August 2008 20:06
Science -
Space
Page 2 of 3
The one-year delay will allow NASA to adjust its budget, schedule and technical performance milestones to ensure the first manned flight of the Ares I rocket and the Orion space capsule occurs in March 2015.
NASA associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Rick Gilbrech stated,
"Since the program's inception, NASA has been working an aggressive plan to achieve flight capability before our March 2015 target. We are still confident the Constellation Program will make its first flight to the International Space Station on or before that date. Our new path forward better aligns our project schedules with our existing funds to ensure we can address the unplanned challenges that always arise when developing a complex flight system." [NASA news release: “
NASA to Realign Constellation Program Milestones”]
NASA is currently winding down its program officially called the Space Transportation System (STS), but commonly called the space shuttle fleet. Its three remaining space shuttles Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour will be retired in 2010 after they complete its assembly missions to complete the International Space Station and its mission to service and repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
Project Constellation is the successor manned space program to the Space Shuttle. Constellation consists of the Ares I and Ares V rockets, the Orion crew exploration vehicle, and the Altair lunar lander.
Read more about NASA’s new manned space program at “
NASA Project Constellation.”
The new September 2014 date is still six months before the March 2015 commitment date set earlier by the U.S. Congress. Even though one year was added to the development of the program, the U.S. space agency is still looking to launch its first crewed Orion space capsule earlier than that September 2014 date.
According to the NASA news release,
“NASA will retire the space shuttles in 2010 and had established a goal of achieving flight capability for the Constellation Program before 2015 to narrow the gap in America's human spaceflight capability. As such, NASA aligned Constellation contracts and internal milestones against a date much earlier than March 2015 to incentivize an earlier flight capability.”
It continues,
“As part of an annual budget process that evaluates the program's budget, schedule and technical performance milestones, NASA will be working with its contractors to discuss how program plans and internal milestones should be adjusted -- a process that will take several months and require contract modifications and associated milestone realignments. Such adjustments are not unusual for a complex development program as work matures and schedules and resources are aligned.”
NASA deputy associate administrator for exploration Doug Cook stated,
"We are adhering to our commitment date of March 2015 for initial operating capability.” [Space.com]
Page three talks about NASA's safety panel, and its comments on NASA's new Project Constellation.
