Ares 1 rocket vibrations to be quelled with weights and shock absorbers

William Atkins
Wednesday, 20 August 2008 05:11

Science - Space

Without the plan to dampen the vibrations, the astronauts could be exposed to upwards of five or six times the force of gravity (5 or 6 Gs) during ascent into space.

In a current NASA space shuttle flight, for instance, the astronauts experience a maximum of about 3Gs during the ascent phase of its mission.

The NASA managers sketched their two-part plan of (1) adding sixteen adjustable spring-mounted 100-to-150-pound weights (actuators) to the bottom of the Ares 1 rocket, which would then be computer-adjusted with motor-driven sensors to reduce vibrations and (2) adding a ring similar to a shock absorber at the location between the first stage and second stage of the Ares 1 rocket.

The SpaceflightNow.com article “Proposals made to solve Ares 1 rocket vibration worry” states, “NASA hopes to resolve concern about high vibrations in its new Ares 1 rocket by using a shock absorber-like passive damper between the first and second stages and a computer-controlled, motor-driven system of spring-mounted weights at the base of the booster to actively cancel out unwanted up-and-down oscillations.”

The article by the SpaceflightNow.com website provides a comprehensive look at the solution to this early problem in the Ares 1 rocket. Please read it for further information on the Ares 1 vibration problem and its NASA solution.