13 Facts About Ares I

Ares I was the crew launch vehicle that was being developed by NASA as part of the Constellation program.

The name "Ares I" refers to the Greek deity Ares I, who is identified with the Roman god Mars.

Ares I was to complement the larger, uncrewed Ares V, which was the cargo launch vehicle for Constellation.

However, the Constellation program, including Ares I, was cancelled by U S president Barack Obama in October 2010 with the passage of his 2010 NASA authorization bill.

Exploration Systems Architecture Study concluded that the cost and safety of the Ares I was superior to that of either of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle .

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Ares I was the crew launch component of the Constellation program.

Ares I rocket was specifically being designed to launch the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle.

Ares I might have delivered some resources to orbit, including supplies for the International Space Station or subsequent delivery to the planned lunar base.

The upper stage of Ares I was to have been built at the same rocket factory used for the Space Shuttle's External Tank and the Saturn V's S-IC first stage.

In January 2008, NASA Watch revealed that the first stage solid rocket of the Ares I could have created high vibrations during the first few minutes of ascent.

Ares I igniter was an advanced version of the flight-proven igniter used on the Space Shuttle's solid rocket boosters.

However, later financial analysis in March 2010 showed that the Ares I would have cost $1 billion or more to operate per flight had the Ares I flown just once a year.

Ares I had a payload capability in the 25-tonne class and was comparable to vehicles such as the Delta IV and the Atlas V The NASA study group that selected what would become the Ares I rated the vehicle as almost twice as safe as an Atlas or Delta IV-derived design.