TBE Ships First Major Hardware

Manufactured in Huntsville for Ares I-X

Teledyne Brown Engineering shipped the Ares I-X Roll Control System Module (RoCSM) to the Kennedy Space Center Jan. 30.  The RoCSM, manufactured under contract to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, is the first major piece of hardware manufactured in Huntsville
for Ares I-X.

The System plays a critical role during the Ares I-X mission by performing a 90-degree roll after the vehicle clears the launch tower, preventing roll during flight and maintaining the orientation of the rocket until separation of the Upper and First Stages.

“Teledyne Brown is proud to continue its heritage as a manufacturer of space flight hardware for NASA,” said TBE President Rex D. Geveden.  “The Roll Control System is an excellent example of our ability to take a concept, create a design, reengineer and manufacture a product.”

The RoCS, which is part of the Upper Stage Simulator, is made up of two modules and four thrusters.  The thrusters and tanks were harvested by NASA from decommissioned Peacekeeper missiles to reduce development time and minimize cost of the flight test.

Teledyne Brown modified and tested the Peacekeeper thrusters for use on the Ares I-X test flight.  NASA, TBE, and Rocketdyne worked together to characterize the thrusters and expand their performance.  The Ares I-X roll control mission requires the thruster to provide short-duration pulses to maintain the rocket’s orientation.  In addition, TBE modified the thrusters’ valves to better operate in an orientation that was different from Peacekeeper.

The RoCS will return to earth and splash down as a part of the Upper Stage Simulator and will not be recovered.  The Ares I-X mission is currently scheduled to launch in Summer 2009.

Click here to view additional images from the RoC Event. RoC Event photos