NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

A-3 Test Stand Reaches New Heights

A-3 Test Stand under construction at Stennis Space Center. Image Credit: NASA/SSC

Steel is rising from the foundation of the new A-3 Test Stand under construction at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi. Workers with Lafayette Steel Erector Inc. are expected to erect more than 4 million pounds of fabricated steel at the site by April 2009. The new A-3 Test Stand will be able to simulate altitudes of up to 100,000 feet and will be used to test the J-2X rocket, which will be used to help power the new Ares I and Ares V rockets.

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Ares I and Ares V. Image Credit: NASA

NASA's Ares rockets, named for the Greek god associated with Mars, will return humans to the moon and later take them to Mars and other destinations.

Future astronauts will ride to orbit on Ares I, which uses a single five-segment solid rocket booster, a derivative of the space shuttle's solid rocket booster, for the first stage. A liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen J-2X engine derived from the J-2 engine used on Apollo's second stage will power the crew exploration vehicle's second stage. The Ares I can lift more than 55,000 pounds to low Earth orbit.

Planning and early design are under way for hardware, propulsion systems and associated technologies for NASA's Ares V cargo launch vehicle -- the "heavy lifter" of America’s next-generation space fleet. Ares V will serve as NASA's primary vessel for safe, reliable delivery of large-scale hardware to space -- from the lunar landing craft and materials for establishing a moon base, to food, fresh water and other staples needed to extend a human presence beyond Earth orbit.

> More on Ares I
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> More on Ares V