Ares 1-X Launch

STS 129 on Pad A

Ares 1-X from Pad A

Future of Constellation Program Uncertain

With uncanny timing, the future of the Constellation Program will be affected this week when the Augustine Commission releases its final report -only five days before the scheduled launch of the Ares 1-X. The commission was formed to look at human space flight and current plans, needs, and funding. The preliminary report was not favorable towards the effectiveness of the Ares 1 vehicle.

Ares 1-X Climbs Ramp at Pad B

Ares 1-X Arrives at Complex 39's Pad B

The Ares 1-X is pictured above just about to begin its climb up the ramp to Pad B just as the sun is beginning its climb above the Atlantic Ocean.

Upside Down Rocket

The Ares 1 rocket is unique in the fleet of manned space vehicles because it consists of a single, solid rocket first stage and a liquid fueled upper stage. The Ares 1-X has an inert second stage to simulate the shape and weight of the operational version. The pairing of the solid 1st stage and liquid upper stage makes the rocket smaller on the bottom and larger on the top. -a unique look for a manned vehicle.

View of Ares 1-X and Crawler-transporter

Almost as Tall as a Saturn V!

It was extremely impressive to watch the Ares 1-X pass by on the crawler-way within a few dozen yards. At 327 feet, the Ares 1-X is nearly as tall as the Saturn V Rocket which was a mere 38 feet longer.

Ares 1-X Rolls Out!

The Ares 1-X rocket, the first test in a new generation of rockets intended to replace the Space Shuttle and eventually return us to the Moon and on to Mars, was rolled out of the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) around 1:39 am this morning, October 20, 2009. It was a truly spectacular sight and worth waiting up for its debut.

The Ares 1-X rollout has been postponed for a day due to a small nitrogen leak, so I am staying in Tallahassee for an extra day. I went photographing in southern Georgia with Todd Bertolaet, professor of Photography at FAMU. Here is a photo of him using his 6 X 24 cm view camera.

This is sunset over the St. Marks river Friday night when I arrived.

I stopped to photograph this titan missile near a Krystal restaurant in GA.

Crazy Bus, Crazy Women

While I was getting gas in Vieanna, GA, these women were dancing on their bus!?

Atlanta

I made it to Atlanta late Thursday night. The next morning, I visited VTA, a high-end video post-production facility where my friend Bob Castro is a video editor. Here is a photo of Bob in Edit Suite 3, his office. Bob is working on a video documentary of my Abandoned in Place project.

Here is one of Bob's co-workers in the color correcting suite where he is real-time color correcting film being digitized through a Tele-Cine machine.

The Trip Begins

Well, I am heading to Florida on Thursday to begin documenting the rollout and launch of the new Ares 1-X Rocket from the Kennedy Space Center's 39B launch pad. I am a photographer who has been documenting historic space launch facilities around the United States for over 20 years. You can view some of these images at my website, RolandMiller.com .

There has not been a new "manned" (pardon the sexist reference) space launch vehicle launched since the first Space Shuttle mission in 1981. This launch is an unmanned test of the first stage of the rocket -a single, modified Space Shuttle solid rocket booster with five segments instead of the shuttle version's four configuration. In the Ares I-X, the fifth segment is inert. The payload is referred to as "shape and weight" relative to the actual capsule and vehicle.

I'll be blogging the work I do and the experiences I have on this excursion.