NASA And ATK Full-Scale Solid Rocket Motor Test Set For Sept. 8

[NASA News <hqnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Aug. 24, 2011

Michael Braukus/J.D. Harrington 
Headquarters, Washington      
202-358-1979/5241 
michael.j.braukus@xxxxxxxx/j.d.harrington@xxxxxxxx 

Daniel Kanigan 
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 
256-544-0034 
daniel.n.kanigan@xxxxxxxx   


MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-177

NASA AND ATK FULL-SCALE SOLID ROCKET MOTOR TEST SET FOR SEPT. 8

WASHINGTON -- NASA and Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) will conduct a 
full-scale test of a five-segment, solid rocket motor at the ATK 
Aerospace Systems test facility in Promontory, Utah, at 4:05 p.m. 
EDT, Thursday, Sept. 8. 

To attend the test, journalists must register with ATK. For 
information and to request credentials, contact ATK's Trina Patterson 
at 801-699-0943 or trina.patterson@xxxxxxx. The registration deadline 
for U.S. reporters is Sept. 2. The deadline for foreign journalists 
is Aug. 26. 

The static firing of the five-segment solid rocket motor, designated 
Development Motor-3 (DM-3), will last approximately two minutes. DM-3 
is the third in a series of development motors and the most heavily 
instrumented solid rocket motor in NASA history, with a total of 37 
test objectives measured through more than 970 instruments. 

The DM-3 incorporates several performance-based improvements to the 
designs of the first two development motors. Additionally, the core 
of DM-3 will be heated to 90 degrees Fahrenheit for this 
full-duration firing to verify the motor's performance at high 
temperatures. 

This test will continue to advance understanding of five-segment solid 
rocket motor performance and specifically assess performance at the 
highest end of the motor's accepted temperature range. Through 
development testing, the solid rocket motor will be certified to fly 
at ambient temperatures ranging from 40 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The DM-3 test will follow wind constraint requirements different than 
past development motors. Two days before the test, ATK's public 
relations will notify registered media of a go/no-go decision. If 
no-go, the test will slip to the next day. Notification of a decision 
to proceed will be made via email, website www.atk.com/dm3 and social 
media (Facebook and Twitter). 

The solid rocket motor is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight 
Center in Huntsville, Ala. ATK Space Systems is the prime contractor. 


For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit: 


http://www.nasa.gov   

	
-end-



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