spacetoday.net: Ares 1-X booster damaged by parachute failure

Posted: Sat, Oct 31, 2009, 3:05 PM ET (1905 GMT)
Ares 1-X dent in booster after splashdown (NASA/KSC)

The solid rocket booster used on the Ares 1-X test flight on Wednesday was damaged after parachutes designed to slow its descent failed, NASA officials said Friday. The booster, similar to those used for shuttle launches, was intended to splash down in the Atlantic, its descent slowed by three parachutes. However, project officials said one of the three parachutes failed to open at all, and a second only partially opened; the booster hit the water faster than planned, causing a large dent. The parachute failure is not a major problem, NASA officials said, as there were no plans to reuse the booster on any future flights. Other data collected during the launch indicated that vibrations during the two-minute powered portion of the flight were lower than planned.