Some things in life just have to be done right. There is no other way. Space shuttles are one of them. A second is the rocket that takes the space shuttle out of the Earth’s atmosphere and into Orbit. Both of these things entertain little scope for error; a single incorrectly produce part or incorrectly designed component will most likely lead to the death of the precious human cargo which it carries. Not a nice thought at all.
It is good to hear, then, that NASA are putting a lot of effort into making sure the Ares rocket is ‘done right. They have just finished the preliminary test of the design: 1,100 specialists have poured over the designs to try and pick up every flaw, every miscalculation and every error before the parts are manufactured, and certainly before anything tries to get airborne.
But this exhaustive testing of the Ares design is really just the start. The Constellation project (of which the Ares rocket is an integral part) is due to launch in 2015. The testing is due to continue right up until the day of launch. This will give the team the best chance of discovering any fatal flaws in the design or manufacture of the Ares components