1. www.nasa.gov National Aeronautics and Space Administration Ares Project Joel Best / EO10 November 6, 2006 Ares Project Joel Best / EO10 November 6, 2006 Ares I System Requirements Review (SRR) Operational Concepts Overview Ares I System Requirements Review (SRR) Operational Concepts Overview

2. 2 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lunar Sortie Crew DRM

3. MSFC Ares I Ops Con Flow

4. 4 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Step One Land to Land Large machines called crawlers move the vehicle to the launch pad. The crawlers “are 131 feet long and 113 feet wide, with a flat upper deck measuring 90 feet square—about the size of a baseball diamond—that serves as the carrying surface. They move on four double-tracked tread belts, similar to those on a military tank. Each contains 57 "shoes" weighing more than a ton apiece.” The crawler’s surface is kept level at all times by using 16 jacking, equalizing, and leveling hydraulic cylinders.

5. 5 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Step Two Land to Air Once in place, the vehicle is ready for launch. Upon liftoff, the vehicle is lifted out of the earth’s atmosphere and into earth’s orbit.

6. 6 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Step Three Air to Space (earth’s orbit)

7. 7 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Step Four Space (earth’s orbit) to Space (lunar orbit) Once in earth’s orbit, the Ares I and Ares V will rendezvous and will perform a translunar injection burn which will push the vehicle into moon’s orbit.

8. 8 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Step Five Space (lunar orbit) to Land (lunar surface) Once in moon’s orbit, the crew will travel to the moon’s surface using the lunar lander vehicle.

9. 9 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Step Six Land (lunar surface) to Space (lunar orbit) The lunar lander will then propel the crew back to the moon’s orbit to dock with the crew capsule.

10. 10 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Step Seven Space to Air The Orion capsule will return to earth’s orbit and land back on earth.

11. 11 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Step Eight Air to Land/Water (recovery)