HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (January 30, 2009)– Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. (TBE) announced that the company will ship the Ares I-X Roll Control System Module (RoCSM) to the Kennedy Space Center today. The RoCSM, manufactured under contract to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, is the first major piece of hardware manufactured in Huntsville for Ares I-X.
The System plays a critical role during the Ares I-X mission by performing a 90-degree roll after the vehicle clears the launch tower, preventing roll during flight and maintaining the orientation of the rocket until separation of the Upper and First Stages.
“Teledyne Brown is proud to continue its heritage as a manufacturer of space flight hardware for NASA,” said Rex D. Geveden, president, Teledyne Brown Engineering. “The Roll Control System is an excellent example of our ability to take a concept, create a design, reengineer and manufacture a product.”
The RoCS, which is part of the Upper Stage Simulator, is made up of two modules and four thrusters. The thrusters and tanks were harvested by NASA from decommissioned Peacekeeper missiles to reduce development time and minimize cost in of the flight test.
Teledyne Brown modified and tested the Peacekeeper thrusters for use on Ares I-X test flight. NASA, TBE and Rocketdyne worked together to characterize the thrusters and expand their performance. The Ares I-X roll control mission requires the thruster to provide short duration pulses to maintain the rocket’s orientation. In addition, TBE modified the thrusters’ valves to better operate in an orientation that was different from Peacekeeper.
The RoCS will return to earth and splash down as a part of the Upper Stage Simulator and will not be recovered. The Ares I-X mission is currently scheduled to launch in Summer 2009.
About Teledyne Brown Engineering
Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. is the Engineered Systems segment of Teledyne Technologies, Incorporated. The company provides full engineering lifecycle solutions to the Department of Defense, NASA, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Defense and commercial companies. Teledyne Brown’s one-stop engineering and fabrication capabilities include expertise in systems engineering, system integration, technology development, hardware design, prototype development, system test and evaluation, advanced manufacturing, logistics services, operations and maintenance. The company is headquartered in the nation’s second largest research park in Huntsville, AL and has offices nationwide. More information about Teledyne Brown Engineering may be found at www.tbe.com.
About Teledyne Technologies Incorporated
Teledyne Brown Engineering is a wholly owned subsidiary of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE: TDY), headquartered in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Teledyne Technologies is a leading provider of sophisticated electronic subsystems, instrumentation and communication products, engineered systems, aerospace engines, and energy and power generation systems. Teledyne Technologies’ operations are primarily located in the United States, the United Kingdom and Mexico. For more information, visit Teledyne Technologies’ website at www.teledyne.com.
