The SLS rocket that will send astronauts from NASA’s Artemis mission into space on their way to the Moon passed a final and successful test of propulsion known as a “hot-fire” on Thursday.
The test took place at NASA’s Stennis Space Center outside of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and began at 4:40 p.m. (Miami time). It lasted just over eight minutes.
“The SLS is the most powerful rocket NASA ever built, and during today’s test, the core stage of the rocket generated more than 1.6 million pounds of thrust in seven seconds. The SLS is an incredible feat of engineering and the only rocket capable of powering the next generation of American missions that will put the first woman and the next man on the Moon, “said Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk in a statement. .
“Today’s successful ‘hot fire’ test of the SLS core stage is an important milestone in NASA’s goal to return humans to the lunar surface and beyond.”
The SLS rocket test lasted eight minutes.
This was the eighth and final in the series of ‘Green Run’ tests designed to ensure that the rocket can launch the Artemis missions that will take the next humans to the Moon in 2024. The first mission, Artemis I, will go unmanned and is scheduled for November. These tests can help answer questions about how the rocket might perform at different stages of launch.
The rocket’s center stage systems were loaded with more than 700,000 gallons of supercool propellant and all four RS-25 rockets were fired at the same time. This simulates what the rocket will withstand during launch, although the SLS will use approximately 8.8 million pounds of thrust to lift Artemis I off the platform.
The central stage includes the four engines, the liquid hydrogen tank, the liquid oxygen tank and the avionics, computers and electronics that work together as the “brains” of the rocket that control the first eight minutes of flight, according to the agency. .
Between 18 and 20 tanker trucks filled with propellant filled six barges with liquid oxygen and hydrogen in the days leading up to the test. The barges were then towed onto the B-2 rocket carrier to fill the center stages.
This second, longer ‘hot fire’ test was deemed necessary after the first run in January ended earlier than planned. The first such test was expected to last eight minutes, but was interrupted just after one minute.
The second test lasted eight minutes and provided the teams with the data they need. Applause was heard from the control room after the order was given to turn it off after eight minutes. Nothing caused an early shutdown.
During the test, the engines experienced three different power levels, as well as movements that simulate the direction of flight, called “gimballing.”
All four engines experienced a movement called gimballing during the test.
In the weeks leading up to this trial the teams ensured that a previous liquid oxygen valve was working that had to be repaired. They also analyzed the data from the first test, including the parameters on the flight computer that finished the first test ahead of schedule. They also carried out minor repairs.
“This more extensive ‘hot fire’ test provided the vast amount of data we needed to ensure that the SLS core stage can successfully power all of the rockets in the SLS,” said John Honeycutt, SLS Program Manager at the Marshall Center in Washington. NASA Space Flights in Huntsville, Alabama, in a statement.
“During this test, the team performed new operations with the core stage for the first time, repeated some critical operations and recorded test data that will help us verify that the core stage is ready for the first and future flights of the SLS for the Artemis program. from NASA.
The Artemis program will begin with missions to the Moon and there is a plan to use the SLS rocket as an alternative to send astronauts to Mars as well.
The teams will continue to evaluate the data collected from the test. After about a month of overhauling the center stage and engines, the Pegasus barge will bring the center stage to its next home.
The SLS rocket will go to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida so it can be assembled and integrated, along with the Orion spacecraft designed for astronauts.
At Kennedy, teams have already stacked solid rocket boosters in the Vehicle Assembly Building for Artemis I.
Jurczyk noted Thursday that the Biden administration has supported NASA in its objectives and goals for the Artemis program and the agency’s Moon to Mars strategy.
Return to the moon
The first 18 astronauts for the Artemis program were selected and announced in December.
The diverse team of astronauts is comprised of Joseph Finda, Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, Matthew Dominick, Victor Glover, Warren “Woody” Hoburg, Jonny Kim, Christina Koch, Kjell Lindgren, Nicole Mann, Anne McClain, Jessica Meir, Jasmin Moghbeli, Kate Rubins, Frank Rubio, Scott Tingle, Jessica Watkins, and Stephanie Wilson.
When astronauts explore the lunar south pole, a place never before visited by humans, they will do so thanks to the legacy and science gained during the Apollo program and they will take it into a new century.
This representation shows what NASA envisions as a sustained human presence on the Moon.
Following the unmanned flight of Artemis I in November, Artemis II will execute a manned flyby of the Moon in August 2023. Artemis III will return astronauts to the Moon.
The SLS rocket will send the Orion spacecraft, astronauts and a large payload to the Moon at the same time, NASA said.
The Orion spacecraft can carry four crew members and support deep space missions, unlike previous spacecraft designed for shorter flights.
Orion will dock at the Gateway, a lunar outpost that will orbit the moon. At about 402,336 kilometers from Earth, the Gateway will allow easier access to the entire surface of the satellite and potentially deep space exploration.
The Artemis III Scientific Definition Team has identified several priorities for this groundbreaking Artemis team of astronauts. These include conducting experimental science on the moon, researching and mitigating the risks of exploration, and understanding the origin of elements at the lunar poles, such as water and other resources that could be used by astronauts.
The agency also wants to establish an Artemis base camp by the end of the decade at the lunar south pole.