[ad_1]
The main stage of NASA’s giant lunar space launch system (SLS) rocket is in good condition despite being prematurely shut down in a crucial test last weekend, agency officials said.
The four-engine SLS core came to life on Saturday, Jan. 16 during a hot fire test at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The engines were supposed to burn for 485 seconds – the length of time they would fire during a lunar mission – but would shut off after just 67 seconds.
After analyzing the data from the test, NASA determined that the problem was not with the engines or other hardware, which remain “in excellent condition,” agency officials wrote in an update today. (January 19). Rather, shutdown “was triggered by test parameters which were intentionally conservative to ensure the safety of the center stage during the test”.
Video: How NASA’s megarocket SLS engine test works
These parameters related to the hydraulics of the engine – in particular, the system designed to rotate or rotate each engine during flight. On Saturday, the pre-set parameters for the Engine 2 system were exceeded, and the main stage flight computers ended the test automatically, NASA officials wrote in the update. If this same problem occurs during an actual flight, the SLS will be able to go through it, they added.
The kernel also generated a “major component failure” (MCF) reading during Saturday’s test. This reading, which took place approximately 1.5 seconds after the engines were started, did not contribute to the shutdown and may be an issue with the 4 engine instrumentation, NASA officials said.
The SLS team will continue to investigate MCF reading. Team members will also delve into reports of a flash of light observed near the engines upon shutdown, although sensor data and visual inspection of the area did not reveal anything abnormal. until now.
The SLS is vital to NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole in 2024 and establish a permanent human presence on and around the moon by the end of the decade. The core that was tested on Saturday will launch the Artemis 1 mission, an unmanned test flight of the agency’s Orion capsule around the moon.
Artemis 1 is currently scheduled to take off at the end of 2021 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It is not yet clear how the events of Saturday affect this proposed schedule; The SLS team is evaluating whether a second hot-shot test at Stennis is necessary, NASA officials wrote in the update.
Mike Wall is the author of “Over there“(Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book on the search for extraterrestrial life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
[ad_2]
Source link