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The test took place at NASA’s Stennis Space Center outside the Bay of St. Louis, Mississippi, and began at 4:40 p.m. ET. The test lasted just over eight minutes.
“The SLS is the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA, and in today’s test, the missile’s base stage generated over 1.6 million pounds of thrust in seven seconds. The SLS is an astonishing technical feat and the only rocket capable of operating, “America’s next generation missions that will put the first woman and the next man on the moon,” said Steve Goerchick, acting administrator of NASA, in a statement.
“Today’s hot fire test at the SLS base is an important step in NASA’s goal of bringing humans back to the surface of the Moon – and beyond.
It was the eighth and final in a series of Green Run tests designed to ensure the missile’s ability to launch the Artemis missions that will land the first woman and the next man on the moon in 2024. The first mission, the Artemis I sans pilot, is scheduled to start in November. These tests can help answer questions about the missile’s performance during the various stages of launch.
The missile’s base stage systems were loaded with more than 700,000 gallons of supercooled fuel and fired four RS-25 missiles simultaneously. This simulates what the missile will support during launch, although the SLS will use around 8.8 million pounds of thrust to lift the Artemis I off the platform.
Between 18 and 20 fuel tankers filled six barges with liquid oxygen and hydrogen in the days leading up to the test. The boats were then towed to the B-2 missile platform to fill the base floors.
The second test lasted eight minutes, providing the teams with the data they needed. Applause could be heard from the control room after being ordered to arrest him eight minutes later. Nothing led to the premature termination.
During testing, the engines encountered three different power levels as well as movements simulating the direction of flight, called gimballing.
In the weeks leading up to the test, the teams made sure that the liquid oxygen pre-valve to be repaired was working. They also analyzed data from the first test, including settings from the on-board computer which completed the first test earlier than expected. And they made minor repairs.
“This long-range test provided a wealth of data that we need to ensure that the center stage of the SLS can successfully operate every SLS missile,” John Honeycutt, director of the SLS program at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, said in a statement. .
“During this test, the team ran new operations with the base phase for the first time, repeated some critical operations and noted test data that will help us verify that the base phase is ready for them. first and future SLS flights of the NASA Artemis program. . “
The Artemis program will begin with missions to the moon with a plan to rely on the SLS rocket to send astronauts to Mars as well.
The teams will continue to evaluate the data collected from the test. Approximately a month after the base stage and engine renovation, Pegasus will move the base stage to his next home.
The SLS missile will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida so that 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 Artemis I vehicle assembly building.
Jurczyk said Thursday that the Biden administration supports NASA and its goals and objectives for the agency’s Artemis program and Moon-Mars strategy.
Back to the moon
The first 18 astronauts were selected for the Artemis program and announced in December.
The diverse team of astronauts includes Joseph Akaba, Kayla Barron, Raja Shari, Matthew Dominic, Victor Glover, Warren “Woody” Hoburg, Johnny Kim, Christina Koch, Kjell Lindgren, Nicole Mann, Ann McLean, Jessica Meir, Jasmin Mugbelly, Kate Robbins and Frank Rubio, Scott Tingle, Jessica Watkins and Stephanie Wilson.
When astronauts explore the moon’s south pole, which humans have never visited before, they will build on the heritage and science acquired during the Apollo program and bring it into a new century.
After the unmanned flight of Artemis I in November, the flight of Artemis II will be piloted by the moon in August 2023. Artemis III will bring astronauts back to the moon.
NASA said the SLS missile would send Orion, astronauts and large payloads to the moon all at once.
The Orion spacecraft can carry four crew members and support deep space missions, unlike previous vehicles designed for short flights.
The Artemis III scientific definition team has defined several priorities for this pioneering team of Artemis astronauts. This includes conducting experimental science on the moon, studying and mitigating the risks of exploration, and understanding the origin of elements at the lunar poles – such as water and other resources than astronauts. could use.
The agency also wants to establish the Artemis base camp by the end of the decade at the lunar south pole.
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