The test took place in NASA’s Stennis Space Center outside Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, took place and began at 4:40 p.m. ET. The test lasted just over eight minutes.
“The SLS is the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built, and during today’s test, the nuclear phase of the rocket produced more than 1.6 million pounds of thrust in seven seconds. which could drive America’s next generation missions that will put the first woman and the next man on the moon, ‘Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said in a statement.
“Today’s successful nuclear test of the SLS is a major milestone in NASA’s goal of bringing humans back to the lunar surface – and beyond.”
It was the eighth and final in the Green Run series of tests designed to ensure that the rocket could launch Artemis missions that would land the first woman and the next man on the moon in 2024. The first mission, the unmanned Artemis I, is scheduled. for November. These tests can help answer questions about how the rocket can perform at different stages of launch.
The rocket’s core stage systems were loaded with more than 700,000 liters of super-cold propellant and the four RS-25 rockets were fired at the same time. It simulates what the rocket will endure during launch, though SLS will use about 8.8 million pounds of thrust to lift Artemis I off the road.
Between 18 and 20 tankers full of propellant filled six barrels full of liquid oxygen and hydrogen in the days before the test. The trucks were then towed to the B-2 rocket stand to fill the core phases.
The second test lasted eight minutes and provided the teams with the necessary data. Applause could be heard from the control room after they were instructed to shut it down after eight minutes. Nothing caused an early strike.
During the test, the engines experienced three different levels of power, as well as movements that simulate flight steering, called gimballing.
In the weeks before the test, teams made sure that a liquid oxygen front valve that needed to be repaired was working. They also analyzed data from the first test, including the parameters on the flight computer that ended the first test earlier than planned. And they did small repairs.
“This longer firefighting test provided the wealth of data we needed to ensure that the SLS core stage could successfully propel each SLS rocket,” said John Honeycutt, SLS program manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, said in a statement. .
‘During this test, the team performed new operations with the core phase for the first time, repeated some critical operations and recorded test data that will help us verify that the core phase is ready for the first and future SLS flights for the Artemis NASA program. “
The Artemis program begins missions to the moon with a plan to rely on the SLS rocket as a way to send astronauts to Mars as well.
Teams will continue to evaluate the data collected during the test. After about a month of refurbishing the core stage and engines, the Pegasus ax will bring the core stage to its next home.
The SLS rocket will be sent to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida so that it can be assembled and integrated, along with the Orion spacecraft designed for the astronauts.
At Kennedy, teams have already piled up the sturdy rocket amplifiers in Artemis I in the Vehicle Meeting Building.
Jurczyk said Thursday that the Biden government supports NASA and its goals and objectives for the agency’s Artemis program and the Moon to Mars strategy.
Return to the moon
The first 18 astronauts of the Artemis program were selected and announced in December.
The diverse team of astronauts includes Joseph Acaba, 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, which has never been visited by humans, they will build on the legacy and science acquired during the Apollo program, and bring it into a new century.
After the unmanned flight of Artemis I in November, Artemis II is a crew of the moon in August 2023. Artemis III will bring astronauts back to the moon.
The SLS rocket will send Orion, astronauts and large cargo to the moon at the same time, NASA said.
The Orion spacecraft can carry four crew members and support deep space missions, unlike previous vessels designed for short flights.
The Artemis III Science Definition Team has identified several priorities for this pioneering team of Artemis astronauts. This includes conducting experimental science on the moon, investigating and reducing the risks of exploration, and understanding the origin of the elements at the lunar poles – such as water and other resources that can be used by astronauts.
The agency also wants to set up an Artemis base camp on the lunar south pole by the end of the decade.