NASA and Boeing engineers have added cryogenic propellants to the central stage of the space launch system (SLS), achieving an important milestone in the development of this advanced rocket.
These are seven below, one to finish.
NASA is in the midst of testing SLS Green Run, a series of tests to prepare the rocket for a long-awaited real launch. The latest test, conducted Sunday at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, was dubbed the “wet test,” in which engineers loaded more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants into rocket tanks. The propellant was then controlled and drained, “returning the stage to a safe state.” seconds to a NASA statement.
With this seventh Green Run test completed, NASA can now look forward to the eighth and final test, in which all four RS-25 engines will be launched for more than eight minutes. This test will set the stage for certification and the beginnings of the Artemis era. NASA expects to launch SLS, unmanned, in November 2021.
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The 212-foot-tall SLS rocket, with its huge four-engine core, is an integral component of the Artemis program. The current plan to send astronauts to the lunar surface in 2024 could be altered if the SLS program is not delivered on time.
The propellant for SLS consists of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Together, this propellant serves as a fuel and as an oxidizing agent needed to burn fuel. The chemicals are cooled to very low temperatures to keep the propellant in a compact liquid form. Six barges delivered the necessary propellant for the test, a feat possible thanks to a network of waterways in the region. Provisioning was done as the rocket section of the SLS core stabilized at the facility’s B-2 test bench.
NASA and Boeing engineers carefully monitored all central phase systems during the test. A preliminary look at the data suggests that “the phase worked well during the process of refueling and refueling,” according to NASA.
But the test was not perfect. The plan was to simulate a real countdown with propellant in the core, but the test ended abruptly when the clock reached T-33 seconds, for reasons not yet known. The “basic phase and the B-2 test bench are in excellent condition and do not appear to be a problem with the hardware,” NASA explained, adding that “the team is evaluating the data to identify the exact cause of early closure “.
Despite this apparent problem, NASA will move on with the eighth Green Run test, which should be much more exciting than propellant loading. In fact, we want to see how this monster shoots everything, even if it has to stay on the ground. At least for now.