NASA boosted the primary stage again Space Launch System On Saturday (Dec. 5), the penultimate “Green Run” test of the next generation of mega vehicles begins, according to agency officials.
For this “wet” exercise, the engineers at NASA Stennis Space Center In Mississippi, they planned to fuel the base stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) missile for the first time, a process that began Monday (Dec. 7) and was expected to last about 48 hours, NASA officials wrote in a blog. The refueling process began on schedule, but NASA engineers paused soon after they began to allow time for further analysis.
Prior to this rehearsal, NASA had already put the 212-foot (65 m) base stage through six green runs tests. These experiments will cumulatively verify whether or not the base stage SLS, built by Boeing, is ready or not to safely bring a crew into space as part of Artemis program. This gigantic spacecraft is designed to return humans to the surface of the Moon by 2024, with potential repercussions for human travel further distances into deep space.
Related: NASA Tests Enhanced SLS for Future Moon Missions (Video)
The primary stage passed its significant trials at the B-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, located near Bay St. It was installed there on January 22nd. In this current chapter in the eight-part test series, engineers load more than 700,000 gallons (2.6 million liters) of cryogenic or highly cryogenic fuels made of hydrogen and liquid oxygen. This makes it the first time the base stage of the SLS has been completely fueled, so engineers have been monitoring closely for signs of leaks or other issues while filling the tank.
“To test the fuel loading procedures, the engineers successfully loaded a small amount of liquid hydrogen into the base stage without any problems. Then they paused the fuel loading to review the data and adjust the procedures before loading an additional propellant,” NASA officials wrote Monday (Dec. 7). ) In a blog post.
“Operations are ongoing, and the team will improve procedures and resume rehearsal testing in the coming days. The core stage has performed well, and there are no problems with the stage or the B-2 test bench or other facilities at Stennis.”
Green Run Test Update: The #NASASLS base stage has run as part of the series’ seventh test. Engineers review data and improve procedures before rehearsal resumes. More on NASA’s #Artemis blog: https://t.co/PTaxAadPXO pic.twitter.com/a2D8no6IWXDecember 8, 2020
The base stage is designed to provide More than 2 million pounds from paymentNASA will use this special base stage to help launch Artemis 1, the first test flight of NASA’s Artemis program that will send an unmanned Orion capsule on a journey around the moon. Artemis 1 is currently scheduled to launch in late 2021.
“To prepare for the launch of Artemis, the engineers will also put the stage through scenarios they may encounter on the platform before takeoff … This provides an opportunity to monitor how the stage will respond if the countdown is paused during the next fire test or the future launch of Artemis” In a previous blog post.
NASA officials wrote, just like the calculated launch protocol, all propellants will be discharged from the core tanks after this test.
If the data confirms that everything went well during this rehearsal, the team will go ahead with plans for the last event in the series, the hot fire test.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include new details about the results of the first fuel tests of NASA’s primary rocket for the Artemis 1 Space Launch System.
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