NASA recently tested their new SLS Moon Rocket, which can return astronauts to the moon. It is part of their Artemis 1 mission. Their test was mostly successful, although it was cut short because of a hydrogen leak. “It was a great day,” said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, the Artemis launch director. “It was a very successful day, and we accomplished a majority of the objectives that we had not completed in the prior” tests. This will be their last test before the launch of the rocket since it will be getting repaired to get ready for the launch in September.
“NASA has reviewed the data from the rehearsal and determined the testing campaign is complete,” the agency said in a statement. The members of the team said that they felt confident about the rocket. “The team demonstrated tremendous discipline, perseverance, and fortitude,” said Mike Sarafin, the Artemis mission manager. “Artemis 1 paves the way forward to the moon and firmly establishes Orion and SLS as our transportation system for crew and cargo for the Artemis program, and yesterday put us on path for Artemis 1.”
The SLS rocket is just under 100m high, and it is attached to a support gantry known as the Mobile Launcher. This structure, which is itself 120m high and weighs 5,000 tons, was sitting atop the same mammoth tractor that used to move the Saturn Vs, and later the space shuttles.
There will be several missions in the Artemis program. The first mission in September will have no crew, and the second mission will be a crewed lunar flyby. In 2025, the third mission will finally bring NASA astronauts back to the moon’s surface after 50 years since the Apollo program.
Link to articles:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656024040979x347538458471001300/SLS%20moon%20rocket%20test%20declared%20a%20success%3B%20August%20launch%20possible%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60788761
https://www.wired.com/story/nasas-giant-sls-rocket-is-one-step-closer-to-launch/
“NASA has reviewed the data from the rehearsal and determined the testing campaign is complete,” the agency said in a statement. The members of the team said that they felt confident about the rocket. “The team demonstrated tremendous discipline, perseverance, and fortitude,” said Mike Sarafin, the Artemis mission manager. “Artemis 1 paves the way forward to the moon and firmly establishes Orion and SLS as our transportation system for crew and cargo for the Artemis program, and yesterday put us on path for Artemis 1.”
The SLS rocket is just under 100m high, and it is attached to a support gantry known as the Mobile Launcher. This structure, which is itself 120m high and weighs 5,000 tons, was sitting atop the same mammoth tractor that used to move the Saturn Vs, and later the space shuttles.
There will be several missions in the Artemis program. The first mission in September will have no crew, and the second mission will be a crewed lunar flyby. In 2025, the third mission will finally bring NASA astronauts back to the moon’s surface after 50 years since the Apollo program.
Link to articles:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656024040979x347538458471001300/SLS%20moon%20rocket%20test%20declared%20a%20success%3B%20August%20launch%20possible%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60788761
https://www.wired.com/story/nasas-giant-sls-rocket-is-one-step-closer-to-launch/
