Space Launch System – Page 12

Green Run Update: Tanking Complete for Hot Fire Test

Engineers have completed tanking for the hot fire test of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, and the countdown is proceeding normally.

The liquid hydrogen tank holds 537,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen, cooled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit. The liquid oxygen tank holds 196,000 gallons of liquid oxygen, cooled to minus 297 degrees Fahrenheit. The cryogenic fuel and oxidizer in the tanks will be replenished, or “topped off,” as needed, because some of the fuel boils off due to temperature fluctuations as the propellant is loaded. The tanks were filled during an earlier wet dress rehearsal on Dec. 20. Today is only the second time that they have been completely loaded with propellant.

Learn more about Green Run, and check back at this blog for updates on the SLS core stage hot fire test.

This infographic explains more about the Green Run tests that have already occurred before this final hot fire test.

Green Run Update: Test Team Gives “Go” To Proceed with Tanking

The test team conducted a pre-test briefing in the Test Control Center at the B test complex at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and gave a “go” to proceed with testing and to fill the propellant tanks.

Over the next several hours, the teams will monitor the systems and load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic, or supercooled, liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen that will be fed to the four RS-25 engines.

The hot fire will last up to 8 minutes and is scheduled to take place during a two-hour window that begins at 5 p.m. EST. Live coverage will begin at 4:20 p.m. EST on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Learn more about Green Run, and check back at this blog for updates on the SLS core stage hot fire test.

SLS core stage This infographic provides information on the core stage including its two large propellant tanks.

Green Run Update: Preparations for Hot Fire Test Continue on Schedule

Preparations for conducting the final Green Run test for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket are proceeding as planned, and the core stage is on schedule for a hot fire test tomorrow igniting all four of its RS-25 engines.

NASA is targeting a two-hour test window that opens at 5 p.m. EST Saturday, Jan.16, for the hot fire test at the agency’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Live coverage will begin at 4:20 p.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website, followed by a post-test briefing approximately two hours after the test concludes.

The hot fire is the eighth and final test of the Green Run series to ensure the core stage of the SLS rocket is ready to launch Artemis missions to the Moon, beginning with Artemis I. The core stage includes the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank, four RS-25 engines, and the computers, electronics, and avionics that serve as the “brains” of the rocket. During the test, engineers will power up all the core stage systems, load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic, or supercold, propellant into the tanks, and fire all four engines at the same time to simulate the stage’s operation during launch, generating 1.6 million pounds of thrust.

Learn more about Green Run, and check back at this blog for updates on the SLS core stage hot fire test.

This video explains exactly how NASA and its partners, core stage lead contractor Boeing, and RS-engines lead contractor, Aerojet Rocketdyne are bringing each part of the core stage to life for the Green Run hot fire test.

Green Run Update: Start of Avionics Power Up for Hot Fire Test

The countdown is underway for the hot fire test with the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, scheduled for Jan. 16. Engineers have initiated power up of the avionics for the Artemis I core stage.

On Saturday, Jan.16, the management team will provide approval to proceed into the test, followed by a briefing for the test team in the Test Control Center at the B test complex.

Six barges filled with liquid hydrogen and oxygen will supply the propellant to the B-2 test stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where the Green Run tests are taking place. The engines use cryogenic, or supercooled, liquid hydrogen as fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidizer to create combustion.

To fill each of the six barges, three for liquid oxygen and three for liquid hydrogen, it required 18 to 20 tanker trucks worth of propellant. The barges are towed by tug from a fuel depot at Stennis to the B-2 stand.

Learn more about Green Run, and check back at this blog for updates on the SLS core stage hot fire test.

In this video, SLS Stages Manager Julie Bassler, describes avionics and flight software testing conducted in the Systems Integration Laboratory at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to support Green Run.