Hot-fire test of the new Space Launch System

[Jason]

Anybody else looking at the live feed from NASA in testing the new SLS rocket engines? For those that don't know, some background:

The test is a step in the Artemis project to set up an active presence on the moon as a stepping stone to the trip to Mars. This spacecraft can hold astronauts but the launch later this year will be unmanned.

It'll go to the moon, circle for it a few weeks and return the crew return pod safely to the Pacific issue. Eventually, they'll set it up a station to circle the moon called Gateway (kind of like the ISS) which craft can go to and exit from to do research on the moon. The Artemis project lander will be connected to Gateway and a craft will transfer a crew to it for their moon landing in 2024. We've had the first man on the moon, this mission will have the first woman on the moon.

The idea is to have multiple missions on the moon from different countries, doing research and looking at resource extraction for future missions and lunar bases. The moon has frozen water which can be split into hydrogen and drinking water for basic needs and hydrogen for rocket fuel.

[gmiller1977]

I saw something about this on Slashdot, I think.  I read there was a problem and it was aborted?  Is this the same launch?

Interesting stuff.  I tell my daughter about the space shuttle launches, but, she thinks it's just ancient history.  I remember being so excited about outer space and space travel when I was a kid.  Does NASA frequently show launches?  I'd love for her to be able to see something lift off live.

[Jason]

I saw something about this on Slashdot, I think.  I read there was a problem and it was aborted?  Is this the same launch?

Yeah, it was supposed to be an 8-minute test and they aborted it (or it auto-aborted, not sure which) just over a minute in. The commentator from NASA didn't seem worried. He said that from that test only they'd have terabytes of data to look over to see if there potential launch issues. But he didn't say it would delay the trip from its test-fire location near New Orleans to its 5 mi/hour trip to Cape Canaveral. I'm not kidding about the speed, they move the entire rocket on this giant tractor very slowly to the launchpad. The trip will take weeks but they won't be launching right away. They haven't set a launch date yet.

Interesting stuff.  I tell my daughter about the space shuttle launches, but, she thinks it's just ancient history.  I remember being so excited about outer space and space travel when I was a kid.  Does NASA frequently show launches?  I'd love for her to be able to see something liftoff live.

Yep, they do. Space-X shows its launches, too. I used to have that reaction when I told young people about the fall of the Berlin wall and how big of a deal it was. They don't understand what the world was like then although many of them love 80s music (or at least used to). I remember growing up that I believed I might not make it to being an adult because of nuclear weapons and the Cold War. Turns out that, as scary as it was, the Cold War probably brought more safety to the world than what we have now.

[gmiller1977]

The launch platform for the space shuttled moved at speeds like that.  I wonder if they are the platform?

Is there a schedule that you know of that shows launches vs tests?  Like I said, I'd love to show this to my daughter.

[ssfc72]

Here is a Link to the video and commentary by Scott Manley ( he does all kinds of space related topics).  The video is 11 minutes in length. :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG8Wv8-4xFM

The comments at the bottom of the screen are kind of funny. :-)

[Jason]

The launch platform for the space shuttled moved at speeds like that.  I wonder if they are the platform?

It looks like the same platform but I don't know if it is. The mind boggles at the size. World's biggest tractor, no doubt!

Is there a schedule that you know of that shows launches vs tests?  Like I said, I'd love to show this to my daughter.

No, I don't. I've only started reading more about it in the last month or so. I recently joined the Planetary Society. I imagine if you got their newsletter, they would tell you not about Artemis I but upcoming launches. There are a lot of missions both ongoing and coming up around the world. SpaceX is already launching manned missions but just to the ISS. You could check their website, too.

[Jason]

That was an informative and entertaining video, Bill. And I agree about the comments. More burns in those than the commentator.

[Jason]

An update:

One of the critical activities that must happen before either another hot fire test or launch is drying and refurbishment of the engines. That activity is underway. NASA is continuing to inspect the core stage and its RS-25 engines on the B-2 test stand, and initial inspections indicate the hardware is in excellent condition.

Hardware inspection and data assessment will continue and will inform NASAââ,¬â,,¢s decision on whether to conduct a second Green Run test or proceed with shipping the core stage to Kennedy for integration with other SLS hardware in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

So there might not be another live test before transportation to the launch site. It depends on the data, which amazingly, is several TERAbytes in size!