NASA is targeting the last test in the Green Run series, the hot fire, for as early as January 17, 2021. The hot fire is the conclusion of the Green Run test series, an eight-part test project that slowly brings the core phase of the Space Launch System (SLS) — the deep area rocket that will power the company’s next-generation human Moon objectives — to life for the very first time.
NASA carried out the seventh test of the SLS core phase Green Run test series – the damp gown wedding rehearsal – on December 20, 2020, at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi and marked the very first time cryogenic, or very cold, liquid propellant was totally filled into, and drained pipes from, the SLS core phase’s 2 tremendous tanks.
The damp gown wedding rehearsal supplied structural and ecological information, validated the phase’s cryogenic storage abilities, showed software application with the phase’s flight computer systems and avionics, and carried out practical checks of all the phase’s systems.
The end of the test was immediately stopped a couple of minutes early due to timing on a valve closure. Subsequent analysis of the information identified the valve’s forecasted closure was off by a split second, and the hardware, software application, and phase controller all carried out effectively to stop the test.
The group has actually remedied the timing and is all set to continue with the last test of the Green Run series.
Fully packing the propellant and finding no leakages is a significant turning point for the Green Run test series. An overall of 114 tanker trucks provided propellant to 6 propellant barges beside the B-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The barges provide more than 733,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to the core phase for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket as part of the seventh test in the Green Run test series. The damp gown wedding rehearsal test marks the very first time propellant is filled and drained pipes from the propellant tanks of the phase that will assist power Artemis I. Six propellant barges send out fuel through an unique feed system and lines in the test stand to the rocket phase. Credit: NASA
“During our wet dress rehearsal Green Run test, the core stage, the stage controller, and the Green Run software all performed flawlessly, and there were no leaks when the tanks were fully loaded and replenished for approximately two hours,” stated Julie Bassler, SLS Stages supervisor at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “Data from all the tests to date has given us the confidence to proceed with the hot fire.”
The upcoming hot fire test will fire all 4 of the phase’s RS-25 engines concurrently for approximately 8 minutes to mimic the core phase’s efficiency throughout launch. After the shooting at Stennis, the core phase for SLS will be reconditioned and delivered on the company’s Pegasus barge to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The phase will then be put together with the other parts of the rocket and NASA’s Orion spacecraft in preparation for Artemis I, the very first incorporated flight of SLS and Orion and the very first objective of the company’s Artemis program.
“The next few days are critical in preparing the Artemis I rocket stage, the B-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, and the test team for the finale of the Green Run test series,” stated Barry Robinson, task supervisor for SLS core phase Green Run screening at Stennis. “The upcoming Green Run hot fire test is the culmination of a lot of hard work by this team as we approach a key milestone event for NASA’s Artemis missions.”
NASA is evaluating the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s 212-foot high core phase- the highest rocket phase the company has actually ever constructed- with a Green Run test on Earth prior to launch day. The core phase style will be utilized for all setups of the SLS rocket, and the series of 8 tests will validate the phase is all set for the very first and future Artemis lunar objectives. Credit: NASA
Testing the SLS rocket’s core phase is a combined effort for NASA and its market partners. Boeing is the prime professional for the core phase and Aerojet Rocketdyne is the lead professional for the RS-25 engines. Prior tests in the Green Run test series assessed the phase’s avionics systems, propulsion systems, and hydraulic systems.
NASA is working to land the very first lady and the next male on the Moon by 2024. SLS, and Orion, together with the human landing system and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, are NASA’s foundation for deep area expedition. SLS is the only rocket that can send out Orion, astronauts, and materials to the Moon on a single objective.
