The Space Launch System, or SLS for short, is NASA’s big bet on the future of its space programs. The rocket will be used to lift off the ground the Orion capsule that will take humans to the Moon once more by the middle of the decade, and possibly even on to Mars in the not so distant future.
Presently, the space agency is hard at work trying to get the rocket in shape for the upcoming launches, the first of which is scheduled sometime in 2021. There’s one big hurdle coming up in October, one the agency calls hot fire test, and that will be a make-it or break-it type of deal for the hardware.
Until then, some smaller tests are being conducted. One of the latest ones took place earlier this month in Promontory, Utah, and consisted of a single booster being fired while sitting horizontally on the ground on a special test pad. It was spectacular, and you could literally feel the ground shake as the booster is fired up.
That’s because a single one is good for 3.5 million pounds of thrust - the “largest, most powerful boosters ever made” - and there are two of them in the SLS that, combined with four RS-25 engines and the core stage, provide a combined output of 8.8 million pounds of thrust during launch.
Almost a month after that test, we get another interesting look at what went on. The guys over at Hazegrayart decided to virtually open the booster up, so we could witness the inner workings of the tech being fired.
Truth be told, all we get to see is a tube filled with well-behaved fire, at the end of which not so well-behaved fire explodes into the surrounding desert. We’re not sure how scientifically and engineeringly-accurate the rendering is, but it sure looks great.
As a side note, Hazegrayart is also responsible for showing us a similar look at how fast fuel is burned at liftoff in a variety of rockets, ranging from the Saturn V to the SLS itself.
Until then, some smaller tests are being conducted. One of the latest ones took place earlier this month in Promontory, Utah, and consisted of a single booster being fired while sitting horizontally on the ground on a special test pad. It was spectacular, and you could literally feel the ground shake as the booster is fired up.
That’s because a single one is good for 3.5 million pounds of thrust - the “largest, most powerful boosters ever made” - and there are two of them in the SLS that, combined with four RS-25 engines and the core stage, provide a combined output of 8.8 million pounds of thrust during launch.
Almost a month after that test, we get another interesting look at what went on. The guys over at Hazegrayart decided to virtually open the booster up, so we could witness the inner workings of the tech being fired.
Truth be told, all we get to see is a tube filled with well-behaved fire, at the end of which not so well-behaved fire explodes into the surrounding desert. We’re not sure how scientifically and engineeringly-accurate the rendering is, but it sure looks great.
As a side note, Hazegrayart is also responsible for showing us a similar look at how fast fuel is burned at liftoff in a variety of rockets, ranging from the Saturn V to the SLS itself.