–
–
Each of the four RS-25 engines currently underpinning NASA’s space launch system has already been to space multiple times, and each has an exciting story to tell. One of them first flew in 1998 and astronaut John Glenn was launched into orbit. Soon, hopefully, these veteran boosters will propel NASA into the Artemis era.
NASA’s Space Launch System is the most powerful rocket ever built, capable of carrying more than 57,320 pounds (26 tons) of cargo and crew to the Moon. Future configurations could see the rocket rise to 99,208 pounds (45 tons). It’s an engineering marvel, or so we hope, with its first flight scheduled for Saturday at 2:17 PM ET. But with NASA taking a bold leap into the world … It was from Artemis And in the continuous succession of increasingly complex tasks in the lunar environment, it is important to remember that the SLS is a new rocket made up of a collection of old parts.
–
–
The fully integrated heavy launch vehicle is a perfect amalgamation of NASA’s previous launch systems, most notably the Space Shuttle, which the United States retired in 2011. In fact, Components of the 83 Space Shuttle missions They were assembled together to build the SLS and Orion’s crew capsule. It uses the main engine of the space shuttle, now known as the RS-25 engine, made by the Aerojet Rocketdyne, while two solid rocket thrusters extending from the shuttle have also been borrowed. The engine that previously operated the shuttle also made it to Orion.
Congress Tell NASA said in 2010 that the new rocket and crew capsule would be built using “Space Shuttle derived components … using existing US propulsion systems, including liquid fuel engines, external fuel tanks, or related capabilities.” to tanks and solid rocket engines “. With that in mind, and not wanting to waste good flight-tested hardware, NASA stripped the retired shuttles of their main engines and stowed them in a safe place, this was in compliance with the Good Hardware Use Directive. legacy during the construction of the SLS, “reduce costs and speed up schedules”, according to space agency.
G / O Media may receive a commission
–
–
There is no doubt that the RS-25 is powerful and reliable. The engines were updated five times during the shuttle program, during which they performed 135 missions, ran more than 3,000 runs, and remained operational for one million seconds during test flight and ground operations. In total, NASA has amassed a stock of 16 RS-25D engines for the Shuttle program to support the first four SLS missions. Of these sixteen engines, only two were not launched into space at all.
The Space Shuttle is equipped with three RS-25 engines, while the SLS has four. Powered by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, the four engines are arranged roughly in a square to ensure stability and even force distribution during takeoff. Each RS-25 engine can produce 2 million pounds of thrust, which, along with two solid five-section thrusters, will deliver 8.8 million pounds of thrust at launch. During the Shuttle era, the RS-25s operated at 104.5% of rated thrust (491,000 lbf of no-load thrust), but for the SLS these engines were modified to run at 109% of rated thrust (512,000 lbf of empty thrust). NASA He said.
–
–
According to NASA, “For SLS, engines will experience higher fuel inlet pressures and temperatures.” “In addition, the existing stock gets new engine control units with contemporary avionics and new exhaust nozzle insulation for a higher heating environment.”
The current SLS configuration is known as Block 1 and includes four highly experienced RS-25 engines. For the first flight of the SLS, NASA will use the E2045, E2056, E2058 and E2060 engines. In total, these four engines took part in 21 shuttle flights over three decades.
–
–
The first engine, the E2045, is the most experienced of the group, participating in 12 shuttle missions. It first flew in January 1998 with the STS-89 mission, while its last shuttle flight was in July 2011 with the STS-135 mission. Astronaut John Glenn first-hand tested the power of the E2045 in 1998 when he flew the STS-95 mission.
The second engine, the E2056, is the veteran of four shuttle flights (including the STS-114, the first mission since Colombia disaster), while the third E2058 engine took part in six flights. The fourth engine, the E2060, is the least experienced of the bunch, having served three missions, including the STS-135, the shuttle’s last mission.
It was the third engine that engineers blamed for launch on Monday, Aug.29, when it failed to reach the frigid temperatures required for launch, but the team later attributed the problem to a faulty sensor. As SLS chief engineer John Blevins told reporters yesterday, there was nothing wrong with the E2058, as the engineers were able to confirm a “good flow” of coolant fuel through the No. 3.
–
–
For each of the 16 remaining RS-25 engines from the Shuttle era, their next flight will be the last. The SLS is a consumable missile, the center of which is expected to crash into the Pacific Ocean (side boosters will crash into the Atlantic Ocean). Once NASA runs out of its supply of RS-25D engines, the space agency will switch to RS-25E engines Currently under construction by Aerojet Rocketdyne. The new engines will cost approximately 30% less than previous engines and provide 111% of the rated thrust (521,000 lb.th. No-load thrust).
NASA needs SLS for the next Artemis missions to the moon. The heavy lift system will play an important role during Artemis 2, as the manned Orion capsule will venture to the moon and return in late 2024, as will Artemis 3, the first manned moon landing since the Apollo era. The Artemis missions also aim to prepare NASA and its partners for the first human journey to Mars, in which the SLS is expected to play an important role.
As exciting as this may sound, the price may be too high. Since 2011, NASA has spent over $ 50 billion in development costs for SLS and Orion, according to Planetary Society. But to get the SLS to work, NASA’s Inspector General estimates it will cost NASA more than $ 4.1 billion per launch for each of the first four Artemis missions, a price that Inspector General Paul Martin described as “unsustainable. “
NASA, through its Artemis program, aims for a permanent and sustainable return to the Moon. However, if that happens, NASA will have to contain the exorbitant costs.
–
