NASA successfully fired up a booster designed to support the most powerful rocket in the world during its second qualification test in Utah on Tuesday, June 28, pushing the space agency one small step closer to Mars.
The test, which was held at the Orbital ATK facilities in Promontory, also marked the final full-scale hurdle before the rocket is launched to space on NASA's Orion spacecraft in its first uncrewed flight in late 2018.
A Testament To Science
Known as the Space Launch System (SLS), the rocket is intended for deep space missions and will be used for the first manned journey to Mars in 2030.
Tuesday's test involved seeing, feeling and experiencing approximately 3.6 million pounds of thrust, says William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.
Gerstenmaier says the test is important, as it will help scientists appreciate the progress they are making to advance human space exploration and see how far we have gone in opening new frontiers for science and technology missions in deep space.
John Honeycutt, program manager at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, says Tuesday's test is the "pinnacle" of years of hard work by NASA engineers.
Booster Test
The first full-scale qualification test was conducted in March 2015, displaying an acceptable performance of the booster at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists say testing at the thermal extremes is crucial in understanding the effect of temperature on the way the propellant burns.
The second full-duration qualification tested the booster at a cold motor conditioning target of 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The test lasted for two minutes but provided NASA with critical data on 82 objectives that will support the certification of the booster for space flight.
When ignited, the temperature inside the rocket booster will increase up to nearly 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Engineers will assess the data, which were captured by more than 530 instrumentation channels on the SLS booster.
As soon as it is completed, four RS-25 main engines and two five-segment boosters will power SLS during deep space missions.
The solid rocket boosters were built by Orbital ATK, NASA's contractor, and were designed to work in parallel with the main engines of SLS during the first two minutes of the flight.
The boosters will give at least 75 percent of the thrust required for the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket to veer away from the gravitational pull of the planet.
Honeycutt says SLS hardware is currently being produced for every part of the rocket. He says the space agency is also making progress on the Orion spacecraft. The ground systems will support a launch from the Kennedy Space Center.
