NASA SLS Sounds Like a Bowl of Rice Krispies? Researchers Compare in Latest Study

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) recently launched toward orbit to propel its top head for its uncrewed mission to the Moon, but there are other studies in place to get to know the rocket more. In this analysis of the SLS's sound, researchers have compared it to a cereal is known as "Rice Krispies," having a similarly distinct sound.

While the SLS is far noisier than a bowl of Rice Krispies, this breakfast food was used by the researchers as a point of reference for the rocket's sound at its full might at launch.

NASA SLS Sound: Researchers Compare it to Rice Krispies

It may seem odd or out of place to compare the SLS rocket to a mere Rice Krispies or other brittle breakfast foods there are, but according to a press release by its researchers, it serves as an ideal point of reference.

Brigham Young University and Rollins College in Florida researchers have banded together to learn more about how much sound did the SLS make on its launch, with different measuring devices placed around the Kennedy Space Center.

According to author Whitney Coyle said, "We found the Artemis 1 noise level at 5 km had a crackling quality about 40 million times greater than a bowl of Rice Krispies."

Their findings were published in the JASA Express Letters publication, on behalf of the Acoustical Society of America by AIP Publishing.

How Loud is the NASA SLS Rocket?

The SLS rocket exceeded the preliminary assessment data upon launch, tearing through the roof of its maximum noise levels at its five different stations.

"At 1.5 km from the pad, the maximum noise level reached 136 decibels. At a 5.2 km distance, the noise was 129 decibels, nearly 20 decibels higher than predicted by a prelaunch noise model."

NASA's Artemis mission launch was heard even miles away from its location on Merrit Island, Florida.

NASA SLS and Cereals

One of the common things between NASA and cereals is it goes to space with astronauts, as these pre-made breakfast goodies are also part of what they bring into orbit, depending on their preference.

It is not a novel thing to use cereals and brittle materials as points of reference for studies, as there was one research that considered the cereal's "crunch factor" as a new law of sound, mainly focusing on its compression velocity that may be attributed to snow avalanche.

The SLS recently made its way to the Moon, and the Artemis mission recently reported a successful launch with its round-trip course, testing the rocket's capabilities.

NASA surely did numerous tests on the rocket on its first actual launch, but that is not the only case in its studies.

Along with NASA's research team and engineers, other organizations and institutions also joined in, with the Artemis mission, alongside the SLS and Orion is a monumental study in learning more about space. The joint research aims to learn more about how much sound the rocket make upon launch, and now determined just how powerful it is.