NASA started this Monday (2) a crucial test of its gigantic Space Launch System rocket — marking one of the final steps before launching four astronauts into deep space for the first time since the end of the Apollo program more than five decades ago. The mission could be launched on February 8th.
The practical test, called “general test with fluids”involves filling the rocket’s tanks with more than 700,000 pounds of supercooled propellants.
The essay should also include a simulation of the countdown on launch day — with the difference that, during the test, the timer will be stopped with less than a minute remaining.
The result of this test will give clues as to when NASA will be able to launch the Artemis II mission — which could occur in several launch windows between the beginning of February and the end of April. At launch, NASA’s Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman, as well as the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen, are expected to be aboard the SLS rocket before the Orion spacecraft separates and begins a journey to circle the Moon.
NASA confirmed on January 23 that crew members entered into in preparation for space flight. Astronauts are routinely kept isolated before launch to prevent illness.
The crew is expected to arrive at the launch site in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center after completing the water dress rehearsal.
Although the astronauts are not On this mission, their journey will take them deeper into the solar system than any human has ever traveled, surpassing the record set by the Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970.
Before launch, NASA intends to carry out a complete dress rehearsal of the SLS rocket. Before the rocket’s first flight — the Artemis I unmanned test mission in 2022 — several dress rehearsals were required over months to ensure the systems were ready for launch.
GALLERY – See the astronauts who will participate in the mission
During these tests, launch controllers faced problems how to load the as well as hydrogen leaks. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, or LOX, are the propellants that power the SLS rocket.
“Why do we believe we will be successful with Artemis II? It’s the lessons we learned,” noted Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, launch director for Artemis, during a Jan. 16 press conference.
“We learned a lot during the Artemis I campaign leading up to launch. And everything we learned… has been incorporated into the way we intend to charge the Artemis II vehicle.”
NASA, however, cautioned that while it expects launch preparations to go more smoothly for this mission, engineers still have the option of removing the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft from the launch pad and taking them back to the nearby vehicle assembly building for additional work if necessary.
The intense cold over the weekend delayed the date initially scheduled for the general rehearsal, which would be held in rainy conditions.
