NASA’s new launch vehicle, Space Launch System (SLS), will usher in a new age of exciting missions into space in the coming years.
The rocket will take flight for the first time in 2018 on Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1). SLS will launch a spacecraft that will venture deeper into space than any human-rated capsule has ever traveled. It’s called Orion and it’s NASA’s new crew capsule.
The core of SLS will contain liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to power its four RS-25 engines. Both of the liquid propellants will be cryogenic, so it’s important to insulate the structure. The liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen will be cooled to -423 degrees Fahrenheit and -297 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. Cryogenic foam will be applied to both the core stage of SLS and the launch vehicle stage adapter.
Image credit: NASA/MSFC
As the rocket launches and re-enters the atmosphere, it will deal with both cool temperatures and extreme increases in heat. Insulation is critical to protecting SLS. On one hand, the insulation will prevent ice from building up on the exterior of the core stage. On the other hand, during launch and re-entry into the atmosphere, the insulation will decrease the flow of heat to flight systems, hardware and propellants.
At NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, three kinds of new insulation materials have been developed. The foams are more resistant to the flow of heat and moisture due to being closed-celled materials. In addition, they resist flames and are non-ozone-depleting, and will usually be around one inch thick.
Boeing is the prime contractor for SLS, and together with NASA, they are currently testing these types of foam on panels which were covered in the materials. The purpose of this testing is to qualify the insulation for SLS, and the foams will be subjected to similar heat environments to those which SLS will experience while it ascends. Density measurements will also be taken.
During Exploration Mission-1, the Orion crew capsule will fly thousands of miles past the moon and return to Earth. The next flight of the capsule will be carrying astronauts. The important developments that continue to be made on SLS are essential to NASA’s Journey to Mars.
Learn more about SLS here.