NASA’s new rocket keeps moves forward toward its liftoff in 2018.
Blasting off into space on its first flight, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) will usher in a new era of deep space exploration. Evolvable and able to support missions to multiple destinations, SLS is an essential part of NASA’s Journey to Mars.
The core stage of this massive rocket will be fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, stored above the four core stage engines. The largest of these tanks is built for liquid hydrogen and has a diameter of 27.5 feet and a length of 130 feet.
What’s the latest with the big liquid hydrogen tank? It’s about to undergo friction plug welding at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans – take a look.
The yellow machine is a robot for friction plug welding, a technique that was developed by engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. The robot fills in the holes in the liquid hydrogen tank left from the tank’s assembly in a robotic welder.
How much fuel will be on the first flight? 733,000 gallons! This is the combined amount from the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks.
When SLS launches in 2018, it will carry the Orion crew vehicle into space. This vehicle will enable humans to travel to multiple deep space destinations and return safely to Earth. In this first integrated mission of SLS and Orion, the crew vehicle will be unmanned and fly past the moon – farther than any human-rated spacecraft has traveled since the Apollo program. The performance of SLS and Orion will be evaluated during the 2018 flight and on the next flight into space, Orion will be manned.
Learn more about SLS at NASA.gov.