About 11 hours later, the stack arrived at Launch Complex 39B, seemingly no worse for wear.ĭuring the next week or so, engineers and technicians will prepare the vehicle for a critical fueling test known as a "wet dress rehearsal," during which the rocket will be loaded with chilled propellants and brought down to within seconds of engine ignition. The rocket and spacecraft looked brilliant as they rolled into the sunset after moving out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. The SLS rocket and Orion have appeared in NASA PowerPoint presentations for so long that it's good to finally see the real thing. This is probably the last gasp of the Apollo era of NASA that has gripped the space agency for six decades. One thing seems clear: although this fully stacked SLS rocket and Orion crew capsule have set the stage for the uncrewed Artemis I test launch later this year, the rollout does not mark the end of the beginning for this launch system. But it's impossible to have a rational discussion about the Space Launch System rocket and its payload, the Orion spacecraft, without considering its enormous expense, ongoing delays, and looming obsolescence. Designing, building, and testing such a large and complex machine represents a significant engineering achievement. Certainly, one cannot help but be awed by a rocket that is as tall as a US football field is long. But as the fully assembled, skyscraper-sized rocket rolled into a serene Florida evening on Thursday at Kennedy Space Center, no one could deny that it is finally here.įrankly, it is hard to know how to feel about this rocket. The rocket is not yet ready to fly, and it may not lift off the planet for several more months. On Friday morning, NASA's titanic Space Launch System reached the launch pad.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |