Questions tagged [sls]
The Space Launch System (SLS) is NASA's rocket replacement for the Space Shuttle for large payloads. Use for questions about the vehicle and the launching of any payloads.
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How feasible is a manned flight to Apophis in 2029 using Artemis or Starship?
Apophis will fly by Earth around GEO altitude in 2029. May NASA consider launching an Orion spacecraft on a (sub-)orbital trajectory whose apogee is very close to Apophis so that astronauts can study ...
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What is the purpose of the aft skirt on the Space Shuttle and SLS Solid Rocket Boosters?
The Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) used by the Space Shuttle and SLS have a skirt near the bottom.
What is it for? Is it only to support the stack?
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ROFI Temperature
Since hydrogen-fueled rockets usually require Radial Outward Firing Igniters (ROFI), what is the temperature of the sparks from this system? When seen at RS-25/RS-68 ignition, they don't melt but ...
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Why will Artemis II not orbit the Moon?
The Artemis II mission will loiter in an elliptical, high-Earth orbit before the Orion uses its own propulsion to complete the trans lunar injection (tli), thus using the fuel it might’ve otherwise ...
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Why does the ICPS carry extra hydrogen?
The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) of the Space Launch System is essentially the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS) lifted from the Delta IV rocket. However, among other minor changes, the ...
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Why does the more complex looking Starship launch tower cost so much less than SLS' tower?
On the surface, you would think that SpaceX launch tower would be more costly with its mechanical arms, but I doubt it touches the cost of the SLS'. Is this mainly due to the use of hydrogen, or are ...
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What happened to ArgoMoon?
The primary objective of the Italian ArgoMoon cubesat was to image the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) after being jettisoned from it.
Argotec engineers noticed the inability of the Interim ...
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Why not crash the ICPS into the Moon?
The Wikipedia article on Artemis 1 says that an ICPS disposal burn was performed after spacecraft separation. This was intended to send the ICPS into heliocentric orbit after passing the Moon. Why ...
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What happens if you use an expired solid rocket booster?
Prior to the launch, there was media coverage about how the SLS solid rocket boosters were set to expire in December (which could have caused the launch to be delayed).
Was this expiration date based ...
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To what direction is Artemis 1 facing while traveling between earth and moon?
While playing around with the animation on https://www.nasa.gov/specials/trackartemis/ I noticed that Orion capsule seems not be pointing directly into its direction of flight. If this would be case ...
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How can SLS be ready to carry humans after just a single test flight?
Artemis I is the maiden flight of the SLS, and the very next SLS mission, Artemis II, is planned to already carry a human crew.
I don't understand how this is possible. How can a hyper-complex rocket, ...
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Why did NASA use Falcon Heavy rather than SLS to launch Europa Clipper?
The SLS will only take about three years to get to Europa, the Falcon heavy will take 5. This means that there won’t be as much science return since the spacecraft is spending more of its operational ...
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From where will the planned Artemis I launch be visible?
The latest planned Artemis I launch window is 69 minutes long, opening 2022-11-14T00:07:00−05:00, which if used will lead to a launch in complete darkness. I'm interested in the possibility of ...
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Are the Artemis Missions direct ascent?
I’ve been looking at “exploded” SLS rockets, where the stages are all shown, and there never seems to be a lunar lander. Does that mean that the Orion Spacecraft lands on the moon, or will it have a ...
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When Artemis runs out of rollbacks
On 2022 Sep 26, Artemis I was moved from its launchpad back to its "garage" to shelter from a hurricane.
It was reported that
NASA managers have said the system is rated for two more ...
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Would Artemis 1 have blown up on the pad if NASA had been unaware of (or ignored) the errors that resulted in the launches being aborted? [closed]
Artemis 1 has had several unsuccessful tests. We've seen reports of "hydrogen leaks", "engine failures", "sensor malfunctions", "stuck valves", "fueling ...
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Will SLS be launched as often as the space shuttle was?
Again, I did some research, and again, the results aren't that impressive.
I was able to find that SLS is to become the " successor to the retired Space Shuttle, and the primary launch vehicle of ...
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What is the differences in between SLS Block I and SLS Block 2?
Other than mass to orbit how will the SLS Block 1 differ from SLS Block 2?
What differences in construction will be made ?
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What is the cabling on the exterior of the SLS solid rocket boosters that wasn't on the shuttle solid rocket boosters?
I noticed what appears to be foamed-over cabling running roughly parallel to the systems tunnel on the exterior of the SLS Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs). The cabling appears to run all the way from the ...
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Why doesn’t the SLS have a service structure?
Both the Saturn V and the Shuttle had the Mobile Service Structure and the Rotating Service Structure respectively for work on the pad. Why doesn’t the SLS have such a thing?
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Why is there a need for a "forward skirt" segment on SLS solid rockets?
The SLS solid rockets have a "forward skirt segment" above the five true rocket propellent segments. What is the purpose of this segment? I believe that it contains the avionics for the ...
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Does the SLS mobile launch platform share any hardware with STS or even Saturn I/V MLP?
Following up on this question, does the SLS mobile launch platform reuse any hardware from the STS (Space Shuttle) or even Saturn mobile launch platforms?
The launch tower looks very similar to the ...
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What engine-out capabilities does SLS have?
Falcon 9 can complete its mission with the loss of any one engine. The Space Shuttle could reach orbit with one engine out starting a few minutes into flight. Most other rockets don't have any ...
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How much of the second SLS has been built?
It took 10+ years to design and build the first SLS rocket, but Artemis 2 is scheduled for May 2024, less than 2 years from now. How much of the second rocket has been built?
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What are these things on SLS' engine mount?
Watching the scrubbed inaugural launch of SLS, there has been plenty of close up views from the vehicle, including a close up of the SSME engine mount, that exhibits those white extruded squares or ...
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Does SLS reuse any actual shuttle flight hardware besides engines? [duplicate]
Will any SLS use flown (eg. SRB casings) or unflown (eg. ET tankage) hardware built for the shuttle program besides the engines (RIP)?
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What would have happened if lightning struck the Orion LES instead of the umbilical tower?
Yesterday, a lightning struck the SLS' umbilical tower during a scrubbed wet dress rehearsal.
Is it normal for a lightning to strike the umbilical tower instead of the 3 lightning arresters around the ...
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How can Artemis 1 take so much longer for Earth-Lunar transit than the Apollo missions did?
The Artemis I mission will take 8-14 days to get from Earth to the Moon. Apollo 11 only took 3 days. Similarly the return will be 9-19 days for Artemis I and just over 2 days for Apollo 11.
Why is the ...
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What is the time sequence for SRB burn-out and separation?
I understand that SRBs cannot be throttled or shut down, they need to "burn out". Since they are often used in pairs, I assume there is a statistical spread in the burn duration of the two ...
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Black/White patterns on SLS boosters, fairings - Are these still roll patterns
The main purpose of the large black/white patterns on many of the early rockets was to make it easier to spot whether the rocket is rolling. The pattern on the Saturn V was changed to avoid picking up ...
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Will the Artemis I SLS do a static fire on the pad following rollout?
Following the rollout for the Artemis I wet dress rehearsal, or the rollout for launch, will the core stage perform a static fire on the pad?
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Are there any plans on replacing the shuttle-era RS-25D's during the Artemis III/IV missions?
The last two Artemis missions which use the shuttle-era RS-25D engines will fly in 2025 and 2026. Is there ever a possibility that, in the case that Aerojet Rocketdyne delivers their RS-25Es (or at ...
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Why aren't ejectable engine blocks in use today?
Related to my previous question regarding expending the RS-25s. Why aren't engine blocks, especially those expensive RS-25s on the SLS, made ejectable from the fuel tank assembly and parachute to be ...
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Why isn't NASA planning on saving some of the RS-25Ds due to their historical significance?
A while ago, Scott Manley made a video about the Artemis program and how NASA will expend all its Block II RS-25D engines through the SLS's first four launches. Why isn't NASA planning on putting some ...
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What hardware does SLS actually share with STS?
I was thinking about it for a while and realized I really don't know. I'm guessing it's:
The RS-25s
The SRB segments
SRB seals/joints
SRB nosecone assemblies +(avionics/separation motors/housings)?
...
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Are there any currently studied or hypothesized crewed Mars missions that utilize the Space Launch System?
Space Launch System is finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. If everything goes smoothly (fingers crossed!), we should see the Artemis program kicked into full drive by the end ...
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What do the banana values mean in this tweeted plot of heavy lift vehicle capabilities?
@FreddieR's answer to What are the longest current rocket payload fairings, capable of carrying long space station sections? contains the following graphic. It's attributed to Ken Kirtland and I found ...
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Could Four SRBs Be Stacked on SLS, Thereby Generating 17.9 Million LLBs Thrust at Liftoff
I'm not sure about the total thrust of SLS Block II (Crew Stack). So the math could be wrong. Since the Atlas 5 has a version where 4 SRBs are used, is this also possible for SLS?
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RS-25E cost estimate but sentence confusing (approximately: help; maybe)?
So recently someone found out that the industry studies for SLS had been FOIAed by a site called government attic. While the other studies are interesting in their own right (check them out honestly), ...
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What specific device failed, causing engine #4 in the Core Stage Green Run to report a Failure Identification?
(See this Q&A for context if needed: What is a "Major Component Failure" referred to in news reports about the unsuccessful Space Launch System core stage test firing?)
In the post-test ...
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Likely explanation for the bottom of the SLS rocket being covered with reflective silver "muffler" tape?
NASA.gov's First Artemis Rocket Stage Moved onto NASA Barge Ahead of Green Run contains a high resolution image of the rocket. The bottom end of the rocket's cylindrical shape is closed flat and ...
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What is a "Major Component Failure" referred to in news reports about the unsuccessful Space Launch System core stage test firing?
In reporting about the unsuccessful green run of the SLS core stage, Ars Technica mentions
About 50 seconds into what was supposed to be an 8-minute test firing, the flight control center called out, ...
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Why doesn't NASA just again build the Altair LM or a modified Apollo LM for the Artemis project?
The Altair lunar module was part of the wonderful Constellation program cancelled in 2010; just the Orion spacecraft has been retained which is to deliver a crew into lunar orbit. The new carrier ...
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Why is the Orion spacecraft so big?
The Orion spacecraft which is to be used for the Artemis missions will be rated for 6 astronauts. Why so many? Given the "political" assignment is to put "a woman and another man to the ...
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"NASA's Europa Clipper has been liberated from the Space Launch System" How would the "physics" of a Starship-based mission differ from SLS?
The Hill's NASA's Europa Clipper has been liberated from the Space Launch System is quite an illuminating read about the politics of space launch. However, I noticed that it also says:
Both the ...
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Is there a G-force curve estimated for a SLS launch?
Has the G-force curve for the launch of Block 1, Block 1B, or Block 2 (crew and or cargo) Space Launch Systems been determined? If there is no published estimates for the curve, is the estimate of the ...
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How many US states receive large amounts of money due to SLS?
That NASA is spread out over so many locations across the US is history and discussed elsewhere in this site. Briefly, Congress approves funding and the funding ends up in many, many of congress' ...
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Why does the government still fund SLS while SpaceX is cheaper and has the same capabilities if not better?
Due to SpaceX's recent advancements in now proven rocket tech, why does the government still fund (what some would argue to be bloated) cost-plus contracts with Boeing and Lockheed? Am I missing ...
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Escape system of SLS vs Ares I
One of the criticism directed at the Ares I rocket was the danger during a launch termination of the solid-propellant 1st stage. As far as I understood it, a terminated Titan IV solid-propellant ...
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Is SLS capable of launching the core stage into LEO?
After watching the Hazegrayart video If Rockets were Transparent I realized that I didn't really have a clear idea what the Space Launch System (SLS) is capable of doing.
Question: Is SLS capable of ...
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