NASA Test-Fires Engine for Most Powerful Rocket Ever

space.com ^ | August 19, 2016 05:20pm ET | Sarah Lewin,

[Dagnabitt]

They’re taking old reusable (mostly) Space Shuttle engines and making them into single use throwaway engines.

SLS will be an impressive vehicle, but it’s crawling along due to budget and will probably only fly once every couple years. And it has no real mission besides some vague eventual Mars idea.

[Izzy Dunne]

only a matter of time before we experience an extension level event

You mean we're all going to get taller ?

;-)

[kosciusko51]

The first one will have 10% more thrust than a Saturn V, and the heavy lift will have 20% more than the Saturn V.

Source: https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/588413main_SLS_Fun_Facts.pdf

[rottndog]

I’m saying that we will get there much faster by using our resources more effectively now. We are nowhere near being able to ‘spread across the solar system & beyond’, and won’t be in the foreseeable future. We can advance faster through unmanned exploration because it is far cheaper...we can do much more of it...

[ken in texas]

... because of the danger of changing the weight mass of the planet and cause a shift in the natural orbit.

Just get everyone on the other side of the world to jump at the same time as the liftoff. That will keep the earth in balance. </s

[rawcatslyentist]

Exactly, overcoming the initial zero inertia is the biggest expenditure of energy. Doing so without having to carry the fuel and containers would vastly increase their weight limit.

[BMATR003]

The SLS first stage is being built at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. This is the same facility that built the Saturn V first stage and also the Space Shuttle External Tanks. The Orion space capsule hulls are also fabricated at this facility then shipped to KSC for installation of all flight systems.The main building at Michoud was built for WWII aircraft production and also built engines for Patton tanks for the Korean war. It is over 40 acres under one roof and was constructed by the man who designed and built the WWII landing crafts; Andrew Higgins! The taxpayer got their money’s worth with this facility!!

[Tijeras_Slim]

Interesting post, welcome to FR!