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NASA test fires upgraded rocket engines for future Artemis moon missions (video)
Space ^ | February 10, 2023 | By Elizabeth Howell

Posted on 02/10/2023 9:30:17 AM PST by Red Badger

published about 2 hours ago

The agency wants to send huge payloads towards the moon starting with Artemis 5. Getting there requires more power from recycled RS-25 space shuttle engines.

NASA fired up an engine Wednesday (Feb. 8) to boost human moon missions.

The RS-25 engine, a veteran of the space shuttle program, has a new design for the NASA's Artemis program. Starting with Artemis 5 late in the 2020s or so, the modified engines will fly on the Space Launch System.

NASA says the newer RS-25s will deliver even more power to send the Orion spacecraft, astronauts and other big payloads to the moon or to the lunar space station Gateway. But first the engines need to be prepped for the long journey.

The test Wednesday at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi saw a recycled RS-25 engine fire in a test stand at 111 percent power on a livestream for 8.5 minutes(opens in new tab), or 500 seconds; that's the same amount of time and power required for a launch.

All RS-25 engines flew numerous times in space during the shuttle era, which ranged from 1981 to 2011. NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne modified 16 engines that are remaining from that program and have already completed tests for the first four Artemis missions to prove they are fit for flight.

RS-25 engine tests have been happening since Jan. 9, 2015, but NASA is readying the series now for the next generation of SLS, called Block 1B. (The series for Artemis 1 through 4 is called Block 1).

The newer set of rockets includes a more powerful Exploration Upper Stage that will allow for more massive payloads to be boosted to lunar orbit or the surface, according to agency documentation(opens in new tab).

NASA wants to make sure each of the reused engines is ready for lunar action as the Artemis program ramps up. Artemis 1 flew uncrewed in 2022, Artemis 2's astronauts should be announced this spring for a moon-circling mission in 2024, and Artemis 3 is bound for the surface no earlier than 2025.

Elizabeth Howell is the co-author of "Why Am I Taller(opens in new tab)?" (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book about space medicine. Follow her on Twitter @howellspace(opens in new tab). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom(opens in new tab) or Facebook(opens in new tab).

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Military/Veterans; Science
KEYWORDS: artemis; orion; sls; spacex

1 posted on 02/10/2023 9:30:17 AM PST by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

impressive. Elon tried to fire all 33 of his engine on the Starship and came up a little short as only 31 fired. I think the Artemis moon program, slow but steady, has a much better chance of success over Elon’s Mars shot.


2 posted on 02/10/2023 9:40:03 AM PST by The Louiswu (Michael Ries)
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To: Red Badger

I used to live a few miles outside the buffer zone. Nice rumbles on occasion. And with my job visited a few times. šŸš€


3 posted on 02/10/2023 9:40:38 AM PST by rktman (Destroy America from within? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this? šŸ˜•)
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To: Red Badger

“Artemis 3 is bound for the surface no earlier than 2025.”

They keep moving the goalposts—first 2020, then 2022, then 2023, then 2024, then 2025, then “no earlier than 2025”.

The European Space Agency is designing and building the Orion service modules (the part where humans will be found on the mission):

https://www.space.com/first-europeans-to-land-on-moon-with-artemis

Despite the happy talk press releases, this is not going well...


4 posted on 02/10/2023 9:45:17 AM PST by cgbg (Claiming that laws and regs that limit ā€œhate speechā€ stop freedom of speech is ā€œhate speechā€.)
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To: The Louiswu
I think the Artemis moon program, slow but steady, has a much better chance of success over Elon’s Mars shot.

Complete garbage. Artemis cost more then 10 time what SpaceX would charge and will take 5 times as long to get the job done. SpaceX will do it on their own if needed and be there years ahead of Artemis.
5 posted on 02/10/2023 9:55:53 AM PST by JoSixChip (2020: The year of unreported truths; 2021: My main take away from this year? Trust no one.)
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To: The Louiswu

“I think the Artemis moon program, slow but steady, has a much better chance of success over Elon’s Mars shot.”

I wouldn’t bet the farm on that, Elon is making great strides in his project and will soon bypass Nasa’s used rocket shop.


6 posted on 02/10/2023 10:03:42 AM PST by Colo9250
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To: The Louiswu

Elon tried to fire all 33 of his engine on the Starship

It was not the Starship. It was a test of the 33 engines on the booster for the Starship.

Of the 33 booster engines: one was shut down before the test, and another shut down during the 5 second test.

The upshot was 6.5 million pounds of thrust from 31 engines - enough for the booster alone to reach orbit.

“The Artemis moon program”, aka SLS Program requires SpaceX to be successful:

The Human Landing System (HLS) is a spacecraft that can convey crew members from NRHO to the lunar surface, support them on the surface, and return them to NRHO. Each crewed landing needs one HLS, although some or all of the spacecraft may be reusable.

Each HLS must be launched from Earth and delivered to NRHO in one or more launches. The initial commercial contract was awarded to SpaceX for two Starship HLS missions, one uncrewed and one crewed as part of Artemis 3. These two missions each require one HLS launch and multiple fueling launches, all on SpaceX Starship launchers.

As of June 2022, NASA has also exercised an option under the initial contract to commission an upgraded Starship HLS design and third demonstration lunar mission under new sustainability rules it is drafting. It intends to pursue another HLS design from outside SpaceX in parallel, for redundancy and competition.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_program


7 posted on 02/10/2023 11:00:17 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: Red Badger

They need to fire the head and put a DEI political hack in there. Ko way that rocket should have done anything but destroy itself...like they are doing to our country everywhere else.


8 posted on 02/10/2023 11:02:56 AM PST by If You Want It Fixed - Fix It ( )
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