NASA’s SLS marks the space agency’s effort to return astronauts to the Moon by the year 2024. But a terrifying video released by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine shows even NASA’s best engineers cannot construct a completely failsafe transport vehicle. On Monday, December 9, Mr Bridenstine shared on Twitter a video of the SLS rupturing during a liquid hydrogen pressure test.
Dubbing the rocket’s failure a “success”, the video shows the rocket gradually buckling under pressure.
The upper half of the rocket can be seen collapsing inwards with a bang as flakes of material drop to the ground.
A loud noise then erupts from inside of the rocket and the SLS’ orange body is torn wide open like an orange peel.
The explosion ejects material from within the rocket as the gaping wound in the SLS’ side is exposed to the elements.
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Mr Bridenstine tweeted: “Success! Engineers @NASA_Marshall tested the @NASA_SLS liquid hydrogen test article tank to failure – the tank withstood more than 260 percent of expected flight load before buckling and rupturing.”
On Thursday, December 5, engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, carried out a pressure test on the SLS.
The engineers tested the rocket’s ability to withstand an overload of liquid hydrogen inside of the rocket’s tank.
The test was simulated over five hours straight inside of a 215ft-tall harness.
NASA applied incredible amounts of pressure onto the rocket with hydraulic pistons.
The tank withstood more than 260 percent of expected flight load before buckling and rupturing
Jim Bridenstine, NASA Administrator
So far, the SLS test model has withstood everything NASA has thrown at, “acing” every single safety test.
But the pressure test was the final straw, with the rocket exploding under nearly three times its expected flight load.
NASA’s engineers were happy with the results of the “bucking failure” and Mr Bridenstine unveiled the SLS to the public on Monday.
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The NASA Administrator appeared at the space agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, where the 212ft rocket is being assembled.
Once completed, the rocket will be sent to NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St Louis, Mississippi.
Mr Bridenstine said: “The completion of the SLS core stage is a major milestone and a testament to American enterprise and ingenuity.
“With more than 1,100 large and small businesses in 44 states contributing to the design and assembly, the SLS rocket will empower America to achieve the Artemis program’s goal of landing the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024.”
All of NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions will launch to the Moon on the SLS and Orion capsules.
The first run of SLS launches will test the rocket’s ability to safely fling astronauts towards the Moon without manned crews.
Dubbed the Green Run tests, NASA will test the SLS’ core stage, propulsion systems and flight software.
A fully assembled SLS rocket will stand at 322ft in height, boasting four powerful engines and two solid rocket fuel boosters (SRBs).
At launch, NASA said the SLS will produce an incredible 8.8 million pounds of thrust.
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