Space Launch System - Orion

Space Launch System - Orion

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Discussion

MartG

20,626 posts

203 months

Thursday 22nd February 2018
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This morning at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility, the NASA SLS intertank structural test article was transported to the barge Pegasus! The intertank is the second piece of structural hardware for the rocket's massive core stage scheduled for delivery to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center for testing.



MartG

20,626 posts

203 months

Thursday 22nd February 2018
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RS-25 engine tested to 113% nominal thrust



Full article

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/02/rs-25-hot-...

Youtube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkHs3Nc0rxU

MartG

20,626 posts

203 months

Monday 26th February 2018
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Crew Access Arm added to the leaning Tower of SLS today

https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/9681841...

MartG

20,626 posts

203 months

Wednesday 28th February 2018
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AshVX220

5,929 posts

189 months

Wednesday 28th February 2018
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MartG said:
Screw that!!! But I guess, if you aren't brave enough to walk across that, you're probably not brave to go into space!

Beati Dogu

8,863 posts

138 months

Wednesday 28th February 2018
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They haven't fitted the side panels yet, but they'll just be mesh anyway.

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

253 months

Wednesday 28th February 2018
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Beati Dogu said:
They haven't fitted the side panels yet, but they'll just be mesh anyway.
At 28 million dollars a panel... biggrin

MartG

20,626 posts

203 months

Wednesday 28th February 2018
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Beati Dogu said:
They haven't fitted the side panels yet, but they'll just be mesh anyway.
Yes - there's a fair bit of equipment to be added to it - left off to reduce the weight to lift by crane

Beati Dogu

8,863 posts

138 months

Wednesday 28th February 2018
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Big article about building the SLS here:

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/02/nasa-boein...

AshVX220

5,929 posts

189 months

Thursday 1st March 2018
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MartG said:
Yes - there's a fair bit of equipment to be added to it - left off to reduce the weight to lift by crane
If it was mesh I still wouldn't have the bottle to walk across it (really don't do heights!!). biglaugh

Eric Mc

Original Poster:

121,785 posts

264 months

Thursday 1st March 2018
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AshVX220 said:
MartG said:
Yes - there's a fair bit of equipment to be added to it - left off to reduce the weight to lift by crane
If it was mesh I still wouldn't have the bottle to walk across it (really don't do heights!!). biglaugh
How would you cope with EVA?

Kccv23highliftcam

1,783 posts

74 months

Thursday 1st March 2018
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Does the crane stay attached?

that could be interesting: yawl just go knock them pins out boy....




Edited by Kccv23highliftcam on Thursday 1st March 14:51

MartG

20,626 posts

203 months

Tuesday 6th March 2018
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NASA no longer planning a second mobile launcher for SLS

http://spacenews.com/nasa-no-longer-seeking-to-dev...

It means a minimum of 33 months between first and second SLS flights while the launcher is modified. Given EM-1 flight has now slipped to 2020, this puts the first manned flight ( EM-2 ) back a year to 2023 at the earliest.

Edited by MartG on Tuesday 6th March 11:32

Eric Mc

Original Poster:

121,785 posts

264 months

Tuesday 6th March 2018
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It would be quicker to walk to the moon.

Kccv23highliftcam

1,783 posts

74 months

Tuesday 6th March 2018
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Cheaper too!!

AshVX220

5,929 posts

189 months

Tuesday 6th March 2018
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Eric Mc said:
AshVX220 said:
MartG said:
Yes - there's a fair bit of equipment to be added to it - left off to reduce the weight to lift by crane
If it was mesh I still wouldn't have the bottle to walk across it (really don't do heights!!). biglaugh
How would you cope with EVA?
I think without the feeling of gravity pulling at me I might be able to cope with that, though I would want to be thoroughly tethered to the ISS, but I'm not sure, height looks very different from that far up I imagine!!

I do wonder if SLS will have any real future, with the growing success of SpaceX and the Falcon Heavy.

SystemParanoia

14,343 posts

197 months

Wednesday 7th March 2018
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AshVX220 said:
Eric Mc said:
AshVX220 said:
MartG said:
Yes - there's a fair bit of equipment to be added to it - left off to reduce the weight to lift by crane
If it was mesh I still wouldn't have the bottle to walk across it (really don't do heights!!). biglaugh
How would you cope with EVA?
I think without the feeling of gravity pulling at me I might be able to cope with that, though I would want to be thoroughly tethered to the ISS, but I'm not sure, height looks very different from that far up I imagine!!

I do wonder if SLS will have any real future, with the growing success of SpaceX and the Falcon Heavy.
Well with BFR due to be built and tested in 2022, and off to mars for 2024.

I dont feel it has a future.

AW111

9,455 posts

132 months

Wednesday 7th March 2018
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SystemParanoia said:
Well with BFR due to be built and tested in 2022, and off to mars for 2024.

I dont feel it has a future.
You have to add a few years to Musk's predictions, but make that 2024 for BFR and Orion still looks dubious.

MartG

20,626 posts

203 months

Wednesday 7th March 2018
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I think we may see two or three SLS launches before it and Orion are quietly defunded by an incoming administration, in favour of buying launch and transportation services for NASA manned deep space missions from a private company ( Blue Origin or SpaceX ).

Instead of spending the majority of their budget replicating things available more cheaply elsewhere, the money could then be spent developing payloads for them to launch - including Lunar landers

Eric Mc

Original Poster:

121,785 posts

264 months

Wednesday 7th March 2018
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I think I agree with that. The one piece of equipment that is missing from all the current plans is an actual machine that can put people on the surface of the moon and, more importantly, get them back off it again.