Thought this would be the most relevant place to post this big-picture outlook infographic:https://twitter.com/TheBlueHexagon/status/1459959319705833474
Quote from: eeergo on 11/15/2021 08:21 amThought this would be the most relevant place to post this big-picture outlook infographic:https://twitter.com/TheBlueHexagon/status/1459959319705833474Looking forward to seeing that production queue get longer and longer!
NASA Telescope, Moon Rocket Named TIME Inventions of 2022NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket were named 2022 TIME Inventions of the Year. NASA led the international Webb partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). The agency’s SLS rocket, the world’s most powerful rocket, is designed to send humans to the Moon on Artemis missions for the benefit of humanity. TIME made the announcement Thursday, Nov. 10.“We designed the Webb observatory to see the first lights that turned on in our universe. When I saw the first images released, I was struck with awe, wonder, and the satisfaction of knowing that whatever is out there, Webb will see it,” said Mike Menzel, NASA mission systems engineer for Webb at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. TIME named Webb a Best Invention in the “Design” category.The SLS rocket is planned to launch on its first flight test for the Artemis I mission, Wednesday, Nov. 16, to send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the Moon and back to Earth to thoroughly test systems before missions with astronauts. SLS is the only rocket capable of launching humans in Orion along with their supplies to the Moon and beyond. TIME named SLS a Best Invention in the “Experimental” category.“We will demonstrate the capability of the Space Launch System Moon rocket, the largest rocket NASA has built since the Saturn V, on the Artemis I mission,” said John Honeycutt, SLS program manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “The heavy-lift rocket’s innovative design allows it to evolve and become even more powerful so that it can carry both astronauts and large cargos on increasingly more complex missions to the Moon and Mars.”Launched Dec. 25, 2021, from French Guiana, the Webb telescope has already been uncovering previously unseen views and hidden secrets of the universe. Webb has seen early galaxies, provided a new look at planets in our own solar system, and peered through dusty clouds to see stars forming, such as in the Pillars of Creation.NASA Headquarters, Washington oversees the Webb telescope mission. NASA Goddard manages Webb for the agency and oversees work on the mission performed by the Space Telescope Science Institute, Northrop Grumman, and other mission partners. In addition to Goddard, several NASA centers contributed to the project, including the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Jet Propulsion Laboratory in southern California, Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, and others.With its unprecedented power and capabilities, the SLS rocket provides the foundation for NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon. SLS makes it possible to launch the Orion spacecraft, which is built in partnership with ESA, on missions to the Moon that will provide the knowledge for humans to travel to Mars. SLS is built with a combination of proven systems and innovative manufacturing. To fulfill America’s future needs for deep space missions, SLS will evolve into increasingly more powerful configurations.SLS is America’s rocket and more than 1,000 companies in 45 states contributed to the rocket managed by Marshall, which oversees the work by lead contractors Boeing, Notrthrop Grumman, Aerojet Rocketdyne and other companies. Currently, NASA and its industry partners are in the process of building rockets for four more Artemis missions. All NASA Centers have played a role in the Artemis missions, which are launching a new era of human deep space exploration. For more information about the Webb mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/webbFor more information about the SLS rocket mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/sls
With the 1st flight of #SLS & its Core Stage from @BoeingSpace in the books, @NASASpaceflight talked with Boeing’s SLS Chief Engineer about the stage's performance on #Artemis1, reported underspeed, & status of future Core Stages & the upcoming EUS.
NASA Advances Artemis Moon Rocket Production for Future MissionsAs the SLS program transitions from rocket development efforts to operations, NASA and Boeing evaluated how to improve upon the time required to produce each core stage and best use space at Michoud. “We’re making progress developing, manufacturing, and assembling elements for future Artemis missions,” said Jim Free, associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. “Our collective workforce across NASA centers and industry partners plays a key role in accomplishing NASA’s long-term plans for exploring the Moon.”Beginning with production for Artemis III, NASA and Boeing will use Michoud, where the SLS core stages are currently manufactured, to produce and outfit the core stage elements, and available space at Kennedy for final assembly and integration. This opportunity provides for multiple mission elements to be manufactured and outfitted at the same time and for the workforce at Michoud to begin building the rocket’s exploration upper stage, which will enable SLS to send even heavier and larger cargo to the Moon on the same missions with astronauts beginning with Artemis IV.All five major core stage structures will be manufactured at Michoud using current robotic welding tools and fixtures and complete all thermal protection system spray applications at Michoud. There, the forward skirt, the intertank, liquid oxygen tank, and the liquid hydrogen will continue to be outfitted and joined to form the upper part of the core stage. Upon completion, these structures, which comprise the top four-fifths of the 212-foot-tall stage, will be shipped to Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) where they will be joined and vertically integrated in High Bay 2.Once the engine section structure is manufactured, it will be transported to Kennedy’s Space Station Processing Facility for outfitting in the facility. When the engine section is completely outfitted, it and the stage’s four RS-25 engines will be moved to the VAB’s High Bay 2 for integration with the rest of the core stage, where technicians can more easily move it for stacking and assembly operations.Four of five major core stage parts for Artemis II have been joined, and teams are outfitting the last part, the engine section, and will soon connect it and the RS-25 engines to complete the stage at Michoud. The Artemis II stage is scheduled to be completed and delivered to Kennedy in 2023. The engine section for the Artemis III SLS core stage is expected to arrive at Kennedy in mid-December.With Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface and establish long-term exploration at the Moon in preparation for human missions to Mars. SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft, along with the commercial human landing system and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, are NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration.https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/nasa-advances-artemis-moon-rocket-production-for-future-missions.html
QuoteNASA Advances Artemis Moon Rocket Production for Future Missions[...]
NASA Advances Artemis Moon Rocket Production for Future Missions[...]
