NASA Reports on Orion SLS and Continues Engine Prep at Stennis

NASA's Exploration Systems Division has just recently released the 3rd Quarterly Report on the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System. Click on the image below to watch a full video report or read the actual NASA Inspector General's Report on the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (IG-13-022).

In support of the new Space Launch System, fabrication is underway on LOx, LH2 and related piping for testing of the Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 engine on the A-1 Test Stand at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The RS-25 was previously known as the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). However, a different rocket like ths SLS has new environmental and thrust conditions..” said Mike Kynard, SLS Liquid Engines program manager. “Anytime we make changes to an engine, or to environmental conditions in which it will run, we'll need to put it through a full set of tests. What we typically do in the rocket engine industry is run things twice as long as we plan to use them in flight to ensure the robustness of the design."

“This is a big undertaking,” said Robert Ek, systems engineer for the RS-25 test project at Stennis. “These are massive lines, weighing hundreds of pounds, and they have to be threaded through a great deal of other stand equipment and structure needed for testing. It’s a real challenge.”

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