The same engine that powered the Shuttle is heading to Mars
In short: NASA recently completed a grueling 535-second hot-fire test of the RS-25 rocket engine. While it served as the backbone of the retired space shuttle fleet, this veteran technology is being upgraded to power the next generation of deep-space exploration.
This specific test was the sixth in a series of seven developmental trials designed to subject the engines to the extreme temperature and pressure conditions they will face during an actual launch. The duration of this test—exactly 535 seconds—was intentionally matched to the amount of time the core engines will fire during a Space Launch System (SLS) mission.
The RS-25 is not just being reused; it is being integrated into a new architecture. Four of these engines will power the core stage of the SLS, a megarocket intended to carry humans to asteroids and Mars. To manage this complexity, NASA is developing a new 'brain' or controller for the engine. This system provides closed-loop management, regulating thrust and fuel-mixture ratios while monitoring health data and communicating between the vehicle and the hardware.
The SLS project has ambitious scaling goals. The initial version of the rocket is designed to stand 321 feet tall and loft 77 tons to low Earth orbit. However, NASA also plans an 'evolved' variant standing 384 feet tall. This larger model aims to generate roughly 20 percent more thrust than the Saturn V rocket—the vehicle that originally sent Apollo missions to the moon—and is capable of lofting 143 tons into space.
The development path includes a seven-day uncrewed flight known as Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), scheduled for late 2018. This mission will test the Orion capsule, which will sit atop the SLS during crewed flights, by taking it on a journey around the moon to validate key systems before humans are sent deeper into the solar system.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Smoke and fire Rocket-engine ablaze on This Week @NASA – August 14, 2015
- Also: NASA Test-Fires Engine for Next-Gen Megarocket | Space
- Also: NASA — Firing Up Rocket Engine Tests - NASA
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