Artemis Moon Program

NASA Completes First Launch Simulation for Artemis II Moon Mission

www.nasa.gov

NASA Completes First Launch Simulation for Artemis II Moon Mission

NASA’s Artemis launch team conducted its first simulation for Artemis II, the first crewed mission under Artemis, on July 20 inside the Launch Control Center at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
www.nasa.gov www.nasa.gov
 
Considering that Artemis 2 won't launch until sometime November next year NMaude I would think that SRB stacking won't start until January or February next year. Or would they start this year and get them tested before sending them to the Cape?
 
FighterJock said:
Considering that Artemis 2 won't launch until sometime November next year NMaude I would think that SRB stacking won't start until January or February next year. Or would they start this year and get them tested before sending them to the Cape?
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They stack them in the VAB. They’ve probably already been delivered.
 
In regards to stacking Artemis II's SRBs I think they could stack the two aft conical frustums (They contain the nozzle's TVC actuators and associated equipment along with the aft SRM segments (The initial stacking) and leave them there indefinitely. As far as I understand the time limit kicks in when additional segments start to be stacked on top of the aft SRM segments.
 
You could do that, but then you have live segments with an open mating surface sitting in the VAB. If you have not seen the VAB, it is not exactly a clean room environment. There would be plenty of opportunity to contaminate the mating surfaces.

There is a requirement for a one year stack life on the Boosters. That clock starts when the center-aft segment is stacked on the aft segment. The Artemis I Boosters end up being stacked for nearly two years. There was some concern that if Artemis I hadn’t launched in the Nov window or the following launch window, developing rationale to support continued extension of the stack life was going to be difficult.

As for Artemis II, the segments for the flight are currently planned to be shipped to KSC late this year, maybe early next year, to support vehicle integration. Just waiting for NASA’s authorization to ship.
 
Calphor said:
You could do that, but then you have live segments with an open mating surface sitting in the VAB.
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In this case the end-cap sealing the top end of the aft-segment would be left in place keeping it sealed from the outside environment.
 
Here's a nvideo from TheSpaceBucket concerning NASA's Lunar Gateway space-station:


At this point, NASA is committed to the Gateway space station with a significant amount of time and money already invested in the project. By now, it’s also far more than just an idea but physical hardware taking shape around the country. This being said, there are a few concerns regarding its future schedule and the complexities of creating a lunar space station.
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Just recently Northrop Grumman, the company contracted to create the HALO Module, took a $36 million charge on its fixed price contract. They cited changes in the mission plan among other things as the reason for the price cut. For example, new information suggests that the mission plan to launch both the HALO and PPE modules together on a Falcon Heavy is causing problems.
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Under the contract, Northrop Grumman will complete the design and development activity currently underway and will also be responsible for integrating HALO with the Power and Propulsion Element provided by Maxar Technologies. Here I will go more in-depth into some of the station complications, possible delays, Gateway’s timeline, and more.
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Full article here - https://thespacebucket.com/the-challe...
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Interesting video about the Lunar Gateway space station NMaude. Always thought that the LG resembled the ISS in a strange sort of way.
 
Scott Manley has just put out an interesting video about the long running AJ-10 rocket-motor family, a variant of course being the main rocket-motor for the Orion CSM (Just like its' Apollo CSM predecessor):


The AJ-10 Series of Engines dates to the 1950's and an example flew last year on Artemis 1, propelling Orion into a distant retrograde orbit around the moon. It's not a single engine design, but the common factor is pressure fed, hypergolic bipropellent engines designed and built by Aerojet.
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The earliest examples I can find were the AJ-10-24 on Aerobee sounding rockets, generating just over 1 ton of thrust. The AJ-10-37 propelled the Vanguard rocket second stage, which was a 3.5 ton thrust engine. That was adapted to fly on Thor/Delta, Atlas and Titan. Then the Apollo Service Propulsion system used a much larger design, which was largely a complete redesign.
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The shuttle Orbital maneuvering system thrusters were a smaller 2.5 ton engine running on MMH/NTO and those same engines were refurbished for flight on Orion.
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This is a fine table listing the known AJ-10 variants used in orbital spaceflight.http://www.b14643.de/Spacerockets/Spe...
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NASA has started the Artemis 2 crew on recovery training, from TheSpaceBucket:


With NASA’s second mission to the Moon approaching fast, there still is a long checklist of activities that need to be completed. This not only includes work related to the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft but also work here on Earth. An immensely important mission aspect that people often overlook is the recovery operation once Orion and its crew of 4 splashes down.
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Here the agency along with military personnel work to locate and determine the exact landing site of the spacecraft. Once located it’s important that they get to the craft within a short period of time and secure the crew members aboard. Just days ago NASA completed a full Orion recovery operation test out in the Pacific Ocean.
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This comes in addition to the crew completing various recovery training and becoming familiar with the plan and vessels. Here I will go more in-depth into this complex process, how NASA gets to and secures the craft in a short period of time, what the recent training looked like, and more.
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Full article here - https://thespacebucket.com/artemis-ii...
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Well the third and final ICPS (For Artemis III) is now on its way to the Kennedy Space Centre:


A key piece of hardware for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and the agency’s Artemis III mission is on its way to the Space Coast. The journey for the ICPS (interim cryogenic propulsion stage) began in Decatur, Alabama, where crews with United Launch Alliance first boxed it for shipment July 29 then loaded it onto ULA’s “RocketShip” barge July 31.
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The barge will ferry the SLS flight hardware down the Mississippi River, into the Gulf of Mexico, then around the Florida peninsula to Cape Canaveral. Once it arrives at ULA’s facility in Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the ICPS will undergo final testing and checkouts ahead of the crewed Artemis III mission. The ICPS is the in-space propulsion stage of the SLS rocket, giving NASA’s Orion spacecraft and Artemis astronauts inside it the big push they need to journey all the way to the Moon for a lunar landing. The ICPS for Artemis III is the last of its kind as missions beginning with Artemis IV will use the SLS B1B configuration that includes the more powerful Exploration Upper Stage.
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1691458694972940291
View: https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1691458694972940291


Lockheed Martin and NASA managers spoke to NSF's Philip Sloss about their efforts to keep Artemis II's launch date in late 2024.

www.nasaspaceflight.com

Lockheed Martin, NASA working around the clock to finish Artemis II Orion assembly and hold 2024 launch date - NASASpaceFlight.com

The Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II mission is nearing final assembly and testing at…
www.nasaspaceflight.com www.nasaspaceflight.com

NASA is currently retaining its late November 2024 launch forecast as a "work to" date, although the pace of work is currently "a number of weeks" behind that forecast.
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1702353004278505635
View: https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1702353004278505635


The SLS core stage for Artemis II has begun RS-25 engine installation operations.

NSF's Philip Sloss spoke with Bill Muddle, Lead RS-25 Field Integration Engineer for Aerojet Rocketdyne.
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www.nasaspaceflight.com

RS-25 engine installation into the Artemis II SLS Core Stage begins - NASASpaceFlight.com

Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies Company, is helping install four of its RS-25 liquid-propellant rocket…
www.nasaspaceflight.com www.nasaspaceflight.com
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1706375215901520252
View: https://twitter.com/senbillnelson/status/1706375215901520252


Progress to the pad! All four RS-25 engines now added to our Artemis II @NASA_SLS Moon rocket. Harnessing the knowledge learned from #Artemis I, teams at Michoud Assembly Facility are working to fully integrate and secure all the engines onto the @NASAArtemis II core stage to prepare the mega rocket that will help send astronauts around the Moon.
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All Engines Added to NASA’s Artemis II Moon Rocket Core Stage – Artemis

blogs.nasa.gov blogs.nasa.gov
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1706360748354462176
View: https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1706360748354462176


Here come the Artemis II SRB segments that will provide most of the power to launch the next SLS rocket into space, this time with crew.

nsf.live/spacecoast
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1706407360674111780
View: https://twitter.com/jerrypikephoto/status/1706407360674111780


10 total segments make up two 5 segment SRBs that power the SLS rocket
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Flyaway said:
I’d have thought they would be inert at that stage?
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No, once the SRB segment casings have been manufactured, inspected, had their insulation liners installed, inspected again they then have their solid-propellant loaded (It's initially a very thick taffy like liquid) with a male mould in the middle to form the propellant-grain and then left to cure. Then inspected again before being sent to the KSC (All of the manufacturing, well, at least the propellant loading is done in Utah).

Edit: Here's an eight year old video from the factory in Ogden, Utah back when it was Orbital-ATK


This video shows how technicians at Orbital ATK prepare the solid rocket booster that will be tested March 11, 2015 in Promontory, Utah. The test will be one of two to qualify the motor for flight on the first flight of the Space Launch System in 20
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Ummm... the text of the article has the correct location - Promontory, Ut.

That is 50 miles from Ogden.

From Ogden you drive 25 miles north on I-15 (to the northernmost of the 3 Brigham City exits - marked for Corrine and Golden Spike Monument), then exit onto Utah highway 83 and drive west 25 miles.

Ogden & Corrine (marked with green ovals):

Ogden and Corrine.jpg


Corrine (green oval) to Northrop-Grumman Innovation Systems (Thiokol Rocket factory) (red oval):

Northrup-Grummal Innovation Systems - Thiokol.jpg
 
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Too bad that wasn’t our new heavy ICBM being taken to its underground hard rock mountain base. Sorry fantasizing for a minute there. ;)
 
So if the SRB segments have arrived at KSC I suppose that means they're going to start stacking the Artemis launcher in the near future?
 
NMaude said:
So if the SRB segments have arrived at KSC I suppose that means they're going to start stacking the Artemis launcher in the near future?
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They have some work to do on the segments to prep them. I believe that stacking operations are supposed to start around February.
 

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