NASA SLS Booster Passed An Important Ground Test March 11

When it comes to components for rockets that will be used to carry payloads, and perhaps one-day astronauts, into space NASA cuts no corners in testing. NASA has been working on its Space Launch System or SLS for a long time now and once all the tests are passed, the SLS will be used to push cargo and people into orbit.

NASA plans to one day use the SLS to send payloads into deep space. This week the SLS booster passed a major ground test, that test happened on March 11. During the test, one of the boosters for the SLS was attached to a special chassis on the ground and test fired for two minutes.

Two minutes is the same amount of time that the booster will need to fire when it is attached to the SLS and makes a normal lift off. The ground test happened at a test facility in Promontory, Utah. The facility is owned by commercial partner Orbital ATK and is one of two tests panned for the booster.

If both of the ground tests are passed, the booster will be qualified for flight. Once that flight qualification is achieved, the booster will be shipped to Kennedy Space Center in Florida where the first SLS flight will launch. This test was of the high-end range of the booster propellant at 90F. A cold temperature test at 40F will be conducted in early 2016 testing the low end of the propellant temperature range.

SOURCE: NASA