The rocket that will take us to Mars overcomes his last test – ElEspectador.com

When it was introduced in 2011, the Space Launch System (SLS) NASA was called the future of aerospace exploration. The power with which account this ship, four times they had rockets that propelled for over 30 years, the space shuttle, will serve for new missions into uncharted territories.

The rockets are responsible for boosting space ships. Once there, they are expelled by ships and they can continue their journey.

After several years of testing, the rocket SLS surpassed yesterday successfully one of his last tests and approaches the goal of helping human to explore space beyond the moon being and, in the future, to Mars and other destinations from outer space.

the engine solid fuel, responsible for generating energy to propel ships, he fulfilled the test temperature, as NASA found that could work to the lowest permitted for fuel (about 4 ° C). In previous trials were carried out successfully in March 2015 it was already known that the rocket worked at high temperatures. Thus, engineers established the effect of temperature on the process of burning fuel in the rocket.

“See the test today and experience the sound and feel that produce 3.6 million pounds of power helps us appreciate the progress we are making to advance human exploration, “said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator of the human exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington the (EE. UU.). “We are finding the way to human presence in space,” said John Honeycutt, director of SLS program NASA in Huntsville, Alabama.

These tests form part of the qualification process of the rocket, necessary to ensure it meets the requirements to fly safely: the effectiveness of the fuel at low temperatures, ensure the maintenance of the right direction during flight and prove that the insulating material fulfills its function

So. NASA hopes the SLS is the rocket that will enable the Orion spacecraft, the project that the space agency its hopes, bring man into space unexplored places such as Mars. Today, Orion has made numerous exploratory flights, but these have been limited to flying over the planet’s orbit.

For now, NASA hopes the Orion mission ended its exploration phase next year and prepare for what would be an unmanned mission at much greater distances. So you can put the rocket SLS to bring this ship. NASA suggests that in 2018 the launch of SLS with Orion is performed and depending on its outcome, if positive, the aerospace agency estimates that by the year 2023 could make the first mission of Orion with crew board.