NASA’s Space Launch System Program concludes its structural qualification test campaign at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, with the testing of the rocket’s liquid oxygen tank.
NASA’s Space Launch System Program concludes its structural qualification test campaign at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, with the testing of the rocket’s liquid oxygen tank. Before the SLS rocket launches NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon, the rocket’s liquid oxygen tank, the smaller of the two propellant tanks in its 212-foot-tall core stage, must undergo testing to ensure its structure is strong enough to withstand the extreme forces it will experience during launch and flight. Secured in the test stand, giant simulators push and pull on the tank to mimic the extreme forces of launch and flight.
Image Credit: NASA/Kevin O’Brien