By Marcia Dunn
NASA completed an engine test firing of its moon rocket Thursday, after the first attempt in January ended prematurely.
This time, the four main engines of the rocket’s core stage remained ignited for the full eight minutes. Applause broke out in the control room at Mississippi's Stennis Space Flight Center once the engines shut down on the test stand.
NASA officials called it a major milestone in sending astronauts back to the moon, but declined to say when that might occur or even whether the first test flight without a crew would occur by year's end as planned.
John Honeycutt, NASA's program manager for the Space Launch System or SLS rocket, said everything seemed to go well in Thursday's test firing. “The core stage ... got an A-plus today,” he told reporters.
During the first test, the engines fired for just a minute, automatically cut short by strict test limits that were relaxed for the redo. Valve issues also had to be resolved prior to Thursday's countdown.
With this critical test finally finished — and assuming everything went well — NASA can now send the rocket segment to Florida's Kennedy Space Center to prepare it for launch.
Noting they're taking it one step at a time, officials declined to say whether this first SLS launch will occur by year's end as had been planned or will bump into 2022. The SLS rocket will send an empty Orion capsule to the moon and back.
The four engines tested Thursday actually flew into orbit on NASA's space shuttles and were upgraded for the more powerful SLS system. The orange core stage is reminiscent of the shuttle's external fuel tank, which held the liquid hydrogen and oxygen that fed the main engines.
Boeing built the core stage, which stands 212 feet (65 meters.)
The Trump administration had pressed for a moon landing by astronauts by 2024, a deadline increasingly difficult if not impossible to achieve at this point. The current White House has yet to issue a revised timeline.
NASA Acting Administrator Steve Jurczyk said the space agency is conducting an internal study to determine a schedule for the astronaut moon landings — “what we can optimally do” based on budgets. The review will take a few months, he noted.
The time has come! SpaceX has finally revealed images of the Falcon Heavy. Will Goodman, Managing Editor at Rockets are Cool, joins Cheddar to discuss what January looks like for the aerospace company.
Rae Paoletta from Inverse talks about the secret UFO program that ran from 2007 to 2012 and received $22 million in funding. What do you think this video is showing?
Using organic and chemical-free body products should not come at a price. Or at least that's what the team behind Eclair Naturals believes. Éclair Naturals is non-GMO, cruelty-free, vegan, soy-free, and organic.
The Consumer Electronics Show is less than 3 weeks away and there is already a lot of hype around the products and innovations. Lexy Savvides is a senior editor at CNET and she joins Cheddar to preview this biggest show in electronics of the year.
From natural disasters to sexual harassment scandals, 2017 has been a year for stressful news. A new survey shows that stress is affecting women's health in surprising ways. Lisa Kennedy, Executive Vice President & GM of Everyday Health Inc., creators of the Women's Wellness Special Report., and Dr. Mike Varshavski, Board Certified Family Physician, join us discuss the state of women's wellness in 2017.
Dina Fine Maron, Editor of Health & Medicine at Scientific American, joins Cheddar to discuss some of the biggest changes to science regulations we'll see in 2018. From food labels to nonaddictive cigarettes, people need to be aware of what might affect their everyday lives.
Between Bells has the latest politics, entertainment, and business news.
Stitch Fix shares plunged after the company's first earnings report and the Senate passes tax reform. We also look a new interstellar object and what Patagonia's move in defiance of the president has meant for sales. Plus our weekly personal finance show "Your Cheddar," presented by Ally.
Sarah Lewin, Associate Editor for Space.com, discusses the latest scientific discovery found in our solar system, which has astronomers scratching their heads. Oumuamua first left scientists thinking it might have held alien life.
This Changes Things provides advice for the executives and leaders of tomorrow, powered by American Express OPEN. Between Bells has the latest tech, culture, and business news.
