Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: The US space agency NASA is all geared up to test the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket engine today.
The test will be the sixth of seven tests for the SLS RS-25 engine.
It will be held in the A-1 test Stand at Stennis Space Centre in Mississipi for 535 seconds.
According to NASA, the tests also support the development of a new controller, or “brain,” for the engine, which monitors engine status and communicates between the vehicle and the engine, relaying commands to the engine and transmitting data back to the vehicle. The controller also provides closed-loop management of the engine by regulating the thrust and fuel mixture ratio while monitoring the engine's health and status.
The test shall commence on Thursday, 4:30 pm EDT, which in Indian Standard Time (IST) is Friday, 2:30 am and for all the space enthusiasts, NASA will be broadcasting the live coverage of the same on the NASA website.
The SLS is supposed to be launched in 2018. Its main rocket booster will be powered by four aero-jet RS-25 engines.
Even though, the ameliorate SLS version will reach 512 thousand pounds, thereby yielding more power to bring humans and cargo far beyond the International Space Station, the shuttle version of the RS-25 stored 491 thousand pounds of thrust.
