NASA Space Launch System (SLS)

On the other hand:

My reaction

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Frack. One of the strongest supporter of SLS in Congress in 2010 (ask Lori Garver about all this, for all her flaws elsewhere).

Merde.

At least we are lucky that, unlike the Webb's days, NASA administrator is kind of strawman those days...

Plus, crewed Dragon is flying now and SpaceX don't need NASA funding (Moon Starship) to go to Mars: Starlink cash cow plus Elon $200 billion should be enough.
 
Here's a NASA short video of them preparing to stack the SLS first-stage:


And it being lifted into place:


Although the second video doesn't show it the first-stage has been soft-mated and within the next day or so will be hard-mated (No doubt followed by connecting the various umbilicals followed by the stacking of the conical interstage adaptor).
 
I've become totally jaded by how SpaceX does things. Problem solving through fly-crash-fix-fly; working to a single goal with minimal government interference.

SLS personifies crony capitalism, retro-science, Congressional rocket engineering (a stinking group of failed lawyers who write and pass laws to enrich themselves and their 'friends'), and Federal Welfare doled out to faithful contractor/party donors. Waste on parade!
 
Now that the LVSA has been stacked it won't be long before the ICPS is stacked too.

Actually now that I think about I'm surprised that the ICPS isn't stacked and integrated onto the LVSA first before being stacked on top of the First-stage.
 
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NASA has a new short video out:


Also in a NASA Kennedy update (At 58 seconds into the video) not only has the Orion 1 spacecraft had its' LAS mounted on it all four aeroshell panels have been added encapsulating the Orion 1 CM. I won't be surprised if the spacecraft assembly has been sent to the VAB for stacking.


Edit: Here's a link to a tweet concerning the completion of the LAS.

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Here's a link from NASA showing the newly mated Artemis-2 First-stage boat-tail section and thrust-section to create the engine section.

Good to see that NASA are already starting to put the second rocket together, when the first Artemis rocket launch date has been postponed until next year.
 
Good to see that NASA are already starting to put the second rocket together
I saw a tweet yesterday from Tory Bruno (ULA CEO) saying that Artemis 2's ICPS had arrived at the Kennedy Space Centre and it include a brief video showing it being removed from its' transport crate.

when the first Artemis rocket launch date has been postponed until next year.
My understanding is that there's still a possibility of Artemis 1 being launched in December this year.
 
I hope so. Shuttle Derived HLLV advocates have it worse than any other.

You have winged vs ballistic, human vs robotic, solid vs liquid…pressure-fed vs pump-fed…etc.

But the EELV lobby, planetary scientists who try to raid any LV development… new spacers—they all try to kill your program.

Sickening.

I am so glad we didn’t have the Internet during Saturn production.
 
Good to see that NASA are already starting to put the second rocket together
I saw a tweet yesterday from Tory Bruno (ULA CEO) saying that Artemis 2's ICPS had arrived at the Kennedy Space Centre and it include a brief video showing it being removed from its' transport crate.

when the first Artemis rocket launch date has been postponed until next year.
My understanding is that there's still a possibility of Artemis 1 being launched in December this year.

I really hope that the first Artemis rocket will be launched in December (weather and further delays permitting) it would be a rather nice joint Birthday and Christmas present. :):cool:
 
Good to see that NASA are already starting to put the second rocket together
I saw a tweet yesterday from Tory Bruno (ULA CEO) saying that Artemis 2's ICPS had arrived at the Kennedy Space Centre and it include a brief video showing it being removed from its' transport crate.

when the first Artemis rocket launch date has been postponed until next year.
My understanding is that there's still a possibility of Artemis 1 being launched in December this year.

I really hope that the first Artemis rocket will be launched in December (weather and further delays permitting) it would be a rather nice joint Birthday and Christmas present. :):cool:

However politically flawed is that rocket, if it works, it will be one hell of terrific sound and light show.

(for the record, Saturn V flame could be seen all over Florida and even beyond; and its accoustic / seismic waves were recorded all over the eastern coast of the USA. And it had no huuuuge SRBs like SLS).

And if it fails - FIREWORKS for half of Florida at least.
 
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Can't wait to see her free and clear. SD HLLV advocates have suffered abuse and delays-been attacked...always on the outside looking in. But seeing this beauty....it is all worth it. SS2 pales in comparison to X-15. Mercury-Redstone beat Blue's suborbital...and while Elon's wild hare that is SS sleeps, the tortoise nears the finish line.
 
The SLS would've flown years ago if Congress hadn't fucked around and gave the necessary annual budget increase of ~$20 billion a year for about five years in a row.
 
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The SLS would've flown years ago if Congress hadn't fucked around and gave the necessary annual budget increase of ~20 billion for about five years in a row.

I can agree with you on that point NMaude about Congress messing around with NASA's budget and the SLS first launch getting delayed year after year, it makes me angry about the whole saga. :mad: At least Artemis 1 has now been joined together with the Orion capsule at long last.
 
What really should've happened is that when NASA decided to retire the Space Shuttle once the ISS was structurally complete then the US Congress should've got off its collective arse and each year appropriated the extra $20 billion needed for its replacement so that when the Space Shuttle was retired in 2011 a replacement was designed, tested and in place to take other.
 

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