NASA将4个RS-25引擎中的第一个安装在“阿尔特弥斯1号”火箭上

Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans have structurally mated the first of four RS-25 engines to the core stage for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will help power the first Artemis mission to the Moon. Integration of the RS-25 engines to the recently completed core stage structure is a collaborative, multistep process for NASA and its partners Boeing, the core stage lead contractor, and Aerojet Rocketdyne, the RS-25 engines lead contractor. To complete the installation, the technicians will now integrate the propulsion and electrical systems. The installation process will be repeated for each of the four RS-25 engines. The four RS-25 engines used for Artemis I were delivered to Michoud from Aerojet Rocketdyne’s facility at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, in June. The engines, located at the bottom of the core stage in a square pattern, are fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. During launch and flight, the four engines will fire nonstop for 8.5 minutes, emitting hot gases from each nozzle 13 times faster than the speed of sound. The completed core stage with all four engines attached will be the largest rocket stage NASA has built since the Saturn V stages for the Apollo Program.

NASA is working to land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts and supplies to the Moon on a single mission.

Image Credit: NASA/Jude Guidry

美国国家航空和宇宙航行局(NASA)位于新奥尔良的Michoud组装基地的工程师和技术人员已经将四个RS-25引擎中的第一个引擎结构上与美国国家航空和宇宙航行局(NASA)的太空发射系统(SLS)火箭的核心阶段相匹配，这将有助于推动阿尔特弥斯首次登月任务。RS-25发动机与最近完成的核心阶段的整合是NASA及其合作伙伴波音(核心阶段主承包商)和Aerojet Rocketdyne (RS-25发动机主承包商)的一个协作、多步骤的过程。为了完成安装，技术人员现在将整合推进和电力系统。安装过程将对四个RS-25发动机中的每一个重复安装。今年6月，阿耳特弥斯1号使用的4台RS-25发动机从密西西比州圣路易湾附近的美国国家航空和宇宙航行局(NASA)斯坦尼斯太空中心的Aerojet Rocketdyne工厂交付给了Michoud。发动机位于核心阶段的底部，呈方形，由液氢和液氧作为燃料。在发射和飞行过程中，四个引擎将不间断地燃烧8.5分钟，每个喷嘴喷出的热气体的速度是声速的13倍。完成的带有四个引擎的核心阶段将是自阿波罗计划的土星五号阶段以来NASA建造的最大的火箭阶段。

美国国家航空航天局正努力在2024年之前让第一位女性和下一位男性登上月球。SLS是美国国家航空航天局(NASA)深度太空探索的支柱之一，与猎户座(Orion)和绕月轨道通道(Gateway in orbit around the Moon)并列。SLS是唯一一种可以将猎户座、宇航员和物资送到月球执行单一任务的火箭。

图片来源:NASA/Jude Guidry