America's new moon rocket: The SLS
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- čas přidán 10. 05. 2024
- NASA's new rocket, the Space Launch System, or SLS, has finally launched on the Artemis-1 mission. This is America’s replacement to the Space Shuttle and it is the most powerful rocket ever successfully launched, even more powerful than the Saturn V rocket that took astronauts to the moon in the 1960s. So how does the SLS work?
In this video, we’re going to walk through the launch of the Space Launch System for Artemis-1’s test flight and try to understand how the SLS works - from the solid rocket boosters, to the Orion Crew and Service module. The SLS is designed to be extremely versatile and can be configured into several versions based on the mission - something that wasn’t possible with the Space Shuttle and the Orbiter. The Artemis-1 launch used the Block 1 configuration of the SLS.
Artemis is the United States’ new manned moon program - the sister to the Apollo program in many ways - and it’s a complex web of missions, rockets, space stations (looking at you, Lunar Gateway), and lunar landers (like the SpaceX Starship). In this video, we are only discussing one component of that web - the Space Launch System rocket. This first mission, or Artemis-1, is an uncrewed test of the SLS and Orion. Artemis 2, currently scheduled to launch in May 2024, will be a crewed test which will orbit the moon and come back. Finally, scheduled for 2025, Artemis 3 will land humans on the moon. This will include the first woman and the first person of color on the moon. It’s a lot to take in! But the program is designed to be robust and diversified enough to one day ensure a permanent base on the moon.
Video Timestamps:
00:00 - What is the Space Launch System?
00:45 - Versions (blocks) of SLS
01:09 - How does the SLS work?
01:36 - The Solid Rocket Boosters
02:04 - The Core Stage
03:05 - The SLS Launch Abort System
03:40 - Orion Upper Stage
04:15 - How SLS gets to the moon
05:03 - Orion Crew and Service Module
05:53 - The SLS Return to Earth
06:38 - Mission Recap
Other Resources:
🔗 NASA SLS homepage - www.nasa.gov/exploration/syst...
🔗 NASA Artemis-1 Details - www.nasa.gov/artemis-1
🔗 Overview of SLS - www.nasa.gov/exploration/syst...
🔗 Learn more about the Lunar Gateway - www.nasa.gov/gateway/overview
🔗 Learn more about the Orion Spacecraft - www.nasa.gov/exploration/syst...
🔗 Buy the Lego SLS set from Amazon - amzn.to/3RobStH
👨🚀 Follow us on Instagram for behind-the-scenes content and quick space-facts from our videos / digitalastronaut.tv
🎥 Want to help us make more videos and reach more people? Like this video and subscribe to our channel!
Episode Credits:
Written, Directed, and Edited: Jared Belcher
3D Animation: Andy Belcher ( / andy__animates )
2D Animation and Compositing: Jared Belcher
Original Theme Music: Branded.
Episode Music: “Across the Sea” Composed by Blake Ewing, Performed by Brooke Mitchels and MODE
💻Equipment Used:
iPhone 13 Pro
Tascam DR-10L Portable Digital Audio Recorder With Lavalier Microphone amzn.to/3pCXF0g
2022 MacBook Air (M2) amzn.to/3ADHtlC
2019 MacBook Pro
Autodesk Maya
Final Cut Pro
Apple Motion - Věda a technologie
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This is exactly what I was looking for! Hope youre going to follow the entire mission for the next bunch of years!
I’m so glad I could help! I will definitely make some videos on Artemis 2, 3, the lunar gateway, and the SpaceX lunar lander. Pretty exciting times!
Great explanation, cool channel!
Nice video, easy to understand, maybe you could have gone into the details of the distant retro orbit, but it's fine, awesome animations btw :)
Thanks! I agree. Looking back on this video, I wish I would have explained that a little better, too. It’s pretty fascinating!
Ok so teeeeechnically the Soviet Union’s N1 rocket is the most powerful ever flown, but all four N1 launches blew up- making SLS the most powerful rocket ever SUCCESSFULLY flown. Pretty remarkable!
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Great video! Now wonder it’s going to possibly fail. Spacex will get there before NASA sadly. Just look how much of the spacecraft is burnt up.
Definitely cool video man but I can't stand how everyone is on SpaceXs a$$. They are the only company mentioned here yet the SLS is a combination of Northrop Grumman, United Launch Alliance, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Lockheed Martin. None where mentioned. Just the one company which had NOTHING to do with thus launch was mentioned smh.
But NASA is nothing but a jobs program! How am I supposed to turn over my soul and life savings to Elon?
You're right - a lot of companies came together to develop the incredible technology of the SLS! I certainly don't mean to diminish the work of those companies. They should be proud! I unpack how these companies contributed to SLS a bit in my other video about how the SLS came to be. It's tricky to highlight any single one of them because there are so many contractors!
My comparison to SpaceX is really due to the fact SpaceX seems to be the closest to launching their own human-rated rocket system with similar mission parameters to SLS, whereas none of those other companies have anything similar in the pipeline anytime soon. In fact, if SpaceX can deliver on Starship, it will far exceed the capabilities of the SLS. That really sets them apart from what those private companies you mentioned are doing. For example, Boeing is developing the Starliner capsule, but it'll launch on top of a ULA rocket - it's just a different developmental model. If Starship succeeds and goes into service, people will certainly be comparing SLS to SpaceX's Starship (and probably asking, "why is NASA paying for SLS when Starship is so much cheaper?"). Of course, SpaceX is only one of many private companies aiming for a vertically developed, manned rocket, but it seems to be the closest to having an entire manned rocket system certified for orbital and lunar missions. That might happen as soon as 2024 (although personally, I don't expect a manned Starship flight until 2025 at the earliest).
So no shade on those contractors like Northrop, ULA, or Aerojet Rocketdyne - far from it! They and the many other contractors should be proud of their accomplishment with SLS. In fact, it's their advancements in space technology that have made the successes of these new space contractors possible. My comparison to SpaceX is more about comparing similar, whole launch systems (SLS compared to Starship). If any other company develops a launch system, we'll definitely be talking about it on this channel.
I hope that helps clarify things!