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The approval to proceed from the element PDRs also provides the green light to push the hardware into preparations for 2015\u2032s Critical Design Review (CDR). However, the rocket will first need to hitch a ride to Washington, DC for a meeting with NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden.<\/p>\n
This next milestone \u2013 part of continuing verification process \u2013 is known as Key Decision Point-C, in which the head of NASA, under guidance from the Agency\u2019s hierarchy, is expected to grant the program authority to move from formulation to implementation.<\/p>\n
Notably, with the PDR passed, SLS has now concluded its initial design and technology development phase, with all element-level preliminary design reviews for the SLS core stage, boosters, engines and spacecraft and payload integration having been completed successfully.<\/p>\n
NASA mission updates
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![\"SLS](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Z5.jpg\" "\\"SLS")
\u201cThe review had to be incredibly detailed, so our plans for vehicle integration, flight software, test, verification and operations will result in a safe, affordable and sustainable vehicle design,\u201d said Todd May, manager of the SLS Program at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).<\/p>\nWith the review complete, the SLS Program management will present the findings to Marshall\u0092s Center Management Council. If the council concurs with the SLS Program\u2019s recommendation \u2013 which is expected \u2013 the results then will be briefed to NASA\u2019s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.<\/p>\n
A final briefing \u2013 known as Key Decision Point-C \u2013 will then be presented to General Bolden, who \u2013 despite undertaking political direction to delay SLS prior to it finally being revealed to the public \u2013 is expected to grant the program approval to move forward from formulation to implementation.<\/p>\n
![\"SLS](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Z3.jpg\" "\\"SLS")
Despite the aforementioned delaying tactics, SLS has proceeded without any major issues of note, with what is understood to be around six months of margin ahead of its 2017 debut.<\/p>\n\u201cIn two short years from the first announcement of the Space Launch System, we are at a milestone that validates the detailed design and integration of the system,\u201d said Dan Dumbacher, deputy associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can feel the momentum of the workforce as we produce test hardware today. We are creating a national capability, and we will get this country, and the world, exploring deep space.\u201d<\/p>\n
As to how much exploring SLS will enable remains up in the air, with an exploration roadmap still under evaluation, resulting in only the first two missions \u2013 both of which were heavily redefined this year \u2013 currently on the books.<\/p>\n
Click here for SLS News Articles: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/tag\/hlv\/<\/p>\n
![\"SLS](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Z4.jpg\" "\\"SLS")
SLS will debut in 2017 \u2013 a date created due to political language to support a potential switch to a contingency crew resupply mission to the International Space Station \u2013 on what is known as Exploration Mission -1 (EM-1), a flight that originally tasked SLS with a validation mission to loft Orion on a trip around the Moon.<\/p>\nThis mission has since been placed under a \u201cChange Request\u201d \u2013 calling for the replacement of the original Uncrewed \u201cLunar Flyby Tactical DRM (Design Reference Mission)\u201d with a \u201cDistant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) Tactical DRM\u201d, citing the mission would directly aid the new EM-2 asteroid objectives.<\/p>\n
EM-2 was changed from a crewed version of the original EM-1 flight \u2013 to become part of the Asteroid Redirect Crewed Mission (ARCM) \u2013 earlier this year, all part of President Obama\u2019s vision of getting hands on with an asteroid prior to the middle of the next decade.<\/p>\n
According to L2 sources, EM-3 is set to become a long-duration mission to an asteroid located in deep space. Such a mission would stretch NASA\u2019s understanding on how to complete a long-duration crewed mission ahead of potential missions to Mars in the 2030s.<\/p>\n
![\"Block](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Z4171.jpg\" "\\"Block")
However, EM-3 is being planned as the fourth, or fifth \u2013 pending the requirement of additional supporting hardware having to be launched first \u2013 SLS mission, along with the first use of the upgraded 105mT SLS Block 1A or B.<\/p>\nA third and last flight of the original 70mT Block 1 configuration, albeit a cargo derivative, has always been on the wish list of the SLS team, with L2 notes showing a direct effort relating to using SLS for science missions is currently taking place in conjunction with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).<\/p>\n
The notes show the SLS team are working with JPL via a study relating to a mission to Jupiter\u2019s icy moon, Europa, as a template for analysis.<\/p>\n
\u201cA preliminary study utilizing a Block 1 SLS as a launch vehicle for a Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) mission to Europa is in process,\u201d added notes in L2. \u201cThe purpose of the analysis is to validate the results of a similar study performed at JPL.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Europa Spacecraft is considerably lighter than the combined mass of the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle\u0092s (Orion\u2019s) Crew Module and Service Module, so excess SLS ascent performance is converted into a higher apogee target for ascent. The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) then provides the perigee raise maneuver and Earth departure.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Z6.jpg\" "\\"Z6\\"")
The study is not an indication of a potential marriage between SLS and a JPL science mission to Europa, especially as the mission itself is not a funded effort at NASA, but more of an effort to advertise SLS\u2019 readiness to become the launch vehicle of choice for heavy mass science missions in the future.<\/p>\n\u201cThe analysis shows that SLS currently does not have sufficient performance to complete the Europa mission as described by JPL, but is close enough that further analysis and more details on the orbital energy required for the mission may improve performance sufficiently to provide mission closure,\u201d added some of the additional notes.<\/p>\n
It is understood that \u2013 as part of the study \u2013 the cargo version of SLS Block 1 would use one or more solid motors as the Earth Departure Stage for such a mission proposal.<\/p>\n
![\"Europa\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Z7.jpg\" "\\"Europa\\"")
A Europa mission was originally a target for SLS during in an early 2012 Concept Of Operations (CON OPS) presentation, available in L2.<\/p>\n\u201c\u0093The SLS could potentially enable sample return from Jupiter\u0092s moon Europa, because it would have the payload capacity to provide shielding for a lander on the surface, and sufficient fuel for propulsive maneuvers out of the gravitational well of Jupiter,\u201d\u0094 noted the presentation, which also referenced a mission to Saturn\u2019s Enceladus as another example.<\/p>\n
The drive to use SLS as a heavy lift cargo vehicle is essential to the rocket\u2019s viability, with the preliminary manifest showing only one crewed mission is expected to take place every two years. SLS processing is currently optimized to enable the launch of the vehicle once every six months.<\/p>\n
However, with SLS and Orion \u2013 along with the NASA\u2019s other flagship programs \u2013 using up a large chunk of the Agency\u2019s already-stretched budget, the monetary strain has deeply impacted on planetary science funding, which in turn reduces the opportunities for science missions launched by any rocket, never mind the pricey SLS.<\/p>\n
(Images: Via L2 content from L2\u2019s SLS specific L2 section, which includes, presentations, videos, graphics and internal \u2013 interactive with actual SLS engineers \u2013 updates on the SLS and HLV, available on no other site. Other images via NASA, JPL)<\/p>\n
(L2 is \u2013 as it has been for the past several years \u2013 providing full exclusive SLS and Exploration Planning coverage. To join L2, click here: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/l2\/)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As expected, the Space Launch System (SLS) successfully passed the major milestone of the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) this week, allowing it to move further towards the implementation phase. Meanwhile, the SLS team are working with JPL in an attempt to promote SLS for science missions \u2013 using an unfunded Europa mission for analysis. SLS […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29990,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[9034,624],"class_list":["post-39794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-hlv","tag-sls"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39794"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}