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Bruce Askins

Publications and source records attributed to Bruce Askins.

6 records
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NASA’s Space Launch System Stands Ready on Doorstep of Maiden Voyage Launch and Progress Made to Future Missions

NASA and its partners made significant progress towards the Artemis I launch in 2022. The integrated Space Launch System (SLS)vehicleand Orion spacecraft were first rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in March. SLS is a super heavy-lift vehicle to send large, strategic payloads to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. It isthebackbone of the Artemis human lunar exploration program. Rollout transported the vehicle to Launch Pad 39B for a series of tests, including the wet dress rehearsal (WDR). Multiple attempts were required to complete WDR, each building on the one before. Following the WDR campaign, NASA teams refined hardware and launch procedures, and the vehicle was prepared for its first launch attempt scheduled for August 29. Challenges with the weather and hardware resulted in a scrub on the 29th, and the second attempt was set for Sept. 3. A hydrogen leak on the tail service mast umbilical forced a scrub. NASA teams completed repairs and testing on the vehicle on Launch Pad 39B to preserve a launch attempt at the end of September. Managers chose to return the vehicle to the VAB to protect it fromthe threat of Hurricane Ian. Within the VAB, NASA further inspected and prepared SLS for selected November windows. In addition to progress to the Artemis I mission, significant progress was made on the Artemis II and Artemis III rockets. Progress was also made towards on the Block 1B and Block 2 variants, beginning on the fourth and ninth flight, respectively. Both variants will provide significant improvements in both launch mass and mission flexibility to multiple destinations. This paper will discuss Artemis I vehicle integration, testing, and available results from the launch campaign to date.

Bruce Askins↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Successful First Flight of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Super Heavy-Lift Rocket: Laying Groundwork for U. S.’s Most Ambitious Missions

In late 2022, NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) super heavy-lift rocket launched for the first time. Artemis I sent an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a 25.5-day round-trip mission to lunar orbit. The near-perfect performance laid the groundwork for the next flights and for NASA’s return of humans to the Moon. The SLS team is now preparing for the launch of Artemis II, which will be the first launch of astronauts to cislunar space since Apollo 17 in December 1972. In addition to preparations on the Artemis II launch vehicle, significant progress is being made on the hardware and software for future flights. Artemis II will include a test of a new military-grade GPS system, which will be fully utilized on Artemis III. Progress is also being made on the exploration upper stage (EUS) for the Block 1B SLS variant, which will debut on Artemis IV. New production RS-25 liquid-propellant engines will be used beginning with Artemis V. These new engines, which are in a final qualification test firing program at the time of writing, realize a cost savings of at least 30 percent and reduced production time due to streamlined manufacturing and advances in technology, including additive manufacturing. The evolved solid rocket boosters, which will debut on Artemis IX as part of the Block 2 variant, are in development now. In addition to propulsion updates, each variant of SLS maintains payload configuration flexibility and can fly crew-only, cargo-only, and crew-cargo combinations. This adaptability ensures that SLS, with its significant mass and volume capability – including the ability to launch large co-manifested payloads with Orion directly to trans-lunar injection (TLI) – can support the country’s most ambitious missions. Results from the Artemis I mission, as well as progress to the next flights and SLS variants, will be covered in the paper and presentation.

Bruce Askins↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Rocket Ready for Artemis II Lunar Mission

In early 2026, NASA will launch the Artemis II mission, an approximately 10-day long lunar mission that will fly three NASA astronauts and one CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut on a free-return trajectory around the Moon, following a one-day checkout of their Orion spacecraft in Earth orbit. The mission will be the first to launch astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft and on top of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The mission will also deploy four 12U CubeSats as secondary payloads from the Orion stage adapter, following Orion separation and departure. The payloads, developed by four of NASA’s international partners, will perform a variety of science and technology investigations. The SLS and Orion for the mission are currently stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and are undergoing final preparations to rollout to Launch Pad 39B for a tanking test before launch. In addition to preparations for the Artemis II mission, significant progress is being made on the SLS for the Artemis III mission, which is targeted to return astronauts to the lunar surface no later than 2029. Major components of the core stage and solid rocket boosters are already at NASA Kennedy undergoing build-up for the mission. Data from the Artemis II launch and mission, as well as progress to subsequent missions, as available, will be presented.

Bruce Askins↗