NASA SLS (SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM)

Aerospace engineers at NASA Langley are helping the Space Launch System —NASA's next heavy-lift rocket— get off the ground. @NASA_SLS will be the most powerful rocket we’ve ever built. Potential stops? The Moon and Mars.

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. Got a question or comment? Use #spacetoground to talk to us. ________________________________________ FOLLOW THE SPACE STATION! Twitter: https://twitter.com/Space_Station Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ISS Instagram: https://instagram.com/iss/

The largest spacecraft welding tool in the world, the Vertical Assembly Center officially is open for business at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The 170-foot-tall, 78-foot-wide giant completes a world-class welding toolkit that will be used to build the core stage of America's next great rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS). SLS will be the most powerful rocket ever built for deep space missions, including to an asteroid and eventually Mars. The core stage, towering more than 200 feet tall (61 meters) with a diameter of 27.6 feet (8.4 meters), will store cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen that will feed the rocket's four RS-25 engines. (NASA/MSFC)

The most complex 3-D printed rocket injector ever built by NASA roars to life on the test stand at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, are wrapping up acoustic testing on a 5-percent scale model of NASA's Space Launch System. The Aug. 28 test, the 34th in the series, will help NASA engineers understand how loud the SLS vehicle will be during liftoff. Data from the test series will be used to design the water sound suppression system that reduces liftoff vibrations on the vehicle. SLS will be the most powerful rocket ever built for deep space missions, including to an asteroid and ultimately to Mars. (NASA/MSFC)

Stennis Space Center engineers, in preparations to test the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System, moved the 1.2 million pound Main Propulsion Test Article (MPTA) structure on the B-2 Test Stand to accommodate the height of the SLS core stage. The stage will be taller than the Apollo/Saturn first stage and the space shuttle MPTA, which was built in the late 1970s for space shuttle propulsion testing. After the move, another 1 million pounds of steel will be added to extend the structure 100 feet higher, a task targeted for completion by year’s end.

A quick look at what's been going on in the Orion, Space Launch System and Ground Systems Development and Operations programs in April, May and June of 2014.

Beginning Aug. 5, anti-geyser testing is underway at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) -- the rocket that will make deep space missions possible, including to an asteroid and ultimately to Mars. A full-scale replica of the SLS liquid oxygen tank feed system -- which will be housed in the rocket's core stage -- is set up on one of Marshall's test stands to show that proven procedures will keep the tank's thousands of gallons of oxidizer from geysering. As propellant is poured into the system from the bottom, helium is injected into different points along two feed lines that deliver the propellant all the way up to the tank. The helium induces circulation almost like stirring and keeps the propellant uniform and at the right temperature. Testing is scheduled to be completed in November. (NASA/MSFC)

A special piece of hardware called a low-profile diffuser is being designed, built and tested at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for propellant tanks. The diffuser maintains the density and required flow rate of the propellant. Using a smaller diffuser can free up space to raise the liquid level -- potentially increasing the amount of payload that can be carried on future launch vehicles, like NASA's Space Launch System, or SLS. (NASA/MSFC)

NASA is testing on one of the largest composite cryogenic rocket fuel tanks ever manufactured at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Engineers test a model of the 70-metric-ton Space Launch System -- NASA's heavy-lift launch vehicle that will carry crew, cargo and science missions into deep space -- at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. This testing will help engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama better understand the performance of the integrated system and fine tune the performance of the vehicle.

A 5-percent scale model, including solid rocket motors, of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) is ignited to test how low- and high-frequency sound waves will affect the rocket on the launch pad. The data collected from the tests will be used to help direct and verify the design of the rocket's sound suppression system. SLS will be the most powerful rocket in history for deep space missions, including to an asteroid and ultimately to Mars. (NASA/MSFC/David Olive)

A 5-percent scale model, including solid rocket motors, of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) is ignited to test how low- and high-frequency sound waves will affect the rocket on the launch pad. The data collected from the tests will be used to help direct and verify the design of the rocket's sound suppression system. SLS will be the most powerful rocket in history for deep space missions, including to an asteroid and ultimately to Mars. (NASA/MSFC/David Olive)

A 5-percent scale model, including solid rocket motors, of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) is ignited to test how low- and high-frequency sound waves will affect the rocket on the launch pad. The data collected from the tests will be used to help direct and verify the design of the rocket's sound suppression system. SLS will be the most powerful rocket in history for deep space missions, including to an asteroid and ultimately to Mars. (NASA/MSFC/David Olive)

Engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., are using the latest technology -- 3D printing -- to make parts for a scale model of NASA's new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS). The model is being used for acoustic testing, which will show how the powerful noise generated by the engines and boosters may affect the rocket and crew, especially during liftoff. The data will then be used to verify the design of the rocket's sound suppression system. (NASA/MSFC)

2014 is off to an amazing start as NASA rockets toward this year's launch of Exploration Flight Test-1!

Designed to be a combustion test facility for the U.S. Army in 1956, Marshall's test control and data acquisition center is now state-of-the-art. Marshall's test lab supports projects — NASA and other government agencies, plus commercial space — large and small.

NASA and ATK engineers complete structural loads testing on the Space Launch System (SLS) booster forward skirt at ATK's facility in Promontory, Utah. Structural loads tests are performed to ensure each piece of hardware can endure loads without any adverse effects to the vehicle, or most importantly, to the crew. (ATK)

NASA will test the core stage of its new Space Launch System vehicle on the B-2 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss. Renovation of the stand for the test series is under way. A major milestone is the renovation of the main derrick crane, which sits atop the stand and will be used to lift the core stage into place for testing. The existing crane must be dismantled and significantly upgraded to handle the SLS stage, which is nearly 50 percent longer than the Saturn stages previously tested on the stand. Part of the removal is captured using time-lapse video.

Nyla explains the need for testing the newly installed piping on the A-1 test stand using liquid nitrogen in preparation for testing the RS-25 engines that will power the SLS.

The J-2X engine wrapped up its latest test series on April 10 at NASA's Stennis Space Center. A number of J-2X test objectives offer benefits to the upcoming RS-25 test campaign. (NASA/SSC)

Engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center talk about the new flight control system for the agency's Space Launch System. When completed, the rocket will be the largest, most powerful launch vehicle to support deep space missions. (NASA/MSFC)

A quick look at what's been going on in the Orion, Space Launch System and Ground Systems Development and Operations programs.

Mini models of the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage engines are ignited in a big way for a short-duration hot-fire test. As the main objectives of the Pathfinder Test Program, models of the SLS core stage RS-25 engines and solid rocket boosters -- scaled down to just 2 percent of the actual size of the flight hardware -- have been designed, built and hot-fire tested at sea-level conditions by Marshall Space Flight Center engineers, in close collaboration with Calspan-University of Buffalo Research Center Inc. in Buffalo, N.Y. The replicas will provide data on the convective heating environments that the base of the vehicle will experience upon ascent. The models were developed for base heating testing scheduled for this summer. When completed, SLS, NASA's new rocket, will be one of the biggest, most powerful rockets ever built.

The adapter that will connect NASA's Orion spacecraft to a Delta IV rocket for Orion's first mission in September is complete. During Orion's first mission, called Exploration Flight Test-1, the spacecraft will travel to an altitude of approximately 3,600 miles above Earth's surface before re-entering the atmosphere traveling approximately 20,000 mph at temperatures above 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The uncrewed flight will provide engineers with important data about Orion's heat shield and other elements, including the adapter's performance before it is flown in 2017 as part of the first SLS mission. (NASA/MSFC/Anthony Orton)

Note: this video contains a rebalanced audio track from the original video at: http://youtu.be/bKAkvXYg47Q Caption: The first round of acoustic tests on a scale model of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) is underway. The tests will allow engineers to verify the design of the sound suppression system being developed for the agency's new deep space rocket. (NASA)

On sea, land and in the sky, NASA's Orion, Space Launch System and Ground Systems Development and Operations continued making progress toward sending humans beyond Earth's orbit during the past quarter.

The modern avionics system that will guide NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket ever built, has seen the light. The flight software and avionics for SLS were integrated and powered for testing Jan. 9 at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., as part of a milestone known as first light. The milestone enables early integration and testing of avionics and software to help NASA perfect the system and ensure the units communicate together as designed. Avionics tell the rocket where it should fly and how it should pivot its engines to stay on course. (Boeing)

NASA completed a series of high-tech can-crushing tests as an enormous fuel tank crumbled under the pressure of almost a million pounds of force, all in the name of building lighter, more affordable rockets. The rare test with an aluminum-lithium cylinder as large as a full-size rocket fuel tank was conducted inside the structural test area at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. (NASA/MSFC)

The foundation has been poured for the Vertical Assembly Center (VAC) in support of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS). The VAC, measuring 170 feet tall and weighing 3 million pounds, will be one of the largest friction-stir-welding tools in the world. It took 90 truckloads of material to pour the 900 cubic yards of concrete to support the VAC. The tool will be used to weld together the barrel sections of the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen tanks for the SLS. (NASA/MSFC)

Hardware that will keep harmful gases away from the Orion's spacecraft during its first trip to space proved it won't bend under pressure during a recent test at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The diaphragm for Exploration Flight Test (EFT)-1 was joined to an adapter prototype for pressurized testing. For the test, the adapter was sealed and a vacuum pump was connected to the diaphragm. The vacuum pressure simulates atmospheric conditions the hardware may experience during the mission. (NASA/MSFC)

Technicians at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. move an 85,000-pound cart on air cushions into the test section during the Space Launch System (SLS) Liftoff Transition testing in the 14 X 22 Subsonic Wind Tunnel. The interchangeable carts are used to support and articulate the nearly six-foot SLS model during wind tunnel testing.

J-2X Engine No. 10002 is test fired for the final time on the A-1 test stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center. The 330-second test was the last in a series of gimbal, or pivot, tests on the engine. Following the removal of this engine, the test stand will be modified to begin RS-25 engine testing. J-2X testing has provided valuable data and experience for the team developing the RS-25 engine, which will power the core stage of NASA's new Space Launch System. (NASA/SSC)

A 3-D printed injector roars to life on a test stand at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The injector fabricated with a technique called 3-D printing, or additive manufacturing, produced a record 20,000 pounds of thrust and was the largest rocket engine part of its kind tested by NASA to date. (NASA/MSFC)

Watch this video to learn how NASA engineers designed and tested a large 3-D printed rocket engine part. (NASA/MSFC)

Watch this GoPro video to see a 3-D printed injector hot firing from the test stand. (NASA/MSFC)

NASA's Orion, Space Launch System and Ground Systems Development and Operations programs continued to make progress towards sending humans beyond Earth's orbit during the past quarter.

An adapter that will connect NASA's Orion spacecraft to a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket for Exploration Flight Test-1 in 2014 and eventually to NASA's Space Launch System, underwent a successful fit check with the Delta IV test article at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. (NASA/MSFC)

The SLS Preliminary Design Review (PDR) was held July 31 at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., where some 20 NASA representatives signed the SLS PDR certificate validating the SLS Program has demonstrated readiness to proceed to the next major milestone review. (NASA/MSFC)

Engineers at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility transfer a 22-foot-tall barrel section of the SLS core stage from the Vertical Weld Center. The barrel section, above, will be used for the liquid hydrogen tank, which will help power the SLS rocket out of Earth's orbit. (NASA/Michoud)

Artist concept animation of the 70t configuration -- i.e., capable of carrying 70 metric tons of payload -- of the Space Launch System, or SLS. The SLS is scheduled to launch in 2017, carrying the Orion capsule beyond low Earth orbit.

Watch a video that puts you in the test stand. This video gives you a blazing view of the one of the first tests of a 3-D printed rocket injector on June 27, 2013, in Test Stand 115 at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Propulsion engineers used the tests to compare the performance of a 3-D printed rocket injector to an injector made with multiple parts and traditional welds. During the extreme temperatures and pressures of the hot firing, the 3-D printed part performed as well as the traditionally manufactured part. This test included a 3-D printed liner. (NASA/MSFC)

A closeup shot of the J-2X rocket engine shows how it was gimbaled during a June 14 test on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center. A summer series of tests will be conducted on the advanced rocket engine, being developed for NASA by Aerojet-Rocketdyne of Canoga Park, Calif. The engine will prove upper-stage power for NASA's new heavy-lift Space Launch System vehicle, which will enable missions beyond low-Earth orbit. (NASA/SSC)

J-2X engine No. 10002 is tested June 13 on the A-1 Test Stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi. The 60-second test signals the start of a series of firings to collect critical data on engine performance. By the time the J-2X tests conclude later this summer, the engine will have been fired at full power and for the total time it would operate during an actual flight, while being gimbaled in the same way it must move during flight. (NASA/SSC)

The structural test article adapter is flipped at Marshall testing facility Building 4705. The turnover is an important step in finishing the machining work on the adapter, which will undergo tests to certify subsequent flight units used to attach the Orion spacecraft to a Delta IV rocket for its 2014 Exploration Flight Test-1. (NASA/MSFC)

Editor's note: This is a repost due to a video update. Thanks for all your previous comments. Featuring NASA Marshall's Foundations of Influence, Relationships, Success & Teamwork (FIRST) employees and student interns, 'Future Frontier' discusses the new Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift launch vehicle and its importance to furthering NASA's exploration mission. NASA FIRST is the Agency's leadership program for promising young professionals. (NASA/MSFC)

One year ago, NASA announced a new capability for America's space program: a heavy-lift rocket to launch humans farther into space than ever before. See how far the Space Launch System has come in one short year. (NASA/MSFC)

NASA engineers conducted a 550-second test of the new J-2X rocket engine at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi on July 13. The test, conducted on the A-2 Test Stand, continued a series of firings to gather critical data for engine development. This was the first flight-duration test of the engine's nozzle extension, a bell shaped device to increase engine performance. (NASA/SSC)

The iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is undergoing renovations to handle more rockets and spacecraft for the next generation of space explorers. The refurbishment includes modernizing the facility's infrastructure, including pulling out 50 miles of old cables.

NASA conducted its final J-2X rocket engine test of the year Dec. 14, the 10th firing in a series of tests on the new upper-stage engine that will carry humans farther into space than ever before. The J-2X engine was test fired on the A-2 Test Stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center, in south Mississippi. The main focus of this test was to characterize engine performance calibration and the effects of fuel inlet pressure variations. The results of this test are being analyzed. (NASA/SSC)