NASA / Tyler Martin
Space Launch System Intertank Readied for Structural Testing (News Release - July 19)
Engineers installed structural test hardware for NASA's deep space rocket, the Space Launch System, into a test stand at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama where testing recently began. The test version of the SLS intertank is being pushed, pulled and bent with millions of pounds of force to ensure it can withstand the forces of launch and ascent.
The test hardware is structurally identical to the flight version of the intertank that will connect the core stage's two colossal fuel tanks, serve as the upper-connection point for the two solid rocket boosters and house critical avionics and electronics. Delivered to Marshall via NASA's barge Pegasus from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans this spring, the intertank is the second of four core stage structural test articles scheduled for testing at Marshall.
The test facility for NASA’s new exploration rocket was originally used for Saturn V rocket testing that enabled the Apollo Moon missions. The facility's special cranes and design features make it ideal for exposing large rockets and spacecraft to the extreme forces of spaceflight.
Source: NASA.Gov
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