{"id":216812,"date":"2025-05-14T06:06:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T20:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=862644"},"modified":"2025-05-14T06:06:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T20:06:08","slug":"nasas-artemis-iii-core-stage-receives-thermal-protection-coating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=216812","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Artemis III Core Stage Receives Thermal Protection Coating"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Teams<\/a><\/figure>
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Teams at NASA\u2019s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid hydrogen tank for the agency\u2019s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket into the factory\u2019s final assembly area on April 22, 2025. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. <\/div>\n
NASA\/Steven Seipel<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

NASA completed another step to ready its SLS (Space Launch System<\/a>) rocket for the Artemis III mission as crews at the agency\u2019s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans recently applied a thermal protection system to the core stage\u2019s liquid hydrogen tank.<\/p>\n

Building on the crewed Artemis II<\/a> flight test, Artemis III<\/a> will add new capabilities with the human landing system and advanced spacesuits to send the first astronauts to explore the lunar South Pole region and prepare humanity to go to Mars. Thermal protection systems are a cornerstone of successful spaceflight endeavors, safeguarding human life, and enabling the launch and controlled return of spacecraft.<\/p>\n

The tank is the largest piece of SLS flight hardware insulated at Michoud. The hardware requires thermal protection due to the extreme temperatures during launch and ascent to space – and to keep the liquid hydrogen at minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit on the pad prior to launch.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thermal protection system protects the SLS rocket from the heat of launch while also keeping the thousands of gallons of liquid propellant within the core stage\u2019s tanks cold enough. Without the protection, the propellant would boil off too rapidly to replenish before launch,\u201d said Jay Bourgeois, thermal protection system, test, and integration lead at NASA Michoud. \u201cThermal protection systems are crucial in protecting all the structural components of SLS during launch and flight.\u201d<\/p>\n

In February, Michoud crews with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage prime contractor, completed the thermal protection system on the external structure of the rocket\u2019s liquid hydrogen propellant fuel tank, using a robotic tool in what is now the largest single application in spaceflight history. The robotically controlled operation coated the tank with spray-on foam insulation, distributing 107 feet of the foam to the tank in 102 minutes. When the foam is applied to the core stage, it gives the rocket a canary yellow color. The Sun’s ultraviolet rays naturally \u201ctan\u201d the thermal protection, giving the SLS core stage its signature orange color, like the space shuttle external tank.<\/p>\n

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