Another obstacle for Mega spacecraft to Mars clarified: NASA

NASA has managed to clear an obstacle for Mega spacecraft to Mars.

Credit: NASA / Marshall Space Flight Center

In what can be termed as a major achievement, NASA has managed to clear an obstacle for Mega spacecraft to Mars.

NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which is working on the "spaceship of the future" for the trip to Mars, has successfully completed a review of the facilities and support systems on land for Mega Space Launch System (SLS ) rocket and Orion spacecraft.

The US space agency is ready to begin another phase of work on SLS which the next generation of astronauts to Mars and other destinations in deep space, after completing this milestone on its journey to Mars will be sent.

"NASA is developing and modernizing systems of land at Kennedy to integrate securely with Orion SLS, move the vehicle to the platform, and successfully launch it into space," said Bill Hill, associate administrator deputy development division exploration systems at NASA.

"The modernization of ground systems for our trip to Mars also sustainability and affordability to meet the future needs of the spaceport multipurpose long term it ensures" he said in a statement.

Engineers and experts examined hundreds of documents as part of a comprehensive evaluation.

Program Systems Development land and Operations (GSDO), responsible for processing SLS and Orion for flight and ensuring all systems and facilities are ready, completed its critical design review (CDR) facilities plans and support systems on land, in December 2015.

In the last step before the actual manufacturing, installation and testing of terrestrial systems Kennedy, the program and the review board GSDO reported the results of their evaluations to the Board of Agency NASA programs, led by Administrator associate Robert Lightfoot.

Engineers are transforming the Kennedy launch infrastructure to support the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

The heavy-lift rocket will be stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the mobile launcher and shoot a launch pad 39B atop a modified transport caterpillars.

The Orion spacecraft will be powered with propellers on the premises of multi-payload processing at Kennedy before stacking on top of the rocket.

The launch team will use the new command and control system in the firing room as the clock counts down to the launch of the first flight of the SLS.

"The team is working hard and we are making remarkable progress transforming our facilities," said Mike Bolger, director of GSDO program.

For the first mission of the spacecraft in the SLS rocket, ESA (European Space Agency) is providing Orion service module that feeds, propels, cooled and consumables such as air and water is offered in space.