Moon Rocket leaves shed

[cider_and_toast]

Pictures of the next step in Nasa's return to manned missions rocket development.

Nasa Moon rocket core leaves for testing

The first core stage for Nasa's "mega-rocket", the SLS, has left its factory in New Orleans.

www.bbc.co.uk

NASA will say its the brand new moon rocket leaving the development facility on it's way to the testing range.

Sharp eyed observers will say it's four slightly modified space shuttle main engines bolted on to an adapter that plugs it into the bottom of an old space shuttle external tank (that ever so conveniantly fits into the barge they used to transfer the old space shuttle external tanks down river) and represents not so much a giant leap for mankind but a small step in budget recycling.

 

[Brogan]

Got to love the juxtaposition of a space craft travelling on a barge at a sedate speed along a river.

We've got a long way to go before we get to this stage ...

 

[F1Brits_90]

been fascinating to learn about this, in the last hour. 1st moon landing for 50 years

https://twitter.com/x/status/1760805073842553020

 

[cider_and_toast]

1st moon landing for 50 years

First US maybe but the Chinese and the Japanese have both had luner landers in the last few years if I recall correctly.

 

[FB]

Nick Robinson on R4 said that the lander reminded him of this. He may have a point.

 

[F1Brits_90]

First US maybe but the Chinese and the Japanese have both had luner landers in the last few years if I recall correctly.

the moon having a surge in popularity then

i knew there was a moon attempts in pipeline but i wasn't aware. others had. interesting that this mission is amongst others is to do research for they have a 1st manned mission in 2027

 

[cider_and_toast]

They did the same back in the 60's. The yanks had the Ranger, Pioneer and Surveyor programmes and the Russians had the Luna program.

The Russians carried out the first soft landing by any space probe on another celestial body in Feb 1966 with Luna 9.

The Americans surveyed the Sea of Tranquility with Surveyor 6 in 1967 and when Apollo 12 landed in the moon they landed a few hundred feet from Surveyor 3 and brought back a few bits from it