Crews at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, lift the 75-ton interstage simulator test component into place at the B-2 Test Stand on Dec. 15. The test component, 31 feet in diameter and 33 feet tall, will be used during Green Run testing of the new Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), which will fly on future Space Launch System missions as NASA continues its mission to explore the universe for the benefit of all. The lift exercise served multiple purposes for the NASA Stennis test complex personnel. Overall, crews used the component as a “pathfinder” for the EUS unit, which helped train lift crews on best practices for moving and handling the actual flight hardware when it arrives. Although the simulator is not exactly the size of the EUS unit, lifting the component into place on the B-2 Test Stand allowed crews to simulate procedures and techniques for handling the flight hardware. The lift also allowed crews to check the test stand clearances to ensure all is configured as needed for the EUS unit. Several key test stand elements must be nearly perfectly aligned for EUS. The simulator lift and install helped crews take precise measurements to ensure those elements are properly placed. Finally, the lift allowed operators to return the simulator to proper placement on the B-2 tarmac following its removal from the test stand on Dec. 16. The simulator had been resting on temporary supports since its arrival in September. With the simulator now placed and leveled on proper tarmac pedestals, the NASA Stennis team will perform finishing work in the coming months to prepare the simulator for full installation onto the test stand. This will include finishing access platforms and precision interfaces prior to sandblasting and painting the test component. The final step prior to installation will be installing various piping and tubing, as well as wiring connections needed for Green Run testing. By the time the simulator is re-installed on the stand, its weight will have increased to 80 tons. EUS is being built at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans as a more powerful second stage to send the Orion spacecraft to deep space. EUS is expected to fly on the Artemis IV mission. Before that, it will be installed on the B-2 Test Stand at NASA Stennis to undergo a series of Green Run tests of its integrated systems to demonstrate it is ready to fly.
Photo Credit: NASA/Danny Nowlin