Jan 102021
 

NASA will soon fire up the most powerful rocket ever built

So NASA is planning on a static fire of the core of the Space Launch System. OK, fine, if about a decade-plus behind schedule and maybe a couple dozen billion dollars over budget. But the article goes into WokeMath in order to ramp up the excitement:

during this first ignition, only the liquid fuel engines at the core of the rocket will be tested, without the solid fuel boosters that will one day help carry SLS into orbit.

When the SLS core test-fires, it will become the most powerful rocket ever ignited on Earth.

UMMMMM….

The core of the SLS has four RS-25 engines, thrust 418 klbf each, totaling 1,672,000 lbf. The Saturn V had five F-1 engines, each with a thrust of 1,522 klbf each for a total of 7,610,000 lbf.

I’m not sure I agree with LiveScience’s math. But then, 2+2=4 is racist, so maybe 1.672 is greater than 7.610 these days.

 Posted by at 12:16 pm