NASA is using advanced simulations to provide the best possible launch conditions for the Artemis II test flight around the Moon.
This simulation of the Artemis I launch shows how the Space Launch System rocket's exhaust plumes interact with the air, water, and the launchpad. Colors on surfaces indicate pressure levels—red for high pressure and blue for low pressure.
The teal contours illustrate where water is present.Airflow around rockets as they travel from Earth into space can have a dramatic impact on a mission, which is why NASA used advanced simulations to provide the best possible launch conditions for the Artemis II test flight around the Moon. To better understand the Artemis Space Launch System rocket’s flight environment, engineers turned to a NASA-developed tool called the Launch, Ascent, and Vehicle Aerodynamics framework. The software addresses computational fluid dynamics, the flow behavior of gases and liquids. Using data from the 2022 Artemis I launch, researchers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley used LAVA to simulate complex interactions between the rocket plume and a system that pumps water to suppress sound during launch. The system protects the rocket and other equipment from potentially damaging sound waves. Comparing simulations with and without the sound suppression system activated revealed that the water effectively reduces pressure waves from sound, but exhaust gases from the rocket could also redirect water, causing significant pressure increases in certain areas of the launchpad. platform. Using this knowledge, aerospace engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida refined the design plume pressures and adapted the launch platform to endure those pressures for NASA will release LAVA in the coming weeks to the aerospace community and accelerate innovation by enabling U.S. companies and researchers to run complex simulations and optimize designs for aircraft and rockets. NASA has hosted NASA’s decades of aeronautics research expertise strengthens its space missions, using tools like wind tunnel testing, advanced software development, and other innovations to enhance safety and reliability. As four astronauts travel around the Moon on NASA’s Artemis II mission, they will venture beyond Earth’s…
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate Ames Research Center Artemis 2 Exploration Systems Development Mission Directora Flight Innovation Space Launch System (SLS) Transformational Tools Technologies Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program
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Watch NASA roll out Artemis 2 moon rocket tonight ahead of April 1 launchMichael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, 'Out There,' was published on Nov. 13, 2018.
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