NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket ignited its four main engines on a test stand at Stennis Space Center, Miss., on Jan. 16, but the engines were powered down earlier than planned. The hot fire test, the last of eight, was aimed at ensuring the vehicle didn't have major structural or engineering issues before it is put on a launch pad. The SLS was supposed to light its engines for about eight minutes, but the engines were powered down after little more than 1 minute. The test was still useful for gathering data and "teams are assessing the data on early engine shutdown," the space agency tweeted. In a nighttime news conference, John Honeycutt, SLS program manager, said officials will go over the data to identify the issue. "What we learned was -- is that we didn't have the pressurization valve modeled appropriately," Honeycutt said. (Source: CNN 01/16/21) UPDATE: Conservative parameters with the hydraulic systems led to the shutdown of a key test for NASA’s new "megarocket" at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi last weekend. Officials said the way components had been set up to respond was "a little conservative" and that’s what led to the early stoppage. There was no sign of damage to the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS). (Source: BBC News 01/20/21)
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