#Test Launched

[dailyworldecho]

[nasa]

Rockets, Racecars, and the Physics of Going Fast

When our Space Launch System (SLS) rocket launches the Artemis missions to the Moon, it can have a top speed of more than six miles per second. Rockets and racecars are designed with speed in mind to accomplish their missions—but there’s more to speed than just engines and fuel. Learn more about the physics of going fast:

Take a look under the hood, so to speak, of our SLS mega Moon rocket and you’ll find that each of its four RS-25 engines have high-pressure turbopumps that generate a combined 94,400 horsepower per engine. All that horsepower creates more than 2 million pounds of thrust to help launch our four Artemis astronauts inside the Orion spacecraft beyond Earth orbit and onward to the Moon. How does that horsepower compare to a racecar? World champion racecars can generate more than 1,000 horsepower as they speed around the track.

As these vehicles start their engines, a series of special machinery is moving and grooving inside those engines. Turbo engines in racecars work at up to 15,000 rotations per minute, aka rpm. The turbopumps on the RS-25 engines rotate at a staggering 37,000 rpm. SLS’s RS-25 engines will burn for approximately eight minutes, while racecar engines generally run for 1 ½-3 hours during a race.

To use that power effectively, both rockets and racecars are designed to slice through the air as efficiently as possible.

While rockets want to eliminate as much drag as possible, racecars carefully use the air they’re slicing through to keep them pinned to the track and speed around corners faster. This phenomenon is called downforce.

Steering these mighty machines is a delicate process that involves complex mechanics.

Most racecars use a rack-and-pinion system to convert the turn of a steering wheel to precisely point the front tires in the right direction. While SLS doesn’t have a steering wheel, its powerful engines and solid rocket boosters do have nozzles that gimbal, or move, to better direct the force of the thrust during launch and flight.

Racecar drivers and astronauts are laser focused, keeping their sights set on the destination. Pit crews and launch control teams both analyze data from numerous sensors and computers to guide them to the finish line. In the case of our mighty SLS rocket, its 212-foot-tall core stage has nearly 1,000 sensors to help fly, track, and guide the rocket on the right trajectory and at the right speed. That same data is relayed to launch teams on the ground in real time. Like SLS, world-champion racecars use hundreds of sensors to help drivers and teams manage the race and perform at peak levels.

Knowing how to best use, manage, and battle the physics of going fast, is critical in that final lap. You can learn more about rockets and racecars here.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[glorfindel-of-imladris]

Erestor of Doriath 🍃

[simplydnp]

So like was this the hard launch?

i'll reiterate the classic 'if you have to ask, it isnt' but it is another step

[lonestarflight]

"Dramatic view of the launch of Apollo 4, the first full-up test of the awesome Saturn V, 7:00:01 a.m. (EST), Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center."

Date: November 9, 1967

NAR-Rocketdyne photo no. VEH690

[rickybaby]

Daniel on Ted’s Notebook | Testing Day 3 | pt.1

Ted: Might RB be podium people?

Daniel: *calls Ted a bear (🏳️‍🌈?) Bills obligatory shoutout* What did you ask first?

[isawthesainz]

landonorris solid first day back

[self-made-cages]

Pour one out for the girlies at Google tonight, you KNOW that some smart PM was like “interest is going to be high, we should triple the load capacity” and the tech bro next to her was like “nah, we tested at the same volume as the Super Bowl, it’s fine” and hereee we are 😵‍💫

[evelynpr]

This is supposed to be the silly cracked 4koma- why does it have such an empathetic description for bakugo???

Like, ok Mr. Personification of Marina and the Diamond's "Oh No" here's your insecurities on full display

[rhaenella]

Red Bull in 2023: wins 21/22 races

Adrian Newey: hold my beer

[waywardly-we-go]

I was doing a thing where I tried every single branch in a good amount of Cyberpunk 2077's dialogue ages ago, and I just have to say it left me surprisingly impressed.

It is largely linear, but not nearly to the degree that I had first thought.

There aren't massive branching dialogue trees, but there are just quiet little diversions that happen so smoothly you don't even necessarily realize you made a branching choice...unless you get in there with time to kill and 6+ reloads. Taking a blue choice or acting in a timed dialogue, for example, can appear to have little consequence at first but has actually quietly shifted you onto one track instead of another.

The effect, I realized, is that as you play it feels like the choices you made are the only ones possible.

First of all, how fucking brilliant. Second of all, it's so thankless - if I hadn't gone back with this silly little project in mind I would have continued on my way thinking it was as simple as it first appears. It reminds me of the first person pov, both in how unpopular it was and how it clearly, carefully supports a beautifully immersive experience. The difference, I guess, is that first person pov smacks you in the face and makes you admit it's brilliant, while dialogue flies under the radar.

Ultimately, I still can't get over how intentional they were with this game, and how willing they were to take risks - and I hope to god that mindset didn't get crushed by the initial reception.

[moregraceful]

got my finger on the launch button team lift sign ups like fuck i hope my google form works as intended

[eirianerisdar]

Okay like no matter the shoulda coulda I'm hyped about where the racing in F1 is going for the second half of the season

Everyone is much closer than they've been for a long time and if Ferrari can pick it up a little more too we'll legitimately have four teams all fighting for the win

[goldiipond]

yah

[baeshijima]

it’s officially the 26th for me so !!

HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSAY TO HONKAI: STAR RAIL 🫶🫶

[lonestarflight]

Recovery of Apollo boilerplate spacecraft BP-23A after Pad Abort Test 2 flight.

Date: June 29, 1965

NASA ID: S65-19819, WSMR-65-BP23A-42, S65-19820, S65-19821, S64-39583, WSMR-65-BP23A-41, WSMR-65-BP23A-53