December 23, 2024

NASA’s Orion Spacecraft Acoustic Testing: Ready for Artemis II Moon Mission?

On August 13, inside NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion spacecraft for NASAs Artemis II mission underwent important acoustic tests to ensure it can manage the speed and vibration during its 10-day lunar objective. (Artist making of NASAs Orion spacecraft.) Credit: NASA
The Orion spacecraft for NASAs Artemis II mission successfully underwent acoustic testing at Kennedy Space. This validates its preparedness for the upcoming 10-day lunar journey. The Artemis II astronauts previewed their spacecraft, with integration strategies set for fall.
On August 13, inside the high bay of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians successfully concluded a set of acoustic tests. These tests were carried out to verify that the Orion spacecraft, designated for NASAs Artemis II objective, can endure the speed and vibration throughout its launch and the subsequent 10-day lunar mission. This mission marks the first Artemis journey with astronauts on board.
While wearing tidy room suits, the Artemis II crew members (from left: NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen) inspect out their Orion crew module inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 7, 2023. The team module is going through acoustic testing ahead of integration with the European Service Module. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
For the testing, the crew module was framed with big stacks of speakers. Engineers also attached microphones, accelerometers, and various other devices to measure the effect of various acoustic levels. The data gathered from these tests is now set for analysis by the engineers and specialists.

On August 13, inside NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion spacecraft for NASAs Artemis II objective underwent essential acoustic tests to ensure it can handle the speed and vibration during its 10-day lunar mission. The Orion spacecraft for NASAs Artemis II mission effectively went through acoustic screening at Kennedy Space. These tests were carried out to confirm that the Orion spacecraft, designated for NASAs Artemis II objective, can endure the speed and vibration throughout its launch and the subsequent 10-day lunar objective. While wearing clean room matches, the Artemis II crew members (from left: NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen) inspect out their Orion crew module inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 7, 2023.

Before the tests, the 4 astronauts of the Artemis II mission visited the high bay, getting a peek of their future journey to the Moon. With the effective conclusion of this test, specialists at the Kennedy Space Center are preparing to combine Orions team and service modules in the upcoming fall.
Artemis II crew members, shown inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, inspect out their Orion team module on August 8, 2023. From left are: Victor Glover, pilot; Reid Wiseman, leader; Christina Hammock Koch, objective professional; and Jeremy Hansen, objective expert. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Artemis II is set up to introduce in November 2024. The roughly 10-day journey aims to assess NASAs core abilities for deep area human expedition, making use of the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft. This maiden voyage with astronauts will set the phase for future lunar objectives.