NASA Simulations Improve Artemis II Launch Environment

To better understand the Artemis Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's flight environment, engineers turned to a NASA-developed tool called the Launch, Ascent, and Vehicle Aerodynamics (LAVA) 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.

The LAVA simulations improved NASA's understanding of the plume interaction with the Artemis mobile launcher platform. Using this knowledge, aerospace engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida refined the design to endure those pressures for Artemis II, NASA's first mission with crew aboard the SLS and Orion spacecraft.

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 a seminar on using LAVA with more about the tool’s capabilities.

The work on LAVA is supported through NASA's Transformational Tools and Technologies project, which develops new computational capabilities to help predict aerospace vehicle performance.

In related context, How NASA is Collecting Explosion Data for Next Generation Rockets highlights the importance of understanding explosion data in aerospace innovation. This research will provide valuable insights into the safety profile of next-generation rockets.

Overall, NASA's use of advanced simulations like LAVA highlights the agency's commitment to advancing aerospace innovation and ensuring safe and successful missions. By leveraging computational fluid dynamics and other technologies, researchers can optimize designs and improve mission success rates, ultimately paving the way for future space exploration missions.

Bonus - NASA Laser Reflecting Instrument Makes GPS Satellite More Accurate demonstrates the agency's ongoing efforts to advance space-based technologies, such as laser reflecting technology.

Original source: https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/artemis-sls-launch-sim/