From Supercomputers to Wind Tunnels: NASA's Road to Artemis II

NASA is pushing the boundaries of engineering and technology to ensure the success of its Artemis missions, aiming to return humans to the Moon. For the highly anticipated Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft on an ambitious 10-day journey around the Moon, the agency is employing a powerful combination of supercomputer simulations and rigorous wind tunnel testing.

This collaborative effort, powered by a high-speed network connection between NASA's Advanced Supercomputing facility and the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at NASA's Ames Research Center, is focused on addressing a critical challenge identified during the Artemis I test flight. During its initial launch, the SLS rocket experienced higher-than-anticipated vibrations near the solid rocket booster attach points, an issue attributed to unsteady airflow within a specific gap.

Smoothing the Skies: The Power of Strakes

To mitigate these vibrations for Artemis II, NASA engineers have proposed and are implementing a clever solution: the addition of four strategically placed strake structures. These thin, fin-like components, commonly used in aircraft to enhance airflow and stability, are designed to smooth out the unsteady airflow and minimize vibrations affecting key rocket components. The concept for these strakes originated from previous, detailed investigations conducted in the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel.

Unsteady Pressure Sensitive Paint: Visualizing Aerodynamics

Within the wind tunnel, NASA engineers utilized an advanced technique called Unsteady Pressure Sensitive Paint (uPSP). This innovative paint allows for real-time measurement of changes in aerodynamic pressures on the SLS rocket models over time. The data gathered from the uPSP, combined with powerful supercomputer simulations, provides an incredibly detailed and visually stunning insight into the complex aerodynamic forces at play.

The simulations themselves offer a dramatic visualization of the rocket during ascent. The rendered friction forces, depicted in greens, yellows, and blues, highlight the intense interaction between the rocket and the atmosphere. The purples, yellows, and reds illustrate the impact of airflow around the strakes, while white streams denote density magnitude, clearly showing how air density changes along the rocket's path. This sophisticated modeling helps engineers understand and refine the rocket's performance, ensuring a safe and successful mission for the Artemis II crew.