Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A partnership between NASA wind tunnel engineers, data visualization scientists, and software developers verified a quick, cost-effective solution to improve NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for the upcoming Artemis II mission. This will be the first crewed flight of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon.
This supercomputer simulation peers down at a close-up of the SLS rocket during ascent. The force of friction is represented in greens, yellows, and blues. A six-foot-long strake flanking each booster’s forward connection point on the SLS intertank smooths vibrations induced by airflow, represented by purples, yellows, and reds. The white streams represent a contour plot of density magnitude, highlighting the change of density in the air.
Credit:NASA/NAS/Gerrit-Daniel Stich, Michael Barad, Timothy Sandstrom, Derek Dalle
Learn more:nasa.gov/directorates/esdmd/common-exploration-systems-development-division/space-launch-system/from-supercomputers-to-wind-tunnels-nasas-road-to-artemis-ii
NASA's Ames Research Center is located in California's Silicon Valley. Follow us on social media @nasaames to hear about the latest developments in space, science, technology, and aeronautics.
A partnership between NASA wind tunnel engineers, data visualization scientists, and software developers verified a quick, cost-effective solution to improve NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for the upcoming Artemis II mission. This will be the first crewed flight of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon.
This supercomputer simulation peers down at a close-up of the SLS rocket during ascent. The force of friction is represented in greens, yellows, and blues. A six-foot-long strake flanking each booster’s forward connection point on the SLS intertank smooths vibrations induced by airflow, represented by purples, yellows, and reds. The white streams represent a contour plot of density magnitude, highlighting the change of density in the air.
Credit:NASA/NAS/Gerrit-Daniel Stich, Michael Barad, Timothy Sandstrom, Derek Dalle
Learn more:nasa.gov/directorates/esdmd/common-exploration-systems-development-division/space-launch-system/from-supercomputers-to-wind-tunnels-nasas-road-to-artemis-ii
NASA's Ames Research Center is located in California's Silicon Valley. Follow us on social media @nasaames to hear about the latest developments in space, science, technology, and aeronautics.
