Watch NASA Flood its Rocket Launch Pad With 450,000 Gallons of Water

In less than a minute, the space agency dumps so much water on its Kennedy Space Center launch pad that the streams reach over 100 feet in the air.
Loukia Papadopoulos

NASA has been blowing us away with its many missions that almost seem too good to be true. Lucky for all is it always provides videos too of its projects from launches to engine tests.

But even when the space agency is not trying to impress it somehow manages to catch the world's eye. The latest NASA element to make headlines is a recent test of its Ignition Overpressure Protection and Sound Suppression (IOP/SS) water deluge system that saw the agency shoot about 450,000 gallons of water 100 feet into the air. 

"This system is used to reduce extreme heat and energy generated by a rocket launch.? On Oct. 15, 2018, the Ignition Overpressure Protection and Sound Suppression water deluge system at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39B was tested, sending water about 100 feet in the air. The test is part of preparation for launching our Space Launch System rocket on Exploration Mission-1 and subsequent missions," said NASA's video description.

The agency also revealed that modifications were made to the pad after a previous wet flow test to improve the performance of the system which likely explains the majestic video. Better yet, the testing is part of preparations for a new rocket Space Launch System that may see humans go beyond Earth's orbit to perhaps even reach Mars.

Via: NASA

Watch NASA Flood its Rocket Launch Pad With 450,000 Gallons of Water

 

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