Rocket Engine Test Fire

College of Technology Students Helping America Get Back to the Moon

It was a hot, sunny day in the Utah desert as temperatures approached 106 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite the extreme weather, Idaho State University College of Technology students, faculty and staff were present — and it was about to get much hotter.

On July 21, 2022, NASA test-fired its new Artemis booster motor in Promontory, Utah. This engine was made for the Artemis 1 Moon Mission which launched on November 16, 2022 from the Kennedy Space Center and is the precursor to the first manned moon landing since 1972 and the first moon landing undertaken by underrepresented groups — including a woman and a person of color. The students in

Faculty, staff and students from the College of Technology attend the test-firing of the Artemis booster rocket motor.

attendance during the test represented the Robotics and Communications Systems Engineering Technology, Industrial Cybersecurity Engineering Technology, Aircraft Maintenance Technology and Energy Systems Electrical Engineering Technology Programs. This was an incredible opportunity for the students who attended as not only did they get to watch the test, they were able to tour the Northrop Grumman facility, eat lunch with Northrop Grumman executives and meet astronaut candidates. The viewing was held in the VIP section of the facility — providing the students an unbeatable perspective of the test as the rocket fire blasted into the barren hills behind it. “It was incredibly powerful,” said Amanda Barnes, one of the attending students from the Aircraft Maintenance Program. “The intensity of the colors in the flame were so vibrant that pictures or video wouldn’t do it justice.” Another ISU student from the Energy Systems Instrumentation Engineering Technology, Caleb Sidwell, worked as an intern at Northrop Grumman and was involved with the construction of the Artemis booster motor. It was his job to take care of duties such as instrumenting propulsion systems and installing various sensors. He also worked closely with the engineers as he had to follow precise plans and have his work frequently verified by them because safety was paramount. “I loved the experience,” said Sidwell. “The company was great; the work was even better and the coworkers were amazing. It was also super fun to climb all over the rocket motor.” It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many that day. After the flames died down and the sand below had been made glass, the students who attended left with the incredible memories of the trip and the knowledge that it bestowed upon them. The Artemis mission itself is like something out of science fiction. The goal is to establish a long-term presence on the moon via the Artemis Base camp. NASA will then take what is learned from this mission to use for the next big step in exploring our solar system — a manned mission to Mars. Artemis 1 is the first of these missions and is primarily a proof of concept — showing that the Orion vessel is capable of orbit and re-entry. Artemis 2 will be the first manned flight in the Orion vessel and Artemis 3, which should launch in 2025, will be the first lunar landing mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis 1 successfuly returned to Earth on December 11, 2022.

The Artemis booster motor prior to its test in Promontory, UT.

An ISU Robotics student with two NASA astronaut candidates at the Artemis rocket motor test-firing.