Where The ORANGE ROCKETS Come From! Artemis Hardware Exclusive Look

Join Philip Sloss from NSF on an exclusive tour inside NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF), where history is being made in the assembly of the Space Launch System (SLS) for the upcoming Artemis missions. This video takes you through the heart of the facility, showcasing the extensive work on the core stages for Artemis 2 and 3, including the first lunar flyby in 50 years and the historic Artemis 3 lunar landing. Witness the final stages of assembly and testing, get a close-up view of Orion spacecraft components, and hear firsthand from the engineers and experts on the ground. Dive deep into the intricacies of space hardware manufacturing and understand why scrapping the SLS isn't as straightforward as it seems. This in-depth look reaffirms NASA's commitment to lunar exploration and deep space missions, all made possible by the dedicated work at Michoud. Don't forget to subscribe for more behind-the-scenes content from the forefront of space exploration!

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🤵 Hosted by Philip Sloss (
🎥 Footage from Stephen Marr, Philip Sloss, Jack Beyer, NASA.
✂️ Edited by Sawyer Rosenstein.

L2 Boca Chica (more clips and photos) from BC's very early days to today.

#NASA #SpaceLaunchSystem #ArtemisMission #MichoudAssembly #OrionSpacecraft #LunarExploration #RocketAssembly #DeepSpace #AerospaceEngineering #MoonLanding #SpaceTechnology #Artemis2 #Artemis3 #SpaceExploration #SpacecraftAssembly #SpaceIndustry #AerospaceProduction #SpaceMissionPreparation #BoeingSpace #LockheedMartin #SpaceHardware #HistoricSpaceMissions #MoonFlyby #SpaceManufacturing #FutureOfSpaceExploration

[ProfessorMAG]

I worked there for ~25 years working on the External Tank for the Space Shuttle. Good to see some of the areas I used to work in. Lockheed Martin developed the Friction Stir Welding of Lithium/Aluminum many years ago. The "Orange Foam" insulation is a form of Polyisocyanate foam much like the "Great Stuff" Polyurethane foam in a can.

[MayuriK_it]

Congrats NSF on being able to film this place, to show us all these things! Thanks, that's really interesting!

[sharplessguy]

As a child I toured Michoud with my class and saw the Saturn V boosters being built. Later on the space shuttle main tanks were built in this same plant. I would love to take a tour now but they don't do that anymore

[billsimpson]

Michoud is inside the New Orleans city limits, and always has been. It was one of the few things that Hurricane Katrina didn't flood in that area. Since then, the government built a billion dollar flood control structure to protect the area where it sits. It was built for WW II, but was too late to be used much during the War. They built the Saturn V first stage there because it was sitting empty. About 10, 000 people worked there building the Saturn V during the 1960s.
Next came the Space Shuttle External Tanks, all of which were built inside that building.
Now it is the home of construction of most of the SLS, except for the solid rockets.
A loaded Boeing 737 airliner made a successful engines out landing next to the levee along the rear of the site. The pilot was blind in one eye, and landed after encountering a thunderstorm with hail that killed both engines. Severe thunderstorms are very common in the area. Being before the Internet got going, and out in the boonies, it didn't get the media coverage of the, 'miracle on the Hudson' in New York City. They flew the Boeing 737 out a few days later. They lied to the public, saying it would be taken apart, or barged out. Since then, jet engines on airliners have been redesigned to better handle hail mixed with heavy rain. Google, 'TACA Flight 110' to see the proof on Wikipedia. A pilot with one eye did that during a thunderstorm with no engines running. It wasn't their day to die.

[MrHichammohsen]

Everyone asking NSF to go 4k and stuff like that, and then THEY COUNTER ACT BY DROPPING THIS EYE CANDY! Thank you Team we love you, and thank you to our SLS guy Philip.

[bideford]

Wow, a lot of detail. Thank you Philip!

[Airbertach]

It's amazing to see how much work and detail goes into construction for a space vehicle. Thank you, NSF for producing an informative video and hope you will have more to come. 😊

[ethans]

Incredible video! This and the other factory tour have been my favorite videos by far, even though they may not be the most popular or easy to make.

Thank you Philip and Steven, amazing work as always!

[davidsheppard]

That was great Phillip! Very informative! I was glad to see so much of SLS is actually built!

[churchdiscography]

It's nice to see that Pam from The Office landed a good job in the aerospace industry.

[JaviAirwraps]

I enjoyed seeing Sloss as the host this week. Good vid!

[corrinastanley]

Great tour and interview thanks Philip and NSF team.

[grzegorzpiesik]

These guys deserve the same apprecieation as SpaceX workers great video

[drmosfet]

It's nice to know what it look like before it gets to point Nemo. It's difficult to get excited about this. But am glad it's well documented for historical purposes.

[TomwithaDream]

I'm glad you went and were given a tour. It's too bad our $10 billion couldn't locate a tour guide with a modicum of personality. "This looks like a weld sample, could you tell us about it?" "Sure, this is a weld sample that shows a sample of a weld."

And now we know why they are behind schedule and over budget. You would think they would be embarrassed to know the world is comparing this to Starbase and that manufacturing...

[EVGizmo]

Seems like the pace is accelerating. Thanks for this unique aspect of the program Phillip and NSF

[maxivy]

I love how lowkey this huge drop is, and even how short it is. Just wow!

[superrdaan]

I didn’t know f1 used the load cells in the Halo! Im a big f1 and space fan! Nice to see them 2 🥳

[ghost]

NASA should proceed because they already paid for all the parts?
That logic didn't work when NASA cancelled Apollo 18, 19, and 20 even though all the parts were not only paid for but completely assembled.
What changed...other than politics?

[Kenneth_James]

You can really sense the urgency in the atmosphere over there. lol just kidding.