The SLS Moon Rocket, while somewhat shorter than the Apollo Saturn V, is heavier than both the Saturn V and the Space Shuttle at launch and is the heaviest load ever transported by the nearly 55+ year old crawler transporter. It took 10 hours to make it to pad LC-39B.
It should be one hell of a launch to view. 
Launch is scheduled for August 29th. Launch window is 8:33 am EDT to 10:33 am EDT.
Is it a reusable rocket?
None of the components are currently reusable, save the crew capsule.
The remainder of the vehicle is expendable
.
And NASA cannot help but look at the vehicle that sits just 1 1/2 mile away.
The Falcon Heavy can currently carry 2/3rds of the SLS payload and is almost 100% reusable.
Evolved Falcons in the near future will have the capacity of the SLS and be reusable.
What a waste of resources.
I’m glad to see that America is finally making it’s way back into manned space flight (without hitchhiking with the Russians) but I can’t help but ponder on the fact that we are now trying to duplicate what we did very successfully in 1969, over 50 years ago.
We are actually, duplicating, in a way, the Space Shuttle program. The booster segments are from the Shuttle program, except, unlike with the Shuttle, they will not be recovered. Many other components are from the Shuttle program.
So basically we are trying to find uses for parts in mothball.
Kind of like what happened to a few of the LGM-118 Peacemakers. Got turned into satellite launch vehicles.
Pretty much. I get NASA wants it’s own rockets (gives them total control) but it sounds wasteful in light of the next generation Falcon Heavy that will beat it in terms of Payload in just a few years.
Yep I was just thinking about this.
