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PICTURE SHOWS: Artist impression of the Space Launch System (SLS) and the world???s largest rocket fuel tank ... STORY COPY: Engineers at NASA???s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, on Dec. 5 deliberately pushed the world???s largest rocket fuel tank beyond its design limits to really understand its breaking point. The test version of the Space Launch System rocket???s liquid hydrogen tank withstood more than 260% of expected flight loads over five hours before engineers detected a buckling point, which then ruptured. Engineers concluded the test at approximately 11 p.m. ??sWe purposely took this tank to its extreme limits and broke it because pushing systems to the point of failure gives us additional data to help us build rockets intelligently,??? said Neil Otte, chief engineer of the SLS Stages Office at Marshall. ??sWe will be flying the Space Launch System for decades to come, and breaking the propellant tank today will help us safely and efficiently evolve the SLS rocket as our desired missions evolve.??? The test version of the tank aced earlier tests, withstanding forces expected at engine thrust levels planned for Artemis lunar missions, showing no signs of cracks, buckling or breaking. The test on Dec. 5 -- conducted using a combination of gaseous nitrogen for pressurization and hydraulics for loads -- pushed the tank to the limits by exposing it to higher forces that caused it to break as engineers predicted. Earlier tests at Marshall certified the tank for both the current version of the SLS -- called Block 1, which will use an upper stage called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage -- and the Block 1B version that will replace the ICPS with the more powerful Exploration Upper Stage. ??sThis final tank test marks the largest-ever controlled test-to-failure of a NASA rocket stage pressurized tank,??? said Mike Nichols, Marshall???s lead test engineer for the tank. This data will benefit all aerospace companies designing rocke