Artemis to the moon, 1 day and counting
-
I can remember back during the 1960s and 1970s a lot of people thought it was important to raise your eyebrow, nod your head and say "and womankind!" whenever you said mankind.
I think it has been several decades since that was a good thing to do, if it ever was.
And, of course, the word mankind includes us all even Ms. Harris.
-
Launch attempt may not happen until later this year
NASA will not pursue a launch of Artemis I for the remainder of the launch period, which ends on Tuesday, according to an update from the agency after a second scrubbed launch attempt Saturday.
Future launch periods, including those in September and October, depend on what the team decides early next week, but this results in a minimum of delays consisting of at least several weeks.
“We will not be launching in this launch period,” said Jim Free, associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. “We are not where we wanted to be.”
Free said the stack, including the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, has to roll back into the Vehicle Assembly Building, unless they get a waiver from the range, which is run by the US Space Force.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson reminded that the shuttle was sent back to the Vehicle Assembly Building 20 times before it launched – and noted that the cost of two scrubs is a lot less than a failure.
“We do not launch until we think it’s right,” Nelson said. “These teams have labored over that and that is the conclusion they came to. I look at this as part of our space program, in which safety is the top of the list.”
The scrub was called at 11:17 a.m. ET, three hours before the beginning of the launch window.
Artemis I had been slated to take off Saturday afternoon, but those plans were scrubbed after team members discovered a liquid hydrogen leak that they spent the better part of the morning trying to resolve. Liquid hydrogen is one of the propellants used in the rocket’s large core stage. The leak prevented the launch team from being able to fill the liquid hydrogen tank despite trying various troubleshooting procedures.
-
I'm too lazy to find it now, but
I saw a story earlier today that said there is a component that has to be inspected every 21(?) days and it must be rolled back to the VAB to do the inspection.
The 21 days were going to be up in another week or so.
I assume they didn't want to rush to make that deadline and and make a mistake. I can't argue with caution on the first flight.
-
@Copper said in Artemis to the moon, 1 day and counting:
She is so knowledgeable about spacey things
More knowledge:
@George-K said in Artemis to the moon, 1 day and counting:
@Copper said in Artemis to the moon, 1 day and counting:
She is so knowledgeable about spacey things
More knowledge:
I wonder who gives better head.