Space launch system: First steps towards research
A short 1:30 video with scenes from SLS animation and a story to explore, taking this first step into deep space.
NASA
NASA is advancing toward the launch in late August of its giant lunar rocket from the Kennedy Space Center, although it did not complete a fully “wet rehearsal” on Monday.
NASA officials reviewed the data collected during the test and decided that a leaking hydrogen valve was not significant enough to delay the launch of Artemis I, an unmanned mission that plans to orbit the moon and return to Earth. This is the first step towards the return of humans to the moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.
“The team is now ready to take the next step and prepare for the launch,” said NASA Deputy Chief of Staff Tom Whitmeier.
NASA officials have said they will return the massive Space Launch System rocket back to the vehicle assembly building, where the defective valve seal will be replaced. The cancellation is scheduled for Friday, July 1, although fears of the weather may repel it.
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Monday’s test launch was the rocket’s fourth “wet dress rehearsal.” Three previous attempts in April all failed to fully load the rocket.
Monday’s countdown was to go to T-9.3 seconds, the point at which the rocket’s engines began firing. But the hydrogen leak required a T-10 minute hold as engineers tried to find a way to stop the leak.
Although they could not stop the leak, the agency’s staff decided to continue the test as if everything was fine. But when the rocket’s on-board computers took over the last countdown sequence, they detected a leak and stopped the T-23 seconds countdown.
Still, NASA managed to complete its most important part of the test: to completely fill the rocket’s tanks with hundreds of thousands of gallons of supercooled liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
“The team continues to impress me with its creative thinking and ingenuity,” said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, director of the Artemis launch at Kennedy. “Our Artemis launch team is working quickly to adapt to the dynamics of refueling operations. test, we are one step closer to launching. “
NASA said engineers have reviewed the final steps that would occur in the last few seconds of the countdown. They are planning a final test of the hydraulic boosters before returning the missile back to the site. The units provide power to the pumps that the booster nozzles use to control the rocket during the ascent.
After replacing the hardware responsible for the valve leak, NASA will set a firm launch date for Artemis I, which is scheduled to send an unmanned Orion capsule into lunar orbit and back.
If he succeeds, he will create a NASA Artemis II mission that will return humans to lunar orbit for the first time since 1972.
The mission of the Artemis III agency, which will bring people back to the lunar surface, is planned to start no earlier than 2025. NASA said that the mission will include the first woman and the first colored man to go to the moon.
A 25+ year old FLORIDA TODAY veteran, John McCarthy is currently leading the space team and special projects. Support quality local journalism by subscribing to FLORIDA TODAY. You can contact McCarthy at 321-752-5018 or jmccarthy@floridatoday.com.
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