Space Launch System (SLS)

weatheriscool
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Re: Space Launch System (SLS)

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NASA once again calls off Artemis I moon mission due to technical issues
Source: CNN
Kennedy Space Center, Florida (CNN)NASA has once again waved off an attempt to launch its massive new moon rocket on an uncrewed test mission because of technical issues. The launch had been slated to take off Saturday afternoon, but those plans were scrubbed after the team 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. It's the second time in a week that the space agency has been forced to halt the launch countdown in the face of technical issues. The first launch attempt, on Monday, was called off after several issues arose, including with a system meant to cool the rocket's engines ahead of liftoff and various leaks that sprung up as the rocket was being fueled.

The liquid hydrogen leak was detected at 7:15 a.m. ET in the quick disconnect cavity that feeds the rocket with hydrogen in the engine section of the core stage. It was a different leak than one that occurred ahead of the scrubbed launch on Monday. The launch controllers warmed up the line in an attempt to get a tight seal and the flow of liquid hydrogen resumed before a leak reoccurred. They stopped the flow of liquid hydrogen and proceeded to "close the valve used to fill and drain it, then increase pressure on a ground transfer line using helium to try to reseal it," according to NASA.

That troubleshooting plan was not successful. The team attempted the first plan again to warm up the line, but the leak reoccurred after they manually restarted the flow of liquid hydrogen. The launch window opens at 2:17 p.m. ET and closes at 4:17 p.m. ET on Saturday. NASA's live coverage began at 5:45 a.m. ET on its website and TV channel. This process has put the team behind schedule, but it's unclear how much of a delay it will cause in the countdown because they may be able to make up some time later.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/03/world/na ... index.html

The SLS is a disgrace and a joke. Why can't they use falcon heavy or maybe star ship to go back to the moon>
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caltrek
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Re: Space Launch System (SLS)

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For the sake of shortening my extract to fit within size limitation constraints, I have not included below references to the controversy highlighted by Weatheriscool’s comment above. There is a reference to that sort of objection within the linked article.

NASA’s Latest Moon Mission is the Dawn of a New Space Age
September 9, 2022

Extract:
(Vox) Artemis is the next generation of moon missions. It’s part of NASA’s broader ambitions for lunar exploration, which include astronaut treks across the moon’s surface, a lunar human habitat, and a new space station called Gateway. ..

All aboard Artemis 1

NASA’s ride to the moon, the SLS, was designed to carry an extremely heavy payload. The rocket is just a few meters taller than the Statue of Liberty, and it can generate 8.8 million pounds of thrust. Like other launch systems, the SLS is made up of several different stages, each of which plays a role in overcoming Earth’s gravity, breaking through the atmosphere, and reaching outer space. To make that happen, the SLS includes twin solid rocket boosters, as well as a 212-foot tall core stage filled with more than 700,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. It’s the largest core stage NASA has ever made.

…And while other space launches have started using reusable, or at least partially reusable, rocket boosters, the SLS will only fly once. This differentiates SLS from Starship, the super-heavy launch vehicle that SpaceX is designing for moon missions. SpaceX, which beat out Blue Origin for a $2.9 billion contract to build NASA’s lunar landing system, expects Starship’s first orbital test flight to take place sometime in the next six months.

… The Artemis program is laying the groundwork for an unprecedented level of activity on the lunar surface, including a human base camp, a series of nuclear reactors, and a mineral mining operation. NASA has expressly said that it wants to develop a lunar economy, and the space agency has also established the Artemis Accords, a set of principles for exploring the moon that more than 20 countries have now joined.

Eventually, NASA plans to turn the moon into a pit stop on a much more ambitious journey: a human mission to Mars. Right now, it seems like that could happen sometime in the late 2030s. But while many of these plans are still far out, it’s clear that the Artemis program is far more than a repeat of the Apollo program.
Read more here: https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/8/27/2 ... r-florida
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
weatheriscool
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Re: Space Launch System (SLS)

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NASA sets date for another try at Artemis I launch
Source: CNN
CNN — NASA has set a date for another attempt at launching its Artemis I mission, after Hurricane Ian forced the space agency to roll back its massive rocket into its hangar at Kennedy Space Center in Florida late last month. The 69-minute launch window for the Space Launch System or SLS, will open at 12.07 a.m. ET on Monday, November 14, NASA said Wednesday.

If the launch is successful, the 322-feet tall rocket will send the uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the moon and back to earth to test its systems. The mission is expected to last 25 days with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean Friday, December 9.

The space agency said “minimal work” was required to prepare the rocket and Orion spacecraft for roll out to the launch pad, a slow, 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) journey that could take place as early as Friday, November 4.

The overall goal of NASA’s Artemis program is to return humans to the moon for the first time in half a century. And the Artemis I mission — which is expected to be the first of many — will lay the initial groundwork, testing the rocket and spacecraft and all its subsystems to ensure it’s safe enough for astronauts to fly.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/12/world/ar ... index.html
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raklian
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Re: Space Launch System (SLS)

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Yikes! :cry:

It's now too late to roll back the SLS to the VAB. Fingers crossed Nicole doesn't do much damage.

To know is essentially the same as not knowing. The only thing that occurs is the rearrangement of atoms in your brain.
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Re: Space Launch System (SLS)

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raklian
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Re: Space Launch System (SLS)

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To know is essentially the same as not knowing. The only thing that occurs is the rearrangement of atoms in your brain.
weatheriscool
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Re: Space Launch System (SLS)

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raklian
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Re: Space Launch System (SLS)

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To know is essentially the same as not knowing. The only thing that occurs is the rearrangement of atoms in your brain.
weatheriscool
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Re: Space Launch System (SLS)

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raklian
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Re: Space Launch System (SLS)

Post by raklian »

Just wow.

To know is essentially the same as not knowing. The only thing that occurs is the rearrangement of atoms in your brain.
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