{"id":17347,"date":"2022-09-21T23:00:32","date_gmt":"2022-09-21T15:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasa-encouraged-by-tanking-test-for-sls-moon-rocket-but-launch-plan-is-still-in-flux\/"},"modified":"2022-09-21T23:00:32","modified_gmt":"2022-09-21T15:00:32","slug":"nasa-encouraged-by-tanking-test-for-sls-moon-rocket-but-launch-plan-is-still-in-flux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasa-encouraged-by-tanking-test-for-sls-moon-rocket-but-launch-plan-is-still-in-flux\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA \u2018encouraged\u2019 by tanking test for SLS moon rocket, but launch plan is still in flux"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full-width\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"379\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/220921-launchcontrol-630x379.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-724082\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/220921-launchcontrol-630x379.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/220921-launchcontrol-1260x759.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/220921-launchcontrol-768x462.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/220921-launchcontrol-1536x925.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/220921-launchcontrol.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption>Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson (at left) and launch team members Wes Mosedale and Jeremy Graeber monitor data inside Firing Room 1 at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a tanking test. (NASA Photo \/ Kim Shiflett)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>NASA says it achieved all its objectives during today\u2019s launch-pad rehearsal for fueling up its giant Space Launch System rocket for an uncrewed round-the-moon mission known as Artemis 1 \u2014 but will have to review the data, check the weather and get final approvals before going ahead with plans for a liftoff next Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>The test at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida was meant to verify that hydrogen fuel leaks encountered during the past month\u2019s launch attempts were fixed. A hydrogen leak did crop up today during the process of filling the SLS rocket\u2019s tanks with super-cooled propellants. \u201cEngineers were able to troubleshoot the issue and proceed with the planned activities,\u201d NASA said afterward.<\/p>\n<p>In the wake of the earlier launch scrubs, engineers replaced the suspect seals in the fueling system. Mission managers also changed the fuel-loading procedure to take what they called a \u201ckinder, gentler\u201d approach \u2014 and they relaxed their rules for today\u2019s test. Concentrations of hydrogen in the air surrounding the rocket were allowed to exceed the 4% limit that was previously in place. NASA launch commentator Derrol Nail said that the leak rate surpassed 5% at one point, but tapered back down to less than 4%.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we were in terminal count, which is what this was testing, it would have been a violation and stopped the count,\u201d Nail explained during today\u2019s webcast. \u201cBut for the ground rules that were set for today, they were within those.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nail said the launch team \u201cis looking forward to getting back that data and taking a close look at it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Artemis 1 tanking test 'went really well,' leak troubleshooting explained\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yP4eoQktbAM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson put a positive spin on the test\u2019s outcome. \u201cAll of the objectives that we set out to do, we were able to accomplish today,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Blackwell-Thompson said mission managers will assess the data as part of the process of determining whether to go forward with the scheduled launch attempt on Sept. 27. \u201cI am extremely encouraged by the test today,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>A couple of other factors could affect the schedule. The scheduling procedures currently in place would require bringing the rocket back to NASA\u2019s Vehicle Assembly Building to switch out batteries in the flight termination system, but NASA is seeking a waiver from the U.S. Space Force, which manages the Eastern Range.<\/p>\n<p>Weather is also a potential concern: A tropical disturbance known as Invest 98L is currently forming in the Atlantic Ocean and could bring strong storms to Florida next week. If NASA had to pass up the Sept. 27 opportunity due to weather, the next chance for launch would come on Oct. 2.<\/p>\n<p>The inaugural launch of the Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket ever built for NASA, is just the beginning of NASA\u2019s Artemis 1 mission. The SLS will send an uncrewed Orion capsule on a looping, weeks-long trip around the moon and back. Sensors hooked up to three mannequins will collect data about radiation exposure, temperature and other environmental factors.<\/p>\n<p>Orion will also be carrying an experimental Alexa-style voice assistant \u2014 created by Amazon in partnership with NASA, Lockheed Martin and Cisco \u2014 that could be used on future crewed missions.<\/p>\n<p>If Artemis 1 is successful, that would set the stage for a crewed round-the-moon mission known as Artemis 2 in 2024, and then an Artemis 3 moon landing that could happen as early as 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson (at left) and launch team members Wes Mosedale and Jeremy Graeber monitor data inside Firing Room 1 at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a tanking test. (NASA Photo \/ Kim Shiflett) NASA says it achieved all its objectives during today\u2019s launch-pad rehearsal for fueling up its giant Space Launch [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[304,625,190,4370,787],"class_list":["post-17347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-artemis","tag-moon","tag-nasa","tag-sls-rocket","tag-space-launch-system"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17347"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17347\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}