{"id":25017,"date":"2021-04-20T17:32:16","date_gmt":"2021-04-20T09:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-crew-2-mission-cleared-for-launch-as-eyes-turn-to-the-weather\/"},"modified":"2021-04-20T17:32:16","modified_gmt":"2021-04-20T09:32:16","slug":"spacex-crew-2-mission-cleared-for-launch-as-eyes-turn-to-the-weather","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-crew-2-mission-cleared-for-launch-as-eyes-turn-to-the-weather\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX, Crew-2 mission cleared for launch as eyes turn to the weather"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Crew-2 mission\u2019s Launch Readiness Review, or LRR, has been completed at the Kennedy Space Center, with managers from NASA, SpaceX, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) formally clearing the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon Endeavour<\/i> for launch of four international astronauts to the Space Station on Thursday morning at 06:11 EDT \/ 10:11 UTC.<\/p>\n

Clearance for launch comes as eyes now turn to the weather not just around Florida but along Falcon 9\u2019s ascent corridor over the Atlantic Ocean \u2014 where wave heights and maritime weather will play a factor in determining if the Crew-2 mission can launch on Thursday as planned or if it will need to wait one extra day.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

LRR concludes with \u201cgo for launch\u201d decision<\/b><\/p>\n

After last week\u2019s Flight Readiness Review, or FRR, SpaceX successfully conducted an investigation into the single open item stemming from the review, and performed a static fire of the Falcon 9 rocket and dry dress rehearsal with the four humans who will ride inside the Crew Dragon Endeavour<\/i> for a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).<\/p>\n

The remaining opening item from the FRR centered on a discovery in McGregor, Texas, on a yet-to-fly Falcon 9 first stage.  When testing was interrupted by weather in the area, teams noticed that the liquid oxygen (LOX) tank had more LOX in it than expected.<\/p>\n

Subsequent testing revealed this situation has been present on all Falcon 9 first stages and has successfully flown with each of them.  Still, out of an abundance of caution, especially given this mission is carrying humans, additional analysis and work was performed by both the SpaceX and NASA teams to clear the issue for flight. <\/p>\n

Speaking at the post-LRR news conference on Tuesday morning, Steve Stich, Manager of NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program, said, \u201cThe additional liquid oxygen that we thought was on the vehicle\u2026 we looked at that relative to this flight, and we concluded that that amount of liquid oxygen in the first stage was well within family of the Guidance, Navigation & Control analysis and the performance analysis, well within the loads and structural capability of the vehicle, and [within what] we could handle [from a] contingencies [standpoint] with that LOX onboard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Crew-2 astronauts. Left to right: Thomas Pesquet, Megan McArthur, Shane Kimbrough, and Aki Hoshide. (Credit: NASA)<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we were go to proceed.  We had an exception at the Flight Readiness Review, and we closed that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Echoing that, Benji Reed, Sr. Director, Human Spaceflight Operations, SpaceX, conferred, \u201cWe continue to do a number of tests, thousands and thousands of tests to get to the day.  We talk a lot about the types of reviews that we do, we call them paranoia reviews.  Because we want to be paranoid.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

See Also<\/h4>\n
    \n
  • Crew-2 UPDATES<\/li>\n
  • SpaceX Missions Section<\/li>\n
  • L2 SpaceX Section<\/li>\n
  • Click here to Join L2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u201cWe want to make sure we\u2019re going to fly these people safely and be able to bring them home safely.  We check under every rock, we double-check and triple-check and question each other and we challenge each other every time.  And we\u2019re continuing that process.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \u201cWe\u2019ve got Megan and Shane and Aki and Thomas.  There are a lot of families there.  A lot of time and hard work that they put in, not just the astronauts, but their families and everyone who supported them over the years so they can go up and do their jobs on Station and deliver the great science the Station does.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \u201cBut in particular in my heart,\u201d Benji continued, \u201cthere\u2019s a little boy whose mom is flying.  And this is something that we pay a lot of attention to.  We ask ourselves all the time \u2018would we fly our families?\u2019  And that\u2019s kind of a test for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

    It might all come down to the abort weather\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n

    Part of protecting Shane, Megan, Thomas, and Aki is the SuperDraco abort system on Crew Dragon, which will be standing by to pull the capsule and its four occupants safely away from the Falcon 9 in the unlikely event of a fueling or launch mishap.<\/p>\n

    From the moment the abort system is armed approximately 42 minutes prior to liftoff, the SuperDraco engines can pull the capsule away from the rocket and then, depending where in the timeline the abort occurs, switch over to the regular Draco thruster system for in-air maneuvers to ensure proper attitude control as well as a correct trajectory toward the abort landing zone.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n