Octopus Overlords

Kraken wrote: ↑Thu Nov 10, 2022 7:10 pm Meanwhile, NASA's 2024 budget request was updated to include a humongous tarp.

NASA's Jim Free confirmed during an afternoon teleconference on Friday that the scheduled Nov. 16 Artemis I launch is still a go, despite the rocket receiving some minor damage from Hurricane Nicole.

“Right now, there’s nothing preventing us from getting to the 16th," he said of the uncrewed Artemis I mission.

During the 3 p.m. EST teleconference with reporters, Free said that NASA officials had meetings last week about rolling the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft back to Launch Pad 39B before Nicole was even formed, saying that at that time the wind speeds were supposed to be much lower.

Once the 322-foot rocket and its spacecraft were on the launch pad on, Nov. 4, they had meetings about the pros and cons of rolling them back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) as they monitored the storm system, Free said, who is the NASA Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development.

“We had predictions then that the storm’s winds were going to be high, but still within our certification limits,” he explained of the more than two-hour meeting NASA had about rolling back Artemis in the VAB.



He did admit damage was detected on the vehicle and that engineers would inspect the $4.1 billion Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Some room temperature vulcanizing (a sealant or caulk that he mentioned in his tweet) was loose on the Orion and there has been discussion of just snipping it off and determining the risk iof not replacing it, Free said.

An umbilical to the Orion came off its tray, but a team of people, including a veteran, moved it back to where it needed to be, Free said, adding that water got into the crew access arm and it will be dealt with.

In addition to a tear in the engine rain covers that will be fixed, Free said workers realized that one of the electrical umbilicals on the hydrogen tail service mass unit is having issues.

“We do have an issue on the ground side of one of the electrical umbilicals on the hydrogen tail service mass unit that was exhibiting some erratic signals," he said. "The team is out at the pad, taking out that apart and doing some visual inspection, figuring out what the issue is there and what we might need to do in terms of replacing that hardness. We do have a backup harness. It looks like we’d be able to use if it needs to be replaced."

Despite the minor damage, Free said the vehicle is in pretty good condition and engineers will begin to power it up on Friday in preparation for next week's launch.

It was because of Nicole that NASA was forced to push the fourth launch attempt date from Nov. 14 to Nov. 16. But Free said that if backups are needed, they still have Nov. 19 and 25.

For the first time, we’ve got to see the U.S. Space Force’s top-secret X-37B reusable spaceplane together with its service module, a bolt-on payload package that boosts the number of missions that this shadowy uncrewed orbital platform can undertake. The photo disclosure came soon after X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-6, or OTV-6 — signaling its sixth mission — returned to Earth after a record 908 days (or roughly two and a half years) spent in orbit.

Booster 7 is set to resume its static fire test campaign as soon as Monday with a short firing of half of its engines in what is hoped to be the significant event before the long-awaited 33-engine static fire test. This milestone will put the Super Heavy booster one step closer to being ready for Starship’s first orbital flight.

Over in Florida, progress is continuing at the Starship facilities at KSC.

Artemis I managers convened Monday afternoon to review the status of countdown operations as well as two open technical items, and gave a “go” to proceed toward launch Wednesday, Nov 16. The two-hour window for launch opens at 1:04 a.m. EST.

Engineers examined detailed analysis of caulk on a seam between an ogive on Orion’s launch abort system and the crew module adapter and potential risks if it were to detach during launch. The mission management team determined there is a low likelihood that if additional material tears off it would pose a critical risk to the flight.
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Technicians also completed replacing a component of an electrical connector on the hydrogen tail service mast umbilical. While swapping the component did not fully fix the issue, engineers have redundant sources of information supplied through the connector.

Kraken wrote: ↑Tue Nov 15, 2022 2:52 am
I read an argument from an MIT rocket scientist who blamed Congress's mandate to use space shuttle technology for 46% of the STS's cost and performance difficulties. That's such a precise number that it must be true. Hydrogen is the tiniest atom there is; it's a bitch to handle and it's going to leak. The Saturn V used kerosene, which packs less energy but you can pump at the local Sunoco.

Kraken wrote: ↑Tue Nov 15, 2022 2:52 am Yeah, you won't get hordes of people for a 1 a.m. launch that will probably just be scrubbed.

I read an argument from an MIT rocket scientist who blamed Congress's mandate to use space shuttle technology for 46% of the STS's cost and performance difficulties. That's such a precise number that it must be true. Hydrogen is the tiniest atom there is; it's a bitch to handle and it's going to leak. The Saturn V used kerosene, which packs less energy but you can pump at the local Sunoco.

Lassr wrote: ↑Tue Nov 15, 2022 8:59 am

Kraken wrote: ↑Tue Nov 15, 2022 2:52 am
I read an argument from an MIT rocket scientist who blamed Congress's mandate to use space shuttle technology for 46% of the STS's cost and performance difficulties. That's such a precise number that it must be true. Hydrogen is the tiniest atom there is; it's a bitch to handle and it's going to leak. The Saturn V used kerosene, which packs less energy but you can pump at the local Sunoco.

I know I heard that a lot over the years from engineering management. It doesn't save money when you are trying to use it and design around it. Congress trying to be engineers, they have a hard enough time being politicians...

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Tue Nov 15, 2022 9:44 pm Be nice.

NASA launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson has given a "go" for the red team to drive out to Launch Complex 39B to troubleshoot an issue with a leaky hydrogen replenishment valve on the SLS Mobile Launcher. Two technicians and a safety official will enter the pad in two vehicles and enter a compartment near the side of the the mobile launch platform to torque packing nuts on the replenishment valve area.

This is a "hazardous operation," says Derrol Nail, NASA's launch countdown commentator. The red team members are trained to work near the fully fueled rocket to resolve technical issues during the countdown.

NASA says the red team at pad 39B is taking a little longer than expected to complete their troubleshooting, which involves torquing bolts around a leaky hydrogen replenishment valve on the mobile launch platform at the base of the Artemis 1 moon rocket.

malchior wrote: ↑Wed Nov 16, 2022 1:08 am Now they are saying one of the down range radar sites is down due to failed network equipment. They are repairing at the moment.

NASA's Mission Management Team will be polled in a couple of minutes for their readiness to enter into the terminal countdown. The launch team believes they are just a few minutes from completing all of the countdown preparations. A target launch time between 1:45 a.m. and 2 a.m. EST remains possible.