WASHINGTON (Parliament Politics Magazine ) – The Space Launch System (SLS), NASA’s large new Moon rocket, has been called off.
The 100-metre-tall vehicle’s engine was difficult for controllers to cool down to the proper operating temperature.
They had earlier been concerned about what looked to be a crack in the rocket’s uppermost part, but they later discovered it was just frost buildup.
The SLS is the largest rocket that NASA has ever created. Astronauts will be sent back to the moon in it.Â
The first flight, which is a part of NASA’s Artemis programme, is only a test flight with no passengers. However, more difficult missions are planned in the future that will allow people to spend weeks at a time living on the lunar surface.
The hundreds of thousands of onlookers who had gathered on nearby beaches and causeways to watch the most powerful rocket in 50 years take flight will have been disappointed by the brush.
But Bill Nelson, the administrator of NASA and a former astronaut, argued that taking a cautious approach was the best course of action.
He emphasised, they didn’t launch until it was correct. It only demonstrated that it was a really complex machine and a very complicated system, in his opinion. And they all needed to function. The candle should not be lit until it was prepared to go.
If the engine problem can be fixed by Friday, Nasa may decide to attempt again.
But if the rocket’s controllers have to return to Kennedy’s assembly plant to make a replacement of the engine, that would mean several weeks of delay.
The manager of NASA’s Artemis project, Mike Sarafin, acknowledged that teams required time to evaluate all the data but predicted against a roll-back.
“If we can resolve this operationally out on the pad in the next 48 hours, 72 hours, Friday is definitely in play,” he told reporters.
Mr. Sarafin explained that the rocket’s venting valve was also malfunctioning at the time of the scrub.
As it considers potential new launch dates, NASA must take the weather into consideration. This time of year is quite dynamic for conditions here in Florida. The spaceport frequently experiences electrical storms. Morning is the best time to try the launch. In general, it is calmer. However, the possibility is in the afternoon this Friday and following Monday.
There were times even during the countdown when there was no possibility of rain and lightning.
When the SLS eventually takes off, its purpose will be to launch the test capsule Orion far from the Earth.
This spacecraft will make a large arc-shaped circle around the Moon before making its way back to Earth and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean six weeks later.
Astronauts will board Orion for a subsequent series of trips beginning in 2024, if all the hardware functions as it should. Orion will be uncrewed for the initial voyage.
The main goal of the current mission is actually reached towards the very end of the 42-day trip.
The question among engineers is whether Orion’s heatshield can withstand the extremely high temperatures it will experience on re-entering the atmosphere of Earth.
Orion will move in incredibly fast, at a speed of 32 times the speed of sound, i.e. 38,000 km/h (24,000 mph).
Picture from BBCÂ
According to Mike Hawes, the Orion programme manager of aerospace company Lockheed Martin, even the strengthened carbon-carbon that safeguarded the shuttle was only good for roughly 3,000F (1,600C).
They were currently approaching at 4,000F (2,200C) or higher. They. had returned to the Apollo ablative substance known as Avcoat. It was in the blocks with a gap filler, and testing that was a top priority.
The Orion service module was supplied by the European Space Agency. The back of the capsule is what propels it through space. Europe expects that this in-kind contribution would enable the inclusion of its citizens on upcoming lunar surface missions.
There are several missions in planning – it is currently up to Artemis IX .
By that time, there should be habitats and roving vehicles on the Moon for astronauts.
In the end, Artemis is intended to serve as a test platform to send people to Mars, but this is unlikely to happen before the 2040s.
It should be known that it was a really difficult business. Using modern technology, they were attempting to do something that hadn’t been done in more than 50 years, explained Mr. Sarafin. Seeing smoke and flames was enjoyable for everyone. They won’t let one more obstacle prevent them from attempting to take that next step.
